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Chapter Text

Remus walked down the stone pathway that was overrun by vegetation, who was on its way to destroying this decimated cottage. The bricks were covered with vines that threaten to destabilize the structure of the home. It was a tiny building with broken windows covered by wooden boards. Falling apart from years of neglect, the Yorkshire cottage was what Remus now called home. The werewolf had been lucky to find someone willing to rent out their property. In the months after getting dismissed from his position as the Defense Against the Dark Art professor, Remus has been living in the streets of muggle London, shunned from the wizarding worlds for his condition. With muggle mail in his hand, Remus frowned, realizing he did not have enough pounds to cover these bills. Bills he couldn’t afford right now.

As he placed his coat on a hook near the entrance, he walked in to see a leaking ceiling. It had rained yesterday, and the water had gone into the house again. The flooding this time was worse than normal as the water went up to his ankle. Ankle deep in sewer water, Remus splashed across the room, sitting down at the kitchen table. The kitchen was a tight squeeze no wider than his arms stretched wide in a T position. If Remus really wanted to, he could cook a full meal at the stove while sitting at the dining table. Reaching behind his head, Remus attempted to turn on the light switch. Flickering it back and forth to no avail, he remembered the electric bill had yet to be paid for the past 3 months or so. Sighing, Remus turned around in his box of a kitchen and opened a drawer for candles, lighting them in front of him. Good thing he had candles for occasions like this one.

While in the kitchen, Remus opened the fridge door, trying to avoid hitting the chairs. Looking for something to eat, the werewolf found nothing but an empty fridge with some spoiled milk, a couple of brown apples, and liquor. Liquor it is for tonight’s dinner as he grabbed the bottle along with a glass cup. Pouring to the top of the glass, Remus wanted to forget all his troubles of his past, present, and future for it was bleak. It had been a tough day for Lupin, having just been fired from his most recent muggle job as a janitor at the mall. Lupin had seen it coming. With his condition as a werewolf, Remus was always missing work and getting sick every month during the full moon. His transformation often left him bedridden for days afterwards as he recovered. There’s nothing much he can do, having lived his whole life as a werewolf. This was his normal, a poor graying man living life on the run until he without fail got kicked out by the local wizard community. This cottage was nice while it lasted. It seemed the end of his stay in Yorkshire was nearing its end, with his landlord breathing down his neck and squeezing him out of all his money.

Lupin couldn’t give a valid excuse to his muggle boss without breaking the statue of secrecy and revealing the existence of wizards and werewolves. He didn’t have an issue getting hired, but holding a job down long enough to get stable was the main trouble. Since leaving his previous teaching job at Hogwarts, Lupin had been job hopping from one after another in the muggle world after word of his lycanthropy reached the ministry and the Daily Prophet. The newspaper outlet had a field day filling their pockets at his expense and selling a record number of papers about the scandalous gossip of a werewolf teaching in the halls of Hogwarts. Nowadays, Remus kept his head down, focusing on small errands and missions the Order tasked him with, but they don’t pay his bills.

In recent months, Remus had been finding it difficult to stay motivated. Not just from not being able to stay in one place long enough to build a new life, but also from the death of his beloved, who died not too long ago. Sirius Black was a wonderful friend from childhood. Sirius was his first crush, first love that never came to be, and first heartbreak. Remus was certain Sirius was the one. However, they never happened.

After his trust was broken by the prank, Lupin couldn’t find it in his heart to forget it. He forgave Sirius, but forgetting was different. It still angered him to this day how his friend thought nothing of him as just a mere tool to hurt others. Lupin was taken advantage of as Sirius used his insecurities being a werewolf for his benefit, to almost kill another student. Sirius had almost succeeded in turning him into his worst nightmare, a monster. Apologies were made afterwards, but things were never the same. The idea that Sirius was malicious enough to use him in that way for a ‘harmless’ prank was unforgivable. When Remus finally had the courage to tell Sirius how he felt, used. For the remaining years at Hogwarts, Remus felt dirty and shameful, avoiding all interaction with Snape for what he almost did.

After graduating, his cries of going somewhere far away from his friends were answered. The order had sent him on missions during the first war. It was a chaotic time, where his close loved ones and Sirius thought he was the traitor. In the end, all the best friends he grew up with died in the war. James and Lily were killed by Sirius, or so he thought. Sirius had been sent to Azkaban after going mad, spewing what he thought was nonsense. He was so angry at his once love for years, only to find out his innocence far too late. Years wasted of what could have been still kept him up at night. Should he have tried harder to fight for Sirius’ freedom? No, he was blinded by grief and his reservations he still had against Sirius, for Sirius was a complicated man. Neither good nor bad. He only looked out for himself, Remus thought now, years later.

“I thought I had more time, Sirius. Why did you have to go again? If only I got to tell you, you meant more to me than just a friend,” Remus told himself as he looked at the sky for the star of Sirius. Remus proceeded to look at the moon that laughed at him and his poor excuse of a life. The moon mocked him in his loneliness, for no one could truly love a monster. He was a danger to society. It was why he was run out of Hogwarts. He almost killed a student in his youth and did it again as a professor. The image of Hermione and Harry with fear in their eyes haunted him. Lupin didn’t deserve to be around others, especially students. The full moon was in a couple of days. He loathed the moon, as it only caused him hurt. It reminded him of the life he never got to live before he got turned as a child. This wretched life is all he knows.

As he stargazed, an owl flew high in the sky, landing on his windowsill. It was Dumbledore’s owl. Remus ran his hands through his hair in discomfort. What did Dumbledore want this late into the night? How interesting, Remus thought. He hadn’t heard from the old man since his last day as a professor. He almost thought he was forgotten by the great wizard, for he was nothing but a tool to be used by all at his own expense. It’s how everyone in his life, past and present, had treated him. Remus grabbed the letter and read it. With a scowl on his face, Lupin walked over to the candle and watched the letter burn before his eyes. His hands clenched tight in a fist as he walked back to his open door, watching the moon of his nightmares.

Chapter Text

From his tiny window in the garden shed no taller than him, Draco looked at the moon that was taunting him: the moon of dying dreams. He had been exiled to living in the gardens as a creature like him did not belong inside the manor. As long as the Dark Lord was living in his home, he was not to step a foot inside. Draco ducked his head, avoiding hitting the ceiling with his head, as he stood inside his makeshift bedroom that was nothing more than a pile of blankets. Terrified, he chewed on his lips at the thought of experiencing his first full moon.
His werewolf’s bite was still healing. Even a month later, his wounds were still bleeding and oozing with pus from infection. He was not allowed to have any potions to help it heal nicely or quickly, denied any relief from pain. There was no doubt it was going to leave a terrible scar, a pale Draco thought. With his wand taken away from him, Draco shivered in his cold dog house, for wands were only for wizards. He was only to have his wand in the presence of others. Just the way the Dark Lord wanted, Draco had been demoted to a second-class citizen. No lower than that, a mere waste of space sentenced to death in the incoming school year.

Voldemort wanted Draco to remember his father’s failure for as long as he lived and to remind his family that they served the Dark Lord, not their own self interests. Draco had been bound to bedrest and the occasion visits from his mother, when she was allowed. For days after the duel, Draco was close to death, lying bleeding and beaten in the dirt outside the manor. How he came to survive was from pure will alone as he spent days exposed to the elements. When he came to bed, Draco crawled across the garden into his new bedroom, the shed.

His mother avoided staring at him in the eye anymore as she trembled in his presence. She still loved him. He knows this to be true, but she was having a difficult time coming to terms with their family’s new reality. Narcissa blamed herself and, most of all, Lucius for what happened to Draco, for he led the Malfoy family into the arms of a madman. Every look in her son’s gaze was a horrible reminder of how she failed as his mother. Every look at Draco was a reminder of the war that was coming.

Since that night, she had been very quiet and out of the house when Voldemort was out and about. Narcissa took advantage of her husband’s absence, filing the role of head of house now that she saw he couldn’t be trusted with the well-being of her one and only son, Draco. Only god knows what the hell she’s doing, Draco thought to himself. It was better not to ask questions. At the very least, Draco was grateful his mother was showing emotions. His father refused to acknowledge Draco any longer, having been banished from the Malfoy line of succession and with no inheritance. Lucius didn’t consider Draco, his son, family anymore. He had sent a note after the incident, letting him know of his new position in the manor.

In the days after he woke, Draco attempted to visit his father after, but was denied visitation by Lucius himself. “Hilarious!,” Draco growled as he smashed the window with his fist. “I’m only in this position because my poor excuse of a father has repeatedly failed the Dark Lord. And I was the price to pay for his sin,” a resentful Draco shouted at the moon. Voldemort was a cruel man for punishing Draco for Lucius’ failure to retrieve the prophecy at the Department of Mysteries.

Lucius was already not on good terms with Voldemort. Voldemort never stopped reminding his father how he never went looking for him after his disappearance and failed to bring him back during Draco’s first year. So when Lucius failed this final time, the Dark Lord had enough of it. While his father found it a blessing at first being safe behind bars in Azkaban, Voldemort found another way to hurt the Malfoy family. He would hurt Lucius where it hurt the most. He would take Lucius’ pride and joy of having a long pureblood lineage and pureblood son away from him. The Dark Lord categorized Lucius as a ‘high risk prisoner’, imprisoning Lucius in the penitentiary part of Azkaban for the most dangerous and violent inmates.

Soon the head Malfoy would learn the gravity of this, as all high-risk prisoners were all castrated, taking his ability to replace Draco with another new heir. Some prisoners that fell under this category were Bellatrix, Sirius, the LeStrange brothers, and Barty. A dark secret many did not know about the cruelties of Azkaban. Voldemort also decided not to have another death eater from the Malfoy family. They had proven themselves useless. No, they will serve under him as dogs. Clenching his eyes shut, avoiding the moon, Draco tried not to remember that day, but it was difficult when the moon reminded him every night. Every time he slept at night, he could remember every detail of that horrendous and fateful day.

~

“Hello, my loyal Deatheaters. I am brought to joy to see that most of the sacred families have come to join me on this lovely evening, for I have an entertaining show for you all. A duel to remember for years to come,” grinned Voldemort with pure evil behind his red, empty eyes. Voldemort had filled out every seat in the Malfoy ballroom, where in the past it had hosted most of the wizarding world’s magnificent events and charities. Standing by the Dark Lord's side with his hands behind his back, Draco stood, showing not a speck of emotion on his face. He would not give Voldemort that pleasure. Still, nerves ran throughout his body as his heart beat crazily against his chest while every eye in the room landed on a boy on the brink of manhood. There had to be at least 300 pureblood members from around Europe.

“Here I have Greyback on my left and I have Draco Malfoy on my right, son of Lucius Malfoy. Tonight, they will have a wizard duel, for I have been offended by Lucius’ failures. Let this be a lesson to all on what happens if you disappoint me one too many times”.

Silent gasps can be heard among the crowd as others tried to hush them silence in fear. Narcissa refused to cry in front of everyone as she stared straight ahead, avoiding her scared son. For if she did, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back and run into his arms to save him from his fate. She knew Voldemort was looking for a reaction from her, but she would not give it to him. The Dark Lord wanted to publicly humiliate the Malfoys before the other Pureblood families. As he eyed the room, many of whom she thought were colleagues avoided her gaze and others snickered at her and Draco’s misfortunes. If only Lucius was here to stop this or find another way to redeem the family in the eyes of the Dark Lord. He had always been politically savvy but in his absence; the family was falling quickly from grace.

Tonight, Narcissa would stay strong, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid for her son. She held tightly to both Theo and Blaise’s hands. Both boys stood on each side. “Draco, I see a wand in your hand. That wouldn’t be fair, would it? Greyback can not use a wand. Hand it over now.” demanded Draco’s tormentor. The duel did not last long. Draco had no chance of beating Greyback, especially scratched free. Only the sounds of a growling werewolf and the terrified screams of the crowd echoed in the ballroom. Hearing this, Narcissa closed her eyes using Blaise’s tall body to cover her eye site, but she heard everything. She heard the moment his bones cracked under Greyback’s jaws. Draco’s collar bones cracked so easily, like eggshells.

Unable to help her motherly instincts, she opened her eyes but regretted it immediately, for what she saw will haunt her for the rest of her days. She saw as the blood gushed onto the duel’s floor. Draco’s blood-curdling screams filled the room as Greyback chopped down into his shoulders like chewing gum. The werewolf was on top of a fallen Draco as he ripped a chunk of her son’s neck and ate him before Draco’s eyes in a mocking manner. Draco shook in pure pain as he failed to push Greyback off of him. As retribution for attempting to escape him, Greyback clawed his abdomen open as his guts spilled onto the floor. Draco could only watch in horror as the werewolf before him chewed on his intestines with his mouth open. “Mummy! Help me!” was the last thing Narcissa heard as she fainted, held up by Blaise. Otherwise, she would have, without fail, hit her head on the marble floor. She would remember those screams for the rest of her life. They would linger in her dreams.

When it finally finished, Narcissa came back into consciousness to see her baby in a pool of his own blood, barely holding on to life as the Dark Lord healed her son’s open stomach just enough for him not to die. Draco still had deep scratches on his abdomen and his neck was still torn open, unhealed to taunt the Malfoy family. Theo held her back as she tried to stand and run to her boy. She couldn’t grab Draco just yet. The men in the room were split in half. One side laughed along with the Dark Lord while the other half shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to feel. The women in the crowd, especially the mothers, covered their mouths in horror as their heart went out to Narcissa, for Draco was only a child. He could be any of their children. Who was this man standing before them, holding them hostage? Some dared to think that, but pushed their thoughts away in fear of the Dark Lord reading their minds.

“Let this all be a reminder to you all. What happens when you fail me?,” Voldemort snickered as he dismissed everyone. He laughed as he watched a pitiful mother crawl to her dying son. Not caring if the Dark Lord was still in the room, Narcissa went to her Draco with tears running down her face as she screamed for him. She cried as she held Draco’s skin together. His skin was falling off like cloth as her hand placed pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Soon her dress was covered in red as she sobbed uncontrollably. Voldemort’s footsteps echoed in her ears as he walked up to her. “I’m not done with Draco. I have a mission. He has the end of the school year to kill Dumbledore and find a way for us to enter the castle. Do not disappoint me, Narcissa. I was merciful this time around,” Voldemort said as he threw Draco’s wand next to him. The next day an owl arrived for Draco, a note from Azkaban, that he would not read until he came to be a few days later. It was a letter from his father that only had the words, “You are no longer my son for a Malfoy does not beg”.

Chapter Text

“Crucio!,” Bellatrix roared at the top of her lungs as Draco trashed in pain on the marble floor. He bit down on his lips to stop himself from screaming. Draco had been training with his aunt all summer long, training to be better at dueling, wandless magic, and use the unforgivables. These sessions were intense, with training going late into the night and early morning. He had started to become fragile and thin, having still not recovered from Greyback’s attack. When he did sleep, his body trembled, thinking it was still in a state of crucio. It was already bad enough that he found himself flinching when Bellatrix snuck up on him at times. If Draco thought learning legilimency and occlumency under Professor Snape was bad, it was nothing compared to being taught straight from his aunt. Professor Snape, at the very least, gave him time to recover or breathe. Draco went into training with Snape with no fear of being mocked at whatever thoughts they came upon during their session. With Bellatrix, every one of his errors hung over his head as he repeatedly paid for them.

“Crucio! Learn to withstand it! What’s wrong with you? You damn werewolf! I’ve been assigned to train you for your mission! I’ll train you like an obedient dog if I have to”. With the most powerful spell yet, Bellatrix got into a battling position with both legs planted to the floor and bent her arm as if she was holding an arrow. With a flick of her wand, her magic spilling out from her wand like daggers ready to kill, pointing at her nephew. “CRUCIO!” she snickered as she directly hit Draco on the chest when he was not looking. Draco dropped to his knees after an hour-long session of building up his tolerance for the unforgivables.

It seemed at times, he was Bellatrix’s target practice when boredom spread across the manor with how often she intentionally hurt him and snuck up on him, for he needed to be ready at all times. Having been forced to watch his back most days, Draco was soon becoming a ball of nerves, jumpy at every little noise. Even in his home, Draco couldn’t get a moment of peace. The only thing that stopped Draco from ending it all was the thought of Hogwarts, his home away from home. The end of summer was ending along with his torture. The solitude he desperately needed was on the horizon. Draco never thought he would look forward to going back to Hogwarts.

Being hit with his aunt’s spell, this pain was the worst, yet as if Bellatrix put all her insanity and anger into it. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, Draco had forgotten where he was and what time it was. Every second that passed by felt like an eternity. It felt like hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, stabbing him repeatedly. If Draco didn’t know better, he would have thought his body was set blaze. He screamed so loudly it filled every hall of the Malfoy Manor. It echoed in every room of his massive house. He yelled until his voice gave out.
Draco’s screams were so terrifying it shook his mother to her core. Often she would need to go into another room as she covered her ears and hunched over as if she, too, was in pain. If her older sister saw her, Narcissa knew Draco’s torture would increase to teach them both a lesson. One would think bloody murder was unfolding. Draco laid his face against the floor in hopes that the coldness would ease his skin, which was on fire. Bellatrix threw her head back as she laughed while Draco laid in a puddle on his own piss, vomit, and drool, crying uncontrollably. His former snow white skin was littered with large purple bruises. Since he was no longer a wizard, medical treatment had been denied for him nor was he allowed to wash himself. Open and infected wounds became his normal.

If he was still Draco, he would have been horrified to let the other Death Eaters and especially Theo and Blaise, who often came to visit, see him become a shell of his former self. Instead, Draco no longer cared, for every thought and action revolved around trying to survive until the next day. No longer was he the pristine, regal prince of Slytherin, for he was replaced by a creature who smelled of rotten corpses and foul bodily odors. Every hit with a Crucio, a piece of him died along with his dignity. He was a walking dead man. There was no light behind his eyes any longer. Draco shut himself away deep into his mind as he transformed into a mindless dog, doing the Dark Lord’s bidding.

He had done a good job at this point showing no pain or emotions today, but he had to cry it all out now. “Expected from a momma’s boy. My sister has softened you up too much. No worries, it’s nothing that can’t be corrected,” a calm yet murderous looking Bellatrix replied as she spat on Draco. Bellatrix had been rough with the boy all summer long. Although Draco thought her harsh treatment was derived from her disgust with his condition, it was because Bellatrix wholeheartedly wanted the boy to survive the next phase of his life. If the boy hated her, so be it. The boy needed to toughen up to survive in the Dark Lord’s inner circle. That would be her gift to her nephew. If it wasn’t for his training in occlumency, Draco was sure his head would burst open and collapse into madness. Trying to stand on his arm, Draco’s arms shook uncontrollably as they gave out.

“STAND UP!” shouted Bellatrix. “I got one more lesson for you to learn. You’ve been a very studious pupil and duelist. I can almost call you my equal if it wasn’t for your dirtied blood. If you learn this unforgivable, you’ll be unstoppable to those you face. It’s time to become a real man, unlike your father. Lucky for you, you’re half Black, which makes up for your Malfoy side,” she replied as she circled around Draco like he was prey. Draco somehow found the strength to slowly crawl his way across the floor. Speaking to himself internally, Draco whispered, “Left foot first”. A shaky and frail left leg was the first to attempt at walking. “Great, now right foot”. He struggled to get the second foot to stand on its own, back on his both knees Draco went as he collapsed. He was so exhausted and worn out, but the boy still attempted again as he trembled uncontrollably.

By the miracle of Merlin himself, Draco succeeded this time. Slowly and in a timely manner, he stood up straight and peered straight into the eyes of his aunt. Pale as a ghost, Draco’s eyes were red from the vessels bursting. Chanting over and over again in his mind, Draco said, “I cannot die here. I cannot die here. I cannot die here,” refusing to let his mother carry his dead body. For if he did drop dead, Draco knew his mother would be the next target of the Dark Lord. Determined, he will be the one to carry his family’s burden, sins, and pain for her.
“MIPPY! You stupid house elf! Bring in the prey,” Bellatrix demanded as she eyed the elf, as its existence itself was an insult. In a rush, Mippy brought in a small feline cat. “Perform the killing curse. Show me the fruits of our labor. Let it not be for nothing,” a wicked Bellatrix sneered at her nephew. Reading between the lines, Draco knew her words were threats. Once again, occlumencing, a broken Draco reasoned with himself, “It’s kill or be killed,” trying to justify taking a life of even the smallest kitten. Hiding away his real emotions, Draco presented an indifferent expression as he yelled out, “AVADA KEDAVRA!”

Draco had a moment for himself as he watched the motionless kitten. He breathed in heavily after a day’s worth of rigorous training. With his chest moving up and down rapidly, one single tear escaped his eyes, threatening the boy to crumble in guilt. Despite what he was feeling, Malfoy did not dare to show any weakness in front of his aunt, in fear of what training would become tomorrow. Aunt Bellatrix liked to call his training as ridding the “Malfoy” out of him and only leaving his Black heritage behind. The blonde wiped the single tear away, using his long sleeves to wipe his “sweat’’ but before he could touch his face, Bellatrix grabbed the boy’s arm. She stopped Draco to analyze the tear falling down his cheek. Fearful he couldn’t hide those tears from her, he froze. But instead of violence from his aunt, Draco experienced something unexpected from her.

To his pure shock, Bellatrix cupped Draco’s face, showering the boy with strange kindness as her thumb gently wiped the tear away. The same tears of someone she once loved. The tears of someone she couldn’t remember, but her soul did. “Release it, brother”, Bellatrix whispered to her only nephew. Confused, Draco stared into her gray eyes, but he soon understood the meaning of her actions. Bellatrix and his mother were more alike, the boy realized. Like Narcissa, Bellatrix too must have held that same pain his mother did. Staying in place, Draco held his breath as Bellatrix continued to study his face as if she was trying to remember something. Something important that had long been forgotten in Bellatrix’s cell in Azkaban. Draco allowed her time to figure it out, but it never came.

Annoyed, Bellatrix squeezed his chin, but the Slytherin remained in place, being what she needed at that moment. To be that person she missed, before his aunt suddenly snapped at him, “I hate what you’ve done with your hair. It’s hideous. Change it back”. During this interaction, Narcissa had watched nervously from the doorway as the whole scene unfolded. Narcissa felt her breath drop, fearing Bellatrix would say too much, but relief came to see her sister’s memories were scattered and long gone.

Walking into the room, Draco’s mother appeared with no sign of how much Draco’s training was hurting her too. It would do them no good, for silence was safety. “Bella, my dear sister, that is enough. I have an errand to run that I need you to assist me with,” a soft and proper voiced Narcissa spoke, hoping to give her son some relief away from her sister. Nodding, Bellatrix turned and held out her hand to Draco, demanding his wand. It hurt to part with it, but Draco made no effort to fight back. It was no use, for Voldemort’s words were law. The only bright light during his training was it was the only time Draco was reunited with his wand.

As Bellatrix pocketed Draco’s wand, the two sisters began to leave the room, but before Narcissa went, she pressed a kiss to Draco’s forehead slowly, signaling how sorry she was and how brave he was today. Annoyed, Bellatrix shoots a look at Narcissa, telling her without words, “Your mothering him too much” but she could careless of others’ opinions when it came to her boy. Walking past her sister Bella, Narcissa ignored the look as they left Draco alone once again. Narcissa’s hand grabbed a handful of Floo powder and shouted at the fireplace, “Spinner’s End.”

~

Spinner’s end was the street where Professor Snape lived, his childhood and family home. It was located in the poorest areas of Cokeworth. The street lamps were broken and many of the family homes’ bricks were loose and crumbling. The river sitting next to Spinner’s End was all muddy and the bushes surrounding the cottage were creeping into the property. From what Narcissa could see, many of the buildings here looked abandoned as nature reclaimed its land with overgrown plant life. Walking to the last house on this street, Narcissa knocked on the door, and was greeted by a rat-faced Peter Pettigrew. “What an ugly man”, Narcissa thought as the rat man walked past her.

As he was leaving as his eyes lingered on Narcissa more than she liked, as if he was undressing her. Shutting the door on Peter, the two sisters met Snape in the main living room. Bellatrix looked around the room. “Someone is missing,” she thought to herself. “A third person in our family…” Bellatrix mumbled to herself, but she quickly shook the feeling away. Her actions were caught by Snape, though. He raised his eyebrows at her since it appeared as if the madwoman was seeing things.

“What do I owe to the pressure of your presence, Narcissa?,” a controlled Snape replied as he turned away from Bellatrix. “I know I shouldn’t be here. The Dark Lord has forbidden me from speaking on Draco’s next mission,” replied Narcissa as she folded her hands in front of her stomach in an attempt to hold in her nerves. “Then don’t tell me. Luckily for you. I am a part of his inner circle. I know about the mission.” Snape responded in a dead voice, seeing the way Bellatrix looked at him, but before he could let the mad woman speak, Snape showed them both he was in full control of the conversation. “You doubt me? I have played my part well… so well, I have deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time.”

The only one of the two sisters, Narcissa, knew which actual wizard he was referring to, which made her next request more urgent. Narcissa looked into Snape’s eyes with the saddest plead for help. “He’s just a boy. Please, help my baby. I know what part you had in it. You owe Draco a debt,” a teary Narcissa whispered to Snape. Snape knew what he did. He was just as guilty as Voldemort. He watched Draco grow from a child and taught him at Hogwarts. Could Snape really stand by and deny her this? He owed their family for his mistake. Snape stayed silent, evaluating Narcissa before deciding what was the best decision.

In the distance, the trio could hear the kettle of boiling water, ready to be served in a cup of tea. It was a defending sound as Narcissa begged one more time, “Please”. Before the Snape could speak up, a grinning Bellatrix snickered with excitement, “Swear to it. Make the unbreakable vow. I’ll be the third party to witness it. It’s just empty words, Snape. Draco will do the mission,”. With that, Snape nodded as the three of them made the unbreakable vow, ensuring if Draco did not finish his mission, Snape would take it upon himself to finish Dumbledore. Bellatrix, all the while, grinned ear to ear as she trusted Draco to complete his task for the wellbeing of their house. She hadn’t trained him herself for nothing.

As the Black sisters both walked out of the house and down the street, Bellatrix finally said what’s bothering her, “I don’t know why you had me come, Cissy. Your boy is a dog now. Dirty blooded. A lost cause. Why even save Draco? You’re still young enough to carry another pureblood heir to carry on the name for both houses”. Narcissa gave a confused look. She was so concerned for her older sister that she stopped walking to look at her directly. Why would Bellatrix say that?

When she peered straight into Bellatrix’s gray eyes, seeing nothing behind her eyes, Narcissa finally accepted that the old Bella was gone. Her real memories were mixed with madness, disabling Bellatrix from telling what was reality and what not. Narcissa was in denial, refusing to accept that the old Bellatrix was nowhere to be found. Narcissa closed her eyes, remembering all the weeks of watching her older sister beat her baby. Narcissa snapped back, forgetting all her childhood lessons on how to be a proper pureblood lady. With a cold stare, Narcissa hissed at Bellatrix like a true Slytherin she was but had forgotten, “THEN LEAVE! HE MAY BE A DOG TO YOU BUT HE IS MY BOY TO ME! That bite has changed nothing for me. I only needed a witness for the vow. I still got my errands to run. Leave me to be”.

Chuckling at her younger sister’s foolishness, Bellatrix gazed at her with pity, for motherhood must be a horrid curse to have her sister begging Snape for salvation. Oh, how low Narcissa and the Malfoy family have fallen, she thought. Bellatrix, still curious about her sister’s string pulling, asked, “What are you planning?” with one eyebrow raised in wonder. Done with Bellatrix, Narcissa ignored her and walked away as she replied, “I have some newspapers to pay off”.

Meanwhile, Draco was now alone in the Malfoy Manor, holding on to the lifeless kitten he had killed. Gently holding it, Draco carried the creature in his arms, petting it like it still had life in it. As he walked out to the garden, he noticed Mippy was walking close behind him. With his voice devoid of any life, Draco murmured, “I am no longer your master or heir of the Malfoy House, Mippy. Why do you still follow me?”. Trembling, the skittish elf placed a set of clean clothes at Draco’s feet, replying “Mippy has clothes for Draco”. At the elf’s kind gesture, Draco realized he had not changed his clothes since the duel. This black suit was ripped, bloodied, and soiled as he was denied his dignity.

With a single tear spilling from his eye, Draco avoided his once elf that served him, “No, Mippy. You can not give me clothes, as the Dark Lord will not allow it. I do not deserve them… You no longer serve me and are free to go”. Mippy reached out, holding on to Draco’s trousers as she said with comfort in her voice, “Mippy chooses to stay by your side. Mippy will help, for we are the same, equal. Do not listen to the snake man. He is less than both of us”.

Clutching onto the cat oh so gently, almost as if to ask for forgiveness, Draco shook as he held in his tears. Never once did he think he would be grateful for Mippy to treat him like the human that he once was. Her kindness was overwhelming when compared to the hell he had been living so far in the manor. He didn’t deserve Mippy, Draco thought to himself, for he wasn’t all that kind to her in the past. Yet here she stood, nonetheless. How did this elf have more courage than he did? Picking up the clothes, Draco whispered, “thank you,” as he went and allowed the elf to walk beside him to the gardens.

Holding the kitten like a baby, Draco mumbled repeatedly, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry”. With a single finger, he caressed the bridge of the cat’s nose. Mippy, the whole time, watched as Draco mourned for it. This was no longer the Draco, Mippy knew. He had changed from last year Draco and that scared her. “Mippy,” Draco called out, asking, not demanding, “May I have a shovel and some flowers, if you have some time? I want to do a proper burial”.

After Draco covered the cat in dirt in the foot deep hole in the ground, he reached out his hand out to Mippy, asking the little house elf to grab it. Mippy was shocked. She had never been allowed to touch any Malfoy family member since all her years being with the family. This was the moment she knew Draco was very different. He was a broken boy, just as the whispers of the manor had said. The tiny elf did not question her now friend, Draco, and held on to his hand. Together with the sky slightly drizzling, they both said a little prayer to the cat. Mippy never once let go of Draco’s hand as he sobbed in the darkness of the garden. Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Draco picked up his clothes from the ground, walking away from the buried cat as the faithful elf walked with him, still in silence. Mippy was saddened at what she just witnessed. “What have they done to you?,” Mippy thought to herself.

Chapter Text

Narcissa walked out of The Daily Prophet office, finally finished with the business she had. She had yet another appointment to attend to, but before going to it, she took a stroll along the alley. This was the first time since Lucius was locked up and the Dark Lord had set up operations in the manor that she was out and about. Guilt riddled her heart as Draco was still back at their home, suffering under the watchful eye of Voldemort. Why should she experience freedom when it was denied to her son?

Narcissa clenched her necklace as she reminded herself that this wasn’t a holiday. All the string pulling and everything she was doing in the shadows was all for a chance for Draco to escape the clutches of the Dark Lord. She could only hope that Draco could forgive her in due time and understand why she only stood by as Bellatrix tortured him. She was planning in silence for him while everyone else was distracted, for no one thought much of a housewife from a Pureblood family. She would use this misconception as her and Draco’s shield.

As she watched the wizarding shop as if nothing was wrong, Narcissa put her hood up in case she was recognized. “It was fine”, she told herself. No one would recognize her in her long black cloak covering her from head to toes. Since the imprisonment of Lucius Malfoy, the Malfoy family was all over the papers littered with conspiracy theories about what was next for the heir to the family fortune. Would Draco still attend Hogwarts? Would he leave and take over the family business in her husband’s absence? Rumors went wild at the possibility of Narcissa setting up an arranged marriage for Draco with whole columns written for potential matches. Little did the public know that was the furthest from the truth. Draco was disinherited by Lucius and written out of the Malfoy family will. Her son had not even a penny to his name. If the newspapers got hold of this information, it would lead to Draco’s condition being widely known and that could not happen. Narcissa couldn’t let her son have his rights as a wizard be taken away, exiled from the wizarding community.

As a mother, she had done her duty to pay the papers off to hide her and Draco’s face, giving The Daily Prophet a nice and heavy payment along with some private front portrait photos of Lucius Malfoy to use instead. The photos would be “leaked” from a close source of the family, along with exclusive information on how Lucius was doing in Azkaban. Narcissa continued to hum as she walked down the road until a black cat walked towards her. The black feline friend stopped at her feet, purring and asking for some affection as it rubbed against her dress. She smiled sweetly at the black cat, remembering what black cats once meant to her.

Bending down to say hello to her new friend, Narcissa cooed, “Oh, my sweet Reggie. My little black kitty. How I wish you were still here with me,”. She stroked the now happy cat’s chin as it went on its back, showing its belly. With a bitter smile, Narcissa picked up the black cat, kissing it on top of its head. It brought back memories of her once great House of Black.

Everything had changed for both Narcissa and Regulus when their oldest siblings had run away from their responsibilities and their house. The two cousins were forced to hold up the mantle that was left behind in the mess of Andromeda and Sirius’ banishment from the family. The family ruled with an iron fist, becoming stricter on both Narcissa and Regulus. The day their older siblings were burnt off the family tree tapestry was a lifelong sentence for them, too. Their older sibling’s self-centered desires had dire consequences for the remaining Black family members that got left behind.

For a long time, Narcissa was angry at her blood traitor cousin and older sister for they left the Black house in flames not caring who was still inside and burned all bystanders alive in flames of their betrayal. Was their stunt of breaking hundreds of years of Pureblood tradition really that noble and courageous, if their younger siblings bore the brunt of their actions? They had up and left in the most public and worst way possible, destroying any chance of anyone else leaving too. Both Regulus and she were trapped in the roles they had unwillingly inherited when Andromeda and Sirius left as they took the ladder out with them.

Narcissa had plans for herself to have a career for a few short years before she would be forced socially to marry and have a child. Plans changed and the few years of freedom she was supposed to have as a single witch were cut short when Andromeda left. In the aftermath, her parents had married her off immediately as damage control. She was then expected to obey and be the perfect pureblood wife for Lucius. It was every wizard for themselves, apparently. Anyone else be damned. Narcissa promised to herself that she would never be like them as she thought of Draco. She would never leave him behind to suffer the consequences of his loved one’s actions.

Sirius was to be the heir and head of House of Black, until he ran to the Potter’s house to live a more muggle lifestyle. Andromeda, the oldest of three sisters, was to make her family happy by being the first to marry into a proper Hureblood house. Like Sirius, she ran away, but only to be with a muggleborn man named Ted Tonks. The wizarding community would eventually learn of her sister’s marriage to the muggleborn. The wider wizarding world praised them, but Naricissa hated them for it. They were nothing but cowards to her. It was after those two events that everything changed for her and Regulus.

Regulus had trained his whole life to be a spare when one day he was forced into the role of the heir and all that came with it. Sirius couldn’t handle the pressures of being the head of household, so why not sentence his younger brother of only 14 to a life of a role that was never meant for him? Better Regulus and not him. Reggie had always been a quiet and soft child even before Sirius left. He, like her, followed the rules to make their family proud and to survive being this family. After he became heir, the always quiet Regulus became even more silent. While others saw it as him accepting his new position with honor, she knew too well he was crying out for help. For, Narcissa spoke the same language as Regulus. She knew what every look, smile, frown, twitch, every footstep, every hum, and even every silent meant. Narcissa knew because she, too, was soft and quiet like her cousin, Regulus Black.

She leaned into him after Andromeda left their family. Unlike Sirius’s consequence of leaving, Andromeda was worse. When she left, both Bellatrix and Narcissa were arranged to be married against their will. Bellatrix had seemingly accepted her marriage, for she and Lestrange had similar views. She, on the other hand, would be arranged with Lucius Malfoy out of duty to continue the Pureblood line and not out of love. Only Reggie knew her true feelings and devastation on the matter. The two already close cousins became even closer. They would spend the following months having many late night discussions over tea, talking about their sorrows. Neither feared the other person would betray them, for they knew what it felt like to be betrayed.

Sometimes, if Narcissa and Regulus were in a pleasant mood, she would bring out the whiskey to share with her little Reggie, who she was older by a year. Only with Narcissa would Regulus transform into a black cat and allow Cissy to pet him by the fireplace. The small cat purred in her lap with a vase of red asters nearby. It was a special moment like these nights. She would promise to remember well into her golden years and she did. She gripped onto these memories, for they were all she had left for her favorite cousin. Regulus would share his innermost feelings that plagued him. How much it hurt to see members of their family leave them. When he was especially drunk, Regulus would admit how he missed Sirius, but he also despised that man. Everything he had planned to do with his life was no longer possible. He paid the price for Sirius’ freedom with his own, for that was his true duty as the spare. Give up his life for duty.

Narcissa would also rely on Regulus for her difficulties in getting pregnant and her marriage troubles. Reggie had been there when she had her first miscarriage. He took her to her room and held her until she stopped bleeding, calling in only Kreacher to assist them both and told the little elf to keep everyone away. She would cry into his arms for many of her miscarriages. Narcissa cried to him how it hurt to bleed. The pain was unbearable. Her heart ached as she couldn’t do the one thing her body was made for. Regulus promised every time she miscarried to tell no one, for they both knew what it meant if it got out. Narcissa’s already troubled marriage would fail if Lucius knew how much she was struggling to get pregnant and she would be shunned by all. The two cousins trusted each other. It was them both against the world. Still in the alley with the black cat, Narcissa closed her eyes harder, remembering the last day she ever saw her cousin. A small tear escaped her eyes as she remembered the last conservation she had with her little Reggie.

~

At the height of summer and a rare sunny day, it was a regular day at the Malfoy Manor. Narcissa looked forward to having tea with Reggie.Today, she was expecting him to visit, as he found a rare time away from his duties. As she set up the table with tea and mini sandwiches for them, she thought to herself, “I still have time to get Reggie’s favorite candy, sugar quills,”. With the flames coming from the fireplace roaring high to the ceiling, a nervous Regulus Black came running in.

“Tell me! Is Lucius here?,” Regulus whispered in a panic. With a simple shake of her head no from Narcissa, he replied, “Good”. Narcissa cocked her head in curiosity with slight concern as Regulus paced back and forth, staying in the same place. “Tell me what this is about,” Narcissa asked as she stood in front of Reggie to stop him from pacing. Taking her hand into his own, he shared his thoughts, “We must pull our house out of his war, Cissy. I have found a way to end it, but I’ll need your help. With yours and mine intelligence I know we can do it. I know the Dark Lord’s secret,”.

As he went into his pocket, he pulled out a necklace. She knew it was fake. Lucius had gifted her every expensive jewel in the wizarding world, buying out whole shops as a wedding gift to her for her already long collection of Black jewels. That was Lucius’ attempt at making his new bride love him. Looking closer, Narcissa realized the necklace was a false Slytherin Locket. “Reggie put that away. I don’t want to know. It’s safer for us both to stay quiet and know our place,” Narcissa whispered in a hushed voice, in fear of someone hearing their treachery.
Laying her palm on Regulus’ cheek, she continued, “Listen Reggie, I know you’re under a lot of stress with Sirius’ absence that left you no choice to be heir and take the dark mark but you’re the last male heir to the bloodline House of Black. Act like it. Only you can bring honor to this family”. She looked into Regulus’ eyes with worry growing. “Strange, I can’t read him this time”, Narcissa thought. In his eyes, she saw the fear and sadness behind them, so she consoled him as best as she could.

“As much as I want a way out of this war and our families’ roles in it, I cannot. What I would give to run to somewhere far away where no one will find us, but we can’t. The Dark Lord will come for us, if we do. I want us to have more days ahead of us together. You’re more than just a cousin to me, Reggie. You mean so much to me and not because we are the only ones left in the family. I love you, Reggie. We can’t back out because I’m choosing the safest path for us three. I am with a child. I want you to be Draco’s godparent and for us three to stay together,” Narcissa responded in a tender tone at Regulus, hand still soothing his cheek.

Hearing this, Regulus stared intensely at Narcissa’s heavily pregnant belly. A long pause filled the room. “He’s due soon,” Regulus commented, with a faraway look in his eye. It was then he peered straight into her eyes with determination she’s never seen from him before. The fire behind his eyes sends chills down Narcissa’s spine. It was a sort of rebellion in those eyes. The same eyes as Sirius. He carried on, “You’re right, Cissy. Only I can bring honor back to the future of House of Black.” With one last gentle touch to her pregnant belly, Regulus said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek as he left for the fireplace. That was the last time she ever saw him alive.

The next time Narcissa would see him was at his own funeral, closing his chamber in the House of Black’s catacombs. She never truly got over his death. Many would continue to live on and some even forgot about the Black heir, but Narcissa never did. Rumors went wild in the weeks after his funeral, with some saying Regulus supposedly died from drowning. Pureblood society accepted the explanation, but she didn’t. Narcissa remembered their last interaction. What did Regulus want to discuss with her?

While her aunt and uncle were simply happy to have a body to bury, Narcissa wasn’t. He was supposed to be alive. It was supposed to be two of them with their children growing up together. Over the years, Regulus’ death kept her up at night with silence as her only friend. The only language they both spoke and understood together. Silence. Silence. Silence. When she visited his grave, Narcissa listened to the tomb’s echo and decided she did not like this silence coming from her Reggie. The nights when she was at his tomb were nights that should have been their conversations over tea.

~

Speaking to the black cat in front of her, Narcissa murmured, “I have so much regret not knowing what really happened to my dear cousin or what he wanted to say. I only know the Dark Lord was involved somehow. Maybe together we could have saved the House of Black like he wanted. Instead, I let him go alone, and I stood by with my silence filling my role as a good pureblood daughter. Back then, I stood by, but I won’t stand aside again for Draco, your godchild, Reggie. I might not have the power of a Malfoy anymore but I’m still a Black by blood. The House of Black still holds power in the wizarding world”. With one final pet with the black cat that reminded her of Reggie’s animagus, Narcissa said goodbye as she walked away, calling Kreacher. “Kreacher, come with me to Gringotts. We have business to attend to”.

Chapter Text

To Draco’s surprise, he survived long enough to attend his 6th year at Hogwarts. His summer at the manor was absolute hell, with much of his memory a blur. The week leading up to Draco going off to school was much forgotten. His mother did much of the school shopping for Draco. While he recovered in his bedroom, Draco couldn’t leave with his paranoia of another onslaught of abuse headed his way if he took one wrong step from Bellatrix. It took much encouragement from Narcissa but she finally convinced her son to bathe and gently led him to the bathroom to tend to his wounds and clean him while he was in a comatose-like state. He only came to consciousness when Snape visited and tested his Occlumency. It was an awkward training session, but he did appreciate that Professor Snape did not even bother to start a conversation with him. Snape accepted his somber self deprecating mood. Instead, they sat in silence as they tested the limits of his mind and hid away thoughts that were better off never to be visited again.

While he should have been happy to start school again, Draco was hesitant to leave his mother alone with the Dark Lord. On the platform, the mother and son duo stood side by side with their heads up high as if nothing was wrong but on closer inspection, Draco stood closely to Narcissa until their shoulders touched and he left with only seconds to spare as the Hogwarts Express was about to leave. He held back all emotions, refusing to talk with his mother because if he did, Draco knew he would fall apart in her arms. Her last words to Draco before he boarded the train still rang in his ears. “Don’t come home for Christmas” knowing what she really meant was “Don’t spend any unnecessary time at the manor. Stay where it’s safe”.

Plagued with guilt on leaving her behind to fend for herself, Draco gripped his wand like a security blanket now that it had been given back to him from Voldemort. No more were the days of being tortured alive and nights sleeping outdoors, but still Draco could not let himself be happy. If it wasn’t mother’s constant pleading to go back to Hogwarts, he would have stayed as he realized how lonely his mother would be. In this current state, Draco couldn't care less about the mission anymore. He rather spent the time he had left with his mother, as his life was over the moment he became a werewolf. He had no future.

Once word got out in the wizarding world, he would be shunned and classified as a second-class citizen. Werewolves weren’t even allowed to attend school. All the tasks he was assigned by the Dark Lord loomed over Draco like a black cloud. Even if he figured out how to kill Dumbledore and how to fix the cabinet, life was meaningless. So much was set against him, as he had yet to figure out how to deal with the full moon every month at school while completing the mission. Did the headmaster and his professors know? Would they expel him the moment they found out? Draco knew Slytherins were not favored among the staff, with many tolerating him as most did not have the ability to separate him from his father’s reputation. He knew his place in his school life as it was set against him. Furrowing his eyebrows in anger, Draco clenched his fist, knowing Voldemort had set him up to fail.

Theo and Blaise wrote to Draco, promising they would take care of the gossip, but so many Pureblood Slytherins were at the duel. It would be a miracle to get everyone to keep quiet about his situation. Draco grew fearful as he calculated how the year looked like for him. No longer the Slytherin prince, Draco for the first time in his life was at the very bottom of the social hierarchy at school and in society as a whole. How true would the Slytherin motto hold to be true that Slytherins always take care of their own? Normally, if one had an issue with another housemate, it was expected of them to fight in the common room, not the halls where the others could see. Having an image of unity was of utmost importance, as any clink in the armor could be used against them.

Pushing his nerves away, Draco needed to focus on getting through the first day of school. As he left his mother’s side, never looking back once in fear of hesitating, Draco did look forward to seeing his friends, Theo and Blaise. They visited Draco all summer long, but it wasn’t the same with prying eyes watching their every move. Never once did they comment on the fact he was no longer allowed inside. Instead, the trio sat in the garden with Draco, chatting as if all was right in the world, but insecurities grew stronger each day for how long could their friendship really endure? No one in their right mind could ever willingly be friends with a werewolf. Questions riddled his mind, such as “Were Theo and Blaise really still on my side? How would they bear to look at me or will I still be allowed to sleep in my dorm with my condition?”.

Taking his first footsteps on the Hogwarts Express, Draco was immediately hit with a wall of scents. It was overwhelming, but Draco comforted himself with the thought of anything was better than being forced to sit in their own vomit and piss. Scrunching his nose, he smelled every single person on this train, down to what each person was eating. Hit with an immediate headache, Draco tried to ignore his surroundings, but he heard every single person’s breathing as well. “Why hadn’t he realized this new found ability before?,” Draco cursed to himself. He had been too distracted while training with Bellatrix to notice his new abilities.

With his werewolf hearing, the Hogwarts train sounded like a quidditch game amplified. He needed to quickly figure out how to zone in or tune out a conversation or area if he planned on getting through the school year. For now, it all sounded like loud gibberish. If he didn’t know any better, Draco could have sworn he was in a foreign country surrounded by a foreign language. He walked slowly down to the Slytherin section as every footstep got heavier the closer he got to the door. Paranoia filled his heart as Draco passed each house to where the Slytherin house was located: the very last cart. Sighing a sigh of relief, he saw each house he passed had not noticed him. For the first time in his life, Draco wanted to be ignored. Word of his Lycanthropy must have not gone beyond the Pureblood student’s rumor mill.

Standing outside the cart, Draco took one deep breath before opening the door. Immediately he was met with silence on the train, as every eye was on him, those who were brave to stare at least. The other half of the student body were frightened to even sneak a peek. “Draco, over here,” said a smiling Theo as he waved to Draco to come. “Blaise and I saved a seat for you”. Blaise looked up from the book he was reading to nod a greeting at Draco. “Thank god, they haven’t changed their minds about hanging out with me at school”, Draco thought to himself. On some level, Draco thought his friends were just being polite the few times they visited or had only done it as a favor for his mother.

As he walked closer to Theo and Blaise, the students whispered as he passed them, giving him dirty looks. With his mood ruined, Draco picked up his pace and sat down with his friends. Awkwardness can be felt between the Silver Trio. He knew they didn't know what to say to him as he didn’t exactly have the best summer. Deciding to break the ice for Theo and Blaise, Draco put a silencio spell in their area as he went on, “Don’t worry. Rest assured, I don’t bite unless provoked. How was my summer? I’m glad you asked. I had a wonderful summer. I got eaten by Greyback and was crucio all summer long, but I must say the highlight of my summer was having the Dark Lord at my house while I slept outside like a dog, but enough about me. How was your holiday?”.

Theo and Blaise glanced at each other and then at Draco before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Let it be known that you called yourself a dog first. All werewolf related jokes from this point on are fair game, Draco. I would also like to inform you that we will also be joining you in barking at the Gryffindors and howling at all the beautiful witches that pass by us in the halls,” Theo teased. Draco smirked as he listened in on how their summers went. Theo carried most of the conversation, as Blaise gave a few short replies here and there. This felt nice, having them three fall into their normal routine almost as if nothing had changed for Draco.

~

Back in the Gryffindors section, Harry was attempting to convince both Hermione and Ron that Draco was a death eater, not caring if anyone heard them. “Quiet, will you? We’re not in the common room. You can’t go around accusing people of being death eaters,” a concerned Hermione whispered. She was worried about how obsessed Harry had gotten about Draco. The two were always at odds, but this felt like a different level of obsession. “It’s just crazy, Harry. Draco is just a student, just like the rest of us. He can’t be one. I hate to be saying this, but Draco is not his father,” Ron mumbled as he backed up Hermione before he continued on, “Don’t go barking up at the wrong tree just yet. We can’t assume he’s one without any real evidence. To be honest, we don’t know what we saw back at Diagon Alley”. Irritated, Harry pushed one final time, trying to convince them to see his point. “But we do know what we saw at Diagon Alley! He and his mother went to the back alley and entered a creepy furniture shop. Don’t you both see? It happened! He’s taken his spot as a death eater. It was an initiation!”.

Pushing back against Harry, Ron commented, “Look… Draco’s a creepy bloke who went into a creepy shop. That’s all we really saw. Besides, he’s filthy rich. Maybe it’s what rich Purebloods do, buy ugly expensive furniture”. In disbelief, Harry looked at Hermione for support but found none. “I told you. I don’t know what I saw, but I will say this. It’s odd that Draco and Narcissa Malfoy have been out of the papers all summer long. Don’t you think? They’re always in the papers for the littlest thing for praise and worship. Now it’s only all about his father being at Azkaban,” Hermione replied as she agreed with Ron. Turning to glance at Ron, Hermione scrunched her nose in disgust as he ate with his mouth full and breathed loudly. “Will you stop eating like a savage? Have some manners for merlin’s sake. I’m trying to talk here”. Harry had enough of his friends not believing him. Deciding to take things into his own hands, Harry thought to himself, “They’re right. I don’t have any evidence,” as he stood up and walked out the cart door with ill intentions. “Good! You’re up. Get us some snacks while you’re at it. I’ll pay you later,” Ron mumbled with his mouth full.

~

A sick Draco leaned against the window for support as his bones still ached from his first transformation from the moon full. Despite his mother’s best attempt, they found his wounds he obtained as a werewolf were difficult to heal at all. This cursed disease was like it had a mind of its own and fought against any healing spells and potions. Most of his injuries from before reopened. The only thing Draco found that helped was tea for his pain. It was not bad to the point he couldn’t get stuff done, but it ached in inconsistent waves, which caused him to pause what he was doing and let it pass. Every bone in his body throbbed as if someone had been hitting his nerves with a jackhammer with force.

Theo, worried for his friend, handed Draco some homemade tea, a mixture of mint, herbs and lavender with a splash of calming draught. “Drink it. It’ll bring some pain relief. I can see you’re in pain, so I added a teaspoon of calming draught. There’s more where that came from. Blaise and I prepared enough of this mixture for the year”. Murmuring a thank you, Draco took the cup in appreciation. Blaise, the boy who spoke few words except with his inner circle, commented further, “We made the calming draught ourselves. It’s non-addictive. Much better than what’s out in the market. If you need the recipe, just ask, but like Theo said. We got you covered”.

The hairs on the back of Draco’s neck stood on high alert. As Draco studied his surroundings, nothing appeared out of the norm, but with his newly gained werewolves’ senses, something was wrong. Just as Draco began to stand to look for signs of danger, Theo grabbed his hand to sit down. “Settle down and drink your tea. You’re suffocating me with the anxiety radiating off of you”. Draco simply nodded, but his senses wouldn’t let him shake it off. Perhaps he was a nervous wreck, Draco reasoned. He was still new to this whole werewolf side of him. Still on alert, Draco continued on with their conversation, “I can’t believe I’m at Hogwarts for another year with everything going on with me. I’d rather jump off the astronomy tower than deal with… well, you know. That’s a more merciful fate for me”.

Peering at each other, Theo and Blaise sent a worried look to each other. They have known Draco since childhood. His comments felt more serious than a joke, but the two stayed silent, hoping they were wrong. “Don’t say that. If you jump off the Tower, know that I’ll personally bring you back from the dead and sue you for emotional damages. Blaise and I will sue you for all your family’s worth,” Theo teased, trying to lighten the mood. Draco chuckled at this as the tea seemed to have taken effect, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw his bag previously placed above them move an inch.

Now alerted, he could feel his wolf's senses come alive once more, ears twitching at every sound. With the silencio spell activated, it made it easier for Draco to focus. It smelled like someone was right above them. Someone was here with them. Calmly drinking his tea, Draco pretended he still didn’t know, but he heard this person’s every breath, in and out. The intruder had glasses from the sound of it sliding down their nose, Draco guessed. “Harry Potter. Of course, always looking for trouble. I’ll deal with you very soon”, Draco snickered as he chuckled to himself while peering out the window. As the train arrived at Hogwarts and students were walking out to the platform, Draco waited for the entire train to empty.

Noticing Draco had not moved, Blaise placed his hand on his shoulder as they exchanged glances, receiving Draco’s silent message. Confirming Blaise understood there was something he needed to deal with first before he joined the duo, Draco nodded. “I’ll be there in a moment”. Draco signaled to Blaise with his eye for a split second at the area above them. Only nodding to show he received the message, Blaise walked away with a confused Theo, giving the brown haired boy the look, “I’ll tell you outside”. The trio had mastered the art of silence, being friends with Blaise for many years. If you wanted to hang out with him, you had to know how to speak with no words, gazes, facial expressions, and body gestures.

As soon as the door shut, Draco, like a snake striking a mouse, yelled, “Didn’t mummy ever teach you it was rude to eavesdrop, Potter? PETRIFIOUS TOTALUS!”. Training over the summer did him good, he thought, for he moved like a viper. So quick and powerful like one, Harry didn’t stand a chance. Slowly, Draco slithered towards him, showing his dominance. “The predator has become the prey,” Draco thought to himself. Falling down like a stone sinking into water, Harry was paralyzed. Draco had struck him with a spell that felt like a powerful snake venom. Draco stood tall, looking down at the boy who ruined his life. Sending a glance at Harry with pure hatred, he knew it wasn’t logical, but blaming Harry felt so good. Mentally, he knew it wasn’t Harry’s fault he was a werewolf, but this was a great way to relieve his built up stress.

Draco peered into Harry’s lifeless eyes once more. “Oh yeah. She was dead before she could wipe the drool on your chin”. With his newfound strength of a werewolf, Draco kicked Harry’s face, hearing something crack his nose. Smirking at Harry’s pain, Draco gave another kick, sending all the pain he endured over the summer into it, again and again and again until Harry vomited blood. While smiling at what he had done, Draco was filled with intense joy as both of Harry’s eyes were blackened and the whites of his eyes were red from the vessels bursting. “That’s for my mother. Enjoy your ride back to London,” Draco spat as he slammed the door shut and locked Harry in.

~

Hermione and Ron stood alone on the platform, still waiting for Harry. “Where is he? Did he really pass us? I know I looked at everyone who walked by,” Hermione said now, very concerned. “Don’t get me started with Harry. He never got us our snacks. Bad enough, I had to defend Draco about not being a death eater. I don’t ever want to catch myself defending that prick again. Can we leave? He’s probably already at the dorms,” Ron complained as he threw his head back in annoyance.

Before Hermione could respond, Draco snuck right behind as Ron and Hermione were blocking the gates. Startled, Hermione jumped, dropping her book she had in her hand to the ground. She glanced up to see Draco’s head inches away from her face while he looked down at her. Strange, Hermione grabbed her shirt, frightened but intrigued how she hadn’t heard a single noise from the blond. Draco was impossible not to notice with his oozing confidence and regal presence. He was the living embodiment of Slytherin royalty if such a thing existed at Hogwarts, but today Draco had his head sunk low. That was unusual indeed, as Draco enjoyed soaking in all the glory of having power and influence in everything that he did.

Studying him closer, Hermione noticed his eyes, particularly the bags under them and his pale skin. It was not pale like snow, but a sickly shade with a gray undertone. It seemed Draco had grown taller too. Hermione already had to look up at Draco before, but now he had to be 6 foot. He somehow looked both strong physically, but weak too. How is that possible? “Did he have an illness?”, Hermione wondered as she noted the scent of lavender and potions coming off of Draco.

In the past years, Draco would have bullied her, but he stopped himself. He didn’t have it in him to rile up the golden girl. Too preoccupied with the pain from the full moon and the Dark Lord caused him all summer, his heart wasn’t in it.

Done with how the ride to school had gone and the overstimulation of his environment, he let his inner werewolf take over. His werewolf immediately zoned in on Hermione’s scent, calming the boy. Draco had found in recent weeks after this transformation, there was a sort of comfort in analyzing the smells around him as he smelled everything for information. With a quick and slick motion, he leaned closer to Hermione’s hair to steal a sniff: caramel candy, pumpkin juice, parchment paper, and ink. Interesting, he thought. The girl before him did not make him want to flinch away like how others had the first time he was around them. Instead, Draco had a strong surge to press his face against her hair. Shaking these thoughts away, Draco whispered into her ears in a menacing tone, not allowing her to realize how much more he wanted to be near her, “Are you going to move aside, golden girl?”.

Hearing Draco’s unexpected nickname, Hermione was red faced from this tiny interaction. Too flustered, Hermione didn’t take in that Draco hadn’t insulted her or made racist remarks. But as Draco leaned closer with their faces inches away, her heart was beating faster as she gazed into his deep gray eyes. His eyelashes were full, and he had a sort of beauty that both men and women could fawn over him. The last time a boy was this focused on her was Victor Krum, and they never went farther than a few deep kisses. Being this close to Draco for the first time, she had to admit Draco was attractive. This should have been expected as every girl at one point at Hogwarts had a crush on Draco at least once before realizing his personality lacked too much to overlook that flaw. Draco smirked as he heard her heart beating faster as she gulped.

“You filthy snake! Get away from her!,” Ron pushed Draco away. “No need to get your panties in a bunch, Weasley. I was just asking Granger if she could politely move aside. Wasn’t I?” teased Draco as Hermione avoided his eyes. Now in a playful mood with Hermione, Draco picked up the book she had dropped before handing it back to her. In the exchange, Draco ensured their fingers touched, lingering a second more than socially accepted to further flustered Granger. At a second glance, Draco was reminded how attractive she really was. All the boys among the Purebloods talked about how it was a shame she was a mudblood. “Well, I moved aside. You can proceed forward and walk past us,” Hermione replied as she made space for him.

“So you did.” Draco stared at her with such intensity it made Hermione self conscious as Ron continued to glare at Malfoy. Walking towards his friends, Theo and Blaise, Draco smiled genuinely for the first time since his father went to prison. Theo, with his eyebrows raised, whispered to Draco as they walked away, “What the hell was that? Did you just howl at Granger? You have a little drool right there actually”. Rolling his eyes, Draco playfully punched Theo’s arms as Blaise smiled quietly at the two boys. In the distance, Hermione watched them still as she never took her eyes off of Malfoy. “Wait… he didn’t call me a mudblood”, Hermonie thought to herself as she tried to figure out what caused the sudden change in Malfoy.

Chapter Text

“Isn’t the food a little off? It’s not as good as I remembered,” Ron commented as he analyzed the food on the table. Trying to get Hermione to look at him, Ron went on, “There's even a few dishes missing,” but was ignored as Hermione watched everyone come in and out of the Great Hall. “Where the bloody hell is Harry at?,” she thought to herself. Increasingly worried by the second, her foot tapped onto the wooden floors, moving the bench with each tabbing of her foot. Before she headed down to the Great Hall, Hermione asked all her schoolmates in the common room if they had seen Harry, but no one had.

Deciding she had enough of watching the door, Hermione turned to Ron to see if they should send a search party, but sighed, watching Ron worry over their meals instead. Grabbing her book from the table, Hermione hit Ron’s arms as she complained, “Will you stop eating?! Your best friend is missing and nowhere to be seen!”. Ron, shocked at her overreaction, slapped back with a response, “Turn around you lunatic!” pointing to Harry, who was just entering the Great Hall. But this did not calm down Hermione at all, in fact, it troubled her more. She could tell Harry had run up to the dorms to change into the proper robes in a rush, as his uniform was quite disheveled. What shocked Hermione even more was that Harry had gotten into trouble when the school year had not yet started. Not only did he manage to get one, but two black eyes. The closer Harry walked to the duo, Hermione saw the blood in the whites of his eyes.

She nudged Ron even harder than before to look at Harry. Ron, still mildly annoyed at her, turned again to see, “what is it this time?” he thought to himself. Ron’s jaws hit the floor, seeing what she was witnessing. Worried for Harry, he gasped and nudged back at Hermione, forgetting she was the one who had alerted him. As Harry got to the table and sat down, Luna trailed behind, sitting right next to him. Grabbing the closest tissue to add pressure to his still bleeding nose, Harry asked, “What did I miss?”.

“More like what happened to your face!,” Hermione shouted as quietly as possible so as to not get any surrounding student’s attention. Harry gave a look like he did not want to discuss it. “So, what did I miss?,” Harry questioned again, making it known to Hermione he was ignoring her question. Knowing he was not going to budge, Hermione gave in as she began to fill her plate with food. “Nothing much, actually. They only sorted the students into each of their houses. And Dumbledore has yet to give his beginning of the school year speech. He decided to make his speech at the end this time, so eat up. We still got time,” Hermione replied, but a pause filled the Gryffindor’s table as everyone around Harry noticed his blacked and bloody face.

It seemed students from the other tables were staring at the golden trio and murmuring to themselves. The three squirmed, avoiding stares with the sudden attention around them. Even after 6 years of being the center of all the trouble at Hogwarts, it still never got easy being looked at. Bringing attention back to the conversation at hand, Ron asked, “So… What’s with the face?”. Harry sighed, “Take a wild guess” as he took a sip of water, annoyed at what had happened. Hearing Harry answer Ron instead, Hermione didn’t know how to feel. Did Harry choose to ignore her question on purpose, or was she putting too much thought into this?

Before the two could answer Harry, Draco and his two friends came behind them. Hermione didn’t know why, but she had the instinct to watch Draco the entire time to observe. “Love the new look you’re going for, Potter. Send my compliments to your cosmetic mediwizard,” Theo pretended to adore in a fake, friendly tone as Draco stood by and simply ignored the golden trio. Hermione studied Malfoy’s posture the way his shoulder was slightly slouched over, as if he was hiding himself. “That was so unlike him,” she thought. Usually, the blond never passed an opportunity to verbally terrorize Harry. The boy stood by as Theo laughed at Harry for him.

Draco had told Theo and Blaise what had happened at the train. They all agreed Harry deserved it. The nerve of Harry to think nothing was wrong with sneaking up on people and listening into private conservations, annoyed Theo and Blaise, especially with so much on the line. What if he had called himself a werewolf? Draco knew he was no saint in all the years he’s been at Hogwarts. He had openly fucked with Harry since 1st year, making his life miserable, but he had never cared. All his bullying of the boy wonder was justified as Harry was a self absorbed narcissist who every year without fail caused a ruckus and broke a million rules but somehow still got rewarded for it nor did the boy get punished for his actions. If it was anyone else, there would be consequences for a fraction of what the Golden Trio did. It pissed Draco that Harry went around fully knowing he had Dumbledore’s backing and favoritism.

When he told his friends what he did, they all decided to come over to look at the entertainment. All three boys were satisfied, looking at the damage. Luna watched this all unfold as she turned to Draco, giving him a kind smile. Caught off guard as Luna had never once in the past gone out of her way to greet him, Draco, filled with paranoia, couldn’t help but to ask himself, “Does she know?”. The girl always had a way of knowing things, even when there was no possible explanation for why. The only explanation he came up with over the years was well she was a lunatic.

Before he had a chance to sweat about Luna, an outsider to the Slytherin house possibly knowing his secret, she looked at Theo and smiled, “Hello, Theo. Great evening isn’t it? You should try the blueberry pies on the tables. It’s my favorite. I think you’ll like them too”. Taking things in stride, Theo smirked back at Luna, giving his best smile. Grabbing Luna’s hand, Theo pecked her palm, showing off his gentlemen like qualities. “Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll have some once I get back”. The very quiet Blaise shoulder bummed into Draco and Theo, telling them to look up.

Crabbe and Goyle were watching Draco from afar, too close for comfort. Over the summer, Theo and Blaise had an argument with the airheads. Draco didn’t know the full details but only knew they would be trouble for the upcoming school year. Draco spoke up, wanting to suddenly leave, “Let’s go. I’ve had enough Potter entertainment for one night”. Before the three snakes left the table, Hermione saw Blaise had noted her studying Malfoy. For a full second, they shared one look together before Blaise too left to his own table.

Cocking her head to the side, Hermione knew something was up. She didn’t know anything about Draco’s inner circle besides Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy’s henchmen had always been at his side.The sudden change in social circles in the Slytherin house was something to keep an eye out for. Hermione knew nothing of Theo or even knew the other boy’s name that had caught her staring at Draco, but filed that thought bubble away to do her own little investigation later.

“If I had to bet Gallons on it, Draco had something to do with it. Didn’t he?” Ron chimed in as he turned to glance at Harry. Hermione, now back in the present, asked, “Harry, what did you do to Malfoy?”.

Offended, Harry replied, “Why are you so quick to accuse me? I’m the victim”. Hermione wasn’t going to stay quiet this time so she pushed back, “Please Harry, Malfoy may be rude but he certainly doesn’t go around Hogwarts punching people this horrible for fun. You did something to provoke him so please explain”.

Harry sighed as he realized he couldn’t hide what he did. With one hand rubbing the back of his neck, Harry looked away as he said, “Well…. I might have snuck into the Slytherin train compartment using my invisibility cloak and listened to Draco’s conversation. But in my defense, Ron said we had no evidence so I went to get it! ”. After telling them what had happened, Harry realized how bad it sounded out loud.

In frustration, Hermione placed both hands into her face as she took in Harry’s logic. “Hey! Don’t go around blaming me. I said we had no evidence not to go get some. That’s your own doing,” a flustered Ron told Harry off. Sitting in his own embarrassment, Harry got all red. They were right, no one told him to spy on Draco. He just acted on his own intrusive thoughts and went all in without thinking.

Now back at their table, Draco had nothing to distract him and his thoughts. He peered around, soaking in the surroundings of the Great Hall. It was larger than he remembered. His ears were ringing non stop as every single student and professor’s private conversation entered his ears. It was all one full nonsense. Trying to tune everyone out, Draco zoned in closer to anything he could as he heard a spoon clanking against the plate. Every wooded bench creaked to every student’s weight. The candles above them were crackling as they burned loudly.
The more he heard, the worse the ringing got. Draco was going to be sick, smelling the scents that came his way. He grossed himself out as he watched his classmates eating. Curses, he can smell everyone’s nasty breath too. Starting to get a headache, Draco leaned on the table for support but it was no use. “I’m going to vomit,” he thought to himself. Draco noticeably gagged, alerting Theo and Blaise. “I have to go. I can’t be here,” Draco whispered as he stood up to run from the Great Hall, not caring he was bumping into incoming students. Hermione, still studying Draco, witnessed all this unfold.

Dumbledore walked up to the front of the podium, waiting for everyone to quiet down. With a flick of a wand, he pointed the wand at his throat to enhance his voice. “Quiet down, I have a few announcements to make,” Dumbledore said in a booming voice as he obtained everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for coming to Hogwarts another year. I hope you all enjoyed your summer. As the headmaster, it is my responsibility to make ensure every student gets the best education possible and is taken care of, which is why I saved the best announcement for last. I have recognized this next person’s work ethic and what value he brought to our school and community. He was able to inspire so many of our students, thus I felt it was my duty to bring this professor back. With my full support and pleasure, I announce Professor Remus Lupin has come back with us”.

The Gryffindor table immediately stood up to cheer loudly. The Slytherins, though, were quiet as they were unsure how to feel about another werewolf at Hogwarts. But logically speaking, it made sense to bring the professor back. For now, they decided to observe how the year would go. Once again, Dumbledore put the wand to his throat to quiet the three other houses, “Silence! As I was saying, Professor Lupin has come back. However, with his previous position taken by Professor Snape and Professor Slughorn in charge of Potions, he will be the head of Magic of Theory class. No wands will be needed for the classroom. I have already provided you all with books needed for your class”.

Immediately happy, Ron and Harry looked forward to this year having their friend, Remus, around. Although Hermione wanted to be happy…. no she quickly changed her mind. She WAS happy she had her favorite professor back. Then again…. Why now? No wands in class? She assumed that was the deal Dumbledore had made with parent’s concerns about allowing a werewolf into the school. The more Hermione thought about it, the more she got angry at Dumbledore. If Dumbledore had the power to bring Lupin this entire time, why didn’t he bring Lupin for 4th and 5th year?

~

Earlier that day before the Hogwarts Express arrived, Remus had walked into the headmaster’s office. “Why did I agree to come here to teach again? And what is so important, he couldn’t tell me over the letter?”, Remus thought over as he sat in a chair across from Dumbledore’s desk. He looked around this office, waiting for Dumbledore. The room remained relatively unchanged, with the Phoenix and the same hanging portrait of Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black giving him a dirty look. “Do you have something you would like to say?”, Remus spoke up. The portrait, still looking rudely at Lupin, spat, “Absolutely not! I see nothing of value here. But I will add this, that Dumbledore is up to no good if you ask me. Why did he allow werewolves to roam these halls again is a mystery to me? One of these days, students will get hurt by that fool’s ulterior motives. This is all just a game to him”.

Before Remus could ask about what he meant, Dumbledore walked into the office. When Lupin glanced back at the portrait, Headmaster Black was sound asleep, as if he was the entire time. “Very strange”, Remus thought as he greeted Dumbledore. “I’m overjoyed you agreed to come back like I mentioned before. I want you to teach for us once more. I will provide dormitories and utilities all year and you’ll get double the pay than previously offered,” Dumbledore smiled with his arms stretched out.

“With all due respect, headmaster, I still don’t see why I’m wanted here with my condition. Why do you need me so urgently for a single class? Can we skip the formalities and go straight to what could only be said in person only?,” pushed Remus. Remus had no patience for the Headmaster. He couldn’t help himself. There was so much surrounding Dumbledore that Remus had reservations about such as Sirius’ sentence at Azkaban. After Sirius died, Lupin wondered why Dumbledore never fought for Sirius’ innocence. When Sirius had found some sort of freedom after escaping, he was trapped inside the home he hated as a child, for Dumbledore couldn’t have people knowing he was a member of the Order. All these thoughts made Remus wonder at night, if Dumbledore was a better leader and told the full truth, could we have prevented Sirius’s death?

“Ah, I see you waste no time getting to the point. Very well then, the real reason I have you here is for a year long mission for the order. The Magic of Theory class was just a cover up. I need you to guard the Room of Requirement. It’s the one weakness Hogwarts has. With Voldemort making moves, I’ll need all the help I can get. And no need to worry about that parents’ backlash. I have ensured them, wands won’t be used in class,” replied Dumbledore. Remus couldn’t help but to feel there was more that the headmaster wasn’t telling him. He looked back at the Portrait to see the portrait scoffing at Dumbledore. This confirmed his suspicions. It’s only the half truth. “Very well, I’ll play this game. Only because I’m curious what Dumbledore has up his sleeve”, Remus thought to himself.

Back to the Great Hall while everyone was being dismissed back to the dorms, Harry and Ron were on their way to the dormitories. Hermione followed closely beside them, but something was nagging her nonstop, even if it made no sense at the moment. She had to act on it. It would make sense eventually, Hermione reasoned. Remembering how Draco looked sickly at the gates and how he ran out to the hall, she thought, “Harry thinks he’s a death eater. I know Harry. He’s so stubborn and won’t stop until he gets the results he wants to see. What if Harry hurts himself again? All because he can’t let things go. Draco can’t be a death eater. He’s a student, like her, isn’t he?”. She didn’t know whether it was her Gryffindor courage looking for trouble too, but Hermione decided to prove Harry wrong and spy on Draco too. It was the only way to help Harry from hurting himself again, like today’s incident.

Once everyone went to bed that night, Hermione snuck into the boy’s dormitory with the marauder’s map and invisibility cloak in hand. She looked at the map for Draco Malfoy’s name as it was the only way to calm down her nerves and put her worries to rest. Once Hermione proved she was right once again, she would stop invading Malfoy’s privacy. As she searched for his name in the Slytherin dorms, Hermione saw he wasn’t there. She proceeded to look at the hospital wing, but it was empty of anyone. Strange, he isn’t there either. Hermione bit on her bottom lip. He should have been as Malfoy appeared to be on the verge of fainting. She remembered the way the blonde ran out of the Great Hall. With a renewed sense of urgency, she looked at every inch of the map until she found him. Draco was in the library, but he wasn’t moving. Instead, Draco was located in a random aisle alone in the abandoned part of the library. This late at night? What was he doing? Hermione stood for a second, deciding on what to do next. Determined, she had to see him, reasoning with herself that it was her duty to check on the wellbeing of a fellow classmate as she ran out the door.

After Draco had bolted out of the hall, he ran to the closest bathroom. He didn’t care which bathroom it was, as he needed one just this second. Barely making it, Draco barged into an empty stall, gagging with eyes all watery. On the brink of vomiting, his body attempted to empty his stomach, but it was empty. He hadn’t had a real meal in a few days. Overwhelmed, all the new scents and noises made it hard to eat for Draco. With his body’s stubbornness to empty itself, Draco threw up stomach acid until spots of blood appeared in the toilet. Sliding his back against the stall door, Draco struggled to breathe as his heart raced out of control. “Shit”, he thought, he was having a panic attack.

“Please, not now,” Draco pleaded to himself. Not knowing what’s come over him, it was as if he crashed into a wall of emotion that had erupted, spilling everything he had bottled up onto the bathroom floor. Hyperventilating, his breath was getting short by the minute. With his heart rate going up faster and faster, his heart slammed against his chest cavity like a drum. Trembling as the heartbeat screamed in his ears, Draco was certain he was dying. A million thoughts came into his head. If he couldn’t get through the first day, he had no chance of surviving the rest of the school term.

In that same moment, Draco jumped as he heard tapping, not realizing it was Myrtle’s ghost checking to see what the fuss was about. Like the wind, Draco was off again, running. He couldn’t allow anyone to see him like this. Lost in the castle, Draco followed his nose to a place that smelled like it hadn’t been touched by humans. Once there, Draco crashed down onto the floor, gasping for air. He wept with his lips quivering uncontrollably and pulled at his hair. Overheated and in a panic, Draco ripped off his robes, vest, and tie, leaving him in only a dress shirt. In a fetal position with knees to his chest, Draco hid his face as he tried to hide from the overstimulation of his environment.

Rocking back and forth, Draco lost track of time as his ears heard someone behind him. He couldn’t hear what the person was saying, as his heartbeat was too loud to hear any outside noises. Unable to see them through his tears, Draco felt them slowly come towards him to help him but he was hit with a familiar sensation and smell. Wanting to be soothed, his inner werewolf wanted more of it: caramel candy, parchment paper, and ink, letting his brain process it for a lingering moment. Without an explanation, Draco knew his werewolf senses trusted the individual before him. His ears picked up on something else, too. Another heartbeat, but this one was calm, like waves on the coast of the Highlands. Unlike his nervous, stricken heart and without any more thoughts to fight, Draco clung to his life raft, hugging his savior.

In a daze, he felt a warm, comforting person. Wrapping his arms against this person, Draco placed his head between her breasts to hear her heart better, rubbing his face back and forth as he sobbed. Letting his heart copy the beating drums of her own heart, he took in one deep breath. Still drowning, Draco held on to her for dear life. Struggling to breathe, the girl rubbed his back as he attempted to regain his composure until he finally stopped crying. As she wiped the last of his tears, Draco gained the confidence to look up and there she was, Hermione Granger. He accepted this strange night, looking straight into her golden brown eyes. “Hermione,” he whispered out in the echoing library, but before he knew it, Draco fell asleep in her arms. It had been so long since he felt safe to sleep this deeply. “Please, stay with me,” Draco begged.

~

As Hermione ran into the library, she searched at every inch for Malfoy. Staying still, Hermione heard weeping in the distance. Following the cries, she found Malfoy on the floor with his robes scattered over the library floor. She slowly approached the blond, calling out his name out, “Malfoy…? Are you alright?” but he couldn’t hear her. Slowly but steadily, Hermione went to shake him, but she’s never seen Draco act this way. He looked so broken. It broke her heart to see the proud Slytherin falling apart. What happened? Before she had time to get help, Draco grabbed onto her like a moth to a flame.

While Draco clung to Hermione, Hermione froze with wide eyes as she tried to push him away, flustered at his strange actions. But having Draco this close to her, she saw he had no malicious intent even though he was rubbing his face between her breasts. In fact, he was in the middle of a panic attack with no awareness of what he was doing and so Hermione allowed Draco to hold on to her. It frightened her to see there was no light behind his eyes as he sobbed. He was stuck in a daze, with no way out. She shushed him to quiet Draco as she rocked him back and forth.

Hermione got comfortable on the floor as she realized Malfoy was listening to her heart. Red in the face, Hermione stayed still as Draco got on top of her, fitting perfectly between her legs. Hermione felt every curve of his muscular body while she was under him. If anyone passed by right this second, there was no way they’d believe that this was purely platonic, with her skirt rolled up and Draco’s disheveled appearance. With a shaky breath, Hermione gasped as Draco moved against her body, his groin touching hers, trying to get impossibly closer. With all reason lost, Hermione felt as if she was losing Malfoy. Wrapping her arms and legs around his body, Hermione held him to stop his trembling. She’s never been intimate with anyone before, but this wasn’t sexual. It was just two individuals taking in each other’s essence.

The boy seemed to be getting better as his shakes began to stop. His breathing was under control as she rubbed his back to soothe Draco, occasionally patting him. Despite this, Hermione was worried as she felt Draco’s fever, adding a cooling spell around him. Malfoy hummed in approval as he fell into a light slumber. Taking this opportunity, Hermione rolled up his sleeves to glance at his arms. No dark mark. “Good, I was right and Harry was wrong like always”, a now satisfied Hermione smiled.

Focused back on Draco, she saw how he was still frail, withering away like ashes in the wind. Even in the darkness, Hermione could see how handsome Draco was with his feminine yet masculine features. His blond hair was so white she always wanted to run her fingers tips through and so she did. “It’s to calm Draco,” Hermione told herself. The texture of his hair was soft and silky. With the free hand she had, Hermione went to hold his hand as the other hand massaged his scalp. Draco snored quietly into Hermione’s chest as she wiped his tears and sweat away from his face. Time stopped for them both as she too was threatened with sleep in his arms while his beautiful stormy eyes were looking directly into her. “Hermione……Please, stay with me.”

Seconds later, he was out completely. “He was getting better,” she thought. Hermione covered them with the invisibility cloak, hiding them from intruders who could disturb their peace. Using it as a blanket, it kept them both warm. As she covered them, she saw a scar on his shoulder. Intrigued, Hermione traced it, not knowing what it’s from. It’s too badly scarred and discolored, so she couldn’t tell how Draco got it. She raised her eyebrows in question, “child abuse?”. She wouldn’t put it past Lucius Malfoy. He was a cruel man, from what she could tell. Draco’s own boggart was Lucius as she remembered seeing it in Remus’ class. From what she witnessed right now, this panic attack and his injuries had to have come from home. Humming Draco to sleep, her eyes closed as well.

As Draco grumbled awake, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since his father was arrested. He snuggled closer to the warmth that was comforting him when he realized he was actually with someone. Opening his eyes to see Granger, Draco jumped back, waking Hermione along with him. Shocked to see her, Draco scooted back, as he stuttered, “What… what… are you doing? Why are you here?”. “Me? What did you do? That should be your question. You crashed into me and wouldn’t let me go”. Draco studied her ruffled clothes, remembering how he felt her up.

“I.. I… I would never do that. What the fuck are you on about?,” Draco stammered, as he peered away, unable to look her in the eye. The blond was giving her privacy to adjust her clothes as her underwear was out for him to see. For the first time, Hermione was witnessing Draco get flustered as his pale face turned tomato red and it only fascinated her more. She wanted to be the reason for Draco’s flustered behavior. It was so different from Draco’s overgrown ego. Right now, Draco was a stuttering school boy with the usual cocky prince nowhere to be seen and she was the reason for it. She liked this version of Malfoy better than his mean-spirited self.

With sudden confidence and still drunk from last night’s intimacy, Hermione whispered seductively, “What’s wrong, Draco? Like what you see?,” as she opened her legs wider, with no shame. Mouth opened with shock, Draco squeezed his eyes shut, getting even redder. But unable to stop himself, he took a peek only to see Hermoine close to his face, feeling her breath on his face. On her knees, Hermione towered over Draco, who was still laying on the floor. Sitting on his lap, Hermione handed him a pair of her underwear into his hands as his elbows buckled underneath him with her so close. Malfoy gasped as he connected the dots. Hermione had not only gone commando but her naked flower was directly on his member, sitting on it.

Malfoy was unexpectedly respectful, which caused Hermione to chuckle to herself with this newfound information. “Keep them as a souvenir to remember our time together, Draco. Do you want me to walk you back to the dorms? We got class in a few hours,” Hermione asked with a glint in her eyes as Draco uttered speechless, could only nod no. He was embarrassed, as she can tell from his blushing cheeks and shy eyes. He was too bashful to peer into her eyes again, as she purposely pressed down against his bulge. Hermione was unable to help herself, ruffed his hair one more time before she stood and began to walk away from Draco, leaving the stunned boy on the floor.

Beginning to question herself if she had done something wrong, Hermione peeked from the corner of her eyes but grinned, seeing the blond sniff her gift to him. Just like that, the two were strangers again that same morning. The only sign that something had changed between them was Draco’s ears turned pink around Hermione whenever they were both close.

Chapter Text

It was the morning of the first day of class since the library incident. Luckily for Draco, when he made it back to his dorms, all of his housemates, including roommates, Theo and Blaise, were still fast asleep. Even when he laid on his bed, his wolf-senses were wide awake, full of images of his interaction with Granger. He didn’t know what to make of it. Turning to his side, Draco smelled Hermione’s undergarments, taking in the scent that calmed his mind in all the chaos until slumber overtook him.

Despite the welcoming deep sleep that found Draco, he shouldn’t have gone to bed. It was the first of many events that day that threw him off. When he opened his eyes, Draco found himself late for class as he quickly scrambled to put on his uniform in the empty dorm room. Peering around, Theo and Blaise had left without him, Draco realized as he scowled at their actions. Even in all the rush of getting ready, before Malfoy left for his class, the blonde snatched Hermione’s gift, placing it safely in his pocket.

As Draco ran to class, he thought that perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. He was not yet ready to face his friends’ question on his whereabouts last night. That conversation was very much unavoidable, Draco knew that much, remembering Blaise’s stubbornness. Before then, Draco needed to decide what to do with Granger. Pretend it didn’t happen? Ignore the girl for the rest of the year? The whole thing made Malfoy furious to know how much Granger caught him off guard, but most of all, how affected he was by her.

It was just another reminder of how weak he truly was. This year couldn’t afford any distractions of any kind. The mission took total priority if he didn’t want his mother to be killed for his failures. The thought of anyone, let alone Granger, finding him in that panicked state enraged Draco. Clinging on to the girl you bullied since year one like a lost child was an embarrassment and a mistake. Draco was fortunate no one had caught them together. If it had gone back to the Dark Lord, Draco shuddered with fear on what the consequences were of being seen with Granger.

Still, he could not help when his thoughts drifted to her despite how dangerous these memories were if Voldemort was around. The sensation of Granger’s soft body… and breasts against his body were haunting as his thoughts clung to this memory like a life preserver in a raging storm. It was the first time since he had turned into a werewolf that Draco was once again in absolute quiet, with no debilitating noises and scents to render him useless. It was why his hands were in his pockets, squeezing her underwear to help his inner wolf focus on it instead of every single activity that went on in Hogwarts.

Draco remembered the warmth of Granger’s soft flesh against his. Her hands rested so casually in his hair and back, which pacified him. A deep feeling of peace entered Draco with Granger underneath his body. She responded to his actions with raw desire between her legs that wrapped around his hips. Her aroused state consumed his inner wolf as it settled down into the uncontrollable tremors that overtook his body before. The sound of her heartbeat eased his heart, matching it. It was music to his ears, something he wanted to listen to again. “Did he have masochist tendencies?,” Draco wondered, thinking back to how Granger pushed him down, taking from him what she wanted. She had even punched him in 3rd year, something he still thought about occasionally. She was a strong-willed woman which aroused heat in him. Granger was unlike every witch that fell at his feet and kissed up to him. If she had a chance to spit on him, Granger would, Draco thought to himself. Very few individuals dared to push his buttons like Granger did in the library.

When she had pushed him down to the floor with a heated gaze, like a lioness pounding on her prey, it sparked arousal in him for the first time in his life. Yes, he was stupidly shy like a child, but that was due to his lack of experience, which now he hated himself for. Draco found himself at a loss for how to act around her. Malfoy had never allowed himself to date around or humor any girl’s feelings for him, as he was above everyone in this school. He was too preoccupied with being the best at what he did and becoming a great wizard like his father was. His life was already predetermined. Draco was to graduate Hogwarts, take up his father’s mantle as the sole heir to the Malfoy fortune, and marry a pureblood witch of his parent’s choosing when he was of age. The path for his life was carved into stone, an easy life he was willing to follow mindlessly until now.

Banished from the Malfoy family and penniless, Draco had no future. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t know what to do with this unwanted self-rule to his own destiny. Too many things were coming at him at once. Draco was frozen in limbo where all of his decisions and actions were impossible to make. All of his loneliness and confusion welded together in one upsurge of devouring yearning for someone he could never have. No one in their right mind would ever get involved with a werewolf like him.

His lips thinned with irritation. Draco couldn’t afford to be distracted by an impossible romantic notion. There was too much bad blood between Granger and him. It would never happen. He imposed an iron control on himself. Vowing to show Granger how unconcerned he was, Draco was determined to kill the greatest wizard of all time, if it was the last thing he did. His life was not worth living with his condition. The monthly tortures of the full moon would be unbearable. Living through one full moon was enough for him to come to that decision. For his mother, Draco would do it. It was better for others to think he was a Death Eater that had sacrificed his life for the cause then let the public know of his humiliation and lycanthropy.

Nearing his class, Draco wondered who the professor to the Magic of Theory class was. He hoped they were not strict, seeing he was late for the first day of class. Draco couldn’t afford detention as he needed every spare minute of his free time to fix that damned broken cabinet in the room of requirement. It was only the second day of Hogwarts and nothing was going according to plan.

Running down the halls, Draco screamed mentally, “I’m late but it’s okay,” he told himself. He’ll own up to it and go straight to his seat. Once he arrived at the door, he slowed down and fixed his tie and shirt. Calmly walking into his class, Draco avoided the eyes of the professor, hoping not to be seen. He took the first empty seat available, which was next to a random Hufflepuff student in the front of the class. Just his luck, Draco grumbled as he peered around quickly to see there were no Slytherins in his first period. He’ll have to make do and be friendly to those who were in class. Peering at the clock, Draco smiled. "Not too bad, I’m only 15 minutes late”.

Letting out a huff, he smelled around himself, causing every single hair on his body to stand. Draco grabbed to the edge of the table, cracking it, as he fought the urge to growl. “Strange, it smells like a dog in here. Why did that bother him so much?”, Draco scowled as he looked around the room for any magical creatures that could have been making his inner wolf go wild. Was it a student with bad hygiene? Not seeing anything, he went to dig into his bag before he realized, “CRAP, I don’t have a book”. But before he could process what to do next, the professor of the class had walked over and handed him his book. “Thank you, Professor….”, a relieved Draco thanked him, although his muscles were still tense. However, this relief was cut short. Peering up at the professor, Draco’s eyes went wide with Remus Lupin standing in front of him. It wasn’t a student with bad hygiene he was taking in, but another werewolf inside this very classroom.

Hitting Draco like a ton of bricks, he realized in horror that Professor Lupin could smell him too. “Was this what other werewolves smelled like?,” Draco wondered as he quickly glanced down at his lap to avoid the other wolf. His inner werewolf was submitting before his professor, as it sensed the difference in strength and years of experience they had on him. Their eyes had only connected for a second, but Draco was certain Lupin knew he was a werewolf too. Draco saw the way the pupils inside Lupin’s eyes dilated as he stared down on him, signaling he came over with the full intention of sniffing him out.

Processing what was happening, Draco went pale like a ghost. Speechless, he couldn’t move as he was stuck to his chair. All thoughts of running away were scratched off with him paralyzed in fear. It was thanks to his father that Lupin had lost his position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher back in 3rd year. Did the professor hold resentment towards his family? This really wasn’t his year, Draco realized. Wanting to hide, his heart threatened to rip out of his chest from how hard it was racing. “Shit… if I can hear everything, can he hear my fear?,” Draco wondered with horror.

Remus was the first to break the ice in a room full of unaware students of what’s really happening between the two. “I see someone slept in this morning. No worries, Draco. I got your book here. Seeing it’s the first day, I will allow your tardiness to slide just this once. It happens to the best of us,” Remus smiled back at Draco.

~

As Remus did a headcount of the class, he noted that Draco was missing from the sea of student faces. “That’s not like him”, Remus thought to himself. Despite the boy’s problematic attitude at times, Draco had always been an explementary student and was second behind Hermione in all classes. Without fail, Draco faithfully turned in all assignments on time along with passing every exam he gave with flying colors.

As he looked at his classroom full of students, Lupin was nervous, unsure of how to proceed. This was the first time he was in a room full of individuals that knew he was a werewolf. After Lucius Malfoy had ensured every parent at Hogwarts and the public at large knew of his condition when he left after 3rd year, Remus had self exiled himself from the wizarding world. Standing before the class, this was the most interaction he had with any human since then. Lupin almost didn’t know what to do with himself. As he looked at the golden trio sitting in the back, he smiled, seeing how excited they were to be in his room. With his confidence returned, Remus went on teaching as his back turned to write on the chalkboard.

Facing away from the students, Remus only heard when the door cracked open behind him. The late student would have gone unnoticed if it weren’t for his heightened senses as a werewolf. The moment the mystery student stepped in through the door, it was as if he had been slapped in the face. He knew this scent anywhere from his years on the run and occasional run-ins with others like him. There was another werewolf at Hogwarts. This was an interesting development, Lupin thought as he wondered if this had been the real reason Dumbledore invited him back. The portrait’s comments clicked in his mind, but it still confused Remus why the headmaster hadn’t been honest with him. He would have agreed to return to help another student with transitioning into life as a werewolf if he had been asked. There was something more he was missing, Remus guessed as he continued to write on the chalkboard as if nothing was wrong.

Slowly turning around to look, it took all his strength to keep his composure to see Draco Malfoy come in late. There were students present. He watched from the corner of his eye as Draco searched his bag. Using this moment to his advantage, Remus walked to the blond and handed a new textbook for the class with the full intention of checking the boy out. It only took Remus a few seconds to process that Draco was, in fact, a werewolf. It was not a trick of the mind. There was an invisible bond yet to be formed between them as they had come from the same creator, Greyback. It was very recent too as Lupin still sniffed the blood in the air around Draco. His bite wound was in fact infected. “Why hadn’t Draco been seen by a nurse?”, Remus wondered as his concerns for the boy grew by the minute. Just a glance at the Malfoy boy, he noted how terrible shape Draco was in.

Remus had been a werewolf since the age of 4, with enhanced werewolf abilities. He had no memory as a human prior to his transformation that young. With years of experience, he had a good handle on his werewolf’s abilities, such as the skill to sniff out information as far as months to a year back. It took much difficulty, but Lupin eventually learned to tune in and out various conversations around him. It was the only benefit of turning into a werewolf as a child. Adults, who transformed without guidance, typically lived the first years in isolation until they had gotten used to their new life if their first full moon didn’t kill them. It was often the case that most victims of werewolves’ bites died soon after. Lycanthropy was a harsh transformation for the human body.

Here Draco was in front of him, alive but not well. They shared a look between them. The boy realized that Remus knew of what had happened to him. Seeing the panicked look in the boy’s eyes, Remus felt sorrow for Draco. He would never wish this curse upon any wizard, even his worst enemies. His heart broke further as he heard Malfoy’s heart rate go up and instinctively submitted to him. The boy presented his neck, showing he meant to harm. Draco appeared lost and confused on why he felt the urge to lower his head in front of his professor. Right there, Remus decided to take Draco under his wing, for no one should go at this alone. “He can continue to hate me all he wants, but I have a moral obligation to lend a hand”, Remus told himself.

“I see someone slept in this morning. No worries, Draco. I got your book here. Seeing it’s the first day, I will allow your tardiness to slide just this once. It happens to the best of us”, Remus smiled at Draco, who avoided his eyes. “Turn to page 10.”

The bell rang, signaling that class was over. Remus sighed as he survived his first period. Hoping his day had no more surprises for him, he began to make his way towards Draco to ask the boy to see him after his final class today. Before he could, Harry cut in front of him with a wide smile with Ron and Granger trailing beside him. Stunned, Remus saw Harry’s face for the first time. His nose and eyes were bruised. “Who did this to you? And why haven’t you seen the nurse? This needs to be healed” Remus mentioned, but he could see from the boy’s face that Harry was not going to reply back.

Luckily for Remus, Hermione spoke up, “Harry got caught spying on other people’s conversation”. Harry quickly turned to Hermione feeling betrayed, not denying what she had said, noted Lupin.

“Let me guess, you can’t see the nurse without outing yourself that you were up to no good either,” Lupin shook his head like a disappointed parent as he went on. “Come here, I know a few healing spells that can lessen the blood under your skin. My years as a werewolf have forced me to learn a few useful healing spells”. With a flick of a wand, Harry’s face was noticeably a lot better. His two black eyes were gone, but nothing could be done about the red in the white of his eyes. “Now, no more spying on students. And don’t tell me who you spied on or why. I want to form boundaries on our friendship. I have to stay professional with all three of you. Now run along, children. I have somewhere to be next period”.

Remus turned his back, shuffling papers into his suitcase when he sensed someone still in the room. Turning back, Remus saw who it was. “Hermione, what’s wrong? You look troubled”. The old werewolf furrowed his eyebrows in concern, seeing the hesitation in her movements. This was so unlike Hermione getting Remus immediately worried. “You’ve seen Draco, haven’t you?,” Hermione blurted out, making his eyes widened. Unable to hide his emotions this time, Remus thought, “Does she know of Draco? She did, after all, discover my secret all by herself,” as he realized the girl smelled of the Malfoy boy.

With pure panic written on her face, Hermione responded like the floodgates were opened all at once, “I think Malfoy’s being abused at home by Lucius! He’s probably escaped Azkaban! It would explain all the injuries on Malfoy. We need to help him and report it to the wizard equivalent to Child Protection Services!”. The bright watch slammed her hands on Remus’ desk as she explained the urgency of the matter. “He had a fever when I found him on the floor of the library! His body was bruised and scarred all over! I saw with my own eyes, Professor!”.

It had worried her all period. Draco refused to go to the hospital wing the morning after their run in at the library. With Malfoy in a full-blown panic attack, it wasn’t just nothing. Hearing her explanation, Remus was relieved, but he knew it wouldn’t be much longer until she landed on the correct explanation of what was truly happening with Draco. He’ll have a talk with her once that day comes. For now, there was no need to worry about a future problem as he played along with her current theory. “Unfortunately, my dear, there isn’t any wizard equivalent to Child Protection Services like the muggle world. When abuse happens at home here, there are no protocols to address it or officials to turn to. The Wizarding World is behind in such ways culturally. Wives and children are viewed as the property of the head of the household. They can rule the household as they please as that is their right,” he told Hermione.

“That’s horrible! We can’t just do nothing!” she shouted loudly, grabbing on to her book like her life depended on it. As she reflected on that information, she commented to herself, “Well, that would explain why nothing has been done with Harry’s situation”. It made sense, if Hermione really thought about it from Sirius’ banishment from the Black family, Harry’s living situation with the Dursleys, and elves’ mistreatment in the wizarding world. With things clicking inside her mind, it only made her more worried about the blonde as Hermione wondered if anything could be done at all for her classmate. In deep thought, she bit her lower lip. Putting his hand on her shoulders, Remus commented, “Thank you for trusting me with this piece of information. I want to assure you that I’ll do something about it. I’ll keep an eye on Draco and talk to him today”.

Hearing this, a load was lightened on Hermione’s shoulders, but she still couldn’t let it go. Why were there so little avenues of aid for the vulnerable in the wizarding world? Even her introduction into the magical world from the muggle world had been chaotic. Things needed to change systematically for real change to occur if Hermione wanted individuals like Malfoy to have somewhere to go for help. She couldn’t yet change things policy wise from a ministry level seeing she was still underaged, but Hermione could start with making an impact on one person. Determined, she was going to keep an eye on Draco too. “Thank you, professor,” Hermione replied as she left the classroom.

After Hermione had gone, Remus sat at his desk with arms crossed, lost in thought. Dumbledore knew. He had to. It was why he brought Remus here. Wasn’t it? Although he couldn’t theorize why the headmaster was keeping cards close to his chest, for now Draco would be his first priority.

~

Standing at the edge of the balcony in the owlery, Draco peered up in the night sky to stargaze while he waited for Lupin. It was past midnight and Draco knew it was no use in hiding from his professor anymore. All day, Draco had avoided the man, but it was obvious Professor Lupin was skilled at tracking. It was getting tiring running from the other werewolf. Soon or later, Lupin was going to sniff his way to the owlery. Draco found it hard to go back to the dorms, so while wandering the halls at night, the boy found himself here. As long as Theo and Blaise were at his side protecting him, no one was going to say anything, but Draco despised the sensation of every set of eyes on him. With his newly obtained werewolf abilities, it made it worse. He could feel people stare at him from behind. The hairs on the back of his head stood and his ears twitched, alerting Draco of possible dangers. He felt the walls closing in on him. With a headache in full session, he knew he wasn’t going to get any good sleep tonight either.

The open skies gave him some sense of peace. Occasionally, he would curse at the moon for reminding him of his torture at the manor and his bleak future, but the stars were still as beautiful and bright as he remembered them to be. Draco stared deep into the sky, almost forgetting why he was there. As he walked closer to the edge of the tower, Draco peered below to the ground floor. How easy would it be to just end it all here? It’s almost tempting. Just one jump and all his worries would be gone, but he couldn’t do that to his mother, Draco remembered.

Draco’s concentration was quickly broken when he smelled Lupin right behind him. While processing it, Lupin smelled like chocolate, dusty library books, and calming draught potions. As Draco turned to meet his gaze, there was a pause between them. Remus didn’t say anything, but only stood next to Draco and watched the sky with him. An irritated Draco yelled in annoyance at his professor’s calm demeanor, “Go on, ask me. I know you want to know what happened and the details”.

“You don’t need to tell me anything if you’re not comfortable. I’ll be a listening ear if you need me to be though. I actually came to ask who knows and what your plans for full moons are,” Remus replied, still gazing at the haunting moon that made their lives miserable. Draco hesitated hearing this. What should he tell his professor? He didn’t want to give too much information risking his mission, but he had no clue on how he would deal with his transformation in the upcoming full moons either. Draco hadn’t allowed himself to think that far ahead, still slightly in denial of what he was. Acknowledging his new reality made it too real for him. Draco decided to tell half of the truth and not say how the entire Pureblood community had basically watched him get mauled by Greyback. “Just Theo and Blaise…. and I don’t have any plans for the next full moon,” Draco mumbled.

Accepting the boy’s short answer, Remus went straight for the reason why he was here. He didn’t want to give Malfoy a chance to reject him. “We should spend the full moon together, Draco. It’ll be safer for you if you have an experienced werewolf to spend it with to show you the ropes. To teach you how to lead a normal life as one can get for someone in our conditions”. As Draco nodded along, Remus turned to him, making it clear to the boy. “And one more thing, I had no choice but to notify the headmaster, the nurse, and Professor Snape. Not because I wanted to out your secret but because I know they will help in any way they can. I know how much of a struggle this new life is. I told them not to speak to you about it. If they need something, they need to come to me first until you are ready to let more people in,” Lupin replied as Draco with a blank face hid his true emotions, only staring at the view of the Forbidden Forest in front of him.

He had nothing to say, really. Draco wasn’t angry, but he also didn’t know how to feel. It was nice knowing his second full moon wouldn’t be alone, but he didn’t want to trust Lupin just yet. His father had let him down too many times in his life before he had become a werewolf. With his inner walls up, Draco did not trust the professor immediately. That would take some time but his inner Slytherin started to slip out at that moment too with the realization he needed a way to survive the full moon during the school year, if he was going to find a way to kill Dumbledore. He needed to use his time fixing the cabinet, not in recovery after his transformations. This could be a useful opportunity for him, Draco thought to himself.

“Okay,” Draco replied back in a monotone voice.

“With that settled, can you let me take a look at your injuries? I sensed you were hurt through your heavy breathing, spilled blood, and cracked ribs during class. It is also how I knew you didn’t have any guidance on the full moon. Injuries for werewolves are hard to fix. It took me years to learn how to heal myself,” lectured Remus, as Draco nodded before glancing away with a scowl on his face.

The professor spent the next 30 minutes healing all that he could with Draco. It was painful to see the damage on Draco’s body. It brought Remus back to his childhood. He spent so much of it in a hospital bed. Most of Draco’s ribs were broken. His collarbone had a fracture. There was bruising covering every inch of his body. Some of his organs were bruised too, but easily healed with a simple spell. Looking at the scars, not all were from the full moon. Remus saw some were from the Unforgivables. Had Hermione been right? Was someone hurting Draco? Why was the boy put in a situation that he had been bitten by Greyback?

The answers he sought would come in due time, Remus told himself, as he couldn’t jump the gun. He had to get Draco to trust him first. He said nothing as he fixed all of Draco’s injuries, but finally he saw it, the bite. The discoloration with puss and rawness on the bite mark told Lupin it was infected. A foul smell came from Draco’s neck. He had not been properly cared for in the aftermath of his attack, Remus realized. Why hadn’t Draco’s mother taken him to the hospital? Was it better to have Draco on the brink of death instead of the possibility of his lycanthropy getting out to the public? Remus was filled with sadness, thinking of everything the boy had gone through. More memories of his own childhood returned to him. He hadn’t talked to his own family in years after he graduated Hogwarts. Families of werewolves often shunned those who were cursed with lycanthropy. Lupin hoped this wasn’t the case with Draco.

Remus gave Draco a bag of potions to drink the next few days with simple instructions. Once again, he stood in silence with Draco staring at the sky while they kept each other company. Draco was pleased with all the healing done, feeling better than all the days combined since the duel. No longer feeling as if he was hit by a quidditch bludger, Draco returned the favor and gave his professor one piece of information about his life as gratitude. Taking something out from his pocket, Draco gave Lupin his letter he originally came to get. It was the official disownment and disinherited paperwork from Gringotts. His father had told Daco that it was going to happen, but it was now official as of today. As the professor read, he handed it back. Draco could only crumble it up, shoving it back into his pocket.

The letter had been the final straw. Everything he had been through at the manor and his first transformation had bubbled to the surface. For so long throughout the summer, Draco had forced himself to be strong for his mother and his two remaining friends but with Lupin, he couldn’t hide his true feelings anymore. The professor knew all too well the facade Draco had put up as he wept like a broken child. With a simple hand placed on his shoulder from the professor, Draco broke down, hiding his face in the railing as Lupin stood in silence. There were no words Lupin could ever offer to comfort the boy. This would be the one of many rejections Draco would have to face and get used to, now that he was a werewolf. Instead, he offered the boy his presence. His friends had always managed to lift his spirits when he had been a student here long ago. Taking a page from those who gave him their friendship when he was a teen, Lupin stayed with Malfoy until the tears stopped. He only left the owlery once Draco found the strength to leave with him.

Chapter Text

“I’m telling you! Draco is a Death Eater. I heard from Lavender and Parvati! The school’s gossip girls! What more proof do you want!” Harry yelled to his friends, his book thrown to the side and the study session nowhere in sight. The Golden Trio was at the very far end of the Gryffindor common room, away from anyone who could possibly hear them. The crackling and popping from the fireplace covered their voices with the periodic purring from Crookshanks and a second black cat that had hovered around the castle in recent days. “Gossip girls? Harry, Do you hear yourself? That’s not evidence. Gossiping is a secondary source, not the original. We might as well be playing telephone," Hermione quickly defended their classmate. Malfoy hadn’t been the greatest person to them growing up, but it was so apparent to Hermione that the blond was struggling this year with everything that was going on at home, she assumed. But Harry’s obsession with Malfoy was getting into dangerous territory. The Malfoy boy overall had been keeping to himself since the first day, yet Harry was stalking him at all hours, neglecting his own school work.

Hermione knew Draco wasn’t a Death Eater, after all, she took a peek in the night in the library when Draco slept in her arms. Since that day, Hermione was keeping a close eye on the blond but, embarrassed by her actions , she had avoided him too. She had been on edge with fear that their night would be the next big scandal at Hogwarts, but not a word, rumor, or peep was heard. Hermione was so certain one of Draco’s friends would laugh at her and her “gift” she had given him but as far as everyone knew, the two hated each other still and had never interacted with each other before. In this way, Draco was surprisingly private and a gentleman when it came to intimacy, very different from what she imagined him to be.

This was the first time in her life that her mind was on something else besides academia, the pursuit of knowledge or her books. When she had briefly dated Victor Krum, the quidditch player was nothing more than a hobby on the side, a colleague with nothing but air in their mind that she occasionally had heavy make outs with, but it never went beyond that. Malfoy, on the other hand, had taken a good amount of her thoughts. The more she thought about him, the more she realized she liked the push and pull off their intellectual minds and now physical chemistry. She had managed to render the boy speechless, giving her the temptation to tease him further. The image of a stuttering Malfoy made her giggle. The sensation of Draco’s heavy body weight on top of her caused her sleepless nights, as well as Draco feeling safe around her to cry in her arms.

This first hand knowledge of Draco and his innocence created an issue for Hermione though. Hermione couldn’t exactly say how she knew Malfoy was not a Death Eater without admitting she took the invisible cloak to stalk him. The very thing she was lecturing Harry for. There was still the underlying issue of how Hermione could properly explain to her friends how she managed to get close enough to view Draco’s arm. She couldn’t outright say that she napped with the Slytherin prince, checked out his body while underneath the boy, for Hermoine wasn’t a good liar around Harry or Ron. Hermione would need to continue to spy on Draco to get another way to prove his own innocence.

For now, she would defend Draco Malfoy from Harry’s impulsive actions. “Telephone?” Ron asked curiously. “It’s a muggle game…nevermind. The point is Harry that gossip doesn’t prove anything. For example, I can tell Lavender that I bumped into Draco Malfoy in the library and by the time it got to the Slytherin house, the rumor would be that I slept with Draco Malfoy, my boyfriend, in the aisle of the bookshelves”, Hermione replied as she decided that keeping her lies closer to the truth was a good way to keep Harry from getting suspicious. “Hermione! Don’t say that. Don’t invite that kind of negativity into your life! Plus, those rumors would never be believable because Draco isn’t into girls like you,” urged Ron, with a horrid expression written on his face.

Snapping her head at Ron, she responded defensively, “What do you mean by that, girls like me?”. Wide eyed, Ron shut his mouth before quickly explaining, “You know… you’re so focused on your schoolwork, a teacher’s pet. And before you say anything, that’s a compliment. All you do is study. Word around the school is Draco is into easy girls, aka not you. You’re not feminine enough for boys to want you like that.” With anger simmering in her throat, Hermione swallowed it down wanting to preserve their friendship but still offended snapped, “This might be a surprise for you since no girl has ever given you the time of day, Ron, but us women can be multidimensional. We can pursue knowledge, careers, motherhood, friendships, hold positions of power AND BE SEXUAL! And if we are, there’s nothing wrong with that. I have other interests besides schoo–”.

Clearing this throat and the impending fight between his two friends, Harry interrupted them with a thankful glance given to him from Ron. “Enough! Let’s get back to the main point. Draco is a Death Eater! Hermione, rumors come from somewhere! They don’t just pop out of nowhere. Where did such a rumor even start? There has to be some truth behind it. You can’t deny that,”. Frustrated, Hermione stood up from the couch as Crookshanks jumped from her lap, “You didn’t listen to a word I said. I’ve had enough of you two for today. If you need me, I’ll be studying in the library which you should be doing too for our upcoming exam in Lupin’s class. And like I said, gossiping isn’t proof. Anyone can make one up out of boredom,” as she walked away from the boys who lacked brains at the moment.

~

As the secondary source culprits, Theo and Blaise, walked out of the library from their studies, the duo were returning to the Slytherin dungeons. The pair talked loudly amongst themselves for others to hear. “I can’t believe we lost our dear friend DRACO MALFOY to the Dark Lord. That horrid DARK MARK ON HIS ARM looks so terrible. Shall we JOIN him and become death eaters too?”, Theo, with great passion, asked Blaise. The boy of few words nodded in yes before Theo went on, “I AGREE, for our bonds as BROTHERS knows no limits! We shall join DRACO in his new endeavor as DEATH EATERS!” shouting to anyone who was close by.

While the two boys passed Hermione, she whipped her head back in question as she made her way to the library. Now invested in the mystery surrounding Draco more than ever before, she slowed down to hear more of their conversation, doing the very thing she criticized Harry for doing. “Why would Draco’s best friends, Theo and the quiet one, lie? I saw his arm,” she asked herself. If she wanted to know the truth about Draco, Hermione would have to research the two boys and learn the second one’s name. Ginny was out of the question as she was too close to Harry and might reveal to him that Hermione was snooping around the Slytherin boys.

Chewing on her bottom lip in thought, Hermione thought of an individual that her best friends rarely interacted with. Unfortunately, it was her roommate who she never got around to forming a bond with. There was nothing against Lavender but the two girls’ interests were vastly different to meet common ground, thus Hermione mainly ignored the girl. Even Hermione could admit from her occasional listen in on her roommate’s gossip at night that the two girls knew just about anyone in Hogwarts. What better source than the gossip queen Lavender Brown on retrieving information on Malfoy’s friends, thought Hermione as she turned around and headed back to her room.

Theo and Blaise found success in spreading the gossip in the echoey halls of the castle for all the Hufflepuffs nearby scattered rather quickly, passing them in fear. They smirked all the way to the dungeons, certain that by tomorrow morning Draco would be the school’s death eater. The portraits were also making it quite easy as the paintings whispered among other portraits, letting students who were walking by hear them.

As they reached the entrance to their house, their smiles quickly faded away as they encountered Draco with arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face. Strutting forward, Draco stopped them in their tracks, grabbing them by their shirt collars. With great force, he dragged them across the common room and into their dorms, shutting the door behind him. “Explain yourself now! Why is there a rumor going around that I’ve become a death eater?” asked an aggravated Draco.

“A thank you would be more appreciated. We told you. We would help you in smashing down any rumors about your ‘condition’. What better way to squash a rumor than with an even BIGGER rumor!” Theo reasoned with both arms in the air to emphasize the size of the new juicy gossip they had created. Slapping his forehead with his own palm, Malfoy sighed, hearing his two friends reasoning for what they did. Draco hummed with both arms crossed, lost in thought. He had to admit it was such a foolish idea, it was almost genius.

“Besides, you only got half the rumor. Rumor has it Malfoy’s best friends are soon to join him,” Theo winked towards the blond. Draco looked to Blaise for guidance on how to deal with Theo’s antics but was met with “......” from the boy. Agreeing with Blaise, Draco turned back to Theo, asking skeptically with eyes burrowing into Theo’s skull, “And what are we to do if this gets back to Dumbledore?”. With his chin up and chest puffed up, Theo twirled in place as he proclaimed like a showman, “We prove our innocence by showing all our arms and slapping that Dumbledork silly for believing such a foolish school rumor. He is an educator! Educators should hold themselves above students’ personal lives and teenage drama”. The silver trio soon found themselves laughing all together at their newest form of entertainment, for they knew Dumbledore liked involving himself in things that didn’t concern him.

“By the way, Draco, why aren’t you sleeping in your bed? We waited for you all night and you’re a no show. Do we need to fight someone in our house?” asked Theo as he laid in bed and placed both hands behind his head. Walking next to Draco, Blaise turned to him as he commanded, “Who was it? Name them” as he reached into his pocket for a pen and paper, not waiting for confirmation if someone had been bullying their Draco. It didn’t matter if he was overreacting, someone had made his friend uncomfortable enough not to come back to the dorms. Blaise was ready to get his hand bloodied and raw.

“It’s not that simple. No one has bothered me, at least not yet. It’s… just too loud in there with my werewolf abilities. Everyone whispers and stares at me like I’m some kind of animal on display. I’m lucky our house has kept our motto true to our word of showing unity to outsiders. My condition has stayed hidden, but realistically speaking, how long will that last? I would rather not push my luck with our housemates…” Draco explained as he went to sit on his bed, before continuing, “And don’t worry where I’ve been staying at night. It’s quiet enough for me there,”. Just visiting the dungeons, his recurring headache came back in full force. The sounds of students studying, sleeping, chatting, and even the sounds of the creatures of the lake were magnified in his ears. Theo and Blaise peered at each other with worry, but the two let it go as once Malfoy set his mind to something, it couldn’t be changed.

The three boys walked out of the dorms and into the common room but saw a massive crowd of students surrounding Crabbe and Goyle to form a circle around them. The crowd appeared to be laughing at whatever Draco’s former henchmen were reenacting. But to Draco’s horror, his heart plummeted to the dungeon stone floors as he heard the story his former friends were telling. Crabbe entertained the group, making his voice high pitched like a baby’s voice, “Mummy! Mummy! Help me!” as he pretended to be attacked. Goyle threw his head back in laughter as he joined in the teasing of the former Slytherin Prince in solidarity.

Goyle furthered the mockery by pretending to eat Crabbe. The group surrounding the two chuckled along, but a few appeared to be uncomfortable as details of Malfoy’s duel were finally broadcasted to the entire Slytherin house. Crabbe wailed, pretending to hold his imaginary insides from spilling out. This burned Draco to his core as he witnessed his attack from an outsider’s perspective. He had been in the middle of fighting for his life with Greyback, that Draco had no recollection of what he did. His face burned as his former friends screamed “mummy!” ridiculing him. Feeling betrayed, his heart cracked seeing Crabbe and Goyle. They had all grown up together, yet showed how superficial their friendship really had been.

Now that Draco’s reputation was in tatters and he held no influence, many individuals who fought for his attention had turned their backs on him. He had known it logically, but seeing it was different. Crabbe and Goyle weren’t his friends any longer, but it was more than that. They had never been from the beginning. It was a depressing reminder of how easily he had been exiled from wizard society. Draco had nothing to his name or title. Seeing he wasn’t welcomed here, Draco immediately walked out of the dungeons. Theo, furious at the scene, was ready to jump on the two former friends, but Blaise held back Theo. He looked at Theo, “in due time,” he replied in a menacing voice that Theo froze. Blaise shot daggers at Crabbe and Goyle with his glare, letting it known they had made it on his list. They would pay for it with blood. He knew that to be certain.

~

Draco found himself back in the Perfect’s bathroom. He had been sleeping in the empty tub since the first night back at Hogwarts, as Draco found it difficult to sleep in the dungeons now. His werewolf senses always alerted him to his own house, feeling his housemates’ eyes watching him. Even if he did find peace at his dorms, the fear never went away. He always feared someone lurking in the shadows, ready to teach him a lesson. Draco found out quickly that his lessons with Bellatrix and the Dark Lord’s cruel treatment had stuck with him. The constant torture and mockery could not be easily overcome at school. He found sleeping in the bathtub was comforting like it was where no one could hurt him, safe from the outside world. The Prefect’s bathroom was a mixture of isolation, silence, and warmth that Draco needed for his overwhelmed senses. It allowed his mind to relax, allowing him to turn off his werewolf instincts. As his eyes got heavy, Malfoy yawned as there was nothing triggering him to be on alert.

A couple of hours into his dreams, Draco, deep in sleep, had a visitor. Hermione, with the map and invisible cloak in hand, came to see if Draco was alright that same night with Crookshanks trailing behind her. She had seen from the map that Draco was no longer sleeping in his bed. Harry was knocked out from quidditch practice, allowing Hermione to sneak the map. It was thanks to Harry always watching Draco’s every move that she learned where Draco was going to at night. She couldn’t do anything for Malfoy without giving herself out, but she could keep him company as he leaned his head against her shoulder. Hermione adored the soft look Draco had when he slept. It was so different from the image he projected to everyone else. His usual scowl was instead the face of a boy on the brink of manhood. The way his lips slightly opened as he snored made Malfoy look so delicate.

Putting a warming charm around the tub for them both, Hermione by morning she was gone without a trace. Draco would never know she was here as they slept against each other, only remembering how comfortable he was and remembering the sweet smell of caramel candy and pumpkin juice. By morning, Draco would question where this flat-faced cat came from but allowed it to stay on his lap.

Chapter Text

As Hermione walked up to her dorm, no matter how much she rehearsed inside her head, anxiety began to build up inside her. Before she had come to Hogwarts, Hermione had always had a difficult time making friends in general. Like a fish out of water, she had never fit in anywhere. She was always called a teacher’s pet, a know it all, or teased for her appearance. She spent much of her time alone with a company of her books for academia. The pursuit of knowledge and success could never hurt her. The amount of work Hermione placed into her schoolwork, her efforts beyond doubt, always prevailed, keeping her company and setting her insecurities to the back of her mind.

When Professor McGonagall knocked on her door one evening, Hogwarts letter in hand, her life had changed with the promise of leaving her isolated school life behind. With the fresh start, Hermione had expected her life as a witch to be different, an opportunity to make new friends, but the reality was different. She struggled her first year. History was repeating itself with her fellow classmates, avoiding her or finding her overbearing. Lonely days and nights were spent in the library, cramming her mind with as much of the wizarding world as she could to get on the same level as her peers who lived their whole lives with magic.

Since the incident with the troll in the bathroom, Harry and Ron became fast friends with her, but she had neglected to foster any female friends. The only female friend she really had was Ginny, but it was more by proximity, for Ginny was Ron’s little sister and Harry’s crush. Being around the girl so often, Hermione became close to her, but it was hard to find time to hang out with her. Ginny was a year younger than her, had no shared classes, and had her own set of friends. Still, Hermione had Harry and Ron by her side, so the thought of befriending Lavender Brown was unheard of.

Never in her wildest dreams would she consider doing so if it wasn’t for her need to get to the bottom of what was going on with Malfoy. Overcoming her nerves, she stood in front of the entrance to her dorm. Pausing for a second, Hermione took a deep breath before she entered and walked towards her bed. Taking a quick glance at the floor, Hermione took note of the amount of laundry scattered on the floor. It seemed the house elves had not yet cleaned the rooms. “Strange, they were usually on top of such things. Nevermind that! I have to find a way to approach Lavender,” Hermione thought to herself as she sat on her bed.

As much as she could, Hermione slowly and naturally turned to face Lavender while petting Crookshanks. As she petted Crookshanks, hoping it would wash away her anxiety, Crookshanks, almost as if he was reading her mind, nudged her and glanced at the other bed. “Say Lavender…. I know we don’t talk much, but I was wondering if you could help me with something. I need information on a certain individual and seeing that you are well versed in things such as social events, gossip—” Hermione started to say, but Lavender choked in excitement, interrupting the young witch.

Whipping her head around with a huge grin spreading across her face, Lavender flew to Hermione’s bed, picking up both Hermione’s hands into her own. “It’s finally happening! I’ve been waiting since first year to talk to you. Tell me everything! Who is it? Your crush? Don’t tell me! Let me guess! Is it Draco? I knew it would happen! Star-crossed lovers, I tell you! Both from rival houses and top of their class! I knew all that bullying from Draco wasn’t just nothing. It’s clear as day. He has a crush on you and now you do too,” the word vomited Lavender, bulldozing through all the boundaries there had been between the two girls.

Stunned, Hermione took a step back, feeling overwhelmed by something she had never experienced before: female companionship, sisterhood. It was intriguing. She had always been with Harry and Ron. Those two were to a certain extent emotionally stunted when it came to certain topics like romance, particularly… boys. They had never thought of her as a girl, so it was tough for Hermione to discuss the highs or lows of dating with them, let alone go to them for advice. Thus, she never had anyone that could relate to her in that way. As a trio, most of their time at school revolved around whatever trouble they found themselves in that year.

“What? No! Wait, you think Draco has a crush on me?,” Hermione replied back, forgetting her original mission. “Of course! He may be the Slytherin Prince and have girls swooning over him, but he wouldn’t know how to actually speak to a girl he likes if his life was on the line. He would crumble at the thought of holding a girl’s hand. All that talk of Draco being a ladies’ man is all rubbish from the snake pit. Trust me, Hermione, you have a chance. Beside you, he talks to no other girls. He spends so much time picking on you and competing for a top spot with you. Shall we call you both the Royal Couple or the IT couple?” leaned over Lavender with excitement.

Hermione burned up, her ears and cheeks turning a shade of pink. No way, here and Malfoy would ever happen, but the incident at the library had her thinking. Hermione had only teased him with her body to mess with him but was there something more to their school rivalry? Did Malfoy actually like her? And why had she impulsively given him her undergarment? Their unexpected chemistry that night between the two was so thick, it fogged both their senses.

Hermione couldn’t help but find enjoyment in making Draco timid. She reveled in it. The fact she wanted to go back to Malfoy to push his boundaries further showed Hermione that what Lavender had said wasn’t so far-fetched. Perhaps she did like Malfoy on some level. Before Hermione could have an inner crisis at what Lavender had said, she brushed it aside. There were other matters that required her attention. There was no time for crushes. “Actually, I came to you to ask about Theo and the quiet one. What can you tell me about them?” Hermione questioned, neither denying nor accepting Lavender’s star crossed-lovers theory.

“Great approach! You aren’t Hogwarts brightest witch for nothing. Befriend Draco’s best mates before claiming Draco as your own. Genius!” Lavender gleed excitedly, picking up Crookshanks to snuggle with for story time. Before Hemione could correct her statement, Lavender spewed all the information she had on Theo and Blaise as Hermione listened to her. Lavender was a walking biography for all the students that attended Hogwarts, Hermione realized. It made her wonder what Lavender knew about her. She wasn’t as dumb as Hermione thought she was. Her intelligence lied elsewhere, the bright witch thought shamefully to herself. She had been too quick to judge her roommate.

As Hermione nodded her head, giving her full attention, she had to admit Lavender was quite the storyteller. Unexpectedly invested in this new development of girl’s night, Hermione soon learned the silver trio consisted of Draco, Theo, and Blaise. This did not include Crabbe and Goyle as she thought so before. The pair of airheads were acquaintances whose fathers worked together with Lucius, but it ended there. Theo and Blaise were different in the way that the three boys’ friendship went beyond the label of being best friends to being more accurately called brothers. They had a long history together as Theo and Blaise knew Draco before 1st year. They were childhood friends from the moment they could walk.

Yes, they came from the same social circle and the three boys were born with a golden spoon in hand, however; they had a genuine bond, especially after the death of Lady Nott. The summer Theo had lost his mother, Blaise and Theo slept over at Draco’s house until fall came. Blaise went back to his mother’s after, but Theo switched between Draco and Blaise’s house every other week. These sleepovers would be a tradition even now, as it gave Theo a reason not to be alone with his father. No one knows exactly what happened to Lady Christina Nott, but it tore Theo and his father apart.

Years passed with Theo not exchanging any pleasantries with his father. Being the cruel wizard he was, Nott Senior could hardly care about having a relationship with his son. What was more important was Theodore Nott Junior becoming his heir and following in his footsteps. “It was also said that Theo can see the Thestrals on the castle grounds, suggesting he might have seen his mother’s death,” claimed Lavender. Whispers would also say Nott Senior murdered his own wife over threats of divorce. One aspect about Pureblood culture was one simply does not get a divorce. You marry for life or die leaving your marriage. There was no greater shame than a failed marriage among the elite of the sacred 28 families. Of course, those same whispers would claim Nott Senior got away with murdering his wife. Whether it was just a foolish story or reality, no one knew. Anything or anyone could be paid off if you had the wealth and if one’s father was a confirmed death eater.

As for Blaise Zabini, nothing much beyond his mother is really known. It is well known that Blaise’s mother practices black magic. Called the human black widow as she’s been married 7 times, all of her husbands have died suspiciously from heart attacks. Whispers spew that Lady Zabini owns a black book possessed by a demon. All one must do is write the name of the person they wish to kill for that individual to pass away. It is said, the only payment needed for the demon that lives in the book was a red apple. Lavender leaned closer with even Crookshanks listening attentively, as she informed Hermione, “The book is the sole reason they haven’t been able to arrest her. They can’t prove it! Every official who has tried to investigate her, BAM! Heart Attack! Making the already wealthy Lady Zabini even richer with every husband that goes. You might ask, if it’s known she kills her husbands, why marry her to start with?! Well, Blaise’s mother is said to be the most beautiful witch among the purebloods. No man cannot resist her charms. They voluntarily climb on her spiderweb to be her lunch. But is it really a shocker? Have you seen the Blaise boy? He’s a walking Greek statue. He’s a private person and so quiet no one knows what he really sounds like. It’s a mystery to me that Theo and Draco can communicate with Blaise. If you ask me Hermione, out of the three boys, it’s Blaise you have to watch for. It’s always the quiet ones. He might just snap on you and write your name in his mother’s black book!”.

“Wait, timeout! Red apple for payment. That’s ridiculous! It can’t be true. A book that kills people?” judged Hermione, as she shook her head in denial. “It’s true! It’s a book from a foreign land! Explain all the deaths then! All the heart attacks!” Lavender insisted so much that Hermione bit her lip as she went over what her roommate had said. “Next you’ll tell me that this so-called death book fell out of the sky,” she replied, not so sure anymore as Lavender interrupted her. “Don’t believe then. Can all 7 husbands really die of natural causes? What are the odds of that happening?”. Crossing her hands in front of her chest, Hermione cocked her head in thought. “All 7 died of heart attacks…. That is not natural at all if you put it that way. Well.. at least I know his name is Blaise Zabini,” the golden girl replied reluctantly. She was starting to doubt herself. Was there more to these Zabini family lores?

“Don’t worry about those two boys, Hermione. Once you and Draco officially date, you’ll be the safest girl in the wizarding world for brotherhood is everything to them three,” Lavender comforted her as Hermione was inside her own mind, reevaluating her theory on Draco. Once again, Hermione failed to hear Lavender and lost her chance to deny she was crushing on Draco. As she glanced up at Lavender, she thanked her. “I’m glad we had this chat. It was fun. If I must confess, I don’t really know how to talk to girls my own age, so as you can imagine, I don’t have many female friends.”

“We can start now! I’ll be your friend! I’ve been dying to get close to you!” an eager Lavender practically screamed with a purring Crookshanks still in her lap. Hermione noted how well her cat had taken a liking to Lavender. It was nice to have an actual conversation with another fellow student that didn’t involve Hermione helping them out with school assignments, she thought to herself. “Agreed, it’s never too late to make new acquaintances. We should do this more often,” she smiled with her whole heart.

Before Hermione went to bed, she had to ask Lavender one more question, “By the way, what do you think of the rumors going around about the silver trio being a death eaters?”. What astounded Hermione the most was Lavender’s cheerful demeanor had changed immediately once the girl was in deep thought, temporarily scaring Hermione. Lavender was quiet for the first time in their interaction as even Crookshanks waited in anticipation for the girl’s final judgment of the boys. “I can’t prove it… but they’re lying. I don’t know why one would lie about being one. Maybe the war is closer than we think, but they’re not death eaters. Those three boys hate their fathers too much to become like them. They’re all momma’s boys, and I say that as a compliment. Malfoy, Theo, and Blaise all love their mothers. It’s what sets them apart from Crabbe and Goyle. Now those are the two boys you need to watch out for,” she finished.

Chapter Text

The Silver Trio walked into class before anyone else had arrived as there was no more need to fight against the crowd in the hallway, for the rumor they started was a success. Every student in their path stepped out of their way, allowing the trio to glide right through and straight to their destination. Draco was both delighted and annoyed at their next class. It was the only class Draco, Theo, and Blaise had together, and to top it off Draco was a prodigy at potions.

Since his magic had awakened at the age of 6, he had private lessons from Professor Snape every weekend. By the time Malfoy had turned 10, he was able to make one of the most advanced potions, Veritaserum, right before he entered Hogwarts. At 14, Draco with the help of Theo and Blaise invented his first potion not yet known to the public, Dragon Dung Fertiliser, a potion that helped plants grow fuller and healthier. He had invented it for his mother’s birthday, as she loved her garden and spent so much of her time there with her favorite flowers, Red Aster. It was natural for him to create an invention for his mother. The trio even had the hobby of taking common potions known to the wizarding world and making them better. With his advanced skills, Draco often modified many medical related potions, making them less addictive, like sleeping draught potions, to name a few.

The blond Malfoy should have had this class in the bag, a guaranteed success, but the three boys quickly realized Professor Slughorn would present himself as trouble. Even before the rumor had gone out, Professor Slughorn had already shown Draco and Theo mistreatment by skipping them altogether or pretending not to see their hand raised. The old fart knew Draco was a genius in Potions, seeing he had no constructive criticisms for the boy when brewing potions, but Slughorn did not want to be associated with students whose fathers were in Azkaban.

After they started the rumor of being death eaters, the professor had completely ignored them, not bothering to glance in their direction once. He refused to acknowledge the three boys and in some instances Draco could have sworn he saw the professor snub them all. Blaise, being the most upset in their new predicament, needed Draco and Theo to hold him back. Although Blaise was reserved and strived to go under the radar, it had deeply hurt his feelings that a professor, who was known to cultivate talent and give his favorite students a network toward fame and fortune, was purposely avoiding someone as talented as them. Why weren’t they viewed as valuable to be collected by the old man? They knew why, but it still rubbed them the wrong way.

Slughorn was a true Slytherin, a self absorbed wizard who couldn’t see past his own needs or desires. Returning the mutual feeling, Draco was determined to show his fellow Slytherin professor what happened when he crossed the wrong snake in the pit. It seemed Slughorn had gotten used to being surrounded by other houses. He had forgotten their house motto.

“This class is ridiculous. Don’t you wish we had a better professor, Theo, and Blaise? I could teach these classes better than Slughorn with my eyes closed,” Draco announced loudly enough for the entire class and Professor Slughorn to hear him.

Once again, the old man pretended not to acknowledge the silver trio, as Theo and Blaise laughed loudly at Draco’s taunts. Horrified, Hermione’s jaws fell to the floor, watching the scene unfolding in front of her. To even think of mocking a professor but to get away with it was unheard of, she thought to herself. “Now, class, we have a special day ahead of us. Get your books out and pay attention to the detailed instruction,” lectured Slughorn as he continued on with class, despite hearing the whispers around him.

Seeing Harry and Ron fight in the back for a potions book, Draco glanced back to the front of the room as he proclaimed loudly, “Like I said, this class is ridiculous if those two dim heads were allowed to be in this class. Those two can’t tell the difference between a leech and caterpillar if it hits them on the head. We’re all doomed if they’ve been placed into this advanced potion course”. Finding it quite difficult to maintain his emotions, Slughorn knew Draco wanted a reaction, but he had made his decision to ignore the 3 death eaters in his class and he was going to stick to it.

As the drama unfolded, the students in the class suddenly found themselves in the middle of the game. Who would give in first? They all wondered. “Now, as I was saying. I prepared 3 concoctions this morning. Any idea what they might be?” asked Professor Slughorn to the class. Immediately shooting her arms up high, Hermione raised her hand, wanting to be the first to answer, but her view was blocked. Walking in front of Hermione, Malfoy blocked her access to Slughorn, raising his hand instead. It made him impossible to be overlooked again.
He didn’t really want to answer the question, but was intent on making the professor snap. Intrigued, Hermione lowered her hand as she saw the old charismatic Malfoy return again, replacing the timid boy that had her worried before. She moved over to be right next to Malfoy side by side, taking note of how knowledgeable the boy was in Potions for the first time. In previous years, Draco and his best mates lingered in the back, blending into the background as they snickered to themselves. Hermione had always thought the three of them were just average students, but had they been hiding their natural talent for potions?

Answering the professor’s question, Hermione repeated Malfoy’s reply to the class again, “That one there is Veritaserum. It’s a truth-telling serum. And that one, it’s terribly tricky to make. This is Amortentia. The most powerful love potion in the world. It’s rumored to smell differently to each person according to what attracts them. For example, I smell…..green apples, freshly mown grass, mint, lavender, and calming draught ....”. Hermione paused suddenly, forgetting to name the 3rd concoction as she thought about what she was smelling. She wasn’t smelling Ron as she expected she would. Who was she smelling instead? She had interacted with this individual recently as she recognized the scent from somewhere but couldn’t pinpoint it. Still lost in thought unknowingly, she walked closer to the love potion to get a better scent of it.

It only got stronger and worse as it made her crave for this student. With her cheeks painted pink, the scent made her feel things as her heart skipped a beat. Almost as if she was going into heat for whoever the person was. Taking a deep breath, Hermione melted, unconsciously leaning closer to Malfoy as the heat between her legs became a distraction for her. Closing her legs tighter, her eyes fluttered as she was drunk on the Amortentia potion. Slughorn quickly closed the lid as Hermione, along with all girls in the room, found themselves in front of the class.

Theo and Blaise glanced at each other with eyebrows raised high before peering at Draco for a reaction. Unfortunately, Draco, who was clueless in the love department, was still busy shooting daggers at Slughorn to realize Hermione had just described him. In an attempt to cover her embarrassment, Hermione pointed to the third potion and asked, “Sir? You haven’t told us what’s in that one”.

“Ah, yes! What you see, ladies and gentlemen…” Slughorn began to announce out loud, but before he could finish his sentence, Draco stood near the front, towering over Slughorn, as he pushed harder to get seen. Yelling to classmates, Malfoy interrupted the old man. “It’s known as Felix Felicis. It’s more commonly known as Liquid Luck. One little sip and you’ll find momentary success in your endeavors. Incredibly dangerous for us to make if made wrong. If made incorrectly, it could kill the person instantly. I say that it’s incredibly irresponsible of you professor to have such a potion in class with irresponsible students like Saint Potter and Shit Head Weasley in class. And if you made it, I wouldn’t drink it. It would kill me with your unsanitary work station and incorrectly measured ingredients”.

Collectively, the students all-together like a symphony gasped in horror and amazement at the so-called Death Eater. The few Ravenclaws in the room peered at the directions on the chalkboard written by Professor Slughorn with a new found distrust. The rest were impressed with Draco’s boldness while Theo and Blaise snickered like a pack of hyenas. Once again, a now red-faced professor ignored Draco as he turned his back to the boy. With all the strength inside him, Slughorn breathed in and out before speaking with a fake smile, “This Liquid Luck will be handed to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death. The recipe for which can be found on page 20 of your books. Good Luck to you all”. With a critical eye, Malfoy studied all 3 potions, before stating, “Luck? It’s going to take a miracle for us to get through this class. We’re all going to end up 6 feet deep in the ground under your watchful eye,” successfully stabbing Slughorn’s Ego one final time. Draco strolled back to his station in amusement.

In all the chaos, Hermione somehow found herself, sitting next to the silver trio. No one in the class had wanted to sit by the boys, for they all still believed in the rumors. Since Harry and Ron had arrived late for class, Hermione floated around the room until an available seat was found. Finding an open seat next to Malfoy and remembering Draco had been avoiding her since that night, Hermione, with a mischievous grin, skipped to sit next to the blonde. As she read the instructions, Hermione sneakily reached underneath the table to squeeze Malfoy’s thigh as she creeped closer and closer to his groin. Caught off guard, Malfoy jumped up from his seat as their gazes connected. As his ears burned, Draco gulped nervously before adjusting his pants to hide his situation below. “Good, you’re up. Can you get my cauldron? It’s too heavy for me to lift from the top shelf,” Hermione smiled, showing off her innocent eyes as if she hadn’t just messed with the Malfoy boy. Listening faithfully to the brightest witch in school, Draco hurried ran off to get her ingredients and cauldron before his self control could crumble any further

As things settled down and her station prepared by Malfoy himself, Hermione noticed something had gone wrong, impossible for her. This wasn’t right. She had followed the instructions to a tea but her brew looked off. Glancing over at the snakes, Hermione watched as the trio weren’t following the books at all, but their brewed potion had the correct color and texture. Leaning closer to Malfoy, she asked, “How did you do that?”.

After an inspection of what she had done, Malfoy chuckled. “Not as smart as we think we are? Your brew is completely done for but luckily for you I can save it,” provoking her up on purpose as she did to him before.

Sighing in annoyance, Hermione crossed her arms, waiting for the answer only for Malfoy to turn around to stir his own cauldron. “Well, what do I need to do? You obviously know something I don’t”.

“Repeat after me, and I may be in the mood to help,” Draco snickered as he went on “I, Hermione Granger, admit Malfoy is smarter and better than me in every way possible,” knowing full well the girl prioritized her grades above anything else.

There was a good chance she would give into his teasing. For once, the tables were turned. Scoffing at the blond, Hermione bit her lower lip as she eyed her brew that was turning more gray by the second. The boy had cornered her, but she didn’t mind their battle of wits. Finding Malfoy’s overconfidence endearing as he outsmarted not only her but Professor Slughorn, Hermione gave in to save her potion. Glancing around the room, every student, including Theo and Blaise, was preoccupied with their tasks while Slughorn was fawning over Harry’s apparent skills on potions.

Since they were sitting in the corner of the room hidden from everyone else, a light bulb flickered in her mind. It was just the two of them, if she really thought about it. Still drunk on the Amortentia potion, Hermione nodded to Draco as she whispered in his ears, “I, Hermione Granger, admit Draco Malfoy is smarter and better than me in every way possible. I look forward to his one-on-one personal lessons with me with great pleasure”. The blonde’s eyes widened in shock as Hermione came face to face with the boy. She leaned into his shoulder, ensuring Draco could feel her breasts pressed up against his arm before quickly stepping away. Still hidden from view, Hermione reached below as she cupped Draco’s length, palming him with only the layer of clothing to separate them. “Say Draco, should we have my tutoring sessions at midnight? It’s the only available time slot I have. Please, I need all the help I can get,” Hermione asked, grinning as she felt Malfoy’s cock harden. Liking the new sensation, Draco froze, pressing up against her hand. As suddenly as Hermione came on to him, she quickly returned to her station, leaving him hanging.

Granger will be the death of him, Draco thought. “Who would have thought she was a vixen?,” he thought as he tried to calm down his length. Hermione chuckled as she waited patiently in Draco’s direction. Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise as he stuttered, “A-Add a clockwise to your stirring after every 7th counter clockwise stir”.
The golden girl stayed quiet, as she questioned, “That’s it? Does that really make a huge difference?”.

“Fine, don’t listen to me. It’s not like I’ve been second behind you for the last 5 years,” Draco poked fun at Granger for her confusion. It wasn’t every day, the golden girl was lost in a lesson. As Slughorn passed by their table and complemented Granger’s cauldron but not the silver trio’s, Draco focused again on what he had originally planned for his torment of the professor before Granger had sidetracked him.

With renewed sinister motivation, Draco purposely distracted the surrounding tables, who mainly consisted of ravenclaws. Hermione stirred as she chatted with Theo and Blaise, but from the corner of her eye, watched with anticipation about what Malfoy had up his sleeve. “Why Theo and Blaise, look at this book. All the instructions are wrong and the measurements for ingredients are written incorrectly. What kind of professor would recommend an outdated book to this class? What a moron that professor has to be. Should I restart reciting the correct instructions for you my dear friends step by step?”.

Hermione gazed at him with a soft look as those around Draco quickly fell for his trap. Hermione’s breath was taken away as she watched Draco’s intelligence shine brightly. Encouraged by Hermione’s squeeze of his thigh again in admiration, Draco puffed up his chest. They all listened in and copied step by step the correct way to make a potion. “Ah! Look at this, my dear friends. Hermione and dodo birds. You should listen to this too. Stop pretending you’re not listening and listen to this”. The Ravenclaws side eyed Draco for calling them dodo birds but were also not interrupting the blond. Hermione sat closer with the three snakes, sharing her notes and ingredients with them as she listened to Draco. “Step number 5 is wrong. The sopophorous bean should be crushed under the silver dagger, not cut. It helps release more juice in an efficient manner. If you ask me Granger, it looks like we all never had a chance to get the prize. This contest is rigged by the professor”.

Just like that, Draco found himself giving a lesson to the Ravenclaws and Hermione. Taking it a further step, Draco strolled around the room and listed all what was done wrong and what improvement can be made to the surrounding students near them.

As Professor Slughorn went around testing each potion, he skipped the 3 snakes, catching the attention of the ravenclaws and Hermione. All peered at Draco for a reaction, but he had a stoic expression. Much to his displeasure, Slughorn found he was very impressed by Draco’s students and praised them all. Because the professor had neglected his students over prioritizing Harry, he had not caught on yet that Draco helped his side of the classroom and claimed this half as his own students.

Calling Harry to the front of the classroom, Slughorn, with his arms raised, announced, “It was a very close race as many of you were able to make a perfect draught of the living death, but sadly there could only be one winner. Harry, as promised. One vial of Felix Felicis to the best brewed potion. Congratulations. Well done!”.

Draco scoffed in annoyance as he finally spoke up, “You sure about that professor? Are you sure that potion is the best in this entire class? You haven’t even checked your slytherin student’s cauldrons. Playing favorites, I see. Collecting them like tea cups. All those students you gave full points to were instructed under my eye and directed by me while you were too busy kissing Saint Potter’s ass. Come over to my cauldron and tell me to my face all over again that Harry still has the best draught of the living death among us”.

The stillness and silence could be felt by everyone watching the two men. Would this do it finally? Has Draco finally broken the professor’s patience? Slughorn walked directly to Draco, glaring straight into his eyes. Hermione and everyone gasped, unable to help themselves, as this was the first time in weeks Slughorn had acknowledged Draco. “THAT’S IT! ALL THREE OF YOU BOYS OUT OF MY CLASS AND STRAIGHT TO DUMBLEDORE’S OFFICE,” screamed Professor Slughorn. He screamed so loudly it would be heard in the halls and in the surrounding classrooms.

Stunned, Draco immediately turned to Theo and Blaise in horror as he realized what he had done. He absolutely did not think he would win this game of chickens. Draco had thought he would be given detentions, not be sent to the headmaster’s office. He couldn’t face that old geezer yet, for he had to kill the man. Quickly, as he panicked, the blond regained his emotions, as Theo and Blaise stayed calm as well. He copied their mannerisms as they walked out with cocky and arrogant faces.

Just like that, the three boys found themselves in Dumbledore’s office. Luckily for them, they weren’t actually able to get in trouble as Dumbledore was not in the castle at the moment. The trio found themselves released from any wrongdoing. Remus had dismissed class early to collect the three boys from Professor Slughorn. After hearing what led the three mischievous snakes to trigger the professor’s temper, Lupin talked to Slughorn privately, surrounding the mistreatment of students of various backgrounds. Along with finding a truce between the two parties and ending the ceasefire once and for all, Remus, the new guardian over Draco, was able to save the three boys from week’s worth of detention, promising Slughorn he would host the detention that would never happen.

The trio walked down the stairs, exiting the headmaster’s office, only to bump into Remus as he blocked the boys. Professor Lupin tapped his foot disapprovingly at Draco with arms crossed. “I don’t know if I should be impressed by how ballsy you three are or disappointed,” he said.

Giving a side grin, Theo spoke up, “Ah, has our other favorite werewolf come to appreciate his cold-blooded reptilian students?”. Walking over to Professor Lupin and padding his shoulders, Theo advised, “Better get used to being around the snake pit. The antics we do at the Slytherin house is nothing compared to the lions,” as he walked away with Blaise by his side.

Lupin and Draco were left alone together again. For some odd reason, Draco was ashamed and couldn’t look Remus in the eye. He was finding it difficult to find the words to respond to his new apparent guardian. He wasn’t sorry for disrespecting Slughorn, but he was sorry for troubling Lupin.

Sensing the turmoil inside the young werewolf, Remus asked, “At least tell me why. I’m not disappointed, Draco. I genuinely want to know why you gave Slughorn a run for the hills. It’s inappropriate for me to say this, but I was very impressed you got away with the things you said for so long”.

Draco, finding his confidence again, smirked at his professor, “Haven’t you heard? I got to keep up my reputation as the school’s death eater”. Shocked at what Draco had said, Remus laughed heartily, “You, my boy, are the last person who would be one. Along with your two friends. Your heart is too kind to be one. I know that, to be certain. My werewolf instincts tell me you’re a good person. Now come along pup. We can have lunch in my office while you tell me the story in full detail,” as the two walked together down the hallway.

Chapter Text

As soon as her classes for the day were completed, Hermione sped walked into Remus’ office. Slamming the door against the wall, she barreled into the room, heavily breathing with her brown curls flying everywhere. Professor Lupin continued to grade papers, not glancing up once at Hermione. With his enhanced hearing, Remus had heard her down the hall, as each student had a distinct sound to them when they walked. “Good evening Hermione. What can I do for you today?,” Remus asked, not waiting for her to speak. During his lunch with Malfoy, he had found out the full story about what had bothered the boy and later learned that Hermione was included in that. He had a vague idea of the reason why Hermione was here as Draco also spent much of their lunch complaining about Harry’s win.

Although Hermione wasn’t the first in her class in potions, it seemed it did not upset her that Draco had taken the top spot that Malfoy was overall more proficient than her at something. From a teacher’s perspective, having the two students attend the same classes kept Hermione on her toes with bubbling excitement. When he had taught Malfoy in 3rd year, the boy was a great speaker, basking in the attention given to him from those around him. It did not surprise Lupin to hear that the blond was showing off how it was done and cheekily helping students, who did not understand the course. It had been a while since Professor Lupin had seen that version of Malfoy, who now acted the complete opposite. Since the school year had started, the boy kept to himself as he wasted away before Remus’ eyes. Seeing the momentary return of a smart mouthed Draco was the reason Lupin had let him go off easy.

If Remus had to guess, Malfoy receiving better grades than Hermione was not the reason she was here, but it was Harry. When Harry had beaten the whole class, the thought of Harry being better without work or studying distressed her. Instead of thinking of the logical possibility that Harry had cheated, Hermione fully believed she was falling behind her peers. Sitting down in front of Professor Lupin, Hermione, hugging books in her hands, asked, “Please allow me to make your Wolfsbane potion for the rest of the year! I need all the practice I can get if I’m going to beat Harry! I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t necessary for my education”.

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was not what he had expected. He was fully prepared to take her line of questioning, surrounding the circumstances of how Ron and Harry were able to take Slughorn’s advanced class, which he wasn’t sure himself. Although Harry was a good student when he put his mind to it, it was highly unlikely that Harry made the best Draught of Living Death while competing with Hogwarts’ best students. He was certain Slughorn’s favoritism was involved in Harry’s win, though.

What reason did Hermione have to request to make his wolfsbane? Was it really for brushing up on her potioneer skills? Putting down his quill, Lupin’s expression remained neutral, careful not to reveal anything to the girl, for he knew how bright Hermione was. She had already taken notice of Draco’s lack of wellbeing. It was only a matter of when Hermione would learn, not if she would learn about Draco’s lycanthropy. Lost in thought, Remus debated whether to either accept or reject the offer.

Mentally listing all the pros and cons, Remus wondered if bringing Hermione in on the delicate situation was a good idea. She had always been a champion of magical creature’s rights and Lupin knew for certain she would not judge if she knew about Malfoy. Would it be a bad idea to give Malfoy a support system that involved his rival? The two always bickered and were at each other’s throat, but almost every pureblood in the blond’s life had shunned him by Lupin’s observation. The boy was too isolated for Remus’s comfort. Very few potioneers in the wizarding world knew how to make the incredibly difficult Wolfsbane potion. The more he thought about it, the more Lupin warmed up to the idea. He would be doing a service to society, if he allowed the brightest witch of her age to acquire the ability of such a rare skill.

There was also the added bonus of not having Snape make the Wolfsbane for him anymore. The pair had a long history together, going back to their time as Hogwarts students. With an adult’s perspective, Remus had come to realize his group of friends relentlessly bullied Snape as children. For good reason, Snape never forgave Lupin and the Marauders for it, especially after the incident back in 4th year. Snape was distrustful of him. That was apparent when Snape believed wholeheartedly Lupin was involved with Sirius Black’s attempts to break into the school.

There was a discomfort having an individual, who you used to bully, make your wolfsbane. If Hermione made it this year, Lupin would be able to sleep worry free at night with no chance of being poisoned. Of course, Hermione would be supervised by Professor Snape in case mistakes were made, but he fully believed in her abilities and Snape, who still very much despised him, wouldn’t need to interact with him anymore. It was almost a win-win scenario except for the one downside. Hermione would be making two serving sizes of wolfsbane. She would definitely ask questions and make the connection sooner. Would he face Malfoy’s rage if he found out that Remus took part in Hermione finding out his secret?

Still lost in thought, Remus looked into Hermione’s deep observant eyes before peering over to her books, which she grabbed onto them tightly like an infant. Inside one of her hands, he recognized the quills. It belonged to Draco Malfoy. He knew it was his, as it still smelled like the blond. Not only that, but it was the most expensive quill on Diagon Alley. Usually, only pureblood students were able to obtain the exclusive item. The quill came from one of the rarest birds around the wizarding community, a phoenix. One had to earn the trust of the phoenix to obtain a feather. As he secretly took in the scent around Hermione, Remus came to the realization that Hermione smelled like Draco’s makeshift den.

When he heard rumors that Draco had not been staying in the Slytherin dorms, Remus had quickly located Draco’s werewolf den in the Perfect’s bathroom using his tracking skills. The boy did not know it, but he was partaking in the usual werewolf behavior. Most young pups isolated themselves to rein in their new heightened emotions, as the first year was the toughest. Werewolves instinctively like to burrow or make a den to feel secure, but for Hermione to smell like Draco’s den meant they were closer than he thought otherwise.

Remus’ eyebrows raised closer together, as there was a chance he had been wrong about Draco being excluded from the student body. Did the two have a thing going on? Now that the connection between the two was apparent to Lupin, he also realized Draco smelled like Hermione, as well, more than even Harry and Ron did. “That’s a beautiful quill, Hermione. It writes quite nicely. I must say from what I’ve seen,” Remus complimented, fishing for details on her relation to Malfoy.

“Ah, yes! It’s actually Malfoy’s. He gave it to me after my own quill broke during class, but enough about that. What do you think about my request?,” she finished, still in academic mode. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you need the extra practice? From what I heard, Malfoy is a great potioneer and would be a great resource if you sit next to him. Why don’t you ask Malfoy to study together?”. Determined, Hermione leaned forward as she explained, “I already asked him to be my lab partner for the rest of the year to catch up to Harry, but he ignored me. That doesn’t take into account that we both weren’t a match for Harry”. The bright witch sighed. She was still distraught over how difficult Slughorn’s class really was for her. Things usually came easy for her. “I have to admit, though, Draco and his friends were quite hilarious after today’s performance. I can see myself getting distracted if I’m not careful around those three,” she commented out loud, more to herself.

Just like that, Remus had made up his mind. Perhaps having Hermione discover Draco’s secret wasn’t awful. “Yes, it might be wrong for a professor to meddle in their students’ personal lives, but that was the unexpected benefits of being a teacher,” thought the former Marauder. Witnessing something happening between the two before his very eyes, he wanted to encourage it to grow. A little romance never hurt anyone, Lupin justified to himself. He could play cupid for the year. “You may make my Wolfsbane for the rest of the school year. I’ll let Professor Snape know. He would be delighted to have an extra pair of hands from the brightest witch for her age. He absolutely loves being around children. Can’t get enough of them,” joked Remus as chuckled at the surprise he was sending to Professor Snape. For a man who worked with children, Snape really needed to be a little kinder to his students.

~

Afterwards, Hermione returned to the dorms to meet with Harry and Ron. They sat back at the far end of the common room near the fireplace to disguise their voices within the crackling of the fire. It was only when she took a closer glance at Harry’s potion book where the margins of the book had scribbles of notes, Hermione realized that Harry had been cheating. “Ever heard of the spell, Sectumsempra?,” Harry asked, not yet aware of Hermione’s inner conflict with his book.

Hermione sat straight up as she scolded him, “No! I haven’t. But if you had any ounce of respect, you turn it right in. It’s cheating!”.

“Bloody unlikely, he’s on top of the class. Even better than you,” Ron added to their conversation, as he stretched out his arms before continuing, “By the way, Hermione, can you help me with one of my assignments for Charms? It was due yesterday but I haven’t started on it at all”. Stunned, Hermione was in disbelief. The school year had only started, yet her two friends were already behind. What were they doing that was more important than school work? It wasn’t as if any of their professors had assigned them any real strenuous homework.

Finally, she had it. Hermione stood up, taking the book from Harry’s hand. She quickly read “half blood prince” inside the cover before Harry snatched it back. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be talking. You were cheated, too. Since we’re in the mood to make accusations, let me ask, what the hell was that in class, by the way? Speaking and sitting next to the enemy. You were so close to the Slytherins. I saw you laughing along. They were making fun of us, Hermione. What’s wrong with you? You’re rolling in the snake pit”. Seeing Hermione was about to protest, Harry stopped her, speaking over her. “If you snitch on me, like the time you had the professor take my broom in 4th year, I won’t forgive you. I’m not cheating but getting additional assistance”.

Like someone out had thrown a stake right through her heart, Hermione stumbled back with her feelings hurt. She and Harry had never fought this bad before. Sure, they had disagreements, but they were quickly resolved within days. There was a underlying tension between Harry and Hermione the moment she turned down his theory of Malfoy’s death eater status on the Hogwarts Express. She didn’t know what to make of this as Hermione was usually the neutral party between Ron and Harry or Harry was between Ron and her. She peered at Ron for help, but he was wide eyed as he glanced away, not wanting to get involved. Uncomfortable at the new role he found himself in between Harry and Hermione, Ron stayed silent.

A spark of sadness began to grow inside her heart. Overall, she swallowed down the tears that threatened to spill. The feeling of being ostracized returned again for the first time since 1st year. Still, she wasn’t the same little girl that allowed everyone to push her aside. Hermione had proven herself and to everyone that she belonged in this world just as much as anyone else who was born into magic. The one thing she would never allow was the questioning of her work ethic, even from her friends.

Defending herself, Hermione spoke up while trying to tread lightly. “I wasn’t cheating, Harry. What I did was to collaborate with a fellow classmate and receiving helpful advice. It was nice for once, sitting with a group of my peers, who weren’t interested in mooching off my work. Malfoy is the only other student close to stealing my rank fair and square in the entire school. He and his friends really helped me today. I was lost in class. I actually thought I wasn’t going to receive any points for today’s assignment for a moment until they helped me”. Hermione sat back, staring at her lap as she went on. “And I wasn’t laughing at you. If I’m guilty of anything, I’m guilty of laughing at how Malfoy was putting Professor Slughorn in his place. Slughorn was in the wrong for how he’s been treating the Slytherins. He refused to acknowledge them in class. They have a right to education just the same as everyone else regardless of who their parents are,” Hermione finished with tears in her eyes and her voice cracking.

Seeing how visibly dejected Hermione was, Harry stepped forward, replying, “I’m sorry for upsetting you. I just don’t like how close you’re getting to the Slytherins. They’re always up to no good. You’re going to get hurt. Sometimes I forget you only mean well for me and Ron”. Hermione peered away as she took note of how Harry had completely missed her point. He hadn’t really apologized for making unfounded accusations against her. Cheating was not in her vocabulary, let alone something she would do. For the first time, Hermione realized how troubling Harry’s habit of impulsiveness was, running into danger with no plan or resolution. Harry did not feel guilty for cheating or for his preconceived notions of Malfoy and his friends.

He saw nothing wrong with how unfairly he was judging the Slytherins, but Hermione nodded as she mumbled in a gloomy voice, “It’s alright, Harry. You are entitled to your feelings. I have to go. I’m working on some additional extra-curricular activities with Remus. I’ve decided to take on the challenge of learning how to brew wolfsbane potion. To do that, I’ll need to properly study, understand the material, and take notes to truly master it. Things aren’t just given to the average witch or wizard from a half blood prince, Harry. Did you know that?”. At the harsh tone in her voice, Harry flinched back. With her back turned to them, she continued, “And may I remind you that I only had McGonagall take your boom for your safety? You have a particular habit of almost getting yourself killed each year so far. We didn’t know Sirius back then like we did now”. The duo watched Hermione in stunned silence as she walked back to her dorm.

The next evening, Hermione found herself in Professor Snape’s classroom. He was in the process of giving her lessons and notes on how to make a successful wolfsbane. After she had passed an impromptu exam and turned in an essay on the theory of wolfsbane, Snape felt she was ready. While most students were horrified at the thought of receiving extra work, Hermione was very pleased and proud of herself. All her hard work would be rewarded, knowing she was helping her favorite professor. Just the thought of Remus getting some relief from the full moon made her content. She set up her station, waiting for Snape to enter the classroom. Snape had already made this month’s wolfsbane so Hermione would be in charge of next month’s brew.

As she reviewed the notes, Hermione noticed a strange change in the instructions. The serving size of this potion was for two weeks’ worth. Professor Lupin only needed one. She had studied wolfsbane enough to know it can’t be prepared for months in advance. Any additional serving would spoil. One needed to drink it exactly 7 days before the full moon. Why would Remus need an extra serving when it would go to waste? As Professor Snape walked in, Hermione, full of curiosity, asked him about it, “Sir, the serving size is doubled. Is there a benefit for taking twice the recommended amount of wolfsbane?”.

Professor Snape lifted his hand in a signal to silence the girl and continued to say nothing. He stared at her for a long time, being careful of what to say next. “Just do as you’re told and make it, noisy child. I will be at my desk if you need anything. You’re an intelligent witch. Don’t make me think otherwise. You understand the theory and work that goes in this wolfsbane”. He walked away, not letting her ask for anything more.

As he sat at his desk, Hermione couldn’t let it go. While she worked through the potion, she questioned to herself, “Why double the servings enough for two werewolves when it was only Remus in the castle?”. Coming to a realization, Hermione bolted up like an alarm had set off inside her head. She felt all the connections her brain was making, as if electricity were flowing all at once. The sudden change in demeanor for a particular boy. His weakened appearance flashed in her mind. His bruised, riddled body had similar injuries like Professor Remus. The way his own house stayed clear of the boy suddenly made sense to her. Draco Malfoy was a werewolf and Remus had wanted her to know.

Chapter Text

Pitch black in the hallways of the castle. If Draco was an ordinary man, he wouldn’t have been able to see in front of him. Thankfully, with his werewolf eyes, he was able to see very well as he went down the halls. No ounce of brightness from candles or moonlight illuminated the pathway of the castle. The halls covered with darkness gave off a haunted feeling with the absence of any light. As Draco wandered the castle, Hogwarts was dark, grim and cold. Without a soul in sight, only the sound of his footsteps and breathing accompanied him. But this was the perfect time for Draco to be at peace, when most of the castle occupants were asleep. Draco found himself strolling the castle at odd hours to free his senses of the overload of information he was sentenced to since his transformation.

When the moon was at its highest in the sky, it was riveting to feel how his body connected to it. During sunlight hours, his body was brittle, but at night a flow of strength ignited a fire within him. This was the time when he felt the most alive, like a predator that came out to hunt. Tired of always being sickly during the day, the witching hour was his domain. His senses became focused. It was the only time Malfoy was free of his headaches and overstimulation. His eyes were able to see well in the dark, up to 75 feet in front of him.

His lycanthropy came with many burdens, but the few benefits of it were his night vision. He was able to see the heat radiating from surfaces and people. Malfoy froze in place as his ears twitched, hearing the settling of the castle. Lurking in the darkness, it brought tranquility to Draco. It excited his soul and every fiber of his body. He felt his inner wolf howl, wanting to go on the prowl. That was the very reason Draco found himself practicing how to stalk, track, and pounce random mice within the castle. It gave him the high he craved for to expend the energy that was piling inside his body.

So aroused and electrified from the night hunt, the blond let himself forget about the original reason he was out of bed. He was out to find the Room of Requirement. The Dark Lord had notified the Malfoy boy that the other half of the vanishing cabinet was located in the Room of Hidden Things.The castle did not discriminate against house nor intention. The room would appear to him. All he had to do was have a need and the castle would respond.

However, all thoughts and urgency for the room escaped in the middle of his excitement. As the mouse scurried within the walls, Draco placed his ears against the stone wall, tracking its every movement. The closer to the squeaking he got, the more his body trembled in exhilaration. Coming to a sudden stop with the vermin, Draco held his breath as he sensed the mouse was just underneath the tapestry in front of him. Waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on the small creature, he failed to notice someone trailing him too.

It was only when he heard the wood creaking that Draco turned around to see two glowing eyes. Falling on his back, Malfoy hurriedly stood up in embarrassment, hoping the professor hadn’t noticed what he had been doing. Draco cursed to himself as turned back to see he had lost his prey, as well. Pissed, Draco loudly whispered to Remus, “What the fuck is wrong with you! You almost scared me to death, Professor! Stop being a freak and make some sound next time. No one likes a stalker”.

Grinning at the blonde, Remus teased. “I’m sorry to inform you of this, Draco, but unfortunately you’re the same as me in that regard. Except you're shadowing what looks like the castle’s mice”, as he dusted off the dirt on Draco’s shoulder as he continued, “I heard you practicing your stalking and tracking skills a while ago. And I couldn’t help myself but to join along your hunt to see if you were any good. I’m sorry to say but you still need some work as you failed to sense me the entire time”. Taken aback, Draco furiously shook his head no as he attempted to deny everything. “I wasn’t chasing any mice!” he blurted out as his voice cracked at his lies.

“There’s no shame if you did. Better mice than hunting humans, if I say so” the professor chuckled as he smiled with his eyes. He enjoyed seeing this side of the boy. A boy that was still an innocent child that hadn’t been ruined by war like him. His first impression of Draco in 3rd year was that he was aloof and a terror. With new eyes, Malfoy was now a smart-mouth in the professor’s life. Malfoy had the gift of shocking Lupin with his words. If he wasn’t supposed to be professional, Remus had no doubt he would join the boy with his laughter. Malfoy reminded him a bit of his Sirus in that regard. The two had a way with words. The Black blood ran strong in that boy, Remus thought to himself.

Red faced, Draco was mortified that he had been caught, trying to instinctively pounce on a mouse and even more stunned when he realized Remus could see the heat radiating from his cheeks. Before Draco could melt into the castle floors from embarrassment, Remus spoke up, “Come along little pup. Take a walk with me. I sense your inner dog needs a walk”. With the audacity to call him a dog, Draco immediately side eyed him for the remark but also hid his smirk. “Well, I wouldn’t need a walk if you had allowed me to finish my prowl and end that rat’s life once and for all. I expect a chocolate treat at the end of our walk as an apology,” replied Draco as he accepted the professor’s offer.

~

Remus had been on his way to guard the Room of Requirement. It was included in his job description at Hogwarts this year. Along the way to the room, he heard someone roaming the halls. Seeing how late it was, Lupin went to investigate who it was, only to see the sight of Draco Malfoy chasing a mouse. That was how Remus found himself stalking the predator. It made him chuckle watching the blonde find the little joys of being a werewolf. There weren’t many positives in being a werewolf. It often ruined many lives and futures of those who were affected, but he couldn’t outright say there wasn’t any solace for their condition.

After scaring the boy half to death and seeing how alone he was, he couldn’t help but see himself in Draco. It was hard to ignore the gossip and whispers from the students with his enhanced hearing. Remus knew more than Draco thought he did. Malfoy was slowly being isolated from his classmates even before the rumor of his Death Eater status started. He heard the way the Slytherin house whispered and bullied Draco. Something bad had happened and somehow the Slytherins knew what it was. The boy’s sleeping situation was uncomfortable enough that it made him start staying in the perfect’s bathroom for boys.

What was unusual was that outside the halls, Malfoy’s house portrayed a united front. But with the Death Eaters rumors, Remus grew concerned when all the rest of the houses and certain staff members had begun to treat the boy differently. He hated witnessing it. The lonelier Malfoy became, the more Remus saw himself in the boy. He remembered the days when he was a young werewolf himself. People treated him differently once they knew. It grew worse after the incident. Afterwards, Snape had seen him as nothing more than a monster after the prank and for good reason. Rumors came up about his strange ways and unexplained absences when he was a student at Hogwarts. The isolation bled into his adult life again when he lost all his friends during the war.

That was the reason Remus decided to walk with Draco a little longer to provide a life jacket. Remus wanted to be a part of Draco’s inner circle and be that adult younger Remus never had. He saw Draco wanted to speak to him more, but there was hesitation in his voice. “Perhaps Malfoy was scared someone would hear them”, Remus thought to himself. “Come along, little pup. Take a walk with me. I sense your inner dog needs a walk.” Lupin told the lost boy. Just like that, they found themselves in the Room of Hidden Things, among the maze.

Once inside the room, silence was a friend between the two werewolves. Draco, however, made a face as if he was in pain. The young werewolf heard a constant ringing inside his ears, making the boy's head hurt. Draco, still new to the werewolf thing, assumed he hadn’t adjusted to his surroundings yet. The boy attempted to learn how to tune out sounds, but it was difficult. It was mentally exhausting to hear everything all at once. Remus turned to the young werewolf. “Headache?” Draco slowly nodded, holding his forehead. “It will get better once you get the hang of it. Keep practicing with your hearing like tonight”. Remus decided to share a fraction with his story of how he became a werewolf to see if the boy would come to trust him. The two were more similar than they realized, as Lupin recalled his complicated relationship with his own father. It was hard to remember the man. Lupin still held strong feelings against him with a mixture of pity for his father. He loved and hated his dad all at the same time.

Clearing his throat, Remus told his story from the very beginning, “Do you want to know how I became a werewolf, Draco? It all goes back to my father’s doing. He angered the wrong man”. Unintentionally, he piqued Malfoy’s interest as he slowly nodded in response. The blond froze momentarily before continuing their stroll around the room. “Did the professor know?”, Draco thought to himself but continued his passive expression. Quickly glancing at the man next to him, Malfoy noted the faraway look in Remus’ eyes. “No, Remus was talking about himself,” he realized. Draco stayed quiet, wanting to learn more.

“My father was a complicated man. He worked for the Ministry of Magic, creating and advocating more harmful laws against werewolves. Rather than doing some good for these misunderstood creatures in the wizarding world, my father made it his life mission to discriminate, stigmatize, and belittle the werewolf community. One fateful day… he encountered Fenrir Greyback during court. Greyback was on trial for killing two children,” Lupin said in a whisper as he began to come to a stop. Frowning at the mention of Greyback’s name, Malfoy held back a growl as Remus went on, “With very little evidence, the court had to let him free. My father, being the only one in court to notice Greyback’s true self, was outraged at the death of the children and expressed it to the newspapers. He voiced that Greyback had done the killings to the reporters and that the wolf deserved nothing but death. Soon, Greyback was exiled from the wizarding world and even from the werewolf community. Of course, my father had good intentions in wanting to speak up for the two children, but it would cost him. Greyback, filled with so much anger and resentment, decided to harm my father where it would hurt the most”.

Lupin walked ahead, deliberately facing away from Malfoy. Draco sensed the professor grow anxious as he relived how he became a werewolf. The blond almost wanted to tell Remus that he didn’t have to share his past if he didn’t want to, but the boy was also curious. With a shaky voice, Lupin recounted, “That same month Greyback climbed my window and bit Lyall Lupin’s only son, me. Turning his son into the very thing my father hated and swore to exterminate from the magic community. My father, hearing my screams, managed to save me just in time to stop the bleeding and take me to the hospital, but it was too late”.

Remus glanced back at Malfoy as he went on, “I was only 5 when it happened. I have no memories of what life was like before I turned. The very first memory I have as a child is my transformation. I have no identity other than my lycanthropy. It’s all I ever known…”. Remus clung to the side of his neck as if he was reliving the pain.

With tears threatening to spill, Draco blinked them away. He knew the pain, burden, and curse his professor was sentenced to that night so many years ago, as that was his new life at this very moment. His memories were too fresh as the duel flashed through his mind. Malfoy still had nightmares of Greyback’s vicious attack as the monster consumed his flesh. Draco had been older when he turned, but Remus had been only a child that had no concept of what was happening. His heart broke for the 5 year old Lupin.

“I can’t hate my father or Greyback for making me this way because I can’t miss something I never had, a human life or a future. Don’t get me wrong, Greyback needs to be stopped. He’s a monster not because he’s a werewolf, but from all the senseless violence he’s done, taking pleasure from others suffering. Greyback has done more harm for our community than good, feeding the wizarding world more fears and stigma about our kind, Draco. I’ll never forgive that man, but I need to move on if I want to live to see another day. I can’t dwell on what could have been,” he finished. Remus, after finding his story, realized it was the very first time he told someone how he became cursed. All these years, he buried it inside his chest until now. Not wanting to dwell on his past any longer, Lupin continued walking, signaling to Draco to continue their midnight stroll.

Still upset for his professor, they continued to walk in silence until Draco spoke up too. Finding the courage to tell his professor what had been eating him alive since that horrid day. He still trembled in fear at his core, hearing Greyback’s name. Draco hated to admit it, but he was growing very fond of Lupin. If anyone in this world can understand him, it would be Lupin, but he had to be smart about it. He couldn’t tell the professor everything, not the mission part of it, at least.

As he stopped in his tracks, Lupin turned around in confusion, but before he could question Draco, he blurted out, “I got bitten over the summer. It… was the price my father paid for his failure to retrieve the prophecy at the Department of Mystery. Our family had to be taught a lesson, so I was cursed. The Dark Lord was so furious at my father’s failures, he tainted the bloodline of the Malfoys. He knew how much pride and joy it gave my father to have a long pureblood lineage and the perfect pureblood son, the envy of the sacred 28”.

Draco peered up at the ceiling, unable to face Remus either. He couldn’t let Remus see how much it hurt for his identity, his life, to be taken away. Malfoy knew his views and pureblood privilege that he proudly displayed before were wrong now, but it didn’t hurt any less. All those years of calling Hermione a mudblood had come back to punish him, to mock him. He didn’t deserve her kindness, or anyone’s, for that matter. If she knew what he was, would Granger be disgusted? He would. By law, Malfoy wasn’t even categorized as human anymore.

Tears began to spill in the corner of his eyes as he finally released everything he bottled up. Wiping them away, for the first time, Draco came out of his survival mode to reflect on what had happened to him. In a low whisper, Draco continued, “Now….I’m nothing but a creature, an exile, and a monster where most flinch at the sight of me. All the eyes of hate I gave to those who I thought were less than me are now mine to accept. I’m a burden to those around me. I… hate myself. I can’t stand the person who stares back at me in the mirror. The person with dirted blood, me. It’s all I’ve been taught and now I can’t unsee it in my reflection…The worst part…I fully believe, I deserve to be treated less than human”. Draco’s voice broke at the end. Biting his lower lip, Malfoy put away his pain that he temporarily released. He didn’t want to feel it anymore as attempted to stay strong in front of Lupin. Instead, he took a shaky breath.

Refusing any sympathy from Remus, Malfoy stepped away as he continued his story. “Voldemort hosted a meeting with at least 300 purebloods around Europe. That night, I was forced to have a wizarding duel with Greyback. It had to be fair, so the Dark Lord took my wand. Gr--eyback… he… he attacked me and tore my insides apart, chewing and breaking the bones”. He glanced down to his stomach, so sure he was still covered in blood at this moment as he mumbled, “In my sleep, I can still feel the blood gushing onto the floor as Greyback ate me. Sometimes… I swear Greyback is hiding in the dark shadows of the castle, but I’m just losing my mind, like every other Black has”. Draco paused, lifting his hands to his face as they shook uncontrollably. No matter how hard he attempted, they wouldn’t stay still yet. He felt relieved telling someone the weight he had on his chest.

But just as fast as Malfoy had relief from telling his truth, a sob ripped from his throat as tears flooded his face. Remus’ pain was decades ago, but Draco’s was yesterday. Draco screamed, filling the room with his cries. He fell to his knees, arms stopping his fall. Remus ran over to Draco, putting his arms around the boy. Trying to comfort Draco as best as he could, there was nothing Lupin could do. It was too late. The boy needed to feel his emotions. All Draco could cry out was, “I was so scared. So scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. Please, don’t let Greyback come back for me. Please. I’ll do anything. Anything you want. I’ll be better than my father. I don’t want to die. Let me live,” repeating these words out loud over and over again. “Malfoy wasn’t speaking to him but to someone else," Lupin realized. The boy had a distant look in his eyes. Stuck in a daze, Draco rocked back and forth, trying to soothe himself.

Hearing the boy’s pleas, Remus hugged him tighter. Draco looked into Lupin’s eyes as he came back from his broken mind, making the professor look at him. “Please don’t let him get me,” he whispered, but Remus wasn’t certain who Draco was referring to anymore. Greyback? No… What had Voldemort done to him, Remus wondered? Going back into a fetal position, Draco cried into the professor’s shoulders. He shook like a leaf as flashbacks were coming back to him. After staying on the floor for a few minutes, Draco found his calmness while smelling Remus scent, old books and chocolate. Remus noticed Draco let his inner wolf take over, to get away from the pain, so he let Draco drown in his scent. Lupin held Malfoy, shushing his tears away. Held him like the father he deserved but never got. The father that should have held him when he was a child in pain himself. Even if it was only for a moment, Lupin would allow Malfoy to find peace in his arm. Even if it was a false peace.

After Draco made Remus promise not to tell anyone, the two werewolves walked back to the Slytherin room. Remus knew he wasn’t sleeping there, but still kept the act up for the boy. He meant it when he told Draco, he would be watching over him. There were more questions than answers after witnessing the boy’s panic attack, but he wouldn’t push the boy for details. It was his story to tell and not his. He wanted to earn Draco’s trust no matter how long it took. It would be difficult, but not impossible. Draco was slowly warming up to Remus. Although his instincts told him, a piece of the story was missing. Something didn’t add up.

After dropping the boy off and walking away, Lupin followed the boy again, ensuring he made it to his real ‘bedroom’ safely. Poor boy, Draco was still very bad at noticing that someone was behind him. What surprised him though was that Draco walked past the perfect’s bathroom for the boys. As he followed the Slytherin to the unknown location, the professor picked up someone besides Draco, who had taken the perfect’s bathroom as their bedroom but for the girls. Lupin made a mental note to investigate who else was a victim of school bullying as he went to find Draco. As he followed the Slytherin he saw Draco was back to the Room of Requirement. Still, he did not stop the boy. He decided to let Malfoy continue whatever he was doing. Whatever it was, it was important to his survival. It must be what Dumbledore brought him here for, Remus thought to himself.

Chapter Text

After the argument surrounding Harry's potion book, the relationship between the golden trio was shaky but Hermione had decided to turn a blind eye and continue to be civil with Harry and Ron. The two hadn’t mentioned or addressed her last comments. It was hanging over the group, waiting to explode again but there was no point in trying to get Harry to turn in the book. Harry was enjoying passing Slughorn’s class with flying colors too much to do that. The thought of receiving better grades on assignments with ease for once in his life made it all worth it for Harry. The only thing that stopped Hermione from going off on the boys yet again was, she permanently moved her seat next to the Silver Trio.

Overall, things were said that weren't supposed to be said. It didn’t mean the trio didn’t care for each other, but it was best to move on. Part of the reason Hermione decided to overlook their small fight was she too was interested in who the half-blood prince was. Ron and Harry hadn’t been able to figure it out on their own and so the group found themselves talking to each other. The duo was helpless without her.

Once again, Harry was certain the book belonged to Malfoy. Hearing his accusations, Hermione had to stop herself from rolling her eyes in front of her friend. “The boy really needed to stop blaming everything on Draco,” Hermione thought to herself. He was beginning to sound like a parrot to Hermione. With quick logic that Malfoy was a pureblood and not a half-blood, she shot down that theory much to Harry’s disappointment. Soon Hermione found herself searching in every part of the library for any mentions of Half Blood Prince but found none. Seeing her search end in vain, Harry had even lent her the book for more details on who this individual could be. Although she suspected it was out of guilt, not because he wanted to know who the half-blood prince was.

After days of trying to find anything, the witch had finally given up. She looked over to Harry and Ron. A mixture of anger and annoyance grew within her watching the duo wait for her to do all the leg work. Ron was doing everything but studying. His homework was still untouched in the corner of the table. Hermione often wondered how far behind Ron and Harry would be if it weren’t for her pressure. She shook her head in judgment, watching that Ron had snuck in a bag of chocolate jumping beans into the library when food was not allowed.

Racking her brain if she had missed anything that could connect to the half blood prince, Hemione ran her hands through her hair, almost pulling at it in frustration when she jumped back in surprise. A flicker of pain interrupted her thoughts. Glaring at the culprit, her eyes narrowed. One chocolate jumping bean had hopped out of Ron’s hand, jabbed her in the forehead. As she rubbed her forehead, Hermione was sure it would leave a nasty mark.

“Damn beans were getting on my nerves,” she said to herself. It was getting tiring, trying to keep her friends out of trouble. Harry, however, worried her. He spent all week obsessing over Draco. Watching his every move, Harry never kept his eyes off the Marauder’s map. It was even cutting into his school work as he was convinced Draco was up to no good. It didn’t help that they had all seen Malfoy enter the Room of Requirement on the map.

In return, Hermione was concerned for Draco’s secret. No one deserved to be outed especially in a precarious situation where werewolves were banned from receiving an education. Why couldn’t Harry just let it go? She hadn’t thought of Harry being so reckless to the detriment of those around him, until now. An uneasy feeling settled at the pit of her stomach, remembering Sirius' death. The man had died trying to save them from a situation they willingly ran towards. She saw the guilt Harry still carried when someone spoke of his Godfather’s name. It was a topic the trio hardly touched. The situation between Harry and Malfoy’s feud was frighteningly similar. Harry’s stubbornness was blinding him yet again and not even she could talk him out of his ideas. If Draco’s status as a werewolf was revealed to the wizarding community, he could lose so much.

After the bright witch had figured out Draco had been bitten over the summer, everything had made sense. Of course, there was a chance her theory was wrong. Hermione had decided she would need to keep an eye on Malfoy but only to protect him from Harry. And to protect Harry from making a scene, if it wasn’t necessary. Harry, unfortunately, had a habit of not considering the consequences of his actions. If Harry discovered Draco's secret, who knows what he might do with that information. Hermione was certain Harry was not considering the possible political disaster that would come out of it. Their friend Remus had lost his job in 3rd year due to his lycanthropy. Would Dumbledore get heat from the ministry for allowing two werewolves to attend school? And most of all, what would happen to Malfoy?

While lost in thought, two chocolate jumping beans attacked her again as they jumped up her nose. Without warning, Hermione snapped, exploding on the boys. Stealing the bag of chocolate jumping beans from Ron, she burned it, alarming the boys. Now in full fury, Hermione snatched the Marauder’s map away from Harry. All her patience had burned along with the bag of candy. As loudly as she could, Hermione whispered at the boys, “No food in the library, Ron! The books could get damaged and if they do I won’t hesitate to report it to Madam Pince!,” before turning to Harry, who also hadn’t touched his assignments all evening, “And you, Harry, I’m taking the map for your own good. We have a test tomorrow in Remus’ class and you haven’t studied or paid attention in class at all! He’ll be absent, recovering from the full moon. Do you really want to make his job any harder than necessary?”. Annoyed, she took the beans out her nose before throwing them back at Harry and Ron’s head. Slamming her books down, Hermione stood up from her chair and marched out of the library, leaving the boys speechless.

~

“Ready to take the last bottle?,” asked Remus, as he handed the Wolfsbane to the young pup. It's been an entire week leading towards the full moon. Not uttering a word, Draco nodded yes to the professor. It was only his second full moon in his life. Full of nerves, Draco appreciated the professor hadn’t brought up his panic attack in the Room of Requirement. The blond had spent the days after, avoiding eye contact with Remus. Growing up, his family had not been very open with their emotions and so it was difficult for Malfoy to express his feelings with others, who wore their heart on their sleeves. The very thought of him crying in the arms of a professor made Draco want to combust into flames. On one hand, it was humiliating how Lupin treated him like the child he was, but, on the other, there was a sense of relief that Draco wasn’t burdened with the expectations of being an adult. Everyone in his life either expected or demanded something from him. He was punished if he was less than what they thought he should be from his father, his aunt, or the Dark Lord.

When Remus asked if he could make wolfsbane enough for the both of them, Malfoy did not mind. He trusted the professor at a certain level not to harm him. His first attempt at the potion had been a failure and ended with him in chains the night of the full moon. Though Draco was certain Bellatrix had something to do with it on the basis of the smirk she wore the morning after. But with the complexities of Wolfsbane and his failed first batch, Draco did not want to prove his theory and decided to leave it to Lupin, the experienced wolf, to make their bottles.

The blonde hated with all his might drinking the Wolfsbane Potion. To him, it tasted of piss. The past seven days, he forced himself not to gag. With some hesitation, the two werewolves clinked the two potions together. “Cheers,” Draco mumbled as he chugged the potion down as if it was a shot of firewhiskey. He winced painfully when he downed the bottle. Holding on to his stomach, the revolting taste of decay was too strong for him. Before he knew it, the contents of his stomach emptied. With the thrown up Wolfsbane on the floor, Draco continued to vomit nothing but stomach acid and drool.

“Draco! Did you eat like I told you?,” Remus asked with worry in his tone. Glancing at the professor's eyes, Malfoy looked straight down in shame. He had forgotten to. The Slytherin prince had spent most of his time figuring out how to fix that stupid cabinet. He had no time to care for himself. Remus had talked about the importance of eating double the amount of one man but that was the least of his concerns. Apparently, werewolves burned through more calories in order to maintain their body and strength during their transformation. There was very little accurate research or some at all when it came to Lycanthrophy. Draco had no choice but to believe his professor had his best interest at heart.

Remus had told the boy that the sickness he went through on a daily basis would be gone if he ate more, but there was too much on his plate that Malfoy genuinely forgot this advice. His mental state was greatly inhibited from the dizziness he experienced daily. It was hard to think straight when he was less than two months from being newly turned. Most werewolves only got used to their new condition a little over a year. “Don’t worry about it. I took all my wolfsbane potions so I’ll keep an eye out for your wolf,” the professor attempted to calm the boy. It was only when the professor told him not to worry about it did Malfoy peer up, remembering he wasn't Lucius. He wouldn't get punished for his mistake from Lupin.

With only 15 minutes left until the full moon came out, Remus and Draco walked towards the tunnel under the whomping willow tree, leading to the Shrieking Shack. The abandoned house was infamous at Hogwarts. It was the subject of many of the urban legends in the area. How the screaming from the shrieking shack was a manifestation of a violent murders that happened there during his parent’s school years. The so-called ghosts inside were trapped in a cycle of reliving their death. Draco now wondered if those screams were of Remus. Theo, Blaise, and he often snuck to the Shrieking Shack, daring each other to enter the apparently haunted building. No one did though. It was only for laughs then.

“Funny,” Draco thought to himself. This would be his home for the night and it would be his screams that would fill the shack. As he peered around, the house was dull and dead. All the furniture within were broken, riddled with old claw and bite marks. The bed was all torn up in pieces. He viewed the claw marks that came from the bed down to the door. It was no wonder why so many believe this place was the most haunted in Britain. If Draco didn’t know this was where he and Remus would spend the night, he would have believed the stories.

Out of his element, Malfoy was grateful for the false privacy Remus gave him, as both their backs faced away from each other. He absolutely did not want to see the horror of seeing his professor naked and vice versa. That was a level of comfortable he refused to get used to as Malfoy still hadn’t processed his new life as a werewolf. He was somewhat in denial, but tonight would be a painful reminder of what he was now. Shivering from the cold air, Draco removed his clothes and gently folded them up before putting it underneath the floorboards, where it would be safe from the two. As Draco proceeded to sit on the floor, he rubbed his arms, attempting to get rid of the goosebumps traveling up his body. Luckily for him, Remus did not bother to talk to him as Draco silently waited for the fear and pain that awaited him. What could the other werewolf really say to make this better? Nothing. They sat naked on the floor with the understanding between them of the transformation that would happen. It was an understanding that no amount of words could ease the situation for Draco of what was about to happen.

Suddenly, feeling an intense fire burn underneath his skin, Malfoy hissed in pain. His hands trembled uncontrollably. “Lupin, I think it’s happening. I feel like I’m burning alive,” Draco said in a shaky, terrified voice as steam rose his body. The two men under the curse of the full moon were about to go under extruding pain. Remus was equally, if not more, scared. With the Wolfsbane potion in his system, he would remember everything and have the visual memory of his students' screams and cries, but he did not dare to let Draco know this.

Draco’s eyes were the first to transform, dilating into huge black orbs inside his eye socket before settling into his natural gray color. A scream ripped from the boy’s throat. It was a scream in its purest form that could pierce a soul in half. His shoulder blades popped out of their position and doubled in size. Every single bone in Draco’s body cracked like a twig, repeatedly until he began to take the form of a wolf. Crack! Crack! Crack! The sharp ends of the sharp bones ripped and tore Malfoy’s insides, spilling blood everywhere as they went back into position.

With his new skeleton, his muscles and organs were sore and pulsing. Yelling a blood-curdling scream as his hips, arms, and legs went into a four-legged stance, he held onto the wooden floors as if his life depended on it. He grabbed it so intensely that his human nails tore off, giving easy access to the claws that were coming in. A pounding pain exploded inside his skull as his canine teeth and snout came in.

Howling through all the pain as instincts lead him, the boy ripped off his skin like paper as fur took its place. Every handful of skin he tore off, a gush of blood spilled out like a shaken soda bottle. The transformation happened so unnaturally fast every hole in his body bled. His eyes, nose, and ears had a red river streaming from it, for the head transformation was the most stressful aspect of the curse. When the transformation was complete, Draco whimpered in pain.

Lost, Draco’s werewolf was disoriented and did not know where he was. He howled loudly, crying out for someone to help him. His inner wolf, scarred from the previous memories of torment inflicted upon it from the death eaters it experienced during its first moon, began to bite itself. Flashes of memories of being chained up and used as target practice in the dungeons floated back up from his human consciousness. So many unforgivable curses were shot at the werewolf. The werewolf chewed on his limbs to feel something other than the loneliness, anger, and sadness of those memories. Any other pain, even physical pain, was better than the cruciatus curse it experienced.

Werewolf Remus slowly approached the young white werewolf. His mind, still intact, saw how deeply wounded the young pup was emotionally. It choked him up to see the scene. He felt his heart crawl up his throat. It appeared as if the young wolf hadn't realized there was another wolf in the room. Carefully nudging it with its nose, Remus shook the werewolf, causing Malfoy to jump in fright. The pup almost bit Remus out of fear it would attack him, but Lupin growled at the wolf into submission. Using his upper strength to hold the young wolf down, Lupin was too experienced, wiser, and stronger for the young wolf to fight back. Draco’s wolf sensed the years the older wolf had compared to itself.

With no ability to fight back and fearful of this stranger, it curled into a ball, whimpering. Coming around the young wolf, Remus laid beside it as it placed his head on the pup’s body. Like a pair, they curled together as Remus licked the blood off the young wolf, letting it know he was a friend. The young wolf, in return, listened to the older wolf. Whether it was being from the same creator or not, that night the two werewolves ended the night as a bonded pack.

The following morning Draco found himself in the private room of the hospital wing with Lupin in the bed beside him. With no memory of last night's full moon or how he got there, Draco couldn’t explain it, but he felt better than expected. He wasn’t in much pain as the first time he transformed back in the manor. As Draco tried to sit up, he lightly crashed back down on the bed. His muscles and bones throbbed in pain that he had no choice but to remain still. Moaning into the pillow in response to all the pain, tears welled up in his eyes as it spilled down his face. “Sleep, I have excused you from your classes today. There should be healing potions and calming draught next to the bed. It’ll help with the bone aches,” Remus mumbled, his eyes still closed as he drifted in and out of sleep. Whatever Draco had drank, he soon blacked out with the image of the full moon clear in his mind.

~

On her way to the Magic of Theory classroom, Professor Lupin sent Hermione an owl, letting her know she was needed. She wondered if this was about the map. Hermione had told Lupin about the Marauder’s map out of anger at Harry and Ron, but now the feeling of guilt weighed her down. It was necessary, though. She justified her actions because Malfoy’s secret couldn’t be figured out by Harry, if it was true he was a werewolf. The Slytherin Prince had been missing from his classes today after last night’s full moon. She was certain Malfoy was one now more than ever.

As Hermione arrived at Remus’ office, nerves filled her as she debated about telling the professor she had figured everything out. “But Lupin wouldn’t have allowed her to brew their potions, if he didn’t want her too, correct?,” Hermione thought to herself. Before she lost her courage, she knocked on the office door. As the door creaked open, Hermine saw Remus grading some assignments. With a nod of his head towards the chair, Hermione sat across from him. She watched him work on his grading before in the corner of her eyes she saw his schedule for the day. Professor Lupin was going to have another meeting after hers. This student was marked as one to be watched by the older werewolf. Hermione quickly shook these thoughts away. It was none of her business the identity of this student that had also caught the professor’s attention. It was already embarrassing enough that Draco Malfoy was always on her mind.

“You figured it out. Didn’t you? That Draco is a werewolf like me”. When a silent Hermione only nodded, Remus went on, seeing the concern etched on her face. “You can be at ease. I’ve been taking the boy under my wing since school started,” he confirmed, as his quill moved across his paper. Without thinking, Hermione replied, “Why are you telling me this?,” wondering if Remus was allowed to reveal this information pertaining to another student. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on the boy. And there’s something going on between you two, so I thought I should lessen your worries surrounding Malfoy. I took back the map from Harry this afternoon with the excuse I can’t give him special treatment. Harry won’t be chasing after Draco for a while.That boy is too much like his father and is bound to get into trouble eventually”.

With her eyes widened in shock and cheeks reddening, Hermione quietly gasped at how much in the know Professor Lupin was in. With the influx of information, Hermione didn’t know where to start. Was whatever happening between Malfoy and her or how strained her friendship with Harry and Ron was it that obvious?

Playing with the end of her vest, Hermione with somber eyes looked down. Remus taking the map away must be why her two friends avoided her today. Almost as if he read her mind, Remus spoke up, “You did the right thing, Hermione. I can’t allow Harry, in good faith, to roam around the castle with it. His anger is misdirected at you, but in good time he’ll see it’s for the best”.

“We’ve been arguing about… various things for a while. I haven’t been able to get through to Harry and have him see reason. I don’t think he’ll forgive me, if finds out that I reminded you about the map,” she confessed, finally glancing up from her lap. The thought of losing Harry and Ron as friends had been weighing on her mind.

Concern grew on his face, seeing Hermione so down. Remus replied in a soft voice, “Arguments happen, Hermione. Especially at your age when everyone is trying to figure out who they are and test the boundaries of paternal figures and authorities around them. Oftentimes, we unintentionally hurt the people closest to us the most. If they are your true friends, they’ll see you had the best intentions”. Hermione shrugged at his advice. She had never felt this alone with Harry and Ron.

“And if they don’t forgive me?,” she asked in an insecure voice. She knew the more she hung out with Malfoy, Harry would not tolerate it. But now that she had gotten to know Malfoy, Hermione wasn’t sure if she wanted to cut all ties with the blond. She didn’t understand why she had to choose between her friendship with Harry and Ron against Malfoy. Deep down, Hermione was afraid of being alone again, without any friends. Her friendship with Harry had hit a rough patch, and she wasn’t sure if it would survive.

Handing Hermione a tissue to wipe her tears, Remus comforted the witch, “Let me ask you this. Would that scenario be that bad? People grow apart and that’s life. Who we were as children is not who we become as adults. And that’s okay. We are ever evolving as individuals and sometimes our growth may be stifled if we remain friends with those who chose not to grow along with us. In the time you’ve carved your own path away from Harry and Ron this year, I’ve seen you’ve made a few unlikely friends, who have encouraged you to get out of your comfort zone. So, again, if the Golden Trio disbands, is that the end of you? I thought you were stronger than that, Hermione”.

With a pensive expression, Hermione realized she did enjoy spending time with others besides Harry or Ron. Lifting her head, Hermione replied in an unsure voice, “Of course not, I’m Hermione Granger…”. She had never felt comfortable enough to allow herself to act her age than she did when around her roommate or the Silver Trio. They brought out a playful side to the witch. With Harry and Ron, there was always something to worry about. In previous years, Hermione would have been stressed out of her mind, drowning in school work or research. With the new friends that had come into her life, Hermione had found a sense of balance.

“I promise everything will work out as it’s supposed to. Even if you three grow apart, you may come back together in the future like Sirius reappeared in mine,” Lupin smiled, trying to comfort the girl, who still appeared upset. He lifted his suitcase from the floor. Opening it, Remus handed over the Marauder’s map to Hermione. Unable to help himself and wanting to bring up the room’s mood, Lupin winked at Hermione as he teased her, “I trust you will use it for good. Malfoy likes to hang out in the Perfect’s bathroom, Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, the restriction section part of the library, and under the bleachers of the quidditch field. Think of the darkest part of the castle and there you will find your boyfriend,” knowing full well they weren’t together, but he saw so much potential there. It would warm his heart to see both of his favorite students get together.

Hermione, blushing hard from her ears, took the map and placed it in her bag, not correcting the professor at all. “Thank you, professor. I won’t misuse this trust you’ve given me,” she responded. Having enough excitement for one day, Hermione excused herself, telling the professor she had studying to do. As she walked out of the office, she had wandered the hallways with no destination or place to be at. Hermione would go wherever her legs would take her.

As she turned the corner, the witch slammed into someone. “Oh merlin! I’m so sorry. Let me help you,” Hermione apologized as she picked up all the papers and books she had dropped. Much to her surprise, when she glanced up, Hermione found herself staring face to face with the blond Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. In that same moment, Hermione and Draco were too distracted to notice the student, who had a meeting with Professor Lupin, pass them. Brushing her hair behind her ear, Hermione struggled to find words as she frantically peered around. She couldn’t help but eye at the new scars that marked Malfoy’s otherwise perfect skin. His face and hands had deep scratches. The deep bags under his eyes made the boy look exhausted. “He must have had a difficult full moon,” Hermione thought.

“Watch where you're going, Granger! You think you own these hallways?,” complained Draco as he went on, “Staring is considered rude, you know. For a know it all, you lack manners”. Self conscious, Draco stepped back into the dark, hiding his injured hands in his pocket. Without thinking, Hermione spat out the first lie that came to her as she handed Malfoy his belongings, “It was an accident! There’s no need to be nasty. And for your information, I wasn’t looking at you! I was just dropping off some books at the library”. Embarrassed to have been caught eyeing Malfoy, Hermione avoided his gray eyes.

“Yes, I see going to the library with no books in your hand. Some advice, have some confidence when you lie. You look much too guilty when you do,” Draco eyed her, snatching his books back. He couldn’t help but to be rude to her. Putting aside that he was too sore to put up with pleasantries, Malfoy didn’t know how to act around Hermione anymore. Their dynamic had shifted. He didn’t have it in him to bully the bushy-haired girl anymore or call her a mudblood. She didn’t deserve that. Even with the Death Eater rumors going around, Hermione was one of the few remaining people in the castle that hadn’t treated him differently since he had come back. Strangely, she still insisted on sitting at his table for Slughorn’s class despite him remaining silent when she did.

With her flirtatious pursuit of him, the girl unexpectedly had him flustered. She knew exactly when to pull and push when it came to him. Their intense chemistry was all he thought about these days. Malfoy really only had two responses with Hermione, stuttering buffoon or snarky rich boy. And, so it was no wonder that Draco defaulted to giving his newfound crush attitude with their clash in the hallway. He still hadn’t figured out how to be nice to Granger. Unable to look at her for longer than a second, Draco coughed as he scratched the back of his head. Shuffling awkwardly in place, his mind drifted to their night at the library, reliving that encounter as the pair continued to stare at each other in silence.

He grew mortified, remembering Granger’s underwear in that moment were still in his pockets as he clutched them. “Would she think he was a creep if she ever discovered he liked carrying them around,” Malfoy wondered to himself? When he was at his most anxious, the scent of her undergarments calmed him with the added benefit that it was great wanking material at night.

Taking huge steps forward, Hermione went up to Malfoy, faces inches away, causing him to have no choice but to acknowledge her. “Confidence? I’ll remember that for next time,” she whispered as she took the opportunity to study Draco. Up close, he appeared to be pale and worn out. His shoulders sloughed slightly and his movements were slowed as if there was discomfort every time he moved. She took in his shocked face as his full lips opened in surprise. The rosy cheeks that came with his flustered composure was a good look for him, Hermione thought. Yet, if she had to compare Draco from their night at the library together to this one in front of her, this version of Malfoy was a lot better. She knew better than to ask Malfoy, who was still in physical pain from the full moon, but asked anyway, “How are you doing? Are you feeling better?”.

Recovering from Hermione’s bluntness, Draco shouted in defense, “Why the fuck do you care? I’m not your personal project! If you want to mother someone, go find Potter and Weasley”.

Reacting to his comments, Hermione pushed further, wanting to get a glimpse of what was going on with him. “What is that supposed to mean, Malfoy!,” she shouted back, knowing she had Draco exactly where she wanted him but his next remarks still managed to take her back. Whether it was the throbbing of his bones or headaches, Malfoy, with no filter, blurted everything he had been thinking, leaking out his feelings for her.

“It’s a one sided friendship, those so-called friends of yours. That's what I mean! They're always using you for your academic achievements and brains, treating you like a third wheel. When was the last time they asked how you were doing? Why the hell are you roaming the halls alone? You're lonely! That’s why. While you follow them like a lost puppy for companionship, it’s pathetic to watch, really. Even when Ron and Harry fought in 4th year, Harry still preferred Ron over you, missing him when you were next to him the entire time,” Draco spat out as he took her chin and with an unwavering glance, continued. “For fucks sakes Granger, to those two idiots, you’re only convenient to have around so you can save them from their stupidity. If you were mine, I would never feel lonely. You’re more than just your intelligence. You're everything a man wants. If they can’t see that, they’re fools. So do yourself a favor and grow a pair of balls. Stop letting those Gryffindorks walk all over you”.

With their faces inches away, the two took each other in as Draco took a quick glance at her lips. Still recovering from his werewolf transformation, Draco’s resolve was weakened as he gulped from being this close to the witch. There was an intense feeling of wanting Hermione for himself as if he was going through a second puberty with this new werewolf body. Cursing at his hormonal body, the snake shoved Hermione away, remembering they shouldn’t be seen together. “Get out of my way before I’m tempted to steal you for myself from those two idiots. I don’t like sharing, Granger,” Draco said as he released a deep growl.

Turning around, the blond walked away from the witch but not before realizing what he had admitted. He had made a fool of himself but continued to walk like he intended to do that. Hermione, more confused than ever, froze still processing the message. Nothing came to her. For the first time in her life, she was speechless as a shy smile appeared on her face.

Chapter Text

“Do you swear to it, Hermione? Tell me the truth!” Harry stressed, demanding answers. Hermione sighed as Harry had not let up on his persistence that she had something to do with the map being taken from him. On a subconscious level, it was as if Harry knew someone had tipped off Professor Remus. It had been weeks since her conversation with Remus. So far, she hadn’t been able to be truthful to her two best friends. Hermione knew Remus had a point in that if Harry was angered by her actions, he would come to an understanding eventually that she meant no harm, but that was easier said than done. The possibility of their friendship ending bothered her so much that she was frozen with inaction. The bright witch just wanted to pretend everything was alright between the trio for a little while longer.

Delaying the fight, Hermione knew she had to proceed carefully. Once Harry and Ron knew how close she really was to Malfoy, Hermione was certain the two would cut her off. Draco and her relationship hadn’t had much development since their interaction in the hallway and Draco’s accidental confession. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t the right time with the inevitable war coming and issues in both their personal lives. They were in limbo at the moment as the blond wasn’t alright ignoring her but still fully expected her to sit next to him during Slughorn’s class. And so, Hermione was content with where they were at and liked the slow pace of it. They didn’t need to define it now but just enjoy each other’s company. That was all she really wanted for someone to genuinely want to be with her in whatever form they could be right now.

Remembering Draco’s advice, Hermione, the bad liar, with a false confidence intimated Draco’s brazen attitude, hoping to finally get Harry off her trail. As she crossed her arms, cocked her head to the side, Hermione sighed openly as she spat back with sass, “Please Harry, I got better things to do than mother you. I’ve been spending all my time with Professor Snape getting extra credit on potions. Brewing Wolfsbane, requires meticulous attention to detail that requires my full attention. When did I have time to snitch on you? You’re forgetting you were roaming the halls and leaving the dorms for long periods everyday, someone else at school must have caught on. Besides, you're also forgetting Remus is our professor and he IS the creator of the map. Of course, he would remember. It was only a matter of time, he took it back,”. She smiled, knowing if Draco was here with her, he would be proud of her. Turning back to her plate, Hermione grabbed a spoonful of potatoes, displaying an unbothered expression to the boys.

Harry leaned forward to get a better look at Hermione, squinting his eyes as he observed her. Seeing Harry’s instincts not let go, Hermione was fully annoyed. The golden trio hadn’t been able to have a peaceful meal or have conversation without Harry going off the deep end with his theories on Malfoy, the map, and Horcruxes. Why couldn’t he just move on, Hermione grumbled to herself? Having enough of it, Hermione with a clear annoyance in her voice spilled the truth sarcastically, mocking at how crazy the topic sounded, “Fine, I’ll tell you what you want to hear, Harry. I, Hermione Granger, told Remus to take the map because I have nothing better to do than to snitch my friends. I clearly don’t have enough on my plate as it is with all my studying sessions, tutoring other classmates, and extra credits assignments. There, better now? Do you know how insane you sound?”.

Turning to stare at Harry, Hermione gaslit him, but she reasoned it was for his own good as she went on, “Please Harry, this Malfoy conspiracy is becoming an unhealthy obsession. I’m starting to get worried. Is everything alright? You know you can always come to Ron and I, if you need someone to talk to”. Unprepared for Hermione’s line of questioning for his well-being, the boy quickly waved it off with a sudden wave of guilt that descended upon him. Buying Hermoine’s lies, Harry decided to let it go for now. He quickly apologized that he had come to the wrong conclusion. “It was just bad timing that the Marauder's map was taken,” thought Harry.

Wanting to get the spotlight off of him, Harry mumbled, “You're right… Hermione, I’m sorry for accusing you. Let’s focus on the game” before turning to Ron and asked, “How are you feeling?”. For once in Ron’s life, he wasn’t eating a plate full of food but instead looked sick to his stomach. His plate laid on the table, untouched, as Ron shook his head, signaling he did not want to discuss any upcoming games. The duo looked back to each other worried. Deciding to cheer up the mood, Hermione switched the conversation, “Slughorn is having a Christmas party before everyone goes back home in a few weeks”.

Ron, too distracted to think about what he was saying, commented somberly, “A stupid party if I must add. It’s where people go to suck on each other’s overgrown egos,” as he pushed his food around his plate before continuing, “Who are you going with? Cormac McGlaggen, since that seems to be your type, empty-headed and meat heads like Victor Krum?”.

Not meaning to harm Hermione with that comment, Ron wrongly redirected his stress on the game onto her. Hermione scoffed at the idea that he really thought that was her ideal type. How would he know? The golden trio rarely discussed anything pertaining to dating, thought Hermione. Ron, a boy who was emotionally stunted, had no concept of what a girl's feelings were if it was spelled out to him. Ready to give Ron a piece of her mind, Hermione sat up straighter when Lavender Brown came over. The girl pecked Ron on the cheek, wishing him luck. The display of affection gave the witch an idea. Draco’s words were loud in her mind, “Grow a pair of balls. Stop letting those Gryffindorks walk all over you”.

Flipping her hair to the side, Hermone smiled mischievously, “Actually Ron, I’m not going with Cormac. Since I’ve become good friends with Lavender and with her encouragement, I decided to ask Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, to come with me to Slughorn’s Christmas party”. Harry stared at her, fully knowing what she was doing but also felt helpless at what Ron had walked himself into. Squealing in excitement, Lavender ran to hug Hermione, grabbing both hands into hers before shouting, “You have my undying loyalty and support. I believe in you! Make the girls of Gryffindor proud and bag yourself a snake”. Hermione smiled widely, seeing both boys go pale and momentarily forgot how to breathe at how serious she was. Satisfied with her little stab at the boys Hermione chuckled at the scene before her.

Out of thin air, Luna popped in beside the trio as she sat next to them with her lion head costume. “You look dreadful Ron. Is that why you put something in his cup, Harry?,” she asked. Stunned at the real possibility of what Harry did, a gasp was heard from Hermione. Harry pouring in the liquid luck potion sounded like something the boy would do. She snapped trying to protect the integrity of the game, “Don’t drink it, Ron! That’s cheating! It’s against school rules!”. Ron, who was angered by Hermione's declaration that she would ask Draco out, snatched the cup from the table and with a taunting smirk, chugged it down in front of her. He didn’t believe Hermione one bit. “She was trying to get a reaction from him”, Ron thought to himself. Now full of confidence too, Ron egged her on, “I don’t believe you. Go ask the snake out in front of us. Draco would never say yes to you. He’s a pureblood”.

Realizing what Ron was doing immediately, Hermione stood up and narrowed her eyes at him. Did Ron honestly not believe a boy like Draco would have any interest in her? She was more than just books and her smarts, she thought. Little did he know, Draco and her were equally infatuated with each other. Forgetting about the liquid luck potion, Hermione accepted his challenge. “Fine, I will,” announced Hermione as she began to walk away to the shock of her two best friends. “Yes! Ask him out! The Royal couple is finally happening!,” Lavender cheered, full of glee. Hermione’s new friend did not know the two were having a mental battle, but she wholeheartedly wanted Draco and Hermione to happen. As the biggest supporter of the two students, Lavender grinned with both hands clapping in excitement. She was determined to set them up as Hogwart’s unofficial match marker. Just like that, Hermione had made up her mind. Brushing down any fly away hairs in the top of her head, Hermione lowered her vest emphasizing her chest more but not too visible. She still hated unnecessary attention to her. Quickly eyeing where Malfoy was located, Hermione strutted over to the Slytherin table. It was her lucky day as the blond was actually at the great hall today.

As she arrived at the Slytherin table, Hermione sat right next to Draco, wrapping her arms around his left arm. Shocked at the sudden appearance of Hermione, Malfoy froze in confusion as his Slytherin peers gave a side glance at the outsider. The golden girl, paying no attention, leaned closer, letting Draco feel her chest as she put her chin on his shoulder. Coughing to gather his composure, Draco glanced down, hoping his blush was not apparent to his house. Hermione was so close, the blond could feel her breath in his ears.

Stunned at this situation, the normally calm and reserved Theo and Blaise choked on their food, trying to process what was happening. “When did their best friend begin to go out with Hermione?”, they both thought. A million questions raced through the two snakes' heads. Draco, on the other hand, was oddly aroused yet anxious with the witch’s nonchalant attitude at being seen with him. He couldn’t get mad at Hermione and tell her to get off. Although he would never admit it, he loved seeing this confident side of her. Hermione was relentless with what she wanted and Draco wanted nothing more to oblige. He was attracted to how she took control of him and gave him no choice. She was the only girl in the whole school Malfoy would allow to drag him from the collar. Distracted, he looked down at her perky breasts, forgetting Hermione could see him stare.

“You're coming with me to Slughorn’s Christmas Party. This is not a request, but an order,” Hermione demanded with a sweet, endearing smile. She grabbed the spoon he was eating from still in his hand. Scooping up a piece of mashed potatoes, Hermione ate with that same utensil slowly. “Mmmm delicious. I think the food at the Slytherin table is a bit tastier. I should come here more often,” she seductively whispered into his ears. As Malfoy struggled to find his words, Hermione peered down in dissatisfaction at his plate before deciding to serve him a bigger portion of his meal.

Draco was melting with the overflow of pleasure inside of him. High on her essence, the blond couldn’t get enough of Hermione. His inner wolf wanted to howl in excitement. “I… I want to but I caan’t,” Draco stuttered back, remembering where they were at. In a playful mood, Theo spoke up, “He’ll love to go with you to the party! We’ll make sure to get him suited up in his best clothes and ready for his date with you. Isn’t that right, Blaise?”.

“…….”, Blaise nodded with a smile in his eyes.

“Great, I’ll owl you the color of my dress. I want us to coordinate our outfits,” Hermione replied with her face all lit up with glee. Unconcerned with the stares, she kissed him on the cheek before walking away to her original table. Theo and Blaise waited for her to leave to explode on Draco. “Merlin’s blue balls, Draco! Wipe that drool off your chin and tell us everything! Is this what I think this is? When did you two start going out! And why didn’t you tell your best mates!” shouted Theo quietly. Blaise hurriedly nodded up, asking the same thing. “I don’t know what we are, but I can’t go. Remember, I have to fix that damn cabinet!” Draco yelled, whispering to his friends.

Completely ignoring the blond, Theo asked in a hushed tone while Blaise and him leaned closer, “Have you become a man? Tell us. Is it everything that they said it is and more? What does fucking feel like? Be a good mate and tell your virgin friends all the details”. “Get your heads out of the gutter! That’s too invasive. I would never tell you creeps, if anything had happened between Hermione and I,” Draco spat back, with a growing blush on his face. Blaise, who had been quiet, replied “Liar, the both of you are too comfortable with each other. You're on a first name basis with Granger”. Groaning, the blonde wanted to throw his plate across the table to shut his friends, but responded, “I’m not lying! We haven’t even kissed yet. And, I can’t go to Slughorn’s party. I have no time”.

“Fine, we’ll go with your lie for now, but you're going! As your best mates, it’s our duty to make sure you get the girl you often wank too. The girl of your dreams since 1st year. And about the cabinet, that's easy, we’ll come to fix it too,” lectured Theo as he stood up and slammed his fist on the table. Worried at the attention they were gathering, the blond dragged him back down on the bench. “I don’t wank to… Granger! And don’t say that word out loud! People are watching us!” Draco tried to hush the two fools down. “Yes, you do. Don’t switch to her last name now that I pointed it out,” Blaise told him with a snicker. “Fine, I do! Happy? I wank to her but hush it down! Have some decency to not use those types of words publicly.” Draco whispered shyly as he lowered his head in an attempt to hide. “Ahhh! The bashful Draco has come out. It’s not often we get to see him. I guess Granger has you whipped bad,” grinned Theo as Blaise in a teasing manner waved to Hermione from across the Great Hall.

~

No liquid luck was needed when the Slytherin lost the game and the Gryffindors won. With a bit of confidence to match his skills, Ron, a talented player, blocked all the goals during the game. With the three houses except the snakes, the entire student body attended the after party located at the Gryffindor's common room. Dean and Seamus had managed to sneak in alcohol for the celebration. Sparkles and confetti filled the air as students had their wand up for the occasion. With so many people inside the common room, it looked like a red sea. The charged crowd lifted Ron up, chanting “Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!”.

As Ron was placed back on the floor, with alcohol running through his system, the red hair eyed Lavender, who was next to him. Still thinking he drank the Liquid Luck potion and the fear of rejection pushed away, Ron grabbed Lavender’s face before kissing her on the lips as the cheers of the crowd became louder. Hermione watched all this unfold, smiling at the scene. For the first time, she allowed herself to let loose a bit and be happy as the golden girl sipped on some butterbeer. Feeling the buzz from the alcohol, she walked over to Harry, not seeing how grumpy he was. Hermione had barely noticed he had been alone the whole night.

As she stood next to him with a huge grin at the common room entrance, Hermione teased, “You never poured the Liquid Luck potion. Did you? I can’t believe I fell for your trick,” as she playful bumped into Harry’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you're going out on a date with a death eater. I don’t even recognize you anymore, traitor,” replied Harry with a smile, pretending to joke, but the tone of his voice oozed judgment, never once looking at her in the eyes. With her good mood ruined, sadness drowned Hermione as she could no longer deny that she was outgrowing her friendship with Harry. Normally, Hermione would explain herself, but she didn’t this time. The witch didn’t want to. “Why should I?”, Hermione thought. She’s done nothing wrong. Instead, she refused to apologize to anyone from this day forward. It was time the golden girl stood up for herself.

Gathering that famous Gryffindor confidence, unsure if it was the alcohol speaking or all the time spent with the Silver Trio, Hermione stepped in front of Harry, snatching his chin up to force him to look at her. “It’s not up to you to decide who I hang out with outside of our friendship. If you pulled your head out of your ass, you would see Malfoy isn’t a death eater. Honestly Harry, after so many years of saving you and Ron, you would think to trust me more,” she replied with emotion in her voice. Not waiting for his response, Hermione stormed out of the house party with anger in her eyes. She was so filled with fury she did not know where she was going. All the witch knew was she wanted to be as far from Harry as possible. Finding the darkest part of the castle, a stairwell, Hermione sat down, letting the moon coming from the tiny window be her light. With a couple of pebbles laying on the bottom of the stairs, she pointed her wand at them, transforming them to make two yellow birds. As tears streamed down her face, the winged birds flew around her.

~

It was another failure at the Room of Hidden Things for Draco. He hadn’t shown up to the Slytherin game to support his house. He wasn’t in the mood to be ignored by all his housemates again but Theo and Blaise filled him in. They had lost the game. These days he was too occupied, trying to fix the cabinet. It was going to take longer than expected. Not only that, but the blond had to make an attempt to kill the headmaster soon if he wanted to steer Voldemort away from his mother. Malfoy needed a quick plan to buy him more time, to show the Dark Lord an attempt was made.

Now walking around the castle with no destination, the boy was lost in thought, planning for a way to kill the headmaster. As he walked down the hallway, his nose and ears picked up a sound. It was the sound of chirping. Strange, birds weren’t usually this deep in the castle. Sniffing the air with his nose up, Draco zeroed in on the scent of caramel candy and pumpkin juice. The hairs on the back of his neck stood, knowing exactly who it was. He followed the smell to a dark stairwell and saw Hermione Granger in tears. She sat at the bottom of the stairwell. He sensed turmoil inside the Gryffindor. As tears streamed down her eyes, his inner wolf sensed they weren't tears of sadness but of anger. But it didn’t matter what type of tears they were, the blond did not like seeing his girl cry. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit, seeing Hermione upset.

Draco slowly walked down to meet her and sat beside her. With no words exchanged between them, Hermione knew it was Draco. With no hesitation, she hung on to him, searching for comfort in his arms. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Draco smelled the alcohol on her as he commented, “Those birds are impressive. They're next year's transfiguration lesson. I should know because I learned it too,” rising a weak smile out of the girl. In silence, the two stayed like that for a while until she calmed down. Malfoy knew that Hermione just wanted to be in his presence, so he gave it to her. It was then the two noticed how close they really were. Their faces were inches apart. Draco felt the heat of her body as if she was the sun. She warmed his cold, lifeless soul. Still hugging his arm and chin on his shoulders, she whispered “Draco” as the blond glanced down at her full lips for a second before looking back up. Despite all reasoning stating this was a horrible idea, the temptation had a strong hold on him. The blond wanted nothing more than to kiss her the moment Hermione called his first name for the first time.

The sound of his name, Draco, on her lips did something to him, changing the atmosphere around them. His inner wolf begged the blond to close the space between them. As he sensed she was buzzed, not drunk, Draco cupped her cheek while his heart rammed against his ribs. She wanted this just as much as he did, Draco noted as Hermione tilted her head against his palm. Wherever this was going, they both wanted it. “Hermione,” he whispered back. He liked the way her name sounded on his tongue. Caressing her lips with his thumbs, he noted how soft they were. He came closer, sniffing the other side of her neck, hair, and nose. He heard a soft whimper coming from Hermione, which excited the werewolf. Wanting to know what other sensual sounds the golden girl made, Malfoy laid his other hand on the curve of her waist. “Hermione, I’ve never kissed a girl before. Tell me to stop now, if you don’t want this. I don’t think I can hold myself back anymore. I want you,” he told her as Draco wiped the remaining tears.

Hermione looked at the blond longingly as she grabbed his neck before finally closing the gap between them. Unsure of what he was doing, Draco trusted Hermione to lead them. He gasped when she bit his lower lip. Suddenly hot, he deepened the kiss, taking more of her into his arms. His body was pressed against her as her back laid against the stone wall. With every kiss, he felt the heat of her soft, wet lips. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, Hermione slid right in, rising a whimper out of the blonde. She played with his lips, biting them before going back for seconds. Draco moaned loudly, demanding more of her tongue. Growling coming from the back of his throat, Draco desperately wanted to go further, but he didn't. Instead, the blond grabbed the window still for support, while his right arm held her lower back.

Exposing her neck, Draco dove in, kissing her neck. It’s soft and light kisses at first, but as his nerves went away. His need for more became heavy. Sucking on the skin of her neck leaving bite marks behind, Malfoy grabbed her chin and made Hermione look at him again. He slowly slid down her shirt, giving her a chance to say no, but she didn't. Responding immediately, she helped him by guiding his mouth just above her breasts. These were the breasts he’s been thinking of since that night in the library, Malfoy thought. He wanted to sleep between them again, but with no clothes separating them. They were soft. Feeling her bra, Draco wished he could see what her nipples looked like. He wanted to suck on them, but he was hesitant from his lack of inexperience. So he settled for just above the skin of her breast that were now all covered in love bites.

He could still squeeze them, Malfoy thought as he brushed his head against her left breast while his right hand fondled the other breast. Lifting his face up, Hermione pushes him down, straddling Draco’s lap. With an exchange of deep kisses, Malfoy’s back laid against the stairs, heavily breathing into her lips. “Shit,” Draco thought to himself as he felt himself hardened. Hearing Draco’s moans, Hermione pushed down against his groin, slowly rubbing against it with hers. Breathless, the blond clenched the stairs before pushing her away as he whispered, “You're really testing my self-control here, Hermione. I really want you but not like this”. Brushing her locks behind her ears, Draco pecked her forehead. Hermione’s face flushed red at the sweet exchange as the Slytherin Prince picked up her hand to place a kiss on it. She had never seen this sweet side of him before, Hermione thought to herself. Staring into his gray eyes, Hermione took in the scene of Draco’s swollen lips as he replied, “Let me walk you to the dorms,”. Nodding, Hermione shyly answered, “Okay” as Draco leaned in for one more kiss. A little peck, before the night ended.

Chapter Text

Out at the witching hour, Draco and Remus walked into the Boathouse with Crookshanks and a black cat, trailing close behind. Draco had grown accustomed to Hermione’s cat following him these days so being stalked by cats was the norm for the boy. The building had brought a flood of memories back to Draco. Memories of a simpler time. He still remembered it as if it was yesterday. The first year at Hogwarts, the small boats carried him through the murky lake. The blond prince eyed the waters in search of the giant squid he heard so much about from his mother.

At the end of their journey, the boats carried them through a hidden opening in the cliff. When they emerged from the exit, the castle came into view for the first time. Lanterns hung on a pole. Connected to the boat, the lanterns lit their way to the Boathouse harbor. For a young Malfoy, the castle was magnificent with so many stained glass windows. The castle stood at the edge of a lake. The reflection of the sky in the water made it appear as if it was a castle in the air. “This would be my home for the next 7 years,” he thought to himself. He remembered his boat being full of pureblood students, who jumped at the chance to befriend him, but the only two who really mattered were Theo and Blaise.

In his mind, the silver trio would undoubtedly conquer Hogwarts until they didn’t. Reality was something else. Theo and Blaise were there when Potter had rejected his friendship over a Weasley. That should have been a foreshadowing that everything that would go wrong in his life or at school always seemed to be traced back to the Potter boy. From then on, it was all about the Golden Trio. No matter how much the odds were stacked against them, they would take the house cup unfairly or get away unpunished when they should have been expelled. That same year, he met Granger, who would win the top spot over him in every class, assignment, exams, or finals. He hated all of them, especially Granger. Until one day, the bright witch took over his mind and she was all he thought of. He didn’t know when it exactly happened, but after she had punched him in 3rd year, his eyes drifted to her at every opportunity. No one had had the guts to fight back before until Hermione. It was then Malfoy decided to provoke her whenever possible. His curiosity to see how she would respond each time was too strong.

By the end of 3rd year, he realized these feelings he harbored were more than of a rival but one of unrequited love. He was head over heels over the Granger girl, but nothing could ever come of it. If even he lost all reasoning and pursued her, Draco was certain Hermione would never give him a chance. The two were from two very different sectors of society. The blond could never give up his power and status for her as it meant he would have to leave behind his mother. By law, she couldn’t leave his father so he had to stay. Protect her. Family was everything to Draco, even above Pureblood society.

Contrary to Voldemort’s propaganda, Muggleborns in the distant past could assimilate into the inner Pureblood circle. A few of his distant ancestors were muggle royalty. In the cases of marriage between Purebloods and Muggleborns, they either were extraordinary individuals, who would better the family line, or it came at a cost. It was necessary for the Muggleborn to renounce their muggle heritage and erase any association to their past life. They needed to fall into line for the Pureblood ideology. A starking difference to what type of person the bright witch was. Hermione was a proud and open Muggleborn. He knew his crush on the girl would never come to fruition nor would she reciprocate.

Draco knew these feelings he had for her were nothing more than a distant dream. Neither one would want to give up their life for the other. Just being seen with her could bring danger to Granger in today’s political climate, but most of all, there was too much bad history between them to overcome. And so he mocked her, hoping his crush would go away. “They couldn’t happen,” the past Draco urged to himself. He needed his inheritance to be the next Lord of the Malfoy family.

His entire life was already decided. All the blond had to do was to follow the path that every one of his ancestors had walked on: take on their father’s work, have an arranged marriage with a proper Pureblood girl, and have an heir. Preferably, a boy as Malfoy men didn’t marry or have children for love, but to further the bloodline and maintain power. That was why Malfoy hated the Golden Trio because they had the freedom he could never have. They had a childhood when Draco needed to be a man the moment he was old enough to talk.

“Strange, how time works,” Draco thought to himself. In his 6th year, he was back at the boathouse. Yet everything was different for the former Slytherin prince. No future, no wealth, and no title but his mind wandered to a thought he never allowed himself to have before. Could he follow his heart and pursue Hermione? Did he have the means to make her happy with nothing? Was he allowed to have someone to treasure with his condition? Malfoy was nothing more than a monster now so who would want him? No one. Life for a werewolf was different. One where many loved ones did not have the patience to deal with them. Hermione deserved to be happy with a normal wizard. She deserved to live a life free of struggle like he was now destined to have now. To be with a man that gave her the world and did not hold her back. It seemed the tables had turned around for the two.

“Lupin?,” Draco called out to the man next to him. The professor turned to look at his student he had grown fond of, but Draco was still watching the lake. The boy was avoiding his glance. Only the crashing of the waves against the shoreline in the distance was heard while Draco walked to the end of the Boathouse to stargaze.

Following his lead, Remus joined him. The night was full. A sea of stars lit the night. Somewhere in the sky was the star of someone he once loved but their love never came to be. It was this star that made so many nights haunting as the painful past always seemed to echo louder latey. With the two growing comfortable in each other’s presence, Remus was always with Draco during his midnight walks.

Being very careful with his words, Draco turned to look at Remus. He did not want his professor to know about the new development he had with Hermione, after all he was still a young Pureblood from a conservative background. Such topics of the opposite sex were strictly forbidden. With his ears red, he questioned, “Lupin, do you think werewolves like us can …pursue MORE in life?”.

Remus, still looking up at the sky, asked as he looked for clarification, “More? You mean like a career? It's not impossible but it will take a while to get to your destination while your peers will have it easy”.

Suddenly nervous, Draco shook his head, “No, that’s not what I meant”. Only then did Remus lower his eyes to meet Draco’s. Remus tilted his head as he watched Draco refuse to look him in the eye. The boy’s cheek flushed a soft rosy hue as his skin betrayed his embarrassment. Warmth was quickly spreading across Draco’s face as well as his heart beat increasing. He pressed his lips togethers looking for anything to stare at as he felt the professor's eyes on him.

Immediately smirking, Remus knew what exactly this was about since Hermione and Draco had been spending a lot of time outside of class. Yet, his delight to know his favorite students were getting closer, quickly faded away. It pained him to hear Draco ask this question for there was an underlying tone that the boy didn’t believe he should have someone to cherish. The boy reminded Lupin a lot of himself in his younger days. Hearing this question he once asked himself, Lupin knew where the blond was coming from. He once thought he didn’t deserve to be loved but in some ways Remus still thought that. Those thoughts had never truly left him. Every one of his chances at happiness was taken away from him each time. Remus was left alone again and again, until now. The only time Remus, with his lycanthropy, believed he deserved the same as any other wizard was when Sirius Black was still alive.

Lost in thought, the older werewolf spoke up, “You have his gray eyes”. Draco snapped his head as his curiosity rose on who Lupin was referring too. “He was there for me when no one was," Lupin continued. Draco looked up to the sky as Lupin refused to look away. He wondered what Lupin was staring at that made him come out with him tonight. “He?” Draco began to question. It was then Draco realized the professor was not interested in the opposite sex, but there was more to this story. And so, Draco lowered his gaze back on Lupin, seeking answers to his worries. He was certain Lupin was the only person he could turn to for his complicated crush on Hermione and the issues that came with it. No one else would understand except him.

The older werewolf glanced at Draco to see if there was any disgust in the boy from the confession, but instead Lupin found desperation in Draco’s eyes. He nodded, complying to the boy’s silent urgency to continue the story. Remus went on, “He was cocky and mildly annoying. At first, I hated that boy and his high self esteem, but he had the bravest heart among us all when I was too scared to live. He had this humor to die for that could make the whole room laugh with his dark, cruel humor. I swear he lit up every room he was in and was very loyal to his friends. My person had the ability to see the beauty in someone when they couldn’t see it themselves… You actually remind me of him a bit”.

It was there when Draco figured out who this person was with grey eyes. There were not a lot of wizarding families in Hogwarts with such eyes like his. It was a trait only shared among one Pureblood family inside the sacred 28. Draco looked back up, finding the star Remus had been looking at the entire time.

Remus nodded as he saw Draco had figured it out. Just like Hermione, it did not take the boy long to connect the dots. He chuckled out loud, “Yes, you have a lot of the same Black traits”.

“Did he love you back? Even with your condition, did he accept all of you? Did you end up together?,” Draco asked, firing question after question at the professor. Remus knew the blond was looking for the answers to his own love life.

There was a long pause as the professor did not want to disappoint Malfoy with the ending of his story but the silence answered Draco’s question. Draco was no fool as he turned back to the lake with sadness in his eyes. “It wasn’t that simple for us. We were in the middle of the first Wizarding War. I kept telling myself I had time to confess my feelings, but that never happened. WE didn’t happen. Which is why Malfoy, this is my advice for you. If you have a person that you cherish, don’t waste any time. Take every moment you can with them. Time is so precious and fickle. Don’t miss the chance to be with her for time might take it away from you”.

Sighing out loud, Draco skipped a rock across the surface of the lake as he responded, “Not looking so good for me though. The second wizarding war is fast approaching. With my luck, I’ll die before it ends. Should I ask for her hand in marriage to better the odds?,” the young werewolf playfully teased in a sad tone.

“Don’t joke like that”. Remus, reminded of Sirius’ dark humor, gave a serious look before the two werewolves chuckled.

A pause lingered before Draco grabbed the courage to ask questions too invasion for any other professors except Lupin was not just that anymore. The older werewolf was slowly turning into his mentor. They both felt the shift in their bond after the full moon. They were more than just companions but a pack. “I don’t know anything about you, the young Remus Lupin. Tell me more about your school days. I have a feeling you were the one everyone picked on,” Draco joked as he let the corner of his lips smirk. Now a bonded pack, the young werewolf wondered what Hogwarts was like during his professor’s time as a student. His own father did not divulge on what his school life was like. They didn’t have that type of close relationship. His mother said very little, only speaking of her first impression and first year at Hogwarts but that was the most he could get out of her. From the sad expression that Draco’s mother tried to hide the few times he did ask, the young boy sooned learned never to raise that question to her.

“No, my friends and I were more like you now that I look back. A bit mean spirited to people we didn’t like,” Remus laughed to himself as he remembered the Marauders. “But my school days were some of the best memories I have. I hold those memories so dear now that they’re all gone. My friends called themselves the Marauders. They were so brilliant and talented. They even figured out how to become animagus to spend time with me on the full moon. We were infamous among the student body. We had a knack for rule breaking and mischief-making. No one was safe from our pranks”. Remus paused as he debated relieving this piece of information but determined that Draco needed some cheering up. “I remember this one occasion. We turned all the professors’ hairs green for a week. Green for the Slytherin house. We framed Professor Snape and his friends. Much to our amusement, they all had lost privileges to go to Hogsmeade that year. He never forgave us for that one,” Remus roared in laughter, thinking of all the trouble he gave to Snape. It felt nice to talk about his deceased loved ones. There weren’t many people alive today that knew them anymore. The ones that did, Remus was not close to.

Draco smiled seeing the way Remus was lost in thought. Lupin, who always carried an aura of depression around, lit up. “Wait, is that why Professor Snape hates you! Don’t think I haven’t noticed the stares. I saw them in 4th year and I see them again this year. Should have bullied him more if you ask me. His ass is so tight you can find diamonds up there”. It made so much more sense to Draco. Snape was such an uptight and down right horrible wizard but Draco was startled by Remus' jaws that were flung open. Should he have been more careful with his words around the man? Lupin was still a professor but Draco’s worries disappeared quickly as Lupin spat out a laugh, “Isn’t that man your godfather? He might be your head of house but he won’t hesitate to give out detentions. If Snape could give me one now, he would have. Don’t confuse his godfather title as ‘get out of trouble’ privileges”.

“He’s the last person I would want to be associated with. I don’t want him anywhere near me”.

Remus this time snapped his head as he felt the tone of hatred inside Draco’s voice. There was something there the older werewolf realized. “If you must know, I actually don’t have a godfather. My godfather was supposed to be my uncle Regulus Black, but he died right before I was born. My mother didn’t give anyone that title. She believed it was his and only his title. She tells me all the time how similar I am to him. She even tells me how much I look like him,” said Draco as he glanced up at the night sky. Searching for his uncle’s star this time, Draco often wondered what he was like. Would they have gotten along? With both sides of his family either dead or jailed, Malfoy’s upbringing was often lonely. It was just his mother and him.

The blond’s comment made Remus quiet. Indeed, Malfoy was a lot like both Black brothers. In fact, now that Lupin really thought about it, the boy shared the best qualities of both Regulus and Sirius. Malfoy was quiet, ambitious and calculating like his Uncle Regulus Black, but at the same time the young boy was confident, humorous, and loyal like Sirius. “And what was that, Draco had mentioned?,” Remus wondered. The words ‘Snape is the last person he wanted to see’ echoed through Remus’ mind as he made a mental note of that. Remus’ thoughts wandered off once again thinking about the tragedy of the Black Brothers and he did not realize Draco asked him a question again.

Draco, seeing he didn’t hear, asked again, “Who were your friends? If they were great wizards during your school days, where are they now?”. The young werewolf didn’t actually want to know who his other friends were, but Draco wanted to hear his other uncle's name out of Remus’ mouth. A confirmation without directly asking for it.

Remus pondered how to word the next sentence, but ultimately decided to tell him the rest of the story. “My friends were Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. James and Lily died as everyone knows how. Peter betrayed us and gave the Potter’s hideout to you know who. And Sirius went to Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit for 12 years and died a year later after he escaped. I’m the only one left of all my friends alive”.

Draco peered at Lupin before giving the professor a rock to skip. It was an understanding between the two werewolves. Draco had suspected before from the small comments Remus made but it was now confirmed. In another life, would Remus have been his uncle? Would Remus and Sirius have made it or would they have been just another school relationship that never made it far? The earlier advice he had been given hit harder for Draco more now that he knew Lupin’s past. Not letting the young wolf speak, Lupin added, “Draco, people like us deserve to be happy too. You never know how much more beautiful the world can become with your person in it,” but the professor was unsure who he was saying it to. To his student or himself?

Chapter Text

Bringing Mippy with him to Hogsmeade, Draco viewed Three BroomSticks from across the street. In the dark shadows, Mippy and Malfoy hid in the alley, away from prying eyes. Although Draco was no longer Mippy’s master, the tiny elf still wanted to work with the boy. She had sensed Draco was different after the ordeal and admired this new version. Mippy had grown to be very fond of the boy, deciding to help whenever she could. When Malfoy had reached out for help, the elf answered the call.

Draco asked for help for a particular task. With the fear of Voldemort on the horizon, he had remembered a cursed Opal Necklace his father had bought in secret right before he went away to Azkaban. The blonde had ordered the elf to bring the necklace to him from the manor. Seeing he was stuck in Hogwarts and the idea of going back home made him tremble in fear, elf magic was the only way to bring the necklace through the barriers between the two places. The opal necklace had been protected in his father’s locked office out of reach from anyone. Even as a small boy, Draco nor his mother were allowed a peak into Lucius’ study. As Mippy gave Draco a luxurious red cedar wooden box with the Malfoy family crest on the outside, he took a quick glance, ensuring the necklace was still there.

“Mippy, did you bring me an old rotten box? I’ll need to change the container and you must burn the other,” Draco asked as he switched the necklace around before continuing, “And are you absolutely certain this necklace can’t be traced to our family? How did father buy it?”. Happy to oblige, the elf with perky ears responded, “Master Lucius Malfoy did not buy it with galleons. It cannot be traced with bookkeeping or records. Master made a trade to avoid paying with money. He traded it for a self made portkey”.

“Genius,” Draco thought to himself.

Portkeys were very difficult to make and even harder legally obtained under the government. If a witch or wizard didn’t already have a connection with a government official, it was impossible to get one. It was the major reason why the Floo Network was still the main form of travel for the wizarding community. The Floo Network was easier to control, watch people, and override travels. His father was master of creating Portkeys for personal use for many of his side businesses. Trading one as monetary value was a sure way to buy someone’s loyalty and silence. The opal necklace had no way of being traced to the Malfoy family in the eyes of the law.

Draco looked at the necklace one more time, careful not to touch it. Despite the cold outside, the boy was sweating as snow fell around him. With the anxiety of what he was about to do, a churning sensation settled in his stomach. The necklace, if he remembered correctly, changed ownership approximately 19 times. Every single individual died as a direct cause of the cursed necklace. Throughout the years of death, it eventually found its way to Borgin and Burkes where it would be there until his father traded it for it. Mippy tugged at Draco's trousers, causing the blonde to peer down. The elf was filled with worry, watching Malfoy hesitant.

Bending down to the elf’s eye level, Draco spoke, “I have to do this, Mippy. My mother is alone in the manor with the Dark Lord and my aunt Bellatrix. I need to buy her more time. I NEED more time…” before pausing in thought. “In fact, owl me the family book on portkeys. I have an idea,” he continued as the elf stayed quiet, not leaving his side. Grasping the blond’s hands in her own, the small elf interrupted, “Let Mippy help!” before Draco shook his head no. “You have to leave me. I’m not the Malfoy heir anymore. You are under no obligation to help me, but I am grateful you came as a friend. I couldn’t have done this without you,” Draco reassured the teary eyed elf. Listening to the Slytherin, Mippy spoke one more time before leaving, “Mippy is happy to see Draco looking a lot better”.

Hearing the elf disapparated out of Hogsmeade, Draco trudged through the snow back to the Three Broomsticks. As he spotted his friends, Malfoy rejoined Theo and Blaise, who had been waiting for him to return. They had ordered 4 rounds of butterbeer to buy an alibi for Draco, spending much of Saturday morning there before the blond met up with Mippy. Theo and Blaise waited as Draco watched people come and go, waiting for a victim. It was difficult for Malfoy to choose the unfortunate soul, who would do his bidding. The thought of harming someone he knew that wasn’t Dumbledore froze him in place. Theo nudged the two boys and pointed to Madam Rosmerta as a suggestion. Glancing at the clock, Draco realized he was running out of time. Madam Rosmerta would have to do.

Blaise passed Malfoy a voice changing gumball that the three boys had invented. With a single nod, Draco excused himself to the restroom located downstairs. From a distance, he walked behind Madam Rosmerta, who had gotten up to get more supplies in the back room. Instead of entering the restroom and out of view from the other patrons, Draco quickly slithered into the supply closet with Madam Rosmerta. With no hesitation and lighting speed, he flicked his wand as he performed the imperius curse for the first time. His heart raced as he spoke in a deeper unrecognizable voice, giving clear instructions, “Don’t turn around and listen clearly. You will place an imperius curse on the student with the red coat. Her name is Katie bell. Give her this box and have her give it to Dumbledore, saying it’s from you. I will put the box on the floor. Don’t turn around until you finish counting backwards from 100”.

Leaving the Madam, Draco reversed his voice back to normal. His heart pounded against his chest as he acted as if nothing had happened. Hearing his heartbeat in his eardrums, Malfoy ran his fingers through his hair as he walked back to his table. Even after it was done, he couldn’t help but think this had been a mistake, but it was all Draco had for now. At least he would get away with it, the boy thought until he looked up from the bottom of the stairs. Peering down at him, the Golden trio, excluding Hermione, darted eyes at him. Hermione, on the other hand, had a look of curiosity but worry as her eyes went back and forth between Potter and him. On the defense, Draco spat with such force, “What? Never seen a student use the restroom. On second thought, shut it. I don’t want to listen to your whiny voice”. The snake pushed past Harry, shoving the boy’s shoulder hard. Malfoy did not bother waiting for Harry to fight back as he signaled Theo and Blaise to come over. He needed to leave now. Draco had stayed here too long for comfort. The blonde did not want to witness Katie Bell receive the curse necklace for fear he would take it back.

“Let’s go back to the castle. Potter and Weasley have ruined my mood. I’ll pay our tab since it's my turn, anyway,” Draco said to his mates as he began to leave. Wanting to distract Harry further from what he had done, Draco peered over at Hermione flashing her a smile and a wink. “Get whatever you want, sweetheart. My treat. You're under my tab here and at the bookstore. Don’t worry about spending. I’ll take care of you”. The blond prince spat at Ron’s and Harry’s shoes before snickering at their red faces. Having successfully angered the boys, the snakes moved to leave the establishment. Not wanting to be left out, Theo grabbed Hermione's hand and kissed it goodbye while Blaise smiled at the golden girl as he gave a gentlemen’s nod.

“I can’t believe this is really happening. Are you really going out with Malfoy? If it wasn’t for Lavender telling me to trust her. I would be more angry with you,” Ron said, who was currently disgusted as he wiped his shoes clean. He had heard about the fight between Harry and Hermione. It had left him in an awkward position, but he wanted to stay out of it. Since the fight, Ron was the neutral territory between the two and kept the friendship afloat. “Come on, let's go get a table. Drinks are on me,” Hermione tried to fill up the awkward pause as she hid her grin behind her hair from the boys. As the Golden Trio sat down, the silence still stayed between them. “Enough of this Harry! Deal with it. I’m going to Slughorn’s Christmas party with Malfoy. We have more important issues than my love life, like Professor Slughorn,” Hermione urged as she passed him a butterbeer paid by Malfoy.

Still in a mood, Harry sighed, unable to admit she was right. Since Dumbledore had given him an assignment, Harry was filled with stress about how he could complete it. For now, Harry would be friendly with the professor and become his favorite student. “Fine, I’ll stop for now. Only because it’s hard to spy on Malfoy without the Marauder’s Map. But if Malfoy gives me one more reason not to trust him, I’m shouting at the top of my lungs that he’s a death eater. He is one. I know he is. Malfoy is up to no good this year. I can feel it in my bones”.

Ron felt an incoming fight coming. Afraid he would have to pick a side, Ron decided to defend Hermione and whatever she had going on with Malfoy. “If you want to be angry at someone, be mad at me. I was the one who dared Hermione to ask Malfoy out and completely forgot who she is. This is the same person that put Rita Skeeter in a jar for two weeks. She’ll do whatever she puts her mind to. Besides, if those three snakes were really Death Eaters like the rumors say, do you really think Dumbledore would let them into the castle?”.

Harry took a sip of his drink, lost in thought. Perhaps Ron was right. Dumbledore wouldn’t risk the student body and let a death eater run around on purpose. Would he? Barty Crouch Jr was the exception, of course, as he snuck into the school. “I guess…I’ll let it go. Dumbledore wouldn’t put us all in danger,” he murmured before turning to Hermione. “As long as you don’t become official with Malfoy. Only go on one date with the snake to the Christmas party because you were dared too”. Neither rejecting or accepting Harry’s agreement, Hermione nodded before glancing away. Getting very good at dodging the truth, she was certain she needed to hide her new relationship while directing Harry in the opposite direction.

As the Golden Trio left the Three Broomsticks, they headed towards the castle. Harry whispered into Ron’s ears, “No way, Malfoy actually likes her. We have to protect Hermione. He’s clearly using her. He’s never been a good person”. Ron looked over to Harry uncomfortably and unsure how to respond but mumbled, “I don’t know mate. Victor Krum did genuinely like her. Maybe she has something we’re not seeing”. Ron, however, also did not believe Draco liked their friend Hermione despite trying to misdirect Harry’s attention. As Hermione caught up to them, the discussion had ended prematurely. Ron grabbed the back of his neck as he put distance between himself and the fighting pair. “Malfoy didn’t like her, but what was that interaction between the two back there,” Ron thought? They came from two different worlds and it would never work out. The blond had always enjoyed making Harry miserable. Was this another elaborate way of angering Harry, because it was absolutely working.

Confused, Ron shook his head as he tuned back into Harry’s and Hermione’s strained conversation. Luckily for the boys wouldn’t have to worry about Hermione hanging out with the snake any longer. It was only one date to Slughorn's party. Once Christmas break was over the trio could put this whole ordeal behind them. Draco, like his track record stated, would find a new girl to hook up with. Ron and Harry would just have to pick up the pieces once their best friend was left broken-hearted. On the other side of Harry, Hermione, who was smiling ear to ear, held in her hand a newly bought book. Taking up Draco on his offer, she bought the latest edition of transfiguration book for advanced witches and wizards.

Her mind was buzzing with excitement on the new reading material already when she heard a scream coming from up ahead. It was Katie Bell and her friend. The Golden Trio watched with horror filled expressions as Katie was lifted into the air with arms spread apart like a cross. Up in the air as if she was going to fly, the girl was at least 6 feet above the ground. Wind surrounded her, whipping her hair along with the strong current. While her mouth was screaming with jaws far apart, her eyes had a death-like expression on them. It looked like her jaws snapped open like a nutcracker as a high-pitched screech filled the sky. Shouts of panicked students surrounded the golden trio. If staff weren’t aware of what had happened, they were now.

All four of Katie’s limbs broke like toothpicks before curling up towards her torso. Her eyes gushed blood from the socket as she screamed so terribly from the pain. The three looked away, unable to bear it anymore. It was only the sound of Katie’s body slammed on the ground as every bone in her body broke like glass did the trio know it was over. The bones that weren’t broken from the cursed necklace before now shattered from the impact. In shock, Ron, Harry and Hermione stood paralyzed in fear as Hagrid shouted to all the surrounding students to stay away from the package. Professor Snape, with experience on how to deal with cursed items, would come for it as Hagrid carried what was left of the girl back to the castle.

~

“Why is it that when something happens, it’s always you three?,” Professor McGonagall stressed with her arms crossed and disapproving expression. “Believe me Professor. I’ve been asking myself the same question for 6 years,” Ron assured her, still in shock at seeing Katie’s bones being shattered. He’s been part of the wizarding world since he was born. It had never crossed his mind that such a dark object could exist. Is this what the Death Eaters and their dark arts were really capable of? If this was a glimpse of what the incoming war would be like, Ron doubted for the first time in his life if their side could win. They weren’t prepared to face magic like that.

Professor McGonagall shook her head in disbelief, unsure what to make of this. Turning her head, she called over Professor Remus and Professor Snape to analyze the necklace. As she handed over the necklace to Snape with a flick of a wand, the long-haired man took a careful examination of it. “What do you think?,” a worried Professor McGonagall asked, not liking the silence from her colleague. “I think Katie Bell is lucky to be alive. This is no regular cursed necklace. This necklace has a deadly reputation. She will never play quidditch again in her life. Count her days of dreaming of going professional over,” replied Professor Snape. The three professors stayed quiet and focused on observing the necklace for more clues. A veil of sadness fell over the room for the girl. A hard life awaited Katie once she woke up and found herself handicapped.

“It will be hard to trace it back to anyone. Maybe impossible. I can’t smell anything with my werewolf nose,” a concerned Remus replied as he leaned closer to the necklace.

With a fire of vengeance lit inside his heart, Harry spoke up, breaking the room’s focus, “I know Katie. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. She had to be delivering that package unknowingly. It was Malfoy!”. Stunned, Hermione and Ron eyed him, trying to tell Harry wordlessly, “What are you doing?!”. To Harry’s surprise, Remus stood in front of him. Almost feeling like a young child awaiting his punishment, the boy never realized how tall Professor Lupin was as he noted how disappointed Remus looked. It was almost intimidating to see his favorite professor not have his back this time.

“That is quite the strong accusation, Harry. I would hope you have evidence to back it up. If not, I advise you to be careful when speaking. It might just get you into more trouble. Please allow the proper authorities to investigate. Your only concern should be being a student at your age and not running around acting like a child, pretending to be an auror. Have you finished those assignments you never turned in for my class, yet?,” Remus reprimanded the boy. Harry's eyes went wide before he looked down in embarrassment at being referred to as a child. Harry was reminded of Sirius again. He fully knew that if he hadn’t jumped to conclusions that his Godfather might be alive today. No, instead he impulsively acted on his own accord and led his friends into danger. And he was doing it again.

Snape cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention back. He was surprised Remus did not make up excuses for the Potter boy, the son of his dead best mate. With eyes of curiosity, Snape realized Lupin had really bonded with Draco. A little too much. This might put a dent into Dumbledore’s plans, he thought to himself. Remus had become an unpredictable variable. Had it been a mistake on the Headmaster’s part to invite the werewolf back to teach? “Once again Potter, you never fail to astonish me with your privilege of the chosen one title, that some people dream of having. People who, unlike you, have real issues and can’t just use their name Potter to save them,” Snape replied with a displeased expression. It was Remus' turn to look at him. The werewolf knew Snape was referring to Draco and his troubles at home. Hermione, who had been quiet during this interaction, carefully listened to each adult’s word and its underlying meaning as she came to the same realization.

Later that night, Hermione used the Marauder’s Map to find Malfoy. He was on top of the Astronomy Tower and had been for a while. When Hermione realized there was a real possibility that Draco would stay there all evening into the night, she went to him. Using a disillusionment spell to get around the castle, Hermione couldn’t risk borrowing Harry’s invisibility cloak anymore. She was in hot waters with Harry as it was. It would be too risky to take it when Harry’s theory of Draco being a Death Eater was reignited again with the Katie Bell accident this afternoon. Even if she revealed Malfoy’s secret of being a werewolf, Hermione feared Harry would not believe it. Harry was too deep in his conspiracy theories to listen to reason, or understand bad things happened to good people. Harry’s world view had clear black and white lines with no room for understanding.

Hermione didn’t want to believe it was Draco either, but something was happening this year. This school year was different from all their previous ones. It somehow all went back to Malfoy being bitten by a werewolf. At first the bright witch assumed it had been an accident, but after today, she would have her answer. Whether Malfoy’s bite was done on purpose or not. If it was on purpose, she would need to investigate further. Why? And who? Surely not his own father? Could it be? Voldemort? No? Hermione did not want to go there yet. If she went there, she would have to face the reality of war being close.

As she arrived at the top of the tower, Hermione saw Draco pacing back and forth, talking to himself out loud, “Why? Why? It’s all wrong. It wasn’t supposed…. No… I can’t believe…it can’t be… it’s all wrong…. Fuck! I had no idea. It’s not my fault. I didn’t know,” the blond spoke in half sentences. Without the context of what he was saying, it was all nonsense to Hermione. Witnessing how distressed Malfoy looked, her heart broke. She knew right there he had done it. But why? What was happening? She stayed quiet to observe him more.

Suddenly, she heard heart wrenching sobs coming from Draco as the boy cried up to the moon, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I had no choice. He has my mother. I did it to save her”. He dropped to his knees and held both hands in a praying position like a kid asking forgiveness, all while watching the moon like a goddess. Repeatedly apologizing, “My mother, my mother. I had no choice,” Draco struggled to breathe. Her heart ached for him. It brought Hermione back to what Professor Snape said. People have real issues. People who can’t use their name to save themselves. Voldemort was involved somehow. She knew for certain now but not like how Harry had thought.

Hermione didn’t know what was going on, but she knew Draco hadn’t meant to hurt Katie Bell. Malfoy was being blackmailed by the sounds of it. The Gryffindor found herself not being able to blame him for hurting Katie Bell, if it was to save his mother. Any individual with their back against the wall would do the same to save their loved ones. If her parents were in trouble, the witch would not hesitate to save them both. The thought of her parents being in danger because of who she was lingered on, festering the back of her mind. It was a possibility she hadn’t thought of before.

What Draco did next surprised her as he climbed to the edge of the tower. It appeared he wanted to fall over to his death as he peered towards the ground. Unable to help it, Hermione gasped out loud. Immediately, Malfoy heard her. “Come out, Hermione. I know it’s you”. Turning to face her, he got down from the edge and took down her disillusionment spell. With a nod of his head, the blond called her over, not saying anything. Hermione realized Draco was asking her to join him in stargazing.

The blond wiped his tears as silence filled the air. The two watched the sky. As she attempted to speak up, the Slytherin gently hushed her with a finger to her lips and pointed to the moon. Confusion filled her thoughts. What is she supposed to see? They stayed like that for a while until he broke the silence himself, “What do you see when you glance up at the moon?”. She pondered, trying to figure out the right answer. Surely it was not as simple as a lunar rock that orbited the earth.

Hermione thought until she came up with an answer from her heart. One, she hoped one day Draco could see the moon as too. “She’s beautiful. She sits in the night sky. Hiding from daylight but in plain view of those to seek her at nightfall. The moon guides those who need her light. She fills the heart of the lonely”. Draco chuckled at her response, “You saw me crying”. It wasn't a question, but a statement. There’s another pause before Hermione had the confidence to ask him the same question, “What do you see?”.

He never let go of his stare at the moon as he thought long and hard before coming up with an answer, “It mocks me. It curses at me. It makes me wish life was simpler again. Despite how much it taunts me, I can’t help but to wish upon her like a star. For she is like me, who wears many faces”.

She gave a sad smile at him, “You sound like a troubled poet”. At her remarks, they both burst into a chuckle. Soon they watched the sky again, but Draco’s words sunk into her. She knew what they really meant. The moon harmed him every month, taking his dreams as he turned into a werewolf, but his hope wasn’t lost. He wanted to find the light out of his darkness. As she put her head on his shoulders, the blonde grabbed her hand. It was at that moment Hermione swore to protect Draco no matter what. She promised to shield him against whatever came at them. She promised to never leave him alone, for she was his. All the while, Draco also promised that he would allow himself to be happy with Hermione as long as it was possible. With the time limit fast approaching, he wanted to share many moments together until she found out what he had become, for no one could truly love a werewolf. The boy promised himself to be brave enough to see Hermione walk away from him, when that day came, for he was still a monster. He would be content with the knowledge she had been his for a moment in time.

Chapter Text

“Come on, work already!” Draco begged as he kicked the legs of the cabinet with a book in hand. Malfoy slammed the ancient book to the floor. He was inside the Room of Hidden Things again. Needing to work on his assignment before heading out for Slughorn’s party, the Slytherin’s desperation was growing as weeks continued to pass with no sign of the cabinet being fixed. The silver trio had all gotten dressed first thing after lunch. Theo and Blaise were taking turns, watching hallways in shifts. Mippy had dropped off Lucius Malfoy’s family book on how to make illegal portkeys.

Draco had figured, with his father in Azkaban, Lucius wouldn’t mind if he took it. It was not as if Lucius could stop him from an island in the middle of an ocean. That day when Draco had met Mippy at Hogsmeade an idea had come to Malfoy. He figured he might be able to use the baseline from the theory of portkeys and branch from there. Of course, the theory of vanishing cabinets was different from illegal portkeys. A vanishing cabinet was a two-way path between its twin. They connected two particular cabinets, whereas portkeys usually led to one destination with no way to return. It could only be used once under the government. The more advanced portkeys were sometimes these objects were a two-way transportation. Those were more rare to obtain legally these days. Draco had only ever seen a portkey that could return the user once in his life. Even with his family’s fortune, it was difficult to find one.

Once Draco rewrote the symbols and markings from the book inside the cabinet, it would save him months of research. He estimated by May he can get this to work. This type of magic was already so difficult even with the knowledge on how to build a transportation system. Without any guidance or research, one would need to start from scratch, which was Draco’s problem. The Slytherin searched high and low for any books on the vanishing cabinets, but there were none. The government had effectively rid all traces of such materials. Malfoy was starting from nothing. He knew this mission was given to him to set him up for failure by the Dark Lord.

Trying one more time, Draco yelled, “Theo, call over Blaise. It's time to test what we got and bring me a bird from the hallway”. The three boys now stood in front of the cabinet, all dressed in black from head to toes except for Draco. He was in black but his handkerchief was a dark, navy blue to match Hermione’s dress. “What time is it?” asked Draco, remembering it was getting late. With hesitation, Theo replied, “You’re almost 30 minutes late”. In anger, Draco grabbed a vase from a pile of random objects and threw it across the room. What was Hermione going to think? What if she thought he had stood her up? If the cabinet showed no signs of improvement, he might really lose his sanity tonight, Draco thought to himself.

“I have a feeling Granger would understand. She's not short- tempered like Potter or Weasley. Granger is level-headed and was the one who asked you out, remember? While others have avoided you, she hasn’t this year,” said Theo, attempting to calm his friend down. “Draco,” Blaise called out, putting Malfoy’s focus back on their task. Passing the bird to Draco to test it, Malfoy placed the bird inside the cabinet. As the door closed, they could hear the wings flapping around the enclosed space.

“Ready?,” asked Draco. With the two snakes nodding, Draco lifted his wand and pointed to the cabinet. He whispered with his eyes closed, “Harmonia Nectere Passus”. Suddenly the surface of the cabinet glimmered in an ambient light. Almost like it was alive, but it harshly stopped making a slashing noise. It failed, but it was finally something. He opened the door to find the bird was dead in a pile of flesh and feathers. The bird had gone somewhere. It just didn’t come in one piece. “We did it! We finally got the stupid cabinet to do something! You’re a genius, Draco, using the same theory of portkeys for this cabinet,” Theo cheered as he hugged both Draco and Blaise. “It's a start. Now that we have an equation, we can start solving. It will take months, but at least it's a baseline,” Draco sighed, feeling a wave of mental exhaustion come over him. Before today, the silver trio had worked on the cabinet since the school year had started with no movement at all.

~

“Harry, you need to be careful. I heard from Lavender a girl in Ravenclaw is making a love potion for you. She's trying to trick you into taking it. Don’t drink or eat anything anymore if they’re not people you trust,” told Hermoine. If Lavender had warned her, the Ravenclaw girl must be dangerously obsessed with Harry to make Lavender worried. Genuinely worried about Harry, Hermione repeated herself, but it was as if Harry hadn’t heard her at all. With a drink in hand, Harry watched Slughorn’s party from the side. “You're not taking your own advice, Hermione. Malfoy is tricking you into liking him. You really think Malfoy has changed after all these years of bullying us. He has alternative motives,” Potter snapped as Hermione flinched back as if his words had physically slapped her.

He had not heard a single word from Hermione, ignoring her warning completely. Instead, head strong on making Hermione see Draco and his friends were Death Eaters, the incident after Katie Bell took Harry’s obsession with Malfoy to a whole other level. Harry did not know why but he was certain Malfoy had something to do with it. It was almost as if there was a voice in his mind guiding his thoughts. Despite Remus' strict lecture, Harry told anyone, who would listen that Malfoy was responsible, making the school’s rumor mill heavy in recent days.

The student body was split. Some believed Harry’s accusations out of anger for Katie Bell while the other half chose to believe their professors when it was announced no one among Hogwarts had done it. Hermione quickly stayed quiet, listening to Harry. She had been trying to stay civil for Ron’s sake, but it was getting hard as the school year continued. Harry kept pushing her patience. “It's not too late to ask out Cormac McLaggen. It’s still early and we saw him in the common room when we left,” Harry suggested, eyeing Hermione with pity. Her date still hadn’t showed up as he continued, “Mark my words, Malfoy won’t show up. The only reason he said yes was to humiliate you or worse, use you like his other girls”. It was Harry's usage of his ‘other girls’ that made Hermione finally explode. She didn’t need her honor to be protected, if she decided to go further with Draco. And how foolish Harry was to believe such rumors.

The only thing that mattered to her was that she knew the truth. Her reputation could be damned. It warmed Hermione’s soul to know that Malfoy saw her for who she was and not as the student body ‘knew’ her as: a prudent bookworm. It was all that most came to her for, their academics. No one really invited her to things that weren’t tutoring sessions or were careful with their actions around her. Most thought she was an obedient rule follower. “I could have fun,” the witch thought to herself. No one in her house invited her to watch quidditch practice anymore. It was thought she completely despised the sport. Her housemates were right, of course, but it was still nice to be invited. Hermione wasn’t even given the chance to turn it down, anymore.

And then there was Draco, who pushed Hermione out of her comfort zone, bickering with her when others were overly polite with her. Malfoy since first year pointed out flaws in her logic and school work when everyone else blindly trusted her. The blond kept her on her toes. He had unintentionally encouraged her to be someone she wanted to be. Finally over Harry, she spat, “Enough! I had it up to here with you. You're not being a very good friend. And you're wrong, he will show up,” as she stood up and walked away, refusing to see his reaction.

Hiding behind a curtain at Slughorn’s Party, Hermione refused to see Harry's smug face, if he saw her alone. Yes, Draco was 30 minutes late, but she knew he would come. She saw on the Marauder’s Map that Draco, Theo, and Blaise were in the Room of Requirement. They had all kept disappearing in shifts out of the map's view throughout the day. The trio were working on something and whatever it was, was important.

Drinking her nerves away, she hid from Harry and everyone else at the party who couldn’t stop feeling sorry for her. Granger felt eyes on her as everyone had a date but it appeared she had brought no one. When Harry saw Hermione behind the curtain, he gradually walked over. It upset him how much they both had been fighting this year. Although Harry knew this would happen to Hermione, it didn’t mean he was happy about it. Hermione was still one of his best friends. They were more like siblings who were just fighting at the moment. The Weasley siblings always were at each other’s throat but that did not mean they loved each other less. It meant they were family, Harry reminded himself. He would never want to see Hermione hurt when he was right about Malfoy.

As he opened the curtain, Harry whispered, “Hermione, you’re still by yourself. Why didn’t you say anything earlier? You could come with me and Luna. I’m sure Luna would understand”. Hermione glanced back at Harry, triggered he would suggest something like that. “Absolutely not, mister! You asked Luna to be your date, and it's your duty as a gentleman to uphold that promise. Besides, I don’t need you to save me because he’s still coming!,” Hermione replied with a scowl on her face. Flabbergasted at Hermione, Harry fully believed she had lost it. All that studying and overworking finally broke his friend, he thought. She was too blinded to see that Malfoy wasn’t coming.

Before Harry could respond to her, they both heard a commotion from the main floor. They walked out from their hiding spot to see what it was. Squirming like a worm in Filch’s grip, Draco screeched, “Let me go! What kind of discrimination is this? I have an invitation and you still refuse to let me enter. Is Slughorn behind this? Ask Hermione, she’ll tell you,”. Theo and Blaise waved excitedly to Hermione, as they voluntarily walked behind Draco because, well, Filch was only one person and couldn’t hold them all. Seeing what was happening, Hermione ran over to Draco. “It’s true! I invited him. He has an invitation in hand and yet you refuse to believe him. Why is that? Unhand him now!”. Filch looked with suspicion at the golden girl.

It always brought him great pleasure to catch students in the hallways outside of curfew or breaking any rules. He loved the act of giving students detention and overseeing punishments among the student body. Still not letting go of Malfoy, it had been a while since Filch gave out a detention to a Slytherin student. Thus, he was happy when he found all three snakes together. “Fine, but that does not excuse Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. The Invitation is for one person,” grinned Filch with all his rotten teeth showing.

Out of the blue, Remus, who was chaperoning the party, came in for the save, “Filch! What a wonderful, caring person you are! You found the boys! I was absolutely worried when they were late. I cannot thank you enough. Come on boys, no more slacking. We have a party to chaperon. Your bonus points aren’t going to appear out of thin air”. Not allowing Lupin to change his mind, Theo and Blaise walked right in, beaming in happiness. It seemed like Remus had taken a liking to the silver trio. “Certainly, Professor! Right away. Me and Blaise need the 30 points for your class desperately,” Theo smirked with mischief as Blaise fist bumped him. Remus' side eyed the two boys as a smile peaked out. He knew what they were doing. They set the bonus points to what they wanted publicly. Lupin was only going to give them 10 points to free them from Filch’s grasp, but he couldn’t help but admire the Slytherin House. They really were living up to their House’s qualities, cleverness, as he chuckled in defeat. They had outsmarted him. “Of course, 30 points, as we agreed. Now let's get to work, children”.

As Filch released him, Malfoy readjusted his clothes. His breath stopped for a moment as he connected eyes with Hermione. The golden girl was stunning and more beautiful than when he saw her at the ball in 4th year. To Draco, Granger had always been beautiful, but today she was glowing. She was wearing a long dress, touching the floor. The strapless dress had an opening to show her legs with a neckline in the shape of a heart. Malfoy’s eyes linger on Hermione’s exposed leg. He wanted to run his hands up the slit of the dress, wrap that leg around his waist. Better yet, he could steal Granger’s underwear with how easy the dress made it possible. Another pair to remember this night. As his eyes explored the upper half of the dress, he noticed how it snatched her at the waist, showing off her curves. The color of the dress perfectly matched the night sky with glitter all over the dress, giving the illusion of a starry sky. When he looked closer to the right side of her hip, he saw sewn sparkles in the alignment of the Draco constellation. Above her left breast was a white flower called Datura. Also known as the moonflower.

He walked over to her, not caring if people were watching their interaction. The nervous Slytherin prince swallowed as he lightly brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ears. Being so close to Hermione, he wanted to kiss her right there but the realization of eyes on them hit him. Shy, the blonde revealed his feelings to the witch with his ears and cheeks that went pink. Hermione gave a grin as she asked, “How do I look?”.

“You look beautiful. You are beautiful,” Draco smiled back before glancing away to hide how much she was affecting him. If they could, the pair would stare into each other's eyes all night long. “I heard they have mini mince pies over by the house elves’ station. We should check it out,” Hermione spoke, still warm and fuzzy inside. “Yes, I would like that,” Malfoy replied, but knew he would be too nervous to eat. The more courageous of the two, Hermione gave Draco no time to think as she went to hold his hand in hers.

Together they walked hand in hand over to the station, spending the entire night as one. Draco felt giddy, allowing himself to have this. For once, all his worries melted away. Tonight, he wanted to pretend he was just like any normal teenage wizard. Nothing could ruin it, he thought. Malfoy looked over to see what Theo and Blaise were doing. It seemed like Remus let his mates enjoy the festivities, as well. With Harry nowhere to be seen, Theo had stolen Potter’s date and was flirting with a laughing Luna. Blaise and Daphne were chatting with a vampire. Draco noted how close the pair were as Daphne appeared, shocked yet pleased at whatever the two were speaking about. He knew Blaise very well. If he had to bet, Blaise was shamelessly asking the vampire the slowest and most painful way to kill someone.

The blonde turned to Hermione again. Unable to wait until the end of the party, Draco took her quietly and quickly behind the curtains at the far end of the room. Slowly, he felt the room get sweeter and lighter at the same time. It was like time slowed down for them as he took her chin with his thumb, occasionally touching her soft plump lips with it. “Mistletoe,” Hermione looked above them with innocence. If only she knew how dirty his thoughts of her were. Using the mistletoe for an excuse to get closer, the blond leaned over, softly kissing Hermione. It wasn’t as deep and hot as when they first kissed in the stairwell but this kiss was better. It was gentle. He felt the butterflies inside his stomach as a fire burned inside his heart.

This kiss felt like a first love’s kiss. Draco knew at that moment he was a goner. He didn’t just like her. He loved Hermione. With a mind of its own, his wandering hand caressed Hermione’s exposed leg, getting higher. Touching the edge of her panties, Draco waited for Hermione to stop him, but she did not. Accepting this as an answer, Draco ripped her undergarment from the golden girl, putting it in his pocket for safekeeping as he dove in for another sweet kiss. Draco whispered into Hermione’s neck, “A second gift to remember you by,” reminding them both of the night that had started it all. He loved how much access this dress gave him. As all of Draco’s reservations disappeared, he ignored the party going on around them. Before he could go back for a third kiss and was on the verge of slipping his hand between Hermione’s legs, he heard someone clear their throat.

Fear sent chills down Malfoy’s spine as he saw who it was. It was Professor Snape. “If I may have a word with you, Draco,” the stoic professor replied. From the look Snape was giving, the blond knew he was in trouble, but Draco stayed quiet. He was almost annoyed, yet timid of the lecture he was going to receive. Hermione, hurriedly adjusting her clothes, sensed the two having a mental battle. “It’s okay Draco, I have to find Harry, anyway. I haven’t seen him in a while. I promised Harry to let him walk me back to the Gryffindor tower,” she said, unable to look at Snape in the eyes. Just before she left, she still kissed Malfoy’s cheek goodbye as she ran from the scene.

Out in the hallways, Draco felt himself get angrier and angrier, mentally cursing the professor with every footstep. The old man had ruined his time with Hermione. On top of that, he didn’t trust Snape. The man was said to work for the Order, but he was also the Dark Lord's most loyal follower. Which one was he? Snape had been the one who suggested the duel. Did Snape know it would go that far? Draco would never know. He knew from Snape that he had taken the unbreakable vow. The professor made sure to remind the boy every time he was too slow to react or he failed miserably at something.

Malfoy never asked for this. He didn’t ask for Snape’s help, who looked like an old, oily haired man with a nose the size of a carrot looking at him the way his father did. “You stupid child! I was searching for you all day. I had hoped you would be working on your tasks. Instead, I see you playing honeymoon with the Granger girl,” Professor Snape quietly yelled at the blond. Growing more pissed, “I am! My plan would have worked, if Katie Bell wasn’t stopped by her stupid friend. And I made progress on the cabinet today all by myself, without your assistance! Merlin knows, I wouldn’t want you around nagging me all day! You're always reminding me how useless I am!”.

Professor Snape, like a flash of lightning, picked up the boy with both arms and tossed him against the wall, banging Draco’s head hard. Putting his forearm against the boy’s neck, Snape had Malfoy in a choke hold. “I swore to protect you! I made the unbreakable vow! You're just like your father, unbearably idiotic. You got more important things than playing house with a girl. And tell me what happens when HE finds out about her. How are you going to protect her when you can’t even protect yourself, not in your condition. I can see you don’t want to do this anymore. You're afraid”.

Draco pushed Professor Snape off of him. “Of course I’m scared. Thanks for stating the obvious, dumbass. I never asked for this. I was thrown into a ball pit with a monster and asked to do the impossible out of thin air. And for your information, for someone who has the whole world sacked against them, I’m doing a pretty good damn job, keeping my head above water. And let’s not fail to mention, you're only here out of guilt. Not out of the goodness of your heart. You did this to me,” Malfoy shouted at Snape. While the two were busy arguing, they didn’t notice Harry had been listening to the conversation with his invisibility cloak. Luckily for Malfoy and Snape because Harry didn’t have the Marauder’s Map, he only listened to the end part of the conversation. “Unbreakable vow? Tell me what happens when he finds out about Hermione? Lucius? Can’t protect yourself? You did this to me? The death mark. He must have the mark…” Harry whispered to himself, excited he finally had proof.

Chapter Text

“You can’t stay at Hogwarts for Christmas! My mum is expecting the three of us. What am I supposed to tell her?” urged Ron, sitting by the fireplace in the common room. His head snapped back at the witch in disbelief at what she said. “You’ll tell her the truth. I got studying to do. And I’m staying in school to get full access to the library,” Hermione replied but Ron interrupted her, “But you’ll be at Hogwarts by yourself! Why can’t you take some books and go home to your parents?”. “My parents are going overseas for the holiday. Going to Egypt in the hot desert sun doesn’t sound like Christmas to me. I’ll be fine. You can stay with me and study, if you're that worried”, Hermione said as she carried Crookshanks on her lap, petting him. She knew perfectly well Ron would not take her up on her offer as she grinned to herself.

The real reason Hermione wanted to stay was to spend Christmas with Draco, but she couldn’t tell her friends that. She had found out Malfoy and Theo were staying for the holidays, but Blaise was the only one going home. Hermione looked forward to staying as the snakes and Luna were entertaining to be with and watch their heated debates on obscure topics.

“You’ve officially lost it… I mean, I still can't believe you actually took Malfoy as your date to Slughorn’s party. All because of a dare,” mumbled Harry under his breath, crossing his arms in disappointment at Hermione. Quickly getting uncomfortable, Ron picked up a black cat that had been roaming around the common room. Wanting to pet his anxiety away, Ron scratched underneath the cat’s chin as he avoided getting in the middle. Hermione loudly sighed, showing her annoyance to Harry. She knew there was no getting out of this. Harry had not let up on his questioning. After the party, the boy hounded Hermione with questions if Malfoy seemed suspicious to her.

If she wanted Harry to stop bothering her and for Draco’s protection, she would need to minimize her budding relationship with the Slytherin. Gathering all her Gryffindor courage and inner Slytherin, a lie flowed easily out of Hermione’s lips, “I did. And I hope you learned something valuable from this dare. Not to believe any silly rumors or that you have a say over my personal life. I don’t need any protection. Don’t assume I want my honor protected. I can take care of myself. I had my fun making both of you mad. Now let’s all move on,” Hermione lectured, as Crookshanks hissed at Harry. The ever faithful cat sensed Hermione’s true feelings and knew she was upset.

“Really! Thank god! I was worried about telling everyone at home you were dating Malfoy officially. It’s good to have you back,” Ron grinned, thinking the duo’s fight was finally over. He no longer had to walk on eggshells around them, he thought, but Ron failed to see the tension in Hermione’s body posture or Harry’s narrowed eyes. Still petting the black cat, Ron leaned back against the couch. “He clearly felt bad for your kind or wanted to get under Harry’s nerves. Malfoy has higher standards for girls from what we hear in the snake pit. He’s both a Death Eater and a playboy. Harry was just looking out for you. Right, Harry? He meant no harm,” Ron commented as he nudged Harry to agree with him.

Going pale as a ghost, Harry was filled with horror as he realized what Ron had said. He tried to signal to Ron to pull back, but it was too late. Ron had said something carelessly and didn’t mean to say. Harry began to scoot away at the impending earful Ron was about to receive. “My kind? What do you mean by that?,” Hermione shouted, turning her fury at the other boy. “Oh no,” Harry nervously said as Hermione turned to glance at him. He was doing it again, Hermione thought. Harry wasn’t speaking up for her like when Ron had been rude to her at the Yule ball.

It was there the bright witch decided to put her friends in their place, once again. “For your information, Malfoy finds me very attractive. And unlike you, he didn’t mention anything about my ‘MUDBLOOD’ status the entire night. Since you both like to listen to nonsense rumors, go ahead and tell the whole Gryffindor house that I snogged Draco Malfoy’s brain out. In fact, he liked it so much, I made him hard,” Granger screeched, causing the black cat to raise its head in surprise. At that moment, Parvati Patil walked, stunned by what the golden girl had said, but her ears perked up in interest. “You heard me tell everyone! I fucked Draco Malfoy!,” threatened Hermione as Parvati scattered away as if her hand had been caught in the cookie jar.

“Hermione! Merlin, help me! It’s improper to speak like that! I didn’t mean it that way or say the word ‘mudblood’. And why did you do that? Now everyone is going to spread that lie,” Ron whispered as he peered around in a panic. His eyes shot up at the sight of how many of their housemates had heard and had already begun to whisper the new rumor about Hogwarts’ royal couple to others. Perhaps Hermione had been right about rumors not being a reliable source as he witnessed the creation of one before his eyes, Ron thought.

She looked back at him with fire still blazing in her eyes, “You didn’t need to say it. You thought about it. And I did that to teach you boys a lesson about judging people based on rumors. You two are too blinded with hate when it comes to Malfoy. Leave the poor boy alone, for Merlin’s sake. Ron, you may think you're morally superior to Malfoy, but you're just as ignorant against Muggles as Draco is. At least Malfoy admits he is and wants to be a better man. You’re still in denial. You two should go pack for home! I’ll see you both after the holidays,” Hermione commanded as she got a better grip on Crookshanks and left the boys. Crookshanks, hanging off of his beloved owner’s shoulder, peered back just to hiss at Harry and Ron.

~

The first day of winter break, Theo and Draco were at the Library, taking advantage of the empty space. With only a handful of students that remained for break, the pair had free range of the room. Picking out more books for the cabinet, the table was filled with topics from the History of Magic, Transportation Systems of the Wizarding world, Apparition, and Ancient Runic from the forbidden section. With Madam Pince also away for break, there was an honor system in place, trusting the students who stayed behind when checking out books and following the general rules. “I see not even 24 hours of the holiday starting, you boys have broken the rules,” announced Hermione, eyeing all the books around the two boys from the forbidden section. With Luna next to her, the bright witch opened the cover of a book for closer inspection before Malfoy took it away. Not waiting for permission, Luna sat at their table, next to the Nott boy. “Only if you're caught is it called rule breaking, love,” Draco winked, as Hermione viewed him with more interest, watching him hide the books from her view.

With a mischievous glint in his eye, Theo smiled as he looked between Malfoy and Granger. Theo turned to Luna, laying his chin on her shoulder as he whispered loudly for all to hear, “Look at what we have here. The rumors must be true. I heard from the snake pits that Draco and Hermione are official. They were caught in the closet, getting down and dirty after Slughorn’s party. The Slytherin Prince had his way with Hermione”. Theo embellished the rumor even more knowing how sheepish his friend actually was as he went on “That’s how they were caught by Filch, Luna. Flich heard them both from the 3rd floor. Gave the old man quite a show. Draco couldn’t stop kissing Granger even after they were caught with his pants down. Draco you DOG!”. Luna hid her grin behind her hand as Theo continued to lay his head on her shoulder.

Quickly snapping his head, Malfoy turned to Theo, all while continuing to hide their selection of books under a pile of papers. “Oh shut it, you fool! You know that's not true! I don’t know how that rumor started. I swear, Hermione, it wasn't me. You have to believe me,” the blond said in a panic, fearing any consequences. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, Hermione smiled with slight guilt and amusement, “I believe you, Draco. I know it wasn’t you. I actually came here for another reason”. Red faced, Draco hid his face in his arms as he tried to regain his stoic expression.

Patting the blonde’s back in reassurance, Luna in an angelic voice answered, “We came to invite you and Theo over for Christmas. How wonderful would it be to open presents and spend the day together. We’re the only ones from my and your year that stayed. And don’t worry about the rumor. I’m certain the person that started the rumor wished no harm, Malfoy”. Luna slowly looked over at Hermione as the Granger nervously nodded in agreement. Still mortified, Draco peered up. “He couldn’t,” Malfoy thought to himself. He needed any spare time he had to work on the cabinet. Knowing his friend was on the brink of saying no, Theo pushed the blond to the floor as he spoke up for them both. So thrilled to join in on the festivities, Theo jumped up, agreeing before Draco could turn the girls down. “We would LOVE to spend Christmas day together! Don’t we, Draco? In fact, we’ll host it at the Slytherin’s common room. It’s just the two of us. We have the whole house to ourselves”. Wanting to move the group’s focus away from the rumor, Hermione clapped her hands together as she replied, “That’s great! We’re looking forward to it. Luna, let’s go and plan our Christmas party” .

~

The four students spent much of the break together eating meals at the great hall, studying, and hanging out at the Ravenclaw tower from dawn to dusk. The Ravenclaw had been the easiest location to go to as it was in the middle between the Slytherin and the Gryffindor house. Since it had been a pleasant break, Hermione was the happiest she had been. Every time she was with Malfoy, the witch was more certain of him. His character, his heart, and that smart ass attitude, Hermione had grown very fond of. Spending so many days together, she was certain she wanted to be with the blond in every way that she could. There were so many sides to Draco and the more she saw the more she liked him. Flaws that Hermione had loathed in first year had quickly become his quirky charms instead.

It was hard to remember what it was like not having Draco in her life. He fit in so well with her. How could they ever go back to being strangers again? It was the day before Christmas as Hermione was in the middle of getting ready for bed. The sun had just set when Granger heard the door creak open. Hearing footsteps behind her, Hermione jumped as she turned around, “Draco! What are you doing here? And how did you get into the dorms without a password?” she asked with genuine confusion. The blond peered around the room as he walked in the girl's dorms. Without answering Granger, the boy sat on her bed and began to go through her trunks. Eyeing the items he wanted, Draco grabbed Hermione’s undergarments.

With no hesitation nor shame, the Slytherin snake smelled her underwear, refusing to glance away at her shocked expression. Seeing she hadn’t stopped him, Malfoy stole it and kept inside his pocket for later but not before grabbing a second one that had caught his attention. The second pair was a pearly pink colored undergarment with a tiny little rose in the front. Another to add to his collection, Draco thought to himself. Finally answering the dumbfounded Hermione, Draco explained “The fat lady portrait had to let me in. I know the password. And before you ask how I know, it’s not really a secret anymore when your house is always hosting so many parties here. You have all of Hogwarts entering and leaving your common room. Someone was bound to squeal like a pig”.

Glaring at Draco, Hermione could only sigh in defeat as she knew he was right at the obvious safety issues that their widely known password posed. Today though, it worked out in her favor as she loved the sight of Draco leaning back against her bed with his hands behind his head as if it was his room. Malfoy noticed the night stand beside her bed as he went on, “Besides, I’ve come to get you and Crookshanks. Theo and I are having you and Luna sleepover at the Slytherin dorms tonight. No isn’t an answer. That way we can all wake up on Christmas morning together and open presents”.

Hermione walked up to Malfoy with her arms crossed as she watched Draco open the nightstand. Granger watched in anticipation at what he was looking for this time. This time the boy pulled out her perfume she wore on a daily basis and nicked it too. It was her favorite scent with a subtle hint of florals and an undertone of vanilla bean. It was very warm and inviting to the nose. Rolling her eyes, Hermione shook her head in disbelief yet she couldn’t find herself to complain. It seemed as if Draco wanted something that reminded him of her. Grinning at Hermione as his eyes trailed up her legs and focused between them, Malfoy went on “So pack your bags and meet me downstairs. One more thing, we’re going outside before meeting up with Theo and Luna so wear a warm coat”.

Before the blonde went to leave, Draco sat up and reached out for Hermione, making her stand between his sprawled out legs. Wordlessly, the blonde lifted her skirt and signaled to Hermione to hold it up. There she stood before Malfoy with her lower half exposed. Draco noted she was wearing a translucent white color. The thin fabric made it appear as if she wore nothing as he saw what she looked like there for the first time. It was magnificent as he traced the flowery design with his thumb before he went to squeeze her bottom. If the blonde went any further, he could open her folds. Draco wanted to know what Hermione tasted like but that was for another day.

With the blond directly in front of her groin, Hermione flushed pink but obediently listened as Draco pierced his eyes into her soul before descending upon her sex. Shamelessly, his nose settled on her pubic hair. She wondered if his obsession with smell was a wolf trait as Draco took a deep breath and took in her scent. The blond slowly slid down her panties with both hands as he checked out in full glory what Hermione looked like naked between her legs. Nose deep in Hermione, Draco groaned as he restrained himself from going any further. He wanted to do this right for his first time as he pulled back. Malfoy licked his lips while staring at Hermione. He lifted each leg to get his prized possession. Unable to help herself, Hermione whimpered in disappointment that they hadn’t gone further but she could wait. “These are also mine,” Draco smiled innocently as he put it with the others in his pocket. Almost as if nothing had happened, Malfoy straightened out her skirt, kissed her goodbye before waiting for her downstairs.

~

“Where are we going this late?,” Hermione asked as they walked past the courtyard to the edge of the castle. Still flushed from their interaction in her room, Hermione hid her smile behind her scarf. “To the forbidden forest, I want to take you somewhere special,” Draco replied as he took out his hand and interlocked them with Hermione’s. The pair walked 20 minutes into the forest as Draco led the way. It was getting hot under her coat from all the walking but she found that she didn’t mind. The anticipation of where Draco was leading her took her total attention.

As they trudged through the snow, their shoes made a crunching sound under their footprints. Ice could be heard cracking as it sparkled in the moonlight. Noticing the cold wind around them, Malfoy brought her hand up to his mouth, blowing hot air on them. “Okay, we’re almost near. I need you to close your eyes. Trust me. It’s worth it” the blonde whispered. Hermione did as she was told, allowing him to lead them. With blind faith, the golden girl trusted him. She felt safe with him as they came to a stop. “Keep your eyes closed. We're here, but don’t open them until I tell you too”.

“Okay, open them now” he replied as he let go of her hand. Turning around, he held out his arms, showcasing the view before them. Gasping, Hermione was stunned at the beautiful view. It was nothing she had seen before. The forbidden forest looked like an enchanted wonderland. Finding herself in an open meadow, the trees formed a circle around them. Every tree branch was covered in magnificent icicles the size of doors. The pine trees were lit up with floating candles and fairy dust. The glittery fairy dust hung in the air as it shimmered down from the trees onto the ground.

The light reflecting off of the icicles were illuminating the whole forest in various stunning colors. Hermione didn’t know how Draco had done it but the ice and usage of light magic were creating their own personal arctic light in the forbidden forest. The ribbons of the lights were dancing to the rhythm of the wind. “Merry Christmas, Hermione. I remembered you wished you could go to your hometown’s annual tree lighting so I brought the lights here to you,” beamed Draco with a twinkle in his eyes. The boy lifted his wand and made the fairy dust circle around them.

Seeing Hermione with tears in her eyes, the blond walked over to her, encapsulating the golden girl in a tight hug. With foreheads touching, Draco leaned over, giving her a deep kiss. She didn’t know how long they stood there exchanging sweet kisses, but she pulled at his jacket to close any further distance between them. As Hermione opened her eyes while they came up for air, she looked into his gray stormy eyes. It was in that moment there she knew she loved him. “Merry Christmas, Draco. I absolutely love your gift. This is the best present anyone has ever given me,” Hermione whispered with a happy tear escaping the corner of her eyes. She had never felt this taken care of in all her years alive. The bright witch was always doing all the background planning or looking after others. With Draco, Hermione felt at ease. She allowed the blond to lead her. Draco with his finger wiped her tears clean as he responded with a grin, “Good, I will stop at nothing but to give you the best. I want to be the best you ever had”. As Granger chuckled, Malfoy lifted her chin as he went in for another kiss.

~

Back at the Slytherin’s dorm, the two lovebirds found Theo and Luna in the common room playing chess. Crookshanks laid on Theo’s lap, purring as the boy scratched underneath his chin. Deciding to leave them alone, Hermione and Draco went to the dorms. Hermione wore one of Malfoy’s t-shirts that was quite large on her frame. He had given Hermione those clothes with the sole intention of seeing more of her bare legs and having her scent on his shirt. The blonde made a mental note to save the shirt and place it with the other items of clothes he had collected from her. Since becoming a werewolf, Draco’s natural instincts involved sniffing everything for information. Before the Slytherin prince was bothered by his dog-like traits, but there was an upside. He found his inner wolf loved smelling Hermione.

As Draco walked over to his bed, Hermione eyed him like a lioness stalking her prey. Still aroused from their interaction in her room, Hermione wanted to be intimate with Draco, especially after viewing that primal side to him. Although she adored Draco’s gentleman-like manners, it seemed she would have to initiate the next step in their relationship. Waiting for the boy to lower his guard as he laid on the mattress, Granger slowly tipped toed to him, before pouncing onto him. Draco flinched at the impact but smiled immediately when he saw Hermione sit on his lap. The golden girl closed the curtains and silenced the room as she seductively whispered, “They won’t be back to sleep for another hour. Consider this my Christmas gift to you, Draco. Sit back and enjoy the show”. He growled in excitement as Hermione took off her shirt. Braless, Hermione gripped her breasts in full view of Malfoy, teasing the boy.

A million thoughts came to Draco, seeing Hermione’s bare breasts and only in underwear. With all self restraint gone, the blond allowed Hermione to take his hands and place them on her breasts. Their hands were joined as Hermione led him on what to do. Massaging her breasts, he was excited at the opportunity to snog the witch again. Draco only nodded as he was still unsure how to proceed, so he rested his hands on the curves of her hips. Leaning over, Hermione kissed him deeply, savoring Draco’s lips. With Hermione’s guidance, Draco tenderly slipped his tongue into hers. He wondered how Hermione became such a good kisser but that didn’t matter. The blond only cared to be the last and only person she ever kissed.

His hands explored her body as his member got hard from the friction of Hermione’s flower on his. Whimpering in pleasure, Draco suddenly pulled Hermione back for air. With his cheeks red and lips swollen, Malfoy breathlessly confessed “I’ve never been with anyone before. I’ve been thinking of this moment for so long with you but I want to wait”. Before Hermione could feel rejected, Malfoy explained further, “I want you. Trust me. I want our first time together to be perfect. I heard from Theo and Blaise of other ways we could enjoy ourselves.” The bright witch softly grinned at his romantic side. She replied, “I don’t mind. I’m still a virgin, too. There’s no rush for me either but I do want you now though,” as she left pecks on his lower jaw to his chest.

Unable to control himself, Draco pushed Hermione onto her back as he opened her legs wide. He stripped down his boxers and with Hermione still in her underwear, the blonde settled between her legs. Chest to chest, Malfoy kissed her as he placed his member directly between her folds. With the tip of his cock near her clit, Draco gradually grinded towards Hermione, letting her feel him. Even with the barrier of clothing, the sensation was intense as soft whimpers came from them both. Going in for a kiss, Malfoy sucked on her neck, staying there after hearing more soft moans beneath him.

As he slid his hand up her chest, he fondled her breast, twisting one of her nipples. “Faster,” Hermione whimpered. He sped up thrusting against her faster. She dug her nails into Draco's shoulder before taking his head into her hands and kissed him again. The blonde was lost in his werewolf instinct as the smell of sex clouded his mind. With the layers of clothing between them, Draco could feel his boxers getting wet and warm from his precum. He couldn’t stop himself as he took control. Starting to chase on his own pleasure, the blonde growled feeling the wetness of her cunt on his cock. If it felt this good, he wondered what it would be like to be inside her. Shaking the bed frame, Draco sped up, encouraged by Hermione’s moan until they climaxed together. Hermione hid her face into Draco’s neck as his breathing returned to normal. Malfoy stared right into her eyes before leaning down to kiss her again and laid his head on top of her breast. Bathing in ecstasy, Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco as their eyes felt heavy with sleep.

Christmas morning, the group had woken early. Walking to the common room, Presents appeared under the Christmas tree. Now that it was morning and the light shined through the windows, Hermione took a good glance at the Slytherin house. Very few outsiders, if any, had been here. The Slytherin dorms were a gothic dungeon-like room with emerald lamps and chairs. The three huge windows took up an entire wall of the room, showing the underwater aquatic life just outside. Occasionally a mermaid swam past the windows. The lake gave the room another green tinge and unlike her red common room. The Slytherins had two grand staircases leading to the dorms, one for girls and one for boys. Hermione suspected their house was triple the size of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses.

“No wonder, no one outside of Slytherin is allowed here. If anyone knew how much better their common room was, no one would want to leave,” Hermione thought to herself. She gasped at the sight of a large waterfall between two grand staircases with a mermaid statue in the fountain. “Jealous? We are the best house, after all. It’s only fair, we get the best Hogwarts has to offer,” Draco teased as Hermione rolled her eyes at him. As she playfully slapped Draco’s shoulder, she replied back, “Come on, let’s open some presents”.

The four students quickly opened up their presents. Luna received a heart shaped necklace with a pair of onion earrings from her father. When Hermione opened hers, she saw she was given another Weasley sweater and a CD player from her parents. Her parent’s present came along with a CD booklet from some of her favorite singers. Delighted, Granger hugged the book of CD’s, excited to introduce the gang to some muggle music. Theo and Draco had both gotten a gift from Narcissa. Theo received a sweater with the logo of his favorite quidditch team and a photo of his mother. Narcissa and his mother had been friends back in their Hogwarts years. The boy smiled at the thoughtful gift. He didn’t have many photos of her.

When it was Draco’s turn to open his gifts, he had gotten a family ring. In shock, Draco held it up in disbelief. His fingers trembled as he realized it was the Ancient House of Black family ring with the family crest. The ring was traditionally worn by the male head of household. Choked up, Malfoy studied the ring, never letting go as his eyes welled up. He may have been banished from the Malfoy family but he still had his mother’s side, Draco realized. “What is it, Draco,” Theo cautiously asked. Theo had never seen that ring around the Malfoy Manor. He assumed it must be special if it came from the vaults.

“It’s the house of black family ring. It used to belong to my uncle. When he was still alive, my mother adored him, he was everything to my mother, ” Draco explained as he went on, “You know, my middle name was supposed to be Regulus, but of course my father was against it. He wanted his name to be mine and so I was named Draco Lucius Malfoy, instead. From what my father told me, my mother was broken after my uncle’s death. For so long, she refused anyone from touching Regulus’ ring but she gifted it to me”. The three remained silent as they knew what the ring really meant for Draco. It was a reminder he would always be a Black. He didn’t become worthless after he had been disinherited by his father. After his father removed him from the family, the Malfoy family ring’s magic rejected him, burning the finger it was on. Draco was forced to remove it soon after he was bitten. It was more salt to his wounds. As Hermione hugged his torso, Draco wore the ring in the spot where his Malfoy ring had once been. The Black ring did not burn his hand.

~

“Let’s walk the girls to their dorms. We can’t have these beautiful ladies walking alone in the castle. I’ll walk Luna! Draco, you walk Hermione,” Theo shouted, wanting to spend more time with Luna alone. As Draco walked Hermione to the Gryffindor entrance in peaceful silence, the blonde carried her bag while she carried Crookshanks in her arms. They took the long route to the dorms. The two walked slowly wanting to stretch their time together. It wasn’t as if they wouldn’t see each other at breakfast but they wanted to prolong this moment. After their sleepover, things felt different for them. It was as if everything clicked whenever they were together. The pair felt the seriousness of how they felt about each other despite the future ahead of them being full of uncertainty. After tonight, Draco and Hermione both knew internally things would never go back to the way they were before. As they arrived at the Gryffindor entrance, Hermione pecked Draco’s cheeks goodbye, causing the blond to blush.

Chapter Text

Sitting in the living room in a circle, Remus, Bill, Arthur Weasley listened in as Harry updated them on the recent happenings at Hogwarts. The rest of the Weasley family were in the kitchen, preparing for Christmas Eve’s dinner. The sound of dishes crashing and food cooking could be heard from where they sat. Molly had invited Harry and Hermione over for Christmas break but to her disappointment, Hermione had decided to stay at school. No one thought much about it because Hermione staying to study did not seem out of the norm for the girl.

After hearing this, Arthur had decided to invite Bill and his girlfriend, Fleur Delacour, since there was extra room at the Burrow. The head Weasley thought it would be a splendid idea to invite the witch, as Bill had intentions of popping the question to Fleur very soon. The two love birds, although haven't dated long, were quite serious about each other. Arthur wanted to meet his future daughter-in-law. Remus came for a visit after much insistence on Molly’s part. Unable to deny her, Remus humored the women and her antics of trying to set him up with uncomfortably young witches. Although he preferred a wizard’s company, Remus saw no harm in listening to Molly, who spent much of her days alone doing house duties. Perhaps, Molly, who was always surrounded by her children, wanted to engage in adult conversations outside her family. The war of their generation took far too many of their loved ones for both of them. Remus recognized the loneliness as he was quite familiar with this feeling, too.

“And why do you think that?,” asked Remus with doubt as he turned to Harry. The boy was so much like James for better or for worse, Lupin thought. “Malfoy is a Death Eater. I just know it. The snake was given a mission by Voldemort and Professor Snape is somehow involved. He made an unbreakable vow for Malfoy. I overheard them talking. Malfoy word for word said, ‘you did this to me’. What else could it mean? I saw Snape pick up Malfoy and push him against the wall in a chokehold. Are you really suggesting I misunderstood? I’m telling you, Malfoy is a Death Eater. The whole school knows it,” Harry stressed to the adults in the meeting.

The werewolf took a deep sigh as he peered over at Arthur and Bill in defeat. The two Weasleys gave each other a quick look before politely nodding at Harry. Remus knew he would have to let two more adults into the secret to clear Draco’s name. He couldn’t have two members of the Order genuinely believe Malfoy, a supposed Death Eater, was a danger to those around him. The Malfoy boy was not like his family. They needed to know Draco was different. He had changed. What made Remus feel slightly better about the difficult situation was that Bill and Arthur were obligated to keep Malfoy’s secret as this was official business for the Order of the Phoenix.

This would also give Draco two more adults on his side. What Remus did not like was Snape's part in it. From what Harry just said, Snape was involved somehow in Draco’s transformation to a werewolf and he had inappropriately put a hand on a student. Keeping his temper under control, Lupin would never stand by to watch any student be harmed. Snape would be hearing from him very soon, but right now he had to find a way to fan out the hatred steaming from Harry before he went back to school. The last thing Harry needed was to be told he was half right. The werewolf could very well see Harry go back to confront Draco.

Remus peered back at Harry with a straight face, asking, “Have you considered Professor Snape was trying to give Draco an exit so he can find out what you know who is up too? Snape is working for Dumbledore and to question him is to question Dumbledore's judgment”.

Frustrated, Harry grabbed his pants, wrinkling it before leaning forward to the group, “That’s not what it sounded like. Draco is a Death Eater and Snape put in a good word for him. It’s the only explanation to what I heard”. With a pensive expression, Bill spoke up this time, “Maybe Harry is right, Remus. I mean to make an Unbreakable Vow…” fully wanting to believe Ron’s friend, but something wasn’t right from Remus’ reaction.

The werewolf stepped in to stop Bill from finishing that sentence by putting a hand up to signal him to stay quiet. Remus gave an apologetic look as he stopped Bill from speaking further. He did not want to give Harry any more ideas. He had to find a way to end this conversation quickly to speak privately with Bill and Arthur. Remus did the one thing to stop it once and for all. It pained his heart to lecture the boy and raise his voice, but he saw now how having no consistent parental guidance had affected Harry. Truly all the adults including himself had failed the boy and would continue to do so as Jame’s son was nothing more than a chess piece in Dumbledore's clutches. There was nothing Lupin could do to take Harry away as long as Dumbledore was around. Harry had so much hatred towards Malfoy and the Slytherin house, the werewolf thought to himself.

“You said it yourself. Dumbledore can make mistakes. You have to listen to me!,” Harry pleaded again as he sat back in annoyance. Remus thought back to his days as a young boy at Hogwarts. He fully understood McGongall’s pain when the witch had to constantly reprimand the Marauder's, now that he had to deal with James’ reincarnation that would not listen to any reason. The werewolf gained an appreciation for his past Head of House now colleague. How she hadn’t lost her mind in all her years of teaching was a mystery to Lupin. Remus yelled at Harry like never before, “I am listening to you but I also know you are blinded by hatred! You are determined to hate Draco! I understand where you are coming from. Perhaps it is mine and Sirius’ fault you have so much prejudice towards anyone who doesn’t align with your beliefs or morals. With James as your father, and Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice to those who grew up differently and refuse to analyze why some people might see what they see''.

Remus paused before pointing his finger at Harry, demanding the young boy to look at him as he went on, “Look, people are disappearing daily, Harry. Tonks and Charlie are away on a secret mission in Romania. Dumbledore is away from Hogwarts more than he’s there. You know who is on the horizon. The last thing we need right now is to fight among ourselves and invite distrust. There are only a handful of people we can rely on. If we lose trust within the Order, we are doomed”. Taking a deep breath, Remus grew frustrated as he saw Harry try to interject. Giving the boy a serious look, he fought back, “Please excuse yourself and go help Molly with dinner. I need to speak to the adults. And before you say a word, NO, IT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING. This is a different personal matter of mine that I need to speak to them about!”.

Closing his eyes in guilt, Remus ran his hands through his hair. He hoped James and Lily would forgive him for yelling at their son. Dealing with teenagers was so difficult, he thought. It was an age where teens needed guidance the most, but refused help from those closest to them. It was almost as if he was watching most of his students walk into a fire with no concern for their safety, just to spite the paternal figures in their lives. Remus felt he had aged 10 years in the few months he had started teaching again. Bill and Arthur stayed silent as they took notice of the lecturing towards Harry. In the years they have gotten to know the werewolf, it certainly took a lot to have Remus lose his temper. The man was generally an easy-going and gentle person. For all this to unfold how it did, whatever Lupin wanted to privately speak to them both about must have been important.

Stunned, Harry was speechless before he finally stood up to leave. As he walked out of the room, Harry glanced back with a hurt expression on his face. He hadn’t expected that from Remus. The three adults waited for Harry to go before speaking again and adding a silencio spell in their circle. Exhausted, Remus groaned as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees to cover his face with both hands. He took a moment to himself, collecting his thoughts and how much he was going to share. “Is this really another issue we need to address or is it about Harry’s accusation about the Malfoy boy?,” Arthur carefully asked as he peered at the door to ensure their conversation was not seen by any of the children in the house.

“No, this is about what Harry said. He’s half right but also very wrong. I had to steer the boy away from his dangerous ideas while also protecting Draco. I just hope Harry can forgive me for yelling at him,” Remus commented, still covering his eyes. “Protect Draco? Must be serious if you're yelling at Harry for a Malfoy. Just how wrong is Harry? There's two confirmed Death Eaters in that family. Three if you count the rumored one, Bellatrix, Lucius, and Regulus. Not to mention the Lestrange brothers,” Bill curiously asked. How Draco hadn’t become a death eater was a miracle to Bill.

“Oh, believe me, Harry’s very wrong,” Remus said, finally looking up. The two Weasleys glanced at each other before Arthur asked, “Before you tell us, who else knows?,” sensing how serious the situation was from Lupin’s demeanor. Remus, still paranoid, stood up and checked the room for any of the Weasley twin’s spying inventions. The professor was very familiar with their products as he constantly confiscated them throughout the school year from students. Reassured the room was secured, the werewolf locked the door leading to the kitchen and dining table for extra measure. Bill and Arthur peered at Remus, even more worried than before. “What could this be about?,” they thought to themselves.

As Remus sat back down, he leaned forward with his elbows sitting on his knees. With a voice no higher than a whisper, the werewolf spoke, “You must give me your word right now. Arthur, you absolutely cannot and I mean it, not tell Molly. And you, Bill, must tell no one. Not a single soul. The only people that know what I’m about to inform you and they only know half of it are Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Poppy Pomfrey. There’s information I'm withholding from the headmaster that I haven’t told anyone about”.

“Why not? You just told Harry that we shouldn’t start fighting among ourselves. Should we not trust Dumbledore?”. Arthur replied, even more intrigued by how highly sensitive this conversation was.

Remus took another deep breath before he finally let out everything he had held in his heart until now. The werewolf raged, “No. He has too many secrets for my liking. I don’t think he has the students of Hogwarts' best interest at heart. He’s put Harry in an abusive home that none of us can take him out of. Ginny almost died her first year. Danger finds Ron every single year. Cedric died during the games. Did he really have no power to cancel the games when Harry’s name was called? The most powerful wizard of our time had no say? The games were being rigged the entire time, yet no one did anything. All of our friends and family died during the first war. We were only children, yet we were recruited to fight when we were students. Sirius spent years in Azkaban when Dumbledore had the power to demand a trial. I’ve spent the past two years exiled from the wizarding world when he had the power to bring me back this entire time? I see him playing with our children’s lives like he did to our generation. And now Draco is caught in the middle of that man’s manipulation. I have not proven it yet, but I can feel it in my bones”.

Arthur, hearing this, rubbed his forehead from the stress. Although he hated to admit it, Remus was right. As a father, Arthur had been worried sick, waiting to see what Ron would find himself in this school year. It had been too quiet for his liking. These past few months the headmaster had appeared sick to him. “Did he still have the strength to keep their children safe?” Arthur wondered. He couldn’t help but think since Dumbledore kept them all at arm’s length. Too many accidents happened under his watch for the head Weasley to ignore. Either the man was ignorant or it had all been intentional. Dumbledore was not a stupid man. Perhaps it was better not to put their full trust in Dumbledore until they knew what was going on. Nodding his head in agreement, the Weasleys’ gave their word and waited for the information as they watched Remus walk back and forth for a second before the werewolf sat down again.

Lupin collected his words before he was ready to speak again. “Draco’s not a death eater. I know because he told me himself. In fact, Harry couldn’t be more wrong. Draco is… a werewolf like me. I hadn’t known until I arrived the first day. I accepted the position under the assumption that Dumbledore needed a professor, but I knew there was more. He still has never told me formally about the boy’s new condition. I had to find out during class when I was teaching the Malfoy boy. I sensed it. When I went to Malfoy, he informed me that he hadn’t had a meeting with any teacher at all nor was there any plan in place of how he would spend his full moons. I’ve taken him under my wing. So no, I don’t trust that man, but he’s safer to be around as long as you know who is alive”.

Remus dropped the bombshell, knowing this wasn’t the chaos the pair thought that awaited them both. The two Weasleys instantly gasped, too shunned to speak. Why hadn’t this been reported to the Ministry? An investigation should have taken place to see if anyone else was at risk of getting attacked and to arrest whoever bit Malfoy. Remus spoke again once they both settled, “And that’s not all. The boy got turned over during the summer. It was the price the Malfoy family had to pay for Lucius' failure to retrieve the prophecy. You know who didn’t see them worthy of getting another Death Eater in their family, so he turned Draco into a werewolf, but that’s not what’s horrifying. The mad man hosted a meeting at the Malfoy Manor with Pureblood families from all over Europe. They all watched as Greyback bit the boy in front of an audience as if they were watching a game. It was a ‘wizard’s duel’ but they took Draco’s wand, leaving him defenseless”.

Remus pinched his nose at the complexity of the issue. Now that he finally told someone, he realized they've entered dark times. The war wasn’t coming. It was here and they have failed to prepare for it. Lupin continued on, “What makes Harry right is Draco is working on a mission. I’ve seen the boy go into the Room of Requirements myself. I’ve known for some time, but I just earned Draco’s trust, so I don’t want to push it. We’ve formed a pack together on the full moon. If he didn’t trust me, our werewolves wouldn’t have bonded. I just need more time to find out what the mission is directly from Draco. He will tell me. I feel it”.

Arthur and Bill went white as ghosts. In fact, Bill was so upset at this newfound information that he stood up to look at the window to catch his breath, staring at nothingness. In anger, Arthur, a father of 7 children, broke the table in half before repairing the table with a reparo spell. Collecting himself, Arthur cursed, “That son of a bitch! You know who not only ruined an innocent boy’s life but nearly killed him for his father’s sin”. In disbelief, Arthur never thought a day would come when he would feel sympathy for a Malfoy. Their families have been at odds for decades but with this news, the head Weasley wanted nothing more than to swoop in and save the Malfoy boy for he was nothing more than a child who needed protection. Help him like he would hope someone would do for his own son. Remus interrupted his thoughts, “You know who is forcing Draco to do a task, but this needs to stay between us until I find out what it is. I don’t want this getting out and having the wrong people get involved. This is a delicate situation and I fear for Malfoy’s safety”.

“Can we trust Dumbledore not to put Draco Malfoy in harm’s way? That is a question we need to ask ourselves…. But you have our word. My boy and I won’t tell anyone”.

“Thank you. When it’s safer, I promise to inform you once I find out. I also have in mind to try and convince the Order to protect Draco and his mother, but seeing that their family has a long history on the opposite side of the war, I’m afraid of the push back,” Remus answered in a tired tone. The years of trying to survive was taking its hold on him but he couldn’t rest just yet. He had the children to think of. “You have our backing, mine and Bill’s. I know half the Order will side with you. Draco’s just a boy and he shouldn’t be criminalized for his family's actions. And with due time and with this insight, the Order will want to help”. Arthur peered at Bill to see what he was doing.

Bill was still looking out the window with a tense expression on his face. Still listening, Bill replied, “Yes, you have my support, Remus, but you and father both fail to see something very important. You know who had an entire meeting with the most influential Purebloods across Europe but we heard nothing of it. Nothing at the Ministry. That shows much support you know who really has and the fear he has instilled. He was mad enough to nearly kill Draco in front of everyone as if it was nothing. Not to mention, every single day when someone goes missing, there’s no trace of them at all. We don’t even have bodies to count them dead. They disappear out of thin air like they never existed. This war… won’t be anything like the first. I’m afraid you just confirmed our deepest fears that this one will be nothing like we have seen before”. Bill finally stepped away from the window, sitting back down before adding, “One thing to keep in mind is what did Draco mean when he said ‘You did this to me?’. I hate to ask this but can we fully trust Snape?”.

Leaning back, Remus glanced away, biting his lips as he admitted, “I don’t know… but Dumbledore trusts him. My werewolf instincts tell me he was involved in Draco’s transformation, though. I don’t want to assume the worst, but if it’s what I think it is, I won’t fail to put that man in his place. For now, we should have faith in Dumbledore's trust in Snape”.

Chapter Text

With everyone back at Hogwarts after the holidays, Draco had mentally prepared himself to be away from Hermione and go back to being ostracized by his house. The blond hadn’t known how lonely he was until he had to go back to keeping his distance with his classmates. Classes would continue and the days of the two lovebirds spending the entire day together would cease. It should have been just another school day for Draco, but he sensed something was different.

The Slytherin house had been acting strange when he went to the common room in search of his friends. Not finding them, Draco left, not wanting to subject himself through all the stares or whispers. It seemed as if his time had run out with his housemates. Malfoy knew this would happen eventually, but he had hoped he would have more time with this false sense of belonging. He did not want it to be widely known by all of Hogwarts that his house had been barely tolerating him. The Slytherin house before had projected a united front against the three other houses, but that atmosphere felt broken. The former Slytherin prince feared his housemates would publicly avoid him or be cold. He was the face of Slytherin. If Draco was no longer accepted by them, then what was he? What had changed between before or after Christmas break?

Carefully, Draco walked towards the Great Hall, hoping to meet with Theo and Blaise. With every step closer to the hall, Malfoy felt a sense of danger growing from his werewolf instincts as his heart rate beat rapidly. Once at the entrance of the Great Hall, a wall of noise smacked in the face with how rowdy the hall was. All eyes from every table were on him. Despite wanting to turn around, Draco continued forward. He would not give anyone the pleasure of running a Malfoy out of the great hall. But still wanting to scurry away, Draco kept his head down.

Quickly finding Theo and Blaise, the blond rushed to them, hoping to escape whatever was happening. “What the fuck is everyone staring at me for?,” he asked his friends in a hushed tone. By the expression of sympathy and hesitation on their faces, he knew it was not good. Speechless, Theo slowly looked at Draco, at a loss of what to do. This scared Draco. For Theo, the loudest of the three of them, to be this quiet meant something was terribly wrong. Blaise took control of the conversation, leaned forward, whispering, “Control your expression for what I’m about to show you. Don’t let them see you react,” shaking Draco to his very core. Just how bad was it for Blaise to take the lead for their group? Waiting, Blaise did not continue until Malfoy was forced to calm down and nodded slightly. Certain that Malfoy’s indifferent expression was a strong fortress, Blaise unfolded today’s newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Sliding it over to his friend, Blaise reminded the blond, “Don’t play into their games”.

DRACO MALFOY DISINHERITED AS LUCIUS MALFOY DISOWNS HIS SON

What a scandalous day for our Wizarding community! We are witnessing the beginning of the end of another great Pureblood lineage within our lifetime. The Malfoys will fall as the only heir as been exiled from this historic family.

A deep investigation was done after receiving a tip from a close source to the Malfoy family. The Daily Prophet has accessed secret documents from Gringotts, that states Lucius Malfoy has legally disinherited his only son. The highly classified documents do not provide a reason for the disownment, but word through the grapevine is that the young Draco Malfoy has fallen for a muggleborn.

Eyewitness accounts from Hogwarts say that Malfoy spends much of his time with this mysterious girl who is currently pregnant with his love child, a half blood. It is unclear when this love affair started, but sources reveal that the two lovers are quite serious.

Unwilling to part from her, Draco was banned from returning home for Christmas. After their shotgun wedding during Christmas, Lucius Malfoy could no longer tolerate his son’s actions and has officially removed his son from the family’s registry. What has caused Britain’s most elite pureblood bachelor to throw his life away? Will Draco Malfoy end up in Azkaban like his father or will he do the unthinkable and live among the muggles? What do we call him now that he is no longer a Malfoy?

Only time will tell, but it seems the boy has already gotten himself into trouble at school this year. The former heir had been caught in a very revealing and intimate position with his lover. We have gotten good word from the same source that Draco is also failing out of all classes and not attending his courses, choosing to be with his new pregnant wife. Despite his questionable life decisions he has made, we sincerely congratulate the boy in finding love in these dark times of war.

By yours truly,
Rita Skeeter

His hands shook the newspaper slightly as he read the article. The blond made front page news. Controlling his expression, it finally made all sense to Draco. The Slytherins had tolerated the blond as a werewolf, thinking he still had wealth and power like them. But with his family issues made public information, the Slytherin would not tolerate him any longer and allow an outsider of the sacred 28 to associate with them at all. Draco peered up in a daze, unsure of what his next step would be. Blaise led Theo and Draco once again, “I know who this ‘close source’ is. And there’s nothing you or Theo can say to stop me. I refuse to let this go again. I’ll have their heads on stakes. Squish them like the cockroaches they are before they give us more trouble. Torture them until they beg me to write their names in my black book. That’s how much I will hurt them”. Angered, Blaise stared at Draco with a renewed sense of revenge. Slowly turning his body to the culprits, the snake shot daggers with his eyes at Crabbe and Goyle. Unafraid of the consequences, Blaise cracked his knuckles as Draco whispered, “I wasn’t going to stop you. Make them pay for me”.

The three snakes smiled once again, excited for the possibility of revenge, until the unprepared Silver Trio saw Crabbe and Goyle head straight towards them. “Look at what we have here. It’s the mudblood fucker. Such a shame that you tarnished your bloodline. You didn’t think we were going to allow your traitorous kind to remain with the Slytherin house, did you?,” Crabbe snickered as Draco kept his eyes down. He hated the looks they were getting. “Please make this stop,” Malfoy begged to himself. Crabbe continued, as he showed his crooked teeth through his laugh, “You're just a filthy dog who loves to roll around in dirty blood. I hope you can understand we did what we had to do to protect the reputation of our house. It was just business”. Crabbe raised his hand to shake Draco’s hand as he still taunted the former friend, “Say how it is putting your cock in the mudblood? Do tell us”.

At the mention of Hermione, Draco glared at the duo. He would not allow them to refer to her in that way. It took all his self control not to use the Crusiatus curse on them. There were too many witnesses in the Great Hall. Crabbe and Goyle have lost it, letting their egos fill their empty heads, Draco thought to himself. As Crabbe’s hand was still out for a handshake, the blond slapped the chubby hand away from him. He wasn’t frightened of them. They were nothing more than sheeps to him.

Before he could give a piece of his mind to Crabbe, the hairs on the back of his head stood as he reacted too late to Goyle, slamming his face to the dining table. Malfoy covered his nose as it bled out. With the loud bang echoing in the room, everyone peered at the scene, including the Slytherins, who chose not to get involved. “Stand up! You're not welcome to sit at the Slytherin table. We won’t let your traitorous kind ruin our house name. Go on, crawl away like the injured dog you are,” Goyle whispered harshly to Draco’s bloodied face. Standing behind Goyle, Crabbe howled into the air like a bloodhound mocking Draco.

Having enough of it, Theo stood up to defend Draco as he pushed Goyle away from them. The brown-haired boy grabbed a butter knife with full intentions of stabbing the fat boy, except Blaise stopped him. With a cold stare, Blaise walked up to their former friends, causing all to stop. Using this chance to get away, Malfoy ran away to the one place no one would find him still overwhelmed by all the eyes on them all. Blaise whispered in their ears for them to hear only, “Count your days, piglets. I’ll slaughter you both like the pigs you are and hang you up from your feet. You’ll bleed out. It will happen when you least expect it, so that every time you see me, you can be afraid, only for me to let you go. I’ll trick you both into thinking you are free before deciding to hunt you down. It won’t be a quick kill. That's far too much mercy for you. Best part, I will get away with it”. Theo snickered at Crabbe and Goyle, for he knew Blaise kept his promises. Standing to the side, Theo allowed McGonagall through so she could address the violence as Crabbe and Goyle stood in silence. Both parties refused to stand down as they glared at each other.

~

After running away to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, Malfoy found himself on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs. Crying once more as if it was the first day of Hogwarts, the blond wept out loud, not caring people could hear him. Myrtle came out of her stall knowing who those cries belonged to as she often comforted the boy in the past year. Not saying a word to him, the ghost girl only kept him company as he leaned closer to her unconsciously. Myrtle more than anyone understood what it was like to be laughed at by the student body and be the outsider, never belonging anywhere. She put a ghostly hand on Draco’s shoulders to help the boy steady his breath. On the verge of having another panic attack, the Slytherin’s breath kept getting unstable. Hearing the door open, Myrtle warned Malfoy before going back to her stall, “Draco, someone’s coming”.

~

The Golden Trio witnessed what had happened at the Great Hall just as everyone else did. While Ron and Harry were snickering, overjoyed at the downfall of the former Slytherin prince that was on full display for public consumption. Her hands shook in anger as Hermione sat down in an attempt to ignore the words that were being said about Draco. The bright witch was disappointed in her friend's reaction to the newspaper, laughing at the expense of one of their classmates. She saw them as the two read, with a large grin, the article of Draco’s disinheritance.

If only Harry and Ron really knew Draco's truth, they would not be mocking the Slytherin, she thought to herself. Hermione glanced over to the boys, making up her mind. She couldn’t let this go again. Needing to put her foot down once and for all, Hermione wanted the boys to grow up and see this was not a laughing matter. Draco had been right all those months ago. She was mothering them and as long as she stayed by their side, Harry and Ron would always be emotionally stunted. By holding their hands all these years through all their struggles, Hermione was doing a disservice to them. In some ways, she was holding them back from their reliance on her.

It was the most difficult decision she had to make, but Hermione knew in her heart it would help Harry and Ron mature in the long run. In time, her friends would understand why she was doing this. “Quit it, you two! Wipe those smiles off your face. This is awful. Malfoy is being bullied and kicked out of his own house”. Ron wiped the tears with his sleeves from laughing too hard. Weasley replied for both of them, not sensing the seriousness in Hermione's voice. He still thought this was all a joke. “It’s all in good fun. The prick deserves it. After all these years of him tormenting us, Malfoy is finally getting a taste of his own medicine. Settle down and enjoy the view. Come on, Hermione or should I say Mrs. Malfoy?,” he teased Hermione. Harry nodded in agreement as he chuckled, “Don’t you mean Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Ron? Draco is so poor now he doesn’t even have the Malfoy name anymore”. The two fell into a fit of giggles as they continued to root for Crabbe and Goyle.

Stunned at Harry’s and Ron’s cruelty, Hermione stared at them both, almost wishing they did not just say that to her. “The only bullies I see are you and Harry, right now. How can you laugh at someone’s suffering? Your mothers, Molly and Lily, would be so disappointed in you two. You're so blind to what’s really happening around us. And I can’t even correct you because I know you won’t listen to me,” Hermione hissed as tears began to well up in her eyes as she finally cut the ties of their friendship, “Don’t think for one moment that I have forgiven you, Ron, for indirectly calling me a mudblood. You both think you're nothing like the old Draco we once knew, but you're just as the same as that old version of Malfoy. At least Draco knew he was a bad person and never pretended to be good, unlike you two! Consider this the end of our friendship”.

Leaving Harry and Ron in shock, Hermione walked away from her former friends in search of Draco. She had to do this, Hermione told herself. It was for their own good to get it through their thick skulls. Finally, for the first time all year, Harry was understanding that their friendship dynamic was shifting, but what had changed? Zeroing in on Malfoy’s empty seat, Harry came to the wrong conclusion. Harry was certain that Malfoy was dangerous and had to be stopped. The blond was influencing Hermione too much. She wasn’t herself anymore. This was all wrong. It had always been the three of them. Ron sat in silence, his mood ruined. Deep down, he knew Hermione was serious and wasn’t coming back until they changed. What was he supposed to see, Ron questioned himself?

Once out of the Great Hall, Hermione pulled out the Marauder’s Map to find Draco. He was in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Running down the halls to find him, she sensed he was in trouble. Hermione needed to go to him quickly before anyone else did. As she arrived at the bathroom, the bright witch heard the sounds of weeping. Tip-toeing across the tile floor, Hermione did not want to startle the boy. Still deciding how she should approach the situation, Hermione made it halfway when Draco spoke up. He already knew she was here.

“How did you keep finding me?,” Draco whispered, knowing she would not answer. The boy was curious how the Golden Girl kept finding him. No matter how much he hid before, she would always show up, eventually. Now it was expected, and Malfoy looked forward to it when she came without fail. It had become an unsaid game of hide and seek in the castle between them. Draco would try to find the most obscure dark places and count how long it would take for Hermione to find him.

The Golden Girl smiled softly as she walked towards the stall Draco was in, “Lucky guess”. She bent down to wrap her arms around Draco, letting the boy rest his head on her chest. The two stayed quiet so that Draco could hear her heartbeat. As she soothed his back with one hand softy, the other hand scratched his blond hair back. Hermione held him as he cried into her chest. Feeling safe to show his emotions, Draco focused on how her fingers repeatedly caressed his hair.

Finally calming down from the panic attack that had failed to bubble up, Malfoy was enjoying this sensation. He closed his eyes in pleasure as he leaned his head back, showing Hermione how much he enjoyed it. With his mouth open, the blond failed to notice he was growing softly in her presence. Lost in her essence, the Slytherin was smelling her, unable to control himself. He grabbed both of Hermione’s hands, locking her down to the floor, fully prepared to lick her all over.

Submitting to his inner wolf and wanting relief from his sadness, Malfoy licked her ears as he nibbled on to her earlobes. Hermione had always been his sunshine. Wanting to bask in the sun, he sucked on her neck before kissing her lips. As he slid his tongue into her mouth, Hermione could taste Draco. Moaning, the two leaned closer to each other, closing any space between them. Although they needed to discuss what happened in the great hall, both needed each other more. The two lovers needed the safety they found in the other as Hermione was upset over the loss of her friendship while Draco had reached a boiling point in his isolation from his house.

Finding comfort in each other’s arms, Malfoy and Hermione’s bodies clinged to each other in desperation. Draco continued to get drunk on Hermione’s scent as he sucked on her neck as his hands found themselves traveling up and under her skirt. Both falling to the floor and with Draco on top, Hermione melted in his arms. Stuck in her own pleasure, when Malfoy pulled away for a moment, it confused her. She whimpered at the loss of his mouth on her skin until out of instinct, Draco bit down hard into her neck. The Slytherin growled, thrusting slightly between her open legs as he finally claimed Hermione as his own. He bit down hard as Hermione cried out from the flood of ecstasy entering her body. Making her bleed, Draco did not hear Hermione weeping as he continued to sink his sharp teeth into her, drinking some of her blood. “Mine,” he growled into her ears, still lost in the comforting sensation.

As the fog lifted, Hermione stared back at him, realizing the meaning of the bite mark. She wrapped her arms around her Draco, bringing the boy closer to her. Back in 4th year Hermione read everything there was to know about werewolves, after learning about Lupin. Draco Malfoy just claimed Hermione as his own, warning any other werewolves in the area not to touch or harm her. She had become his and only his. Touch her and be killed. Wrapping her legs around his hips, Hermione allowed Draco to pursue his pleasure. Without thinking, she whispered into his ears, “Draco, I know what you are. And I don’t care. You’re still Draco to me. I love—” but before she could finish her sentence, the blond snapped back from his daze.

In a panic, Malfoy sat back as he eyed her bloody neck. Seeing she had been hurt, the Slytherin was enraged at what he had done. Had he just ruined her life? Hermione was destined for greatness. She couldn’t achieve half the things she would with him by his side or with a curse. Pulling his hair, Draco screamed at the thought of her turning into a werewolf like him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The blonde was no better than Greyback, he thought as he continued to cry. As Hermione reached to comfort him, Draco stood up, almost tripping to get away from Gryffindor. “I’ve ruined you… ” the blond whispered out loud to no one in particular.

“Draco, It’s oka—” she began, but his fury took over as he punched a hole in the stall door. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence! None of this is alright! Don’t you see? If you love me, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought. I’m a burden! I’m a monster! A creature! I’m not even human anymore! Can you come to love a fucking werewolf, Hermione?” Malfoy spat as he backed away from her. Draco’s back touched the wall of the bathroom. It looked as if it horrified him to be in the same room as her.

Clenching her vest, Hermione with tears streaming down her face, whispered in a shaky voice, “It doesn't matter to me. I still love all of you. You’re still Draco Malfoy, not the monster you think you are”. Pacing back and forth, the blond stopped at Hermione’s words. Why wasn’t Granger taking him seriously? He’s just confessed he was a werewolf, yet it felt like Hermione’s reassurance was making his curse seem like nothing when it was severe. His whole life had changed. By law, Draco was not even considered human anymore. He had lost everything, yet all Hermione could say was that it doesn’t matter to her? Being romantically involved with a werewolf should bother her. Unable to understand how she could see past his curse, Draco hissed, “Lies! How can you love someone who's called you a mudblood in the past? I’ve never formally apologized. How can you stand to look at me? I’m nothing now!,” saying everything he had been holding in until now.

Hermione’s heart broke, hearing for the first time what Draco thought of himself. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him, but she saw that the blond needed space. He was more than what he thought he was. Malfoy was a good person to Hermione. Hugging herself, the Golden Girl replied, “Oh Draco… I don’t need an apology. I can see you’ve changed. That’s what really matters to me,” knowing there was a chance Malfoy would not believe her genuine words of comfort. Draco, red faced, yelled as a vein popped out on the side of his neck, “I’m not your project to fix! There’s no cure for lycanthropy! You go around always putting others before yourself. You're doing it again. For once in your life Hermione, do what you want to do, not others expect from you to be. Be selfish! Step on others with no remorse. Go forward and never look back! Leave me behind! I’m not a replacement for Harry or Ron. I’m not yours to save”.

Whispering, Hermione cried out, “What if you're the one that I want? Why is it hard to believe that someone can love you?”, sensing how final this felt.

Turning his back on her, Draco refused to look at her. The images of her bloodied neck flashed in his mind, tormenting him. “Nothing good will come from staying with me. You deserve more than what I can give you. I have no title or penny to my name. My rights as a private citizen will be taken once the ministry finds out my secret... They’ll add me to the list of magical creatures. I have nothing to provide a good life for you. I am a cursed man, Hermione, and… I will only bring you misery. It’s over between us. This should have never started in the first place”. Hermione froze, thinking in a panic of what she could say to ease his mind. How could she prove that she didn’t care for a luxurious life? Being with him was all she wanted.

Hearing no footsteps leaving, Draco shouted, “LEAVE! I’VE ALWAYS HATED YOU! I WAS JUST FUCKING AROUND WITH YOU CAUSE I WAS BORED. WHAT WE HAD WAS NEVER REAL!”. He punched the stone wall, cracking the wall apart. If Draco needed to break her heart to save her from himself, he would do it. She couldn’t be with him. Hermione deserved more. Determined, Hermione refused to leave and tried to walk closer. Before she could take a step, Malfoy shouted once more, “LEAVE! I JUST RUINED YOUR LIFE! NOTHING GOOD WILL COME FROM THIS!”.

Upset and sobbing, the Golden Girl saw she wouldn't get through to Draco this time and walked away. This wasn’t going to discourage Hermione, though. No, if anything it made her want to fight more for him. Draco was what she wanted. The Golden Girl would do what he wanted her to, follow his advice and be selfish . Hermione would make him hers. Nothing else mattered in her life if Draco wasn’t in it. Fuck her academics, fuck her suffocating good girl image that was forced upon her and fuck anyone who disapproved of their relationship. Draco was her future. Granger was fully willing to leave everyone behind without hesitation. All for her werewolf and for their future together. She wanted to protect him with all her strength and also prove him wrong. As Hermione walked to Professor Remus’s office, she held onto her bleeding neck. Lupin was the only professor who would heal her wound without asking questions.

As the dust settled, Draco slid down against the wall, sitting on the tile floor. Heartbroken, Draco kept repeating in his mind, “this was for the best”. He needed to believe this lie until it became his truth. In a fetal position, Malfoy hid his face between his legs as he reminisced of their moments together from the last few months. Moments that would become a distant memory. Hermione gave him enough fulfillment and happiness to last his entire lifetime. In time, Hermione would see he had been right, for no one could truly love a werewolf. Myrtle once more came out in the open. Sitting down with the boy, the ghost said nothing. Together they sat in sadness, drowning in it until he felt nothing. With all his tears dried out, Draco peered at Myrtle as she comforted him, “You should really read up about your condition. Hermione will be fine. She’s still human. It was not the full moon when you bit her. In fact, she might be the safest person in the castle at the moment”.

~

Hermione wept in Remus' office as she waited for him to arrive. He had heard from the other professors what had happened at the Great Hall. When Lupin went to search for Malfoy, he was stopped from the sight of Hermione bleeding from her neck. That’s how he found himself here, trying to mend a broken heart. Unfortunately no spell could heal the injury. It wasn’t an ordinary werewolf bite, but a mating mark. These bites were impossible to heal with magic, as it was a sign of territorial boundaries against other werewolves. It was to warn potential enemies to back off. Whoever the mark was on, it meant they were their werewolf’s chosen mate. If anything were to happen to that individual, violence would surely arise.

In his years as a werewolf, Remus saw what happened to other werewolves when they didn’t respect the mark. If he wasn’t in a pack with Draco, Remus would have hesitated to address Hermione’s injury. The only thing the professor could do for Hermione was disinfect it and wrap up the wound. Silence filled the air as they both knew where she had gotten bitten from. As he noticed the girl hadn’t calmed down, Remus gained the courage to ask, “Why do you weep? Did he hurt you?”.

Shaking her head no furiously, Hermione wasn’t sure why she was crying. It was a mixture of the pain but it was more than that. She was an emotional wreck. Sniffling, Hermione reached out for a tissue to wipe her tears as she confessed, “I’m crying because… Draco broke up with me. Well.. not really. We weren’t really together, but he doesn’t want to see me anymore”. As Granger finally said these words out loud, another wave of tears were released. Lupin kneeled down, giving Hermione a side hug as a way to offer his comfort for the heartbroken girl. He knew nothing he said would make it feel better. Only time could ever heal such wounds. And even then, like himself, some only learned to live with the grief of the end of such a precious relationship.

The Golden Girl blinked away her tears as she explained further, “It feels like we took a step forward, only to take two steps back. Draco thinks he’s a danger to me. That he’ll only bring misfortune, but why can’t he see what I see? It hurts because he’s set up to fail, to feel that he’s less than and I can’t do anything about it. How do we protect him from the entire school, from the ministry, or from his own family from hurting him? The article will have repercussions for Draco. You know who will read it. How will we protect him from Voldemort? I know somehow he’s at fault for why Draco is a werewolf. Malfoy hasn’t told me that, but all points lead to you know who… I’m afraid for him,”

Remus loathed that his students, who he had come to see as his own, were in the same position he had been when he was only a child. They were forced to make difficult decisions. Their innocence was taken too soon as they knew the reality of how cruel the world could be. They lived in a world where awful things happened to good people for no reason at all. Hermione was right. A force to be reckoned with, Voldemort would come for Draco. The boy was in danger. Lupin didn’t want to lose another member of his pack, not again, so he did the only thing he could do. He hugged Hermione, promising her, “He’s not alone, dear. The Order has Draco’s back. We know of him. I can’t tell you more, as it would put you and Malfoy in danger. Only trust that we are waiting for the right time to act. I promise you that I will protect him for the both of us. I will find a way”.

Hermione returned Remus’s hug before leaning back to look at him, “Professor, I want you to teach me how to become an animagus. No isn’t an answer for me. Draco needs me. Maybe not soon, but one day in the future, he will. You can’t always be there for him, not with what’s coming. And when you can’t be there, I will be”. Cocking his head to the side, Remus peered at Hermione with curiosity. It seemed the past once again was mirroring itself to the present in more ways than one. He could hope the war didn’t cost this generation as much as it did to his.

Just as his friends stepped up to become an animagus for him, Hermione was following the same path. Maybe it was foolish and irresponsible of him as a professor, but as a member of the Marauders, Lupin agreed. Becoming an animagus was no easy feat and could permanently damage the girl’s magic, but how could Remus say no. He couldn’t, not when he saw James and Sirius’ bravery in Hermione. “I will teach you, but only under my conditions. You will not, under any circumstances, join me and Draco on the full moon, until I tell you so”.

Ecstatic, Hermione jumped up in her chair. A smile was finally shining through the dark mood after her interaction with Malfoy in the bathroom.

“One more thing, Hermione. Don’t worry about Malfoy. You two will find your way back to each other. After all, we both know the true meaning of this bite. It’s a werewolf’s sign of commitment. We don’t have the instinct to mark someone unless we’re certain of them”. A pause filled them once more. Remus sighed, remembering how difficult and awkward life as a professor really was. “I wouldn’t be doing my job properly, so I do have to ask as your professor and as school protocol. Was this bite consensual?,” Remus asked as Hermione’s face reddened. “Oh…! You don’t have to worry about that. It wasn’t forced,” Granger coughed as she glanced away in embarrassment. Lupin couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl’s usual cool demeanor be broken. “Thank goodness, it seems you have just saved me from a night of paperwork,” he joked, making both Gryffindor laugh softly.

Chapter Text

Sitting in the bleachers at the quidditch field, Draco was reminiscing about his days as the best Slytherin quidditch player. The days where life was simple. Where all he needed to worry about was beating Potter. Malfoy can almost remember the way the air hit his face during quidditch games. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable that Draco quit the team this year. It was necessary to focus on the Dark Lord’s mission. Watching the empty stands, the werewolf became depressed at the reality he would never play for Slytherin anymore. The blond couldn’t even recall what his last game was like. Who did he last play up against? Was he any good? Did his team win? If he had known he would never play again, Draco would have ingrained the memory of his last game into his heart. Cherish every moment as it would be the last time the Slytherin prince would be surrounded by a cheering crowd. He doubted he would live long enough to come back to school next year.

Since the great hall incident and breaking things off with Hermione, Draco had hit a slump and stopped talking to everyone, including Remus. Accepting his dim prospects of survival, it was better to cut things off with his loved ones sooner than later. It would hurt less if he isolated himself now. The few people that he still interacted with, Malfoy was rejecting them all. Every time Theo or Blaise would approach him, the blond walked away. All attempts made were faced with a rejection by Draco. Eventually, everyone understood, leaving him alone. It had been two weeks since the article was released. The few classes he had shown up before, the boy was a no show. Despite bad news after the other, Draco had accomplished something he never thought he would do. He was officially failing out of every single class.

Feeling like a ghost floating around the castle, Draco was numb to everything around him. Nothing mattered anymore. He had even stopped working on the cabinet. Although he had noticed Theo and Blaise were working on it for him in the meantime. They hadn’t yet given up on him, but Malfoy couldn’t find any will to continue on. For Draco, it wasn’t easy to come back from this. It was bad enough he had to live this world as a werewolf. But for all of the public to know he was a disowned member of the sacred 28, it was over for him. The blonde didn’t know how to face this world as both a werewolf and exiled pureblood. Who was he if he was not a Malfoy? Everything he was as a person had been taken away. The boy, a shell of his former shelf, was left nameless with nowhere to go. The only thing Draco could do was to wait to die by the hands of the Dark Lord. He hoped his mother wouldn’t miss him much after he passed away.

All his life, he had spent following a path that was already paved for him. A path that he had been forced away from. Everything in his life was meticulously planned and prepared. Surprises in life were non-existence for them. Even the day he was born was pre-planned ahead of time. A day determined by the stars for a most successful life. He heard stories of his mother’s struggles to conceive him. Whispers of how Lucius used the imperius curse to stop Narcissa from screaming during labor. If these rumors were true, Draco did not know, but it sounded like something Lucius would do. Even the date he was born was chosen as his father forcefully induced Narcissa as soon as he could, for he knew what was best for his family than the natural course of things. The blond had been learning since he was a mere child to take over the family business and become the next head of the household. On a strict itinerary, the boy had very few moments of amusement to himself.

Draco had been so faithful to his family, he didn’t even think to start any romantic relationships or test the boundaries that had been set in his life. Malfoy had accepted that his partner would be chosen for him. Lucius Malfoy, his father, always warned Draco about sleeping around because all it took was one sneaky witch to trap him with a baby and get their hands on the family’s fortune. For Lucius, there was no greater shame than a shotgun wedding. Nothing was more terrifying than his father’s anger if he ever stepped out of line. If Malfoy had a baby out of wedlock, it would not be a debate if he would get married. It was a matter of how fast they could march the couple down the aisle without raising any eyebrows.

Thus the boy thought it was best never to look at the opposite gender. That was until his life went off course and changed forever. With no direction as a werewolf, Draco found himself getting closer to Hermione. Perhaps it was because he was a dead man walking, Malfoy couldn’t find it in himself to care about his upbringing. Just once in his life, before it all ended for him, Draco wanted to form a relationship with the golden girl. The girl he was too frightened to admit to anyone he had a crush on since he was a little boy. The consequences of this revelation would have been dire for him, if heard by the wrong person.

Now that Malfoy loved her, the boy did not know how he could even go back the way things were. He spent hours on the bleachers thinking about how he wished things were different. They were on different sides of the war. Draco did not need to ask her to know she would be helping Potter and fight for the Order. What would Hermione think of him if she ever found out he was helping Voldemort? The very man that was trying to kill her best friend. So far, Malfoy had been able to ignore their allegiances by not addressing it at all.

The only good that came out of turning into a werewolf was it had indirectly led him to Granger. If it wasn’t for his missions, though, nothing would stop him from being with Hermione. He would explore this new dynamic they had, go on dates, or do whatever teens their age did when in love. Draco was afraid to admit, but he would give it all up for Hermione to be worthy of her love. Just for her. Now all was lost. His assignment on killing Dumbledore has been at a stand still since Katie. The cabinet, despite some break thoughts, did not work at all.

If the Dark Lord came to find out that Hermione had been distracting him, Malfoy knew Granger would be as good as dead. With this distance between Hermione, Draco needed to ensure she was safe and erase any associations from him. It would be a more useful use of his time left than continue work on the cabinet. He had given up on himself, but Draco could still keep Hermione safe. “I’m fucked,” he thought to himself. Still lost in thought, the blond said out loud to no one in particular but the gloomy sky above him, “I don’t have much time left. The Dark Lord will come and finish me off soon”.

His werewolf instincts went on high alert as the hairs on the back of his neck stood. With goosebumps trailing up his arm, the boy stood straight when he heard someone come up behind him. In defense, Draco grabbed a crumpled up piece of paper from his bag and threw it at them. “Go away, Greengrass. I want to be alone,” said Draco, knowing who it was without turning around. One of the few benefits of lycanthropy was that no one could sneak up on you.

“Is that how you treat a lady? And since when did the one and only Draco Malfoy care about sucking up to the Dark Lord? The spoiled prince I know is not like his father and would have found a way to get what he wanted,” smiled Daphne as she came to sit next to the boy. Draco raised his eyebrows at Daphne Greengrass, wondering why she had approached him. “How bazaar? Why would a pureblood witch risk her reputation and sit beside him?,” Draco asked himself.

Daphne was in the same grade as him. Although they grew up in the same social circle, he never spoke to the witch at Hogwarts. They would occasionally interact at balls or fundraisers of their parent’s occupations. Lucius, before all his son’s curse, considered setting a marriage arrangement between the younger Greengrass sister, Astoria, and him after graduation. The two sisters were close but that was the extent he knew about the family. The Greengrass family often kept to themselves and stayed out of public's eye. After he got turned into a werewolf, Draco just assumed the family didn’t want anything to do with his family. He hadn’t thought much about them until now. After his father went to Azkaban, the two families lost contact with each other. Thus the marriage contract never manifested into anything.

The Greengrass family was in a delicate situation, as well. They couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Another fall of a pureblood dynasty was inevitable for the 28 scared families with the way things were going for Daphne’s family. The Greengrass bloodline was continued by two daughters, but it would also end by those two daughters as their family had no sons to continue the name. “What are you doing here?” Draco mumbled, confused at how the girl wasn’t frightened of him. “Funny, you ask. I was going to ask you the same. Granger is patiently waiting for you to get your head out of your ass. Don’t you know it’s rude to have a lady wait for a gentleman? Narcissa, your mother, raised you better than that, Darcy” teased Daphne as she took her tongue out.

“Her name is Hermione. Learn it. And while you're at it, keep my mothers name out of your mouth. You don’t know the pressure I’m under. So don’t you dare come here and start giving me life’s advice,” Draco spat, annoyed at the girl. He could feel the incoming lecture from her. He didn’t need this as he went on “This is for Hermione’s own good. I’m a cursed man, Daphne. I’ve been shackled to the moon for the rest of my days. What’s left of it anyway, before Voldemort comes to finish me off”. Malfoy didn’t know why he was explaining all this. Was he trying to convince himself that he had done the right thing?

Daphne stayed silent as she nodded. She waited on purpose for Draco to fill the air with his thoughts. He couldn’t fight back against any of her possible reasons if Greengrass let him do all the talking. Still, the girl’s strategy worked as Malfoy felt the urge to take over the awkward silence. A confession he never thought he would say out loud slipped out. “I’m…. frightened of what is yet to come. I’m done fighting for my life. It’s over. I can’t win this battle. It’s been stacked against me. If it’s not one challenge, it’s another one. One after another. It’s better to end my life myself than to allow the Dark Lord the pleasure of killing me but… I don’t even have the name Malfoy to die with. I’ll die a nameless man,” Draco confessed.

“So catty like your mother. I wouldn’t be so quick to assume things. I can actually relate to you quite a bit. I know what it’s like to be cursed,” Daphne responded as she glanced out to the field. Greengrass sighed out loud as she avoided Malfoy’s stare. Unable to help himself, Draco’s eyes quickly widen in disbelief. He had no idea what she was talking about. Was she really telling the truth? If she was cursed, the sacred 28 elite would have been discussing it. Like the Malfoy family, Daphne’s family would have been pushed out of high class society. It was all a lie, Draco thought. The Greengrass family would have been gone a long time ago.

Seeing the confusion in Draco’s face, Daphne continued with a shaky voice, “My family's darkest most kept secret is… the woman in our family has been damned with a blood curse for as long as our bloodline may continue. Whoever is cursed will live the rest of their days frail. They’ll live every day with unbearable pain, nightly colds, or hot fevers. Until eventually… they become a beast permanently. A beast of their inner animagus”.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as if a weight had come off her shoulders at what she confessed. Turning to look at the blonde, Daphne connected eyes with him as she continued “That's if they make it to adulthood. Many times, we Greengrass women don’t make it through the transformation and we die the night before we turn 24. It’s the reason why we marry and have children so soon in our lifetimes. We give birth for the survival of our family and bloodline. Although, not every female member is cursed. Every time a Greengrass baby girl is born, a coin of fate is flipped to determine if they are born with the curse or not. I was fortunate….. but my little sister was not”.

“I’m so sorry,” Draco whispered, as he tried to remember how old Astoria was. How many years did she have left? 24 was too young to go. Shaking her head, Daphne waved off his condolences. “It is what it is,” she stated in a monotone voice but Draco could tell it was all a facade. Her eyes were watery, betraying her true feelings on the matter. The girl explained further, “Our blood curse is the reason why our family is so neutral in politics and we stay in the shadows among our peers. The less attention on us the better. It’s why no one outside our family knows anything about our history or traditions. Other pureblood families showcase and brag about their heritage but we do not. We hide ours. Imagine the scandal if this got out to the other sacred 28. The Greengrasses would be shunned”.

Speechless, Malfoy never heard such a curse that was that powerful. A curse that extended to or stayed dormant in every living and future family member no matter what. Not even his curse had that power. If he lived long enough to have children, his offspring would not be born with it. His Lycanthropy started and ended with him. Draco pressed on, asking for more information, “I don’t understand. How was your bloodline cursed? Where does one even encounter such a curse like your family’s?”. Daphne chuckled as it was the only thing she could do in her family's situation.

Focusing on her skirt, Greengrass tried to press away the wrinkles as she replied, “One question at a time. Well… to be frank, our family isn’t so sure how it started. We only have word of mouth to go off of. An ancient female ancestor of the Greengrass long ago encountered it. This unnamed witch even predates our records in our family tapestry and history. Imagine that”. She turned to the blond to ensure he was listening. The girl had his whole attention as he leaned further to her. Daphne calmly smiled, as if she was just sharing some random school rumor.

“The story goes that this ancestor wanted power, fortune, and beauty. One of 7 children, she wouldn’t inherit much from the family’s assets. This ancestor wasn’t the oldest or youngest. She was lost among her many siblings. Forgotten in her family, the witch wanted status and beauty so badly she would do anything for it even if it damned everyone else. One day my ancestor went into the forest in search of a magic that could help her achieve her dreams. She walked for 3 days and 2 nights until she came across a terrible but powerful witch. A witch of the forest as powerful as Merlin. This female ancestor said the forest witch had no face nor name. The forest witch merely existed to inflict pain on others. This ancestor, seeing how powerful she was, asked for help. In exchange for achieving a lifetime of status and beauty that would extend to every future generation, she made a deal without asking of the consequences or burden it would have on the family. A curse that would go on to become a horrendous blood curse on every female of my lineage. All for power, beauty, and fortune. The females of my lineage will turn into a beast or die before adulthood if the curse is awaken”.

Greengrass took a pause as she sighed. Looking out to the distance, Daphne hugged herself as she went on, “Nothing comes for free in life though. The forest witch saw the selfishness of my ancestor and inflicted a pain to match it. Every one of her siblings, nieces, and nephews went on to turn into beasts because of her. So guilt ridden, my ancestor spent much of her lifetime caring for her turned family. All her daughters she went on to have died early, of course. Some say she went mad searching for a cure but found none. But it’s alright, she got her precious power and fortune. It was worth it, wasn’t it?”.

She shrugged her shoulders with sarcasm oozing from her voice. It was evident to Draco that her family bloodcurse caused them great pain. “Every generation of the Greengrass family since then have been trying to find this cure but with no success. It’s why my family excels curse breaking, you know. We know the cure for almost every curse but our own,” Daphne laughed at the cruelty of the world.

There was a long pause between Draco and Daphne, before Malfoy spoke up again. “Why are you telling me this?”. Daphne hummed as she peered back at the werewolf. “Isn't it obvious? We, cursed beings, have to stick together”. Not completely trusting her, the boy glared at her, wanting a real answer. The blond was not in the mood for teasing. Chuckling at his reaction, Daphne explained as she shook her head in amusement, “I’m telling you this because I know better than anyone what it’s like to live with fear of a curse, to live with time ticking, and to live with death around the corner. One day, I will lose my baby sister to this curse. She’s 15. I have 9 years left with her. I don't technically have the bloodcurse but I am cursed in a way. I will have to live in fear for my future daughters and their future children. I will live beyond my sister but I will be cursed to watch everyone around me die, just like my ancestor”.

Grabbing onto Draco’s hand, Daphne moved his chin, forcing him to look at her eyes, “Don’t give up, Draco. However long and short our lives may be, we should live for ourselves. Go be happy with Hermione. Live in happiness with the time you have left. It’s honestly driving me insane watching you be so hard on yourself”. Daphne flipped her hair as she said her goodbyes, flashing a sweet smile at Malfoy.

She started to walk away, but not without one more message for the boy, “And you're right about earlier. You lost this battle as a Malfoy. You’ll die without the Malfoy name, but you're also wrong. You're forgetting something important, Draco. You're not trying to win a battle. You’re trying to win a war. If a Malfoy can’t beat Voldemort, maybe a Black can. Last time I checked, the Blacks were and still are the most noble and ancient family to exist. Maybe it’s time you stop thinking like your father and start acting like your mother. The Blacks still run through your veins. You're more like her family than you realize”. At a loss what to say, Draco once more was left alone to think about what Daphne had told him. He played with the Black family ring trying to decide what to do. Before he knew it, his legs were walking before his thoughts could form as he headed to the cabinet to fix.

~

That same day, Granger went to her dorms. She had been talking to Luna and Lavender since she cut ties with both Harry and Ron. Some days were more difficult than others as she found herself alone without them. Occasionally, she met with Theo and Blaise to ask about any updates on Draco. But to her disappointment, Malfoy was still keeping his distance from everyone. Until he moved, Hermione couldn’t help him. The blond had to help himself before others could join in to lend a hand. Still, the golden girl spent so many days watching the map, ensuring he was safe. She watched as Draco never moved from the bleachers. The blond was there from morning to night. Only coming in to sleep in the Prefect's Bathroom. She opened the map once again, expecting to see no activity at all but Hermione jolted up in surprise. He was gone! In a frantic search, Hermione looked for his name until she found him. Malfoy was walking to the Room of Requirement.

Sighing in relief, Hermione smiled knowing Draco still had a little fight in him left. Not all was lost. As she closed the map for the evening, she heard laughing beside her. It was Lavender and Parvati gossiping again. The two roommates both sat on Lavender’s bed, petting a black cat. “I heard from a Hufflepuff. We got little ghost children in black cloaks, roaming on the castle grounds,” giggled Lavender. Her ears perked in interest. The rumor caught the curly brown haired witch’s attention as she blurted out “That’s ridiculous! Who said so?”, joining in on their girl’s night. Parvati, seeing they had her full attention, teased Hermione, “You know a friend of a friend of a friend”. The three girls laughed together as Parvati made space on the bed for Hermione and Lavender continued with that day’s rumor mill.

Chapter Text

For the first time in days, Draco walked into Slytherin house to reclaim his place with renewed purpose. Daphne had been right. It was time he stopped acting like a proper pureblood man and started acting like a Black. If Malfoy knew anything about his maternal family, it was that the Black madness ran through their blood. The blond had enough of playing games and being pushed around. Glancing around the room, Malfoy saw every housemate from year 5 to year 7 present. “Perfect,” he thought. With no plan of action, he slithered straight to the common room, scanned the room for the two students he came for. Theo and Blaise, who saw him from across the room, were pleasantly surprised. As they ran over with the intention of greeting him, the two stopped in their tracks. The two boys knew that look anywhere. Tapping into his Black side, Draco was seeking revenge. Standing aside, Theo and Blaise grinned in anticipation as they continued to watch from afar.

Finally targeting his prey, the blond found the two people he was searching for. Without any warning, Draco lifted a chair from the common room, catching the attention of everyone. The room watched as he slowly strutted over to Goyle, whose belly hung loose and was still snoozing near a fireplace. The chair that he dragged loudly across the stone floor was antique and weighted heavily, but for Draco it was light as a feather with his werewolf strength. At full speed and strength, the boy slammed the antique chair on Goyle’s head, waking his victim. BANG! The noise echoed in the dungeon, shocking everyone in the room.

Theo and Blaise gasped behind him. Smirking at the room’s reaction, Draco wasn’t done as he walked over to the wall, punching a hole. The loose stones fell to the ground as he showed his dominance over the boy. The wall gained a crack from the ceiling to the floor. Draco wanted to hurt his former friends as if they’d been the ones abusing him over the summer. In his mind, they had replaced his abusers, who had tormented him relentlessly. They were the ones who made his life difficult since coming back to school. Crabbe and Goyle were no different than his Aunt Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters. Malfoy lunged forward, grabbing Goyle from his hair. He dragged the fat boy over to the top of the grand staircase as his victim screamed in boiling anger. Imagining Goyle was his Lucius or Bellatrix, Draco held Goyle from his shirt collar, hanging him over the rails as they both peered to the floor below them. It was only then he had a good look at the boy. Goyle’s head was gushing blood like a river as it streamed down his face. With a menacing look in his eye, Draco spoke up finally, “Bust my face one more time and I will end you. Consider us even now”. Before he could finish the sentence, Malfoy dropped the fat boy over the edge. Goyle fell feet first, breaking both legs when he landed. Screaming in pain, Goyle cried for help.

With both his hands, Draco brushed his hair back before fixing his tie. Calm with a peaceful expression on his face, Malfoy strutted to Crabbe with his chin raised high and his hands inside his pockets. The room, frozen, stood as they watched as the Slytherin Prince arrived at his destination. In front of Crabbe, with Goyle still weeping in the background, Draco peered down at Crabbe. In an intimidating stance, Draco was chest to chest with Crabbe staring into his soul like a grim reaper. “I hope you can understand that I did what I had to do to protect the reputation of our house, Crabbe. No bad blood. It was just business. We can’t have loose pigs running around the castle dragging the good name of the Slytherin house”.

Satisfied, Draco turned away. With his back towards Crabbe, Malfoy went forward to see his friends, Theo and Blaise. Smiling at them, Draco was happy to see them. Only a few days of separation, it felt like a lifetime since he saw them. The three boys were used to seeing each other every day since they were small children. But Draco’s grin quickly faded, turning into pain as he dropped to his knees. A scream ripped from his throat before biting down on his lower lip. He would not give them the reaction they wanted. Peering back, Draco realized Crabbe had used the crucio spell while he was not looking. Squeezing his eyes shut, Draco muffled his cries as he shook. The sensation of stabbing needles and knives all over his body was too much for him.

Daphne, who had stood at a distance, ran over to Draco. Lifting his head on top of her lap, Greengrass whispered into his ears, “Everything’s going to be okay”. Seeing Malfoy was being treated, Theo screamed at Crabbe, “You fucking coward! Using an unforgivable when a man has his back turned. I’ll show you,” as he pointed his wand at the boy. “LANGLOCK!,” Theo yelled out as he shot a spell, gluing Crabbe's tongue to the roof of his mouth. Stepping to the side, Theo made way for Blaise. Blaise, who had waited patiently all school year, appeared from thin air in front of Crabbe. He had been waiting for this moment as he punched Crabbe directly in the face.

Knocking their former friend to the ground, Crabbe was unable to open his mouth. All that could be heard was his muffled and muted screams. As Blaise walked over to the cracked wall to pick up a stone, he stood over to a now crawling Crabbe. “Who’s crawling like an injured dog now?,” Blaise mocked, leaning over the boy. Holding the boy down with his shoes, Blaise, with a mad look behind his eyes, began to smash the rock into Crabbe’s right eye socket. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! Crabbe’s right eye caved in as blood exploded like a pressurized soda bottle. Enjoying the scene, Theo walked over once his friend was done. As Theo got down to Crabbe’s level, he took Crabbe’s own wand. With a mischievous grin spread across his face, Theo grabbed Crabbe’s face with his left hand, ensuring sure the boy couldn’t move. With his right hand, he took the same wand and prodded Crabbe’s right eye socket out, but not before stirring the wand inside his eye socket, scrambling it like egg whites. Scooping out the destroyed eye, Theo tossed it to the fireplace, burning the wand with it. “Sorry Crabbe, I can’t have Nurse Pomfrey save your eye”.

The room went silent as the students watched, unsure what to make of this and what to do next, but the pause was broken as Professor Snape walked into the common room. Snape, with a bored expression, skimmed the room that looked like a bloody massacre had occurred. Still head of the Slytherin house and in charge of watching over Draco by order of both Voldemort and Dumbledore, the professor closed his eyes as if a headache had formed. Mentally sighing, Snape said to himself, “I hate these children with my entire being”. As he glanced around the room, his eyes landed on Draco, who was aching in pain from a crucio curse. He then turned to see Goyle with a bloody face and two broken legs. With his hands in a trembling fist and patience running low, Snape scanned the room more to see Crabbe’s gushing face and a missing eye. His mouth was locked shut, as the boy couldn’t cry out in pain.

Theo and Blaise appeared to be alright but their hands were covered in blood, criminalizing them both. The furniture of the common room was broken. The wall had been damaged. There was only one person who was strong enough to quite literally break the room in half, Draco, Snape thought to himself as he evaluated the situation. Seeing their head of household, Goyle shouted at Professor Snape, “Look at what Draco did! Report them to the ministry and arrest them! Do something! Don’t just stand there”. Snape, not liking the tone the boy used on him, walked over to Goyle before replying, “What do I report? I see nothing but two buffoons who could not watch their steps and fell down the stairs”. At this statement, Goyle was speechless as Snape went on “Wait here while I call your fathers about your unfortunate accident”. With nothing more to say, Snape walked out of the room and back into his chambers. He had enough excitement for one day. Professor Snape knew very well he couldn’t report Draco because the boy was an important pawn to both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

An immediate reaction could be heard once again from the student body when left alone again. Mouths were left open in shock as the Silver Trio had gotten away with it. In the middle of the common room, Theo and Blaise announced to all, “Mess with Draco, you face me and Blaise! No fighting outside our common room! Any fights among us stay here where no outsiders can see. If we fight among ourselves, we are doomed to fall apart”. Theo peered around the room as students trembled in fear but were awe of them at the same time. “Enough of all blood status and werewolf, bullshit. If you think you're safe because of your Pureblood name, you're wrong. Once Voldemort makes his moves, no one is safe. Your name and blood can’t protect you anymore than Draco’s name did”. Going over to Draco, Theo and Blaise gently picked him up, with Daphne trailing behind them. “I know a few healing spells from helping my sister. I can help Draco,” Greengrass told the two boys as they laid Draco on his bed. Connecting eyes with Daphne, Blaise smiled at the girl, before murmuring “Thank you”. Unable to help but grin back, Daphne looked away before going to manage Draco’s pain. Back at the common room, it was left in a mess as students still gathered around. The message was heard loud and clear among them all.

Waking up later that same day, Draco opened his eyes and peered around the room. Next to him, Blaise slept in a pulled chair next to his bed with legs stretched out and arms crossed. On the other side, Daphne was in Blaise’s bed with Crookshanks sleeping inside her arms. Feeling a heavy arm around his waist and a warmth behind his back, Draco instinctively knew it was Theo. It had been a while since Malfoy slept in his dorms. In return, the blond leaned closer to Theo. Using his strength to lift himself, Draco cursed, feeling the aches in his bones from the crucio curse. Draco already experienced pain most of the month after the full moon, but the unforgivable curse made it more unbearable. It felt as if a knight bus hit the Slytherin.

Interrupting his thoughts, Theo mumbled in his sleep, “Go back to bed and take that painless potion on the nightstand,” as Draco reached out to caress the black cat, who was lounging on top of his trunk. Hearing the commotion, Blaise mumbled, “You could have warned us you wanted to fight. We could have prepared more”. Draco gave a soft chuckle as the room stared at him, “Where’s the fun in that? Do I look like I have a plan for everything I do?”. Scratching under the black cat’s chin, it purred in his arms as he went on, “Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if it’s horrifying. But if I come again tomorrow to the common room and set the room ablaze, everyone loses their minds because that wasn’t part of the plan. Upset the established order and chaos rises. I had to remind those shit heads who Draco Malfoy was. They needed to remember who runs our house”.

Daphne laughed along with Draco, “You’re as mad as they come. I’m glad you took my advice and remembered you're a Black”. In disagreement, Draco shook his head, “No, my head has never been clear as it is now. The screws inside my head have been tightened. If the school was scared of me before, I'll show them real fear”. Lifting his covers, Draco walked over to the chest at the foot of his bed. He dug at the trunk until he pulled out a wine bottle covered in a cloth. “Daphne, I got a job for you, seeing that Theo and Blaise need to lay low for a bit”. Without question, the girl accepted the wrapped bottle, hugging it against her chest. It was Blaise who asked, “What is it?”. Still speaking to Daphne, Draco sat back on the bed, “Don’t touch it directly. Remus would be able to smell if you do. Have Madam Rosmerta pass it to Professor Slughorn. He’ll give it to Dumbledore as a favor for her. It should be easy. The fat ass is always there every day after work. Bring Blaise. He knows the Imperius curse. Go on a date to cover your tracks,” before turning to both Theo and Blaise to explain, “It’s poisoned liquor. Kills the drinker in 3 minutes to be exact. Theo, can you hand me all the class notes for Remus, McGonagall, and Slughorn’s class that I’ve missed. I have some catching up to do”.

Theo was the one brave enough to ask, “Will it work this time? You know… kill Dumbledore?”. Gasping out loud, Daphne's eyes widened as she connected the dots. So, this was what they all have been doing all year, their mission, Greengrass thought to herself. Daphne hid her smirk behind her hand as she imagined that she could one day tell her grandchildren that she delivered the item that killed Dumbledore, if all worked out. Not everyone could say that.

“Of course not. That old fart is too smart and will suspect the bottle,” Draco replied as Daphne pouted, hearing this. “What’s important is we buy more time for ourselves. The cabinet is our last chance. We need to get it working by the end of the school year. Dumbledore will call Professor Snape for details on what kind of poison it is. In turn Snape will report back to the Dark Lord”. Still wondering, Daphne asked the blonde, “Will you eventually kill Dumbledore in the end?”. Worried for the Silver Trio, Daphne hoped they went on to complete their mission, even at the cost of another’s life. With the Dark Lord making moves among the purebloods, she knew very well what happened if things didn't go to you know who’s plan. Malfoy glanced at Daphne, “I don’t know... I just know that I have to save my mother, somehow. But.. there is one man I’ve decided to kill that night. Greyback. I’ll make him suffer for what he did to me and Remus. I know just the spell to use. A spell that I invented especially for him”. Grinning wide, the other two boys were overjoyed at the chance to finally see Draco’s spell in action.

Chapter Text

As Hermione and Lavender strolled down the hall on their way for dinner, a pair of Hufflepuff students caught their attention. The girls froze as they overheard the gossip, “Maybe Malfoy was right. Slughorn is more dangerous than we thought. Just like he predicted, Slughorn almost killed Ron Weasley”. Hearing this, Lavender and Hermione ran past them, accidentally tripping the Hufflepuff students to the ground. The two raced to the hospital wing, pushing through the group of professors. “Where is he? Where’s my Won Won? Has he been asking for me?,” Lavender cried out, pushing Harry out of the seat next to Ron to sit down instead. Out of breath, Hermione came in after Lavender, as her friend pulled an extra chair to join her.

Arms crossed in front of her, Ginny witnessed the scene unfolding and scoffed at the curly brown haired witch, “What are you doing here? You haven’t spoken to Harry and Ron in weeks”. Speechless at Ginny’s harshness, Hermione contemplated what to say. She was correct in that regard, but that did not mean Granger did not care for Ron's well being. Looking at Ginny, Hermione muttered in an unconfident voice,“I happen to be his friend. Just because we haven’t spoken in weeks doesn’t mean we aren’t friends”.

Looking at Harry for support, Ginny scowled when he glanced away, avoiding her glare. Everyone was caught off guard when Lavender defended Hermione, “She can stay! After all, I am Ron’s GIRLFRIEND and Hermione is my BEST FRIEND. I need her here for my emotional support”. The group failed to see the Professors still standing next to them. It was an interesting sight for Remus, Snape, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Dumbledore as they unintentionally had front row seats to teenage drama. Smiling, Dumbledore hummed as he loved to see young love and the mess of it all while Remus and Snape closed their eyes in second hand embarrassment. Professors McGonagall and Slughorn only stood by in silence and would only interfere if things got out of hand.

Ginny, angered by Hermione's recent actions of ignoring the boys with the added rumors of Malfoy, stood up as she walked over, “Stand up, you don’t belong here. Did you not end your friendship with Ron and Harry? How dare you want to come to their aid, now that they're interesting to be around again as if all that Malfoy drama wasn’t enough for you. Now that Malfoy has rejected you, you want to come here and be friends with everyone?”.

Hermione’s jaws dropped, but she quickly recovered as she spat out, “He’s been poisoned, you daft bimbo. And for your information, my relationship status with Draco is none of your business or concern so I would be quiet if I were you”.

Almost in sync, all three girls stood up from their chairs, ready to give each other a piece of their minds. Harry, who was paralyzed in confusion and fear of the incoming fight, slowly backed away as he tried getting the attention of the professors but went ignored. Harry knew better than to get involved in the girl's fight, so he thought it best to let all of them settle their differences on their own. He and Ron could barely understand the inner workings of Hermione’s mind already, so Harry was not going to attempt to understand the issue brewing between the 3 girls. Instead, he looked down at Ron, hoping his friend wouldn’t wake up any time soon, during this drama he had unintentionally created.

Tossing, Ron turned in bed, breaking the tension between the girls. Almost as if it was on signal, the four students ran over to Ron, but Lavender conveniently pushed Ginny and Harry away, reclaiming the closest chair to Ron. While mumbling in his sleep, Lavender screamed, “He senses my presence! Don’t worry Won Won! I’m here! I’m here!,” to the group. Despite his incoherent words, she leaned forward to hear better. Following along, everyone stayed still, wanting to hear what Ron wanted to say. Ron continued to mutter until words were finally formed, “Hermione…Hermione”.

Devastated, Lavender with water in her eyes, stood harshly to run out of the hospital but before she could Hermione held her sleeve. With no words, Hermione pointed to Ron. The golden girl knew Ron just as well as Harry did, being friends for years. Although Ron was emotionally stunted and did not realize it himself, Hermione could see how much Ron genuinely liked Lavender. The redhead played along at first after both Harry and Hermione joked about Lavender daily, but Hermione noted how eventually how quiet he was during these jokes. It was no surprise to Granger when he and her roommate got together.

Heartbroken, Lavender was confused, wanting to cry but held back her tears. “Look closer,” Hermione encouraged once again as she pointed. “Hermione…. Please forgive us. You're right, we’re idiots. We’ll do better. I promise,” said Ron in a groggily voice. In relief, Lavender laughed at her foolishness, sitting once again in her seat. She giggled into her palm at the thought of Hermione and Ron ever being together. In no world would those two possibly happen and be happy. The two friends were incompatible. Shaking her head in disbelief, Lavender held Ron’s hands. That was enough rumors for the rest of the day, Lavender told herself.

Unhappy at the turn of events, Ginny turned to Harry, waiting for the boy to do something. Instead, Harry only shrugged in contentment as the repair of the trio’s friendship started. Ginny, seeing she lost this fight, sat down next to Harry, ignoring the room to hide her embarrassment. Seeing Ginny, Harry felt sympathy for the girl. Without thinking, Harry reached out to hold her hand, turning her face a hue of pink. Lightly squeezing and rubbing her pam with his thumb, Ginny froze while he nodded to her, ensuring everything was going to be okay.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to catch the room’s attention once more, “To be in love and to be young again,” before turning to the chosen one, “By the way, Harry, quick thinking using bezoar. You should be really proud of your student, Slughorn”.

Slughorn, still bewildered from Ron almost dying from his hands and the teenage drama he just witnessed, only nodded to Dumbledore in agreement. Lost in thought processing what had happened last night, Slughorn had no words as McGonagall spoke up for the group of professors, “I think we can agree Harry’s actions were heroic but why were they necessary is the real question? We should be asking this”. With one hand behind his back, hiding it from view, Dumbledore stroked his bread as he responded, “Ah yes, this appears to be a gift. Slughorn, do you happen to know who gave you this bottle?”.

The potion professor was brought back to reality as he attempted to remember. His eyes grew in shock as he admitted out loud, “Actually, I intended to deliver this bottle for our shared friend, Madam Rosmerta. She needed a favor. This was to be gifted to you, Headmaster”. Shutting his mouth completely, Slughorn realized saying that out loud sounded terrible. Walking forward, Remus held out his palm, non-verbally asking for the wine bottle from Dumbledore. Lupin lifted the bottle to his nose, taking a deep breath before putting it down. Inspecting the bottle and the contents of the wine, Remus noted, “It holds subtle hints of licorice and black cherry, and no smell of polluted poison. Interesting. I can’t smell anyone besides Slughorn or you, Headmaster, on this bottle”.

Remus handed over the wine bottle to Professor Snape, asking for his expertise. Opening the bottle, Snape needed more time to smell the bottle a minute longer than the werewolf. Trying to zone in the smell, Snape muttered to the group, “Grounded up venomous tentacula seeds. I think I heard from Professor Sprout that someone was stealing from her garden. If you're not well informed of plants commonly used in potions, it can be missed. This person, whoever made it, is a very intelligent and talented potion maker. I might even say better than me. They knew to disguise the smell with parsley. Simple herb, yes, used in everyday cooking, but it can be used to cover odors”.

Harry, who had been listening to the conversation, yelled out loud, “It was Malfoy! No one else in the castle is better at potions than him. He’s better than both Slughorn and Snape combined. We all saw him take Slughorn’s job and teach the entire class himself”. Burned by his favorite student’s words, Slughorn choked on air, hearing Harry tell the group that Malfoy was a better teacher than him. The current potion professor nervously fixed his vest and tie, denying Harry’s statement to the rest of the professors present. Attempting to hold his laughter in, the Marauder in him won over as Remus chuckled, remembering Draco’s retelling of that day.

Professor Snape, who was not surprised at Slughorn’s inability to hold a class, walked toward the chosen one, but before he could defend the Slytherin, someone unexpectedly came forward to defend Draco Malfoy. Someone that made everyone’s head turn. “How dare you accuse Draco! My best friend's future husband and father of her future children! What are these accusations based on? Let me guess? Draco is a death eater? I’ll have you know, mR. ChOsEn oNe, he is no death eater!”.

Remus stopped chuckling as his ears perked up at the statement, Hermione’s future husband and father of her children. Dumbledore, who was pleased too at the new information unfolding, hummed as more teenage drama was bubbling over once again. With Hermione shyly smiling, McGonagall and Slughorn looked to her for confirmation as Snape rolled his eyes at the children around him. Very grateful of Hermione's support and her cleverness to stop the witch from running away to cry, Lavender was ready to return a favor. She saved her relationship and now it was her turn to defend Hermione’s man.

“I can also ask you the same question. How would you know Draco isn’t involved in this? Based on what?”, Harry slapped back, standing up as Ginny tried to calm him down. Ginny pulled on his arm to make him sit, but it was to no avail. “Easy, I believe in Hermione. Something you have a hard time doing. She would never date and have kids with a death eater. Also, as the biggest supporter of the royal couple, I will always stand by Dramione”.

Once again smiling at the chaos, Remus was overjoyed that his year of playing Cupid was paying off. Breaking the tension between the two Gryffindors as it was getting heated, Dumbledore clapped his hands together. “Dramione? What a lovely name for the couple. I say Granger, congratulations on your new relationship,” the headmaster responded.

Wanting to sink into the floor, Hermione hunched over until she saw Harry’s face. A light bulb lit up inside her mind. A way to defuse the heated atmosphere. Taking a page out of Lavender's book, Hermione fixed her skirt as she prepared to talk. It really had been too long since she teased both Ron and Harry, “Thank you, Headmaster, as I told Harry many times this year. Draco and I are very happy and can’t wait to start a life together after graduation. Harry is so unbelievably happy for me that we spent many nights naming my future children that I’ll have with Draco. In fact, Harry named my first child, Scorpius, after the star constellation”.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Harry gave her an annoyed look but stopped as he realized what she was doing. Unable to help himself, Harry smiled, “Absolutely, she’s planning on starting her very own quidditch team of little Malfoy’s. They’re starting their family early as confirmed by Rita, herself”. Rolling his eyes playful, Harry was content to finally have Hermione back. “You're pregnant with Malfoy’s baby?” Ron asked in confusion as he woke up in the middle of the conversation, causing the room to softly laugh.

~

The following day, Hermione went back to sitting with Harry and Ron at the Great Hall. With Ron’s near death experience, they all agreed to disagree about whether Malfoy was a Death Eater or not. It was for the best if they did not bring up that topic anymore, marking it forbidden unless they wanted to pick a fight. The two boys apologized for their bullying behavior that she called them out for. “Hermione, you really have to stop all this teasing about you and Malfoy. Bad enough it’s in the newspapers. First it was kissing then dating. Now it’s marrying and having kids. You proved your point. I will never assume anything about your dating life or believe rumors I hear. You, Hermione, can date anyone you want,” Ron whined as Harry nodded his head in agreement.

“I agree on the basis that it’s best to not encourage Rita Skeeter. Honestly that lady doesn’t know when to stop”, Harry mumbled to himself as he made a pained expression, remembering how much she made his life difficult during the games. “I’ll stop,” she promised. As Hermione squeezed his shoulder in comfort, Harry glanced up, happy to have Hermione back in their circle again.

Although she and the boys were getting close again, Hermione hadn't let them in on her status with her current situation with Malfoy mainly because she didn’t know herself. It was easy to let Harry and Ron believe nothing was going on between her and Malfoy but the golden girl knew one day she would have to face that battle. For now that battle was for another day. If she learned from her discussions with Remus and Malfoy, it was that she needed to stop putting her whole identity and happiness behind her friendship with the boys. It was okay to allow herself to grow away from them. Besides, there were other things that were higher in her list of priorities than letting Harry and Ron into her life completely. Important things like figuring out and helping Draco in whatever he was doing in the Room of Requirement. “I’m glad you both learned a valuable lesson on making assumptions and being mean spirited towards our fellow classmates. No one deserves to be pushed down but enough about that. I got scandalous gossip that will have you both lose it,” Hermione smirked while Harry and Ron both jumped in excitement.

As the two boys leaned closer to listen in, the witch continued on, “I heard from Lavender that Crabbe and Goyle no longer attend Hogwarts. I’ve confirmed it myself too. The only class I had with them, the professor didn’t call out their names or save absent materials for them”. “What!,” both Harry and Ron shouted in sync as Hermione hushed them both, not wanting to catch attention from other tables. “What happened! We need to know,” pleaded Harry, wishing he had the map to verify it himself too. Taking a sip of pumpkin juice, Hermione went on, “Unfortunately, that’s it. No one really knows what happened. Only that their fathers were called. A Hufflepuff saw their fathers come to the school. You know how the Slytherin house is like. Their tight lips and stay together”. The golden girl shrugged her shoulders before she began to serve herself a plate of food. Harry and Ron stayed quiet, trying to think of a reason why the two Slytherins would quit school until Ron spoke up again, “I know you aren’t with Malfoy, but now I’m wishing you are. I would have made you march yourself to the snake pit and get the details for us”. The two boys laughed in unison as Hermione, a bit delayed, joined in too.

Later that night, Hermione couldn’t sleep. After her conversation with the boys, she contemplated her relationship with Malfoy. She stayed up, wishing to be next to him again. Yes, Draco had marked her as his, but she was done waiting. Hermione wasn’t the type of girl to wait for someone to save her. What she wanted, she was determined to have. Granger tossed and turned in bed until the girl finally gave up. Opening the map, Hermione searched for Draco. He wasn’t on the map, which only meant one thing. Draco was in the Room of Requirements.

With a disillusionment spell, Hermione snuck out of the Gryffindor tower, walking over to the 7th floor. When she got to the wall, Hermione closed her eyes. As she clenched her eyes shut, she asked for the castle to see Draco, over and over again. Hearing her pleas, the castle responded to the witch as a door appeared before her. It was only when she quietly entered the room that she realized it wasn’t quite the Room of Requirement that she remembered. Hermione was in a large room of obscure items.

As she walked through the maze of lost items throughout the years, Hermione walked until she heard what sounded like writing on wood and pages flipping. She increased her pace until Draco was in front of her. At the sight of Malfoy, Hermione held her breath, afraid of his rejection once more. Instead, she was met with a timid smile. “How did you find me?,” asked Draco, knowing the bright witch would not answer. Draco walked away, disappearing out of view until he came back, pushing a couch next to the Cabinet. After cleaning it with a scourgify spell, the blond patted the cushion, signaling Granger to take a seat.

Hermione smiled, seeing she was welcomed here as she sat down. “Lucky guess. But truth be told, I asked the castle to let me see you and this door appeared. I’m a little confused, though. I don’t know where we are,” she confessed.

Draco smiled, “Lucky indeed and bloody smart. We’re in the Room of Hidden Things. Everything lost since the opening of Hogwarts gets thrown here by the house elves”. The two lovebirds stared at each, taking in their other’s company. It had been a while since they last interacted. Malfoy reached out, brushing a curl behind her ears as he whispered, “I need to go back to work, but you can stay if you want”.

Seeing a nod from Hermione, Draco went back to working on the cabinet as she watched on. Although Draco should have known that Hermione would get antsy, he found himself not caring that she did. The silence didn’t last long as Granger got curious, opening up a book that contained all his notes. With a smile, Draco replied, “I would put that down, if I were you. I’m not telling you what I’m working on”, not once looking at the curly haired witch.

“Then don’t tell me. I’m just giving a helping hand to a fellow student, who is working on a self independent project,” Hermione responded.

The blond laughed at Hermione's determination in front of him, reminding him how much he missed her. As the blond walked over to Hermione, he grabbed the book from her hands before making her sit on the couch again, but joined her this time. He moved her in a position to where both could fit on the same couch, laying down together. The Slytherin Prince had decided he needed to take a break from the Vanishing Cabinet. The majority of his day was spent on this cabinet. It was a difficult task that caused his brain to hurt from attempting to figure out the mechanics of the cabinet. If he was not focused, a ringing would appear. The ringing would occur whenever he was in the Room of Hidden Things. While there, the boy was so occupied that at times forgot to eat or sleep. Sleep deprived, the blond figured the ringing stemmed from that. Time worked differently in the room, Draco swore to himself. He hated being here. Malfoy, with a headache, cuddled Hermione from behind as he whispered into her ears, “Such a stubborn witch, but I still won’t tell you”. He took in her scent as he placed his face in Hermione’s curls.

As the golden girl looked back, Draco went in stealing a kiss. The Slytherin Prince put his face in the crook of her neck as his hands explored the curves of her body against his body. In this peaceful moment, he remembered what Daphne told him, “Whatever time we may have left, we should live for ourselves”. Finally, allowing himself some happiness, it was there he decided to tell Hermione the other truth. His truth of his curse. Although it wouldn’t surprise him if Hermione figured out his condition already, she still deserved the confirmation straight from him. The boy did not want Hermione involved with the mission just yet.

If he could, Draco wanted her hands to stay clean for as long as possible. Whispering into her neck, afraid of the possible look of disgust, Draco confessed, “Hermione, I need to tell you something. It might change the way you see me. If it does, I’ve come to accept it. I will just be grateful I got to spend all these months with you. The truth is… I got bitten by Greyback over the summer”. Trembling behind her, Draco was frightened of looking into her eyes as he continued, “It was my father's punishment when he failed to retrieve the prophecy. I paid the price. It’s why everyone in the Slytherin house is avoiding me. I’m a werewolf”. Draco confirmed his condition twice, ensuring Hermione heard. Waiting to be pushed away, Draco stayed still as Hermione did not move.

Without missing a beat, Hermione turned to face him, snuggled up against him further. Their limbs intertwined. Granger laid her ears against his chest. She listened to his heart for a while before looking up again, “Your heart, it dances beautifully. It’s the same as mine”.

As a tear fell from the corner of his eye, Hermione wiped it before kissing his forehead. “Nothing can make me hate you, Draco Malfoy. I love you too much for that,” she whispered, their faces only inches apart. Draco hummed in pleasure as he leaned in to kiss her on her lips, losing himself in her arms. A wave of relief took over as he cried in her arms.

Feeling safe, Draco took in this moment as Hermione wrapped her arms around him. She allowed him to sob. It amazed Draco that Hermione did not care that he was showing weakness. She still loved him despite this. As they both settled down, the blond asked, “Will you come again tomorrow?,” as sleep began to overtake them. “Do you want me too?” Hermione responded, closing her eyes. “Yes, please,” he whispered as he drifted off to sleep. Hearing this, Hermione decided to come with Draco every day after tonight. She wouldn’t ask any questions about the cabinet. Instead, she would bring a book to read until Draco opened up to her further. The Golden Girl trusted Malfoy fully to know the boy would let her in when the time was right. She figured whatever Draco’s task was, it was important. It went back to Voldemort. Hermione remembered the time Draco pleaded to the moon for forgiveness and for his mother. Draco must be trying to save his mother. Her instincts told her Malfoy was left with no choices. Voldemort had Narcissa. She knew that now. Somehow, this cabinet would save Draco’s mother. When Draco was ready, he would tell her what about the cabinet. And when he did, Hermione would be ready to lend a hand.

Chapter Text

It was another typical day for Professor Remus. Draco was attending his classes again. Remus was glad to see Draco get out of his slump. He had been worried for the boy but knew teens his age just wanted to be alone and watched him from afar. Still, Lupin was considering dragging the blond back to the castle himself, if Draco hadn’t moved from his spot at the bleachers soon. As Remus went around the class, collecting the essays he assigned last week, he approached Draco. “Meet me after class”. The class collectively let out a low symphony of “ooooooo”, as they snickered, thinking Draco was in trouble for the amount of class he had missed. Annoyed at his classmates, Draco rolled his eyes while handing his paper.

Remus proceeded down the rows when he approached Hermione, who was back to sitting with Harry and Ron. As he collected Harry and Ron’s essays, Remus noted the look of surprise on Hermione’s expression. Hermione’s desk was empty of the day’s assignment. The two boys, astounded at the turn of events, snapped their heads to Hermione. Usually it was them, who would forget to do their homework. With a curious look, Remus asked, “Hermione, no essay to turn in?,” thinking it was no big deal but as soon as he said that out loud, the class once again turned to Hermione to start another symphony of “oooooooo!”.

“Alright class, settle down. No big deal. Have it turned in by the end of the week. No points taken,” smiled Remus. “We all have off days,” he thought to himself, and Hermione herself was just human. It was nice to see the girl just enjoy herself rather than overdo it with her studies. Remus knew the reason why Hermione had forgotten to do the assignment. He discovered Hermione managed to gain Draco’s trust on whatever he was working on. On one of the nights Lupin was patrolling the room of requirements, he saw both students enter the room. Draco with notes for his mysterious task and Hermione with some muggle novels.

Hermione, still in disbelief for missing an important essay, looked over her planner reviewing all the assignments of the last two weeks. All watched as she compared it to her syllabus. A syllabus that she held onto religiously like a bible. Every year on the first day of class, she made extra copies of the syllabus and dedicated time to memorizing it by heart. “Indeed, I forgot to do the essay. It’s right here,” Hermione whispered to herself as she had a contemplating look before shrugging her shoulders. The Golden Girl settled back into her seat as Harry and Ron grew increasingly worried at her lack of panic. Who was this girl that was sitting next to them? Harry almost didn’t recognize Hermione. The girl who hasn’t missed one assignment in a day of her life. Hermione was also pleasantly astounded at how nonchalant she was. Nothing had happened to her. Her entire life, the thought of not achieving absolute academic perfection was terrifying. Irrational fears of her combusting in her seat or becoming a failed member of society for one low grade plagued her mind on how this will affect her school career? The sky hadn’t fallen. Hermione was okay and was happy to top it all off.

She looked at a smiling Remus, who had given her an extension and continued teaching the class as if nothing had happened. The rest of the class opened their books. Had it really never occurred to her not to be so tough on herself? In years prior, despite being the top of her class, Hermione felt like a zombie like her life was dull. She was only going through the motions of what she thought she needed to be. Since being with Draco, she had learned from the blond that there was time to both let loose and still achieve high marks. Yes, she had forgotten today’s assignment, but Hermione felt perhaps for the first time balanced and content with her life. It was fine to not have everything in her life planned out to a tea. A stark difference to her overworked self in 3rd year, where no one had stopped her.

Hermione peered up with a smile before saying to no one in particular “I forgot to do an assignment and I’m okay with it”. Ron this time spoke up, genuinely afraid of who this witch sitting next to them was, “Okay, who are you and what have you done to Hermione?”.

“Yeah, are you sure you're alright? Did you hit your head? It’s us who forgets," added Harry.

“I’m great, actually. It’s a bit freeing not putting so much… pressure on myself,” she replied back as she snuck a glance at Draco, who smirked back at her. The bell rang before the boys could notice or answer back as Hermione left for her next class.

As their friend walked away without them, Ron whispered, “You think we finally made her snap?”.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think I like this new Hermione,” Harry answered as he gathered his things. Harry realized that his friend was changing in front of them. Something or someone was influencing her. She was the type of person who constantly worried about homework for the next school year, but now Hermione did not care if she missed an assignment. “Who was she?”, Harry asked himself as both he and Ron left the room.

Draco walked to Professor Lupin’s desk as Remus sat down in silence, waiting for the room to clear out. Once all the students were out of the room, Lupin, nonverbally with no wand, closed the door behind the last student. “Impressive. Not everyone can do nonverbal or wandless magic. Let alone both”, Draco commented as he leaned against the desk, rummaging through Lupin’s things in front of the man. “Ah yes, it was quite the challenge, but I managed to become proficient at the age of 36,” Remus smiled at Malfoy, watching the boy messing with his papers. The blond was skimming through his classmates’ exams with various expressions, such as boredom or horror at what was written down.

Grabbing a quill with red ink, Draco began to cross off answers as he teased Remus, “Got you beat. I can do both easily. Age 16”.

Hearing this, Remus' eyebrows immediately went up with mixed emotions of impressed and sadness. Draco didn’t know it yet, but he just relieved a bit more dark information about himself. To be proficient and a master of non verbal magic and wandless magic required years of mental concentration and mental discipline. Even the most powerful wizards and witches like Dumbledore almost never obtained that skill. To make this skillset more difficult to acquire, one had to have a good relationship and understand their wand on an intimate level. The caster of magic and the wand had to become one, not just a pair. Which is why it took so many witches and wizards so many years to accomplish this. Many never did. Normally, it took decades to hear your wand and speak its language.

To be so young and a master of both skills, Remus did not want to imagine the type of training the boy had endured, especially after the boy’s wandless duel. Draco must have learned the skill in response to not knowing it before. Remus did not want to dwell on the cruel experiences done to make the blond and his wand trust and depend on each other so quickly. Such cases meant, it was between death or survival that the wand and caster formed a quick relationship. The most traumatic and scarring events often made the strongest relationships in wand magic.

“16, you don’t say? Somehow, I’m not surprised. You’ve always been a talented wizard. One of the hardest working students I know,” responded Remus as he took the graded exams from the boy. Professor Lupin went into one of the drawers of his desk, pulling out a present wrapped in green and silver paper. The wrapped gift had hand painted patterns of snakes on it. Draco analyzed the gift as Remus gave it to him. A smile spread across his face, noting how Remus had taken the time to paint on the paper to personalize it for him. The blond was at a loss of words, almost emotional.

As Draco unwrapped it, he found two small vials filled with a mysterious liquid. Digging further into the box, there was another gift inside. It was an album with a muggle CD player. He knew what it was and how to use it. Hermione’s parents had gotten her a whole booklet of CDs. During Christmas, Hermione was more than happy to share them all, inside the Slytherin common room. That day, they had all listened to many songs from the muggle world. Draco never imagined in his life that he would get to hear muggle music. This was unimaginable if he was still under his father’s thumb. Now Malfoy owned a muggle album that he never heard of. As he read, the album was called, “The Beatles: The Greatest Hits”. Draco wondered if they were popular.

“My favorite songs are 'Let It Be’ and ‘Hey Jude’ but my absolute all-time favorite I must say is, ‘In my life’. The lyrics in that song speak to me. For the people and things that went before me. I know I’ll often stop and think about them. Merry belated Christmas, Draco. I would have given it to you early, but you kept cutting class,” Remus grinned but stopped as he noticed how quiet the boy had become. Remus started to worry, thinking he had made a mistake of offending Malfoy with a muggle invention until he saw a small tear escape the corner of Draco's eyes. The blond discreetly wiped his eyes while admitting under his breath, “My father never gave me a Christmas gift in my life... Thank you. It means a lot”. After reading Draco's body language, Remus stood up, giving the boy a side hug. To his surprise, Draco hugged him back, wrapping his arms around Lupin.

“What’s this?,” Draco asked once they let go of each other. He was holding up the two vials. “I added that to the gift. It wasn’t originally part of it, but you were having a tough time at school. I figured your spirit needed a little lifting. One of the potions dyes the person's hair to the color of their choice and the second one causes baldness temporarily. It’s an old but classic trick off the Marauder’s handbook,” Remus winked.

Draco looked at the two vials for a while before speaking up again, “I won’t get in trouble?”.

“No, you’ll walk a free man”.

“Promise?”.

“I promise on my Gryffindor house and as a member of the Marauders”.

Hearing Remus confirm this, as a devilish grin emerged from Draco as he replied, “We can prank anyone? And can I blame anyone I want for it?”. Crossing his hands in front of his chest, Remus hesitated on that last sentence. He knew Draco had something up his sleeve but another part of Remus wanted to know what it was. If Remus learned anything from hanging out with the Silver Trio, it was that the Slytherin house was very clever and ambitious. Nothing was ever simple for them. The professor knew he might regret it but he also wanted to relive his Marauders days one more time. “Yes… we can prank and blame the person of your choosing. But if you get caught by another professor, I’ll deny encouraging this,” Remus replied back, not wanting to get into trouble as a teacher. It was his job to watch over the students. With that confirmation, Draco laughed out loud, grinning in a menacing way while Remus sighed as he knew where Draco wanted to go with this.

~

With the help of Theo and Blaise on the lookout, the blond entered the elves’ kitchen. After hiding in the shadows, Draco went in, wanting to find a particular elf. Draco needed to find this house elf quickly and get out fast. Heading towards the back of the kitchen where Mippy, the current Malfoy house elf, told him where Dobby would be. Just as the trio planned, Theo and Blaise distracted the rest of the house elves by ordering an entire lunch menu for just the two of them. The other elves were more than happy to serve two growing teenage boys and went right back to work on their orders.

Finding the elf he wanted, Draco said, “Dobby, I found you! I’ve come to ask a favor from my favorite childhood elf”. Dobby, who was making carrot cake, turned around, dropping the spoon before rushing to the blond. “Draco? Draco! Dobby is very happy to see Draco. After all, you told Dobby all the great stories of the Great Harry Potter. I am friends with Harry because of you. Dobby is free because of Harry”, the elf replied as he jumped up and down in excitement at the sight of his former master. At that moment, Draco wanted to furiously shake sense into the 8 year old Draco for ever wanting to be friends with Harry. Friendship with Potter was the last thing he now wanted and was disgusted at the thought of holding a civil conversation with the boy.

There was a time Draco spent so many nights with Dobby, telling the elf all the stories of a boy, who survived the killing curse and stopped the Dark Lord. He used to tell Dobby how the first thing he was going to do at Hogwarts was find Harry and become friends with the boy, after all they were the same age. He and Dobby were close once in a distant memory. Whenever Theo and Blaise couldn’t come over, it was Dobby who Draco played with. It was just the two of them in the Manor when his parents were too busy to pay attention to him. While Lucius was out of the family home at the ministry and his mother was in the gardens watering the red asters, Draco spent much of his time in solitude. When the elf and him played school, he was the professor while Dobby acted as the student. He would tell Dobby everything Snape had taught him in his private lessons during this game. It helped the blond memorize all the information as he repeated everything back to the elf.

After Lucius caught his son being too friendly with the elf one afternoon, Draco received a physical punishment of a lifetime. That night Lucius made his son take off his dress shirt, get on his knees before he whipped the boy’s back with his wand that conjured a whip from the tip of it. Lucius’ first lesson to his son was never to interact with individuals beneath them. Malfoys never bend the knee for those who aren't Pureblood, even less for magical creatures. They weren’t even considered beings but filthy animals. It was odd how life worked, for Draco was technically considered a magical creature by the laws of the wizarding world. According to his father’s logic, Draco shouldn’t interact with himself.

After his punishment, Draco cried into his mother’s arms. Narcissa kissed Draco on the forehead before telling him how gentle and sweet he was. He did nothing wrong in her eyes. Words that calmed his heart. She told Draco of how much she loved watching Draco and Dobby together in the halls. It made her so happy for it reminded her of Regulus and Kreacher. Narcissa tilted Draco’s face up to see him better as she recommended that perhaps it was time to stop playing with Dobby and the other elves. Her heart couldn’t take it if Draco got punished again. The following day, Draco never spoke or interacted with the manor’s elves, unless it was necessary.

“It’s good to see you, Dobby. It’s been too long,” Draco replied. He looked at the house elf and felt the guilt of all those years of ignoring Dobby. Malfoy felt foolish for allowing his father to get into his head. He looked into the eyes of Dobby as his heart broke. Dobby had such a pure heart that even with the pain that the elf went through at the manor, he was happy to see Draco when he should have hated the boy. Draco was still a Malfoy and the son of the man that used to beat him. Still, Dobby was excited that he was already packing the blond’s favorite dessert of apple pie just for him. With nothing stopping him anymore, Draco spoke freely. The boy scratched the back of his neck as he apologized, “Dobby… I'm sorry for ignoring all this time even after you were freed. I had so many chanc—” but got quickly interrupted as the little elf responded, “Dobby won’t accept Draco’s apology. Because Draco has nothing to apologize for. Dobby knows little Draco was hurt like Dobby”.

Feeling nostalgic, Draco walked forward. Getting to Dobby’s eye level, Malfoy gave a hug to his former house elf. “Say why don’t we play a game together just like old times. You’re allowed to say no. It’s a little different than when we were little. I’m doing a prank on all the teachers but this second vial here is extra special. It’s for a particular person. It’s for a man named Professor Snape, who hurt me too. He threw me against the wall and choked me this year. Will you help me? But it has to be our secret, or else I will get in trouble”.

Without any doubt and hesitation, Dobby cheered, “Dobby will help! Any enemy of Draco is an enemy of Dobby!,” as he clapped his hands together in excitement.

The next day Draco had Dobby return the vials after the elf made sure to put it inside the all professors’ food. Draco also handed the vials to Hermione to criminalize a particular person he wanted, his unsuspecting victim. Although Hermione hesitated wanting to ask what they were for, she agreed once he ensured her, everyone would love it. “You’ll see, my love. It will happen during meal time. Please place the vials in his trunk for me. If not for me, do it for Remus. He gave me this present. I want him to see his gift in action,” Draco pouted his lips, making puppy eyes towards Hermione as he went on, “It will give Remus fond memories of his Hogwarts days”. When that didn’t work he attacked her pretending to eat Hermione as he tickled her at the same time. The Golden Girl fell back on the couch, laughing in defeat. “Accept my request or I’ll eat you. You're just too tasty for my wolf side,” Draco teased Hermione as he licked her face while he snaked his hand up her skirt. “Fine, I will help you, but just this once and no more,” Hermione sighed in satisfaction as the blond caressed her inner thigh.

~

Once it was meal time, Draco raced to his seat at the Slytherin table beside Theo and Blaise. He glanced over to Hermione, who nodded slightly, receiving the confirmation that she did her part. “Any minute now,” Draco told his mates. Unable to stop his smirk, Malfoy chuckled at the anticipation of it all. Out of nowhere, screams erupted from the professor’s tables, causing everyone in the great hall to look. A roar of laughter rose from every table as students pointed and stared. Draco held his stomach from the laughter as he witnessed every professor's hair including Headmaster Dumbledore turn a Gryffindor red. All but Professor Snape, for he received a different vial.

Enraged, Snape was red in the face from the anger as all his hair had fallen off him in a room full of students. The bald man burned his eyes at Harry, pointing at the boy. Snape had played directly into Draco’s plan for Malfoy knew the former potion’s professor wouldn’t suspect anyone else but the chosen one.

For Snape, it had to be Harry. After all, he was just like his father. Like father, like son. Snape knew this prank from his school days. James Potter and his friends had played the same prank on their professors and put all the blame on him. Remembering one of the members of the marauders were here, Snape peered over to Remus to check if the older werewolf was involved too, but it appeared Lupin also fell victim to the prank as he also had red hair.

Turning to the headmaster, Snape shouted, “Dumbledore, we must act now! Check all the rooms and start at the Gryffindor house”.

A laughing Remus, the only one in the know, peered over to the Slytherin table, saw the Silver Trio lose their minds with mischief. He saw reminiscences of James, Sirius, and himself in those boys. Although the future was still uncertain, Lupin felt accomplished giving the children a moment back of their childhood, even if it was just for an afternoon.

Chapter Text

The day before the full moon, Draco and Hermione were in the Room of Hidden Things. With the full moon coming, the blond was struggling to get through the week. There was an intense throbbing and aching on his bones, hitting him hard. Due to the pain, he couldn’t bring himself to eat the entire week, only consuming a few bites here and there. Despite Remus warning the boy to eat more during the week of the full moon, so the effects of their transition wouldn't be so harsh, it was easier said than done. Remus had been a werewolf since childhood. The older werewolf had years of experience to build up a tolerance to the pain while Draco had less than a year under his belt.

Watching Malfoy from her chair, Hermione set down her book as she commented “Draco, you don’t look well. Maybe you should take a break. I know this cabinet is important but you can’t complete it if you pass out. Come sit with me”.

Turning around to glance at the Golden Girl, Draco watched a worried Hermione pat the cushion beside her. Not fighting back, Draco immediately put down his notes as if he had been looking for a reason to stop working. With her scent clouding his self control, he laid on top of his witch, putting his head on her chest. Malfoy closed his eyes with all his body weight on her, trying to wish away the debilitating headaches. The buzzing noises of the castle in his ears filled him with annoyance. His body trembled in pain as his lips quivered. Focusing on Hermione’s touch, she smoothly brushed his hair back while scratching his hair back at the same time.

“Hold me. My bones. Everything hurts,” Draco pleaded with visible pain in his voice as he dug his face further into Hermione’s chest for comfort.

As they laid together, Hermione tightened her arms that were wrapped around his body. Groaning, Draco found that this pressure halted the throbbing of his bones momentarily. They were in that position until Hermione couldn’t no longer put pressure on his body. Hermione spoke up, “You should take this. It’s the second to last Wolfsbane,” attempting to hand over a vial of potion. Ignoring Hermione, the Slytherin Prince shook his head while squeezing one breast. During their cuddling session, Draco slithered his hands underneath her shirt and bra, wanting to feel a plump soft breast underneath his palm. The boy stared out in the open room disassociating. “Can you stop groping me?” she whispered into the werewolf’s ear, but there was no real threat behind her voice. Instead, she liked the soft growling that slipped through Draco’s lips during their couple time. With muffled words, Draco whimpered between her breasts, “Squeezing them brings me comfort. I need this,” continuing to shake his head.

“No, you need this silly,” Hermione said in a pleading worried voice with potion in hand.

Seeing the concern spread across her expression, Draco relented as he forced himself to drink the potion like a shot. The quicker he drank it, the less painful it would be. It also never got easier to drink the wolfsbane. Squeezing his eyes shut, Draco, with a face full of disgust, dove back into the safety of Hermione’s chest and continued his ‘squeezing the girl’s session’. “Such a baby,” Hermione cooed as she continued to brush her fingers through his white blond hair. The taste of the wolfsbane’s potion was absolutely revolting. Malfoy imagined it tasted like someone’s vomit and piss. It smelled like it at least. Every time he drank it, Draco swore it felt as if his stomach caved on itself. Getting over the initial disgust of the drink, the blond went back to being the little spoon with Hermione but breathed heavily in order to hold down the potion.

~

As they both walked back to the Perfect’s bathroom, Draco politely asked Hermione to go back to the dorms. “Do you might if I sleep alone tonight? My body aches too much today and I would rather be alone”, the werewolf confessed, hoping Hermione would not take offense to his request. Almost every night, Hermione kept Draco company, sleeping with the blond in the tub. Over time, the Golden Girl made the space more comfortable, bringing pillows and blankets for Malfoy. “You sure?”. Seeing a pale faced Draco nod, Hermione replied, “Okay, but just promise me if it gets worse you take yourself to Remus quarters for medical attention”.

While she held Draco’s face with both hands, the boy leaned forward for a good night kiss, deepening it with a mix of hunger and pleasure. After they broke their kiss, Draco sighed softly when Hermione dove back for more, opening his mouth as if she was asking for permission to enter it with her tongue.

When Malfoy really thought about it, he noticed the pounding aches in his body stopped whenever he was with Hermione. Even in the Room of Requirements, being nuzzled up to Hermione’s arms, eased his pain until they had to separate. Perhaps the answer to his pain was to be intimate with her, but Draco quickly brushed that off as they hadn’t advanced to that level of their new relationship yet. They were taking it slow. He didn’t want his first time to be like this or it be seen as him relieving his own self needs. Hermione was more than that. Although most of his classmates thought otherwise, Draco was a romantic. The day they finally shared that part of themselves, the Slytherin Prince wanted it to be special for both of them.

He grabbed a strand of her curls, brushing it behind her ears as he went for a third kiss. The blond couldn’t get enough of the taste of her soft lips. At the beginning of their relationship, Hermione took the lead but over time with growing confidence, Draco initiated their intimacy. Knowing Hermione wanted this as much as he did, brought Draco comfort. Malfoy kissed her as his palms rested on hips.

Still in the middle of the hallway for all to see, Draco knew they should separate before they were caught by a professor. Almost wanting to refuse to let go of his witch, the boy was tempted to spend the night together but a flicker of the Dark Lord entered his mind. Malfoy reminded himself that he asked to be left alone. Saying they’re goodbyes, Draco and Hermione went their separate ways as he settled in for the night inside his tub to sleep through the pain. He tossed and turned all night, before his stomach flipped violently.

Waking up, Draco leaned over the edge of the tub as he threw up. As he flickered his wand to clean the floor, the blond did not think much of it. He went back to the tub. He stared at the ceiling for a long time waiting for the sickness to go away. While his eyes got heavier every passing minute, he realized a student was sleeping next door. “How long had someone been sleeping in the perfect’s bathroom for girls this whole time?,” he asked himself. Before he could really think about it, his eyes closed one more time dozing off to his dreams. Draco managed to find slumber, and he had forgotten about the person next door.

~

The next day at the Shrieking Shack, Draco and Remus folded their clothes and placed them under the floorboards. With the evening ticking closer to nightfall, they clinched their last wolfsbane potion together before waiting with their backs turned for privacy. While making small conversation, Draco’s instincts were soon on high alert, quickly making the hairs behind his head raise. His ears twitched as he whispered, “What was that? Did you hear that, Remus?”.

Draco peered around the rundown room for an intruder or maybe a ghost but saw no one. Malfoy was certain he heard someone. The professor glanced back at his student, “It’s probably the creaking of the wooden floors. This shack has been around since before I was a boy. The building is settling”. Still hearing a soft buzzing sound, Draco eyes darted around the room, searching for the source. Was it all in his mind? Remus, seeing the unease in Draco, explained further, “It's an old dreadful shack. It hasn’t been renovated for years during my transformations when I was here as student”.

“That makes sense,” Draco muttered more to himself as he wrapped his arms around himself tighter. For some odd reason, he felt exposed right now. It wasn’t the fact he was naked in a room with a professor. Malfoy had long gotten over the awkwardness after his first transition at school. Despite his vulnerable state, the boy felt safe with Remus. He never had to fear that Lupin would mock his misery or laugh. There was a sense of companionship in the same fate they shared, lycanthropy. This feeling though was different. Draco hunched over, covering his body. “Was the lack of sleep finally getting to his head,” Draco reasoned? The two werewolves continued to talk as they waited for the full moon, however, something was wrong. His instincts were persistent. Draco couldn’t let it go. He started to sniff the air and hunt just as he practiced at night with the castle’s mice.

Picking up a foreign scent, his werewolf was riled up with urgency. The strange scent clouded the boy’s mind as he went on auto pilot, letting his inner wolf take control. Draco, much to his inner wolf’s amusement, continued to track where this scent was going. He didn’t know why but the inexperienced pup found it quite difficult to break his concentration and deny his werewolf instincts on the day of the full moon.

Remus finally realized after hearing shuffling behind him that Draco had indeed found something. It was only after seeing the boy mindlessly lost inside his own instincts that Lupin also started to track whatever had the boy’s attention. His stomach plummeted to the ground with dread as the professor sensed someone was inside the room with them, but no matter how much he scanned the room and used his werewolf vision he couldn’t trace the person.

In a low hushed whisper, Remus called out, “Draco, get behind me. Something’s wrong,” but got no reply back. Instead, Malfoy was frozen in place as a low guttural growl erupted from his throat. The boy snarled, showing his sharp fangs to the empty room. Watching the scene before him, Remus realized Draco wasn’t there anymore. The wolf had taken over. The blond was already deep in the process of turning, with his mind conscious the first to go.

He knew it was pointless to ask but Remus still attempted, “Draco, did you take all of your wolfsbane?”. The professor swore under his breath. No luck, Draco was out under.

The lack of response from the boy confirmed his deepest fears. Draco was in the middle of a transformation with an intruder inside the house. Something had gone wrong and the week’s worth of wolfbane’s was not working on the boy. Malfoy was in trouble. Afraid of what would happen with Draco lost in his wolf instincts, Remus ran to look out the boarded up windows to see how much time they had left. If there was time, they could relocate to the deep parts of the forest. But looking up at the sky, it was too late for the both of them. With the full moon at its highest, the two werewolves started their transformation.

As his bones broke in pieces and realigned themselves into the shape of a wolf, Remus glanced at Draco. Although the blond’s human body was tearing itself apart from the full moon, it seemed he was not in pain, too distracted by whoever was in the shack with them. As pure excitement grew, Draco’s eyes dilated for the hunt. Malfoy was high on adrenaline as his blood was electrified of having finally zeroed in on his prey.

In recorded speed like Lupin had never seen before, Draco turned into a werewolf within seconds that the professor couldn’t keep up. Still stuck in the middle of his transformation, Remus witnessed a quick flash of a camera that hung in the air before the white werewolf grabbed it, destroying it under their paws. Lupin saw the white werewolf run down the hall chasing what seemed to be a beetle. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what it was. Why hadn’t he thought of it before. An animagus had trespassed. While he was too preoccupied searching for a person before, Remus should have been eyeing the room for an animagus. Fully completing his transformation, Lupin grabbed the camera with his mouth before following after Draco’s wolf. Hoping he wasn’t too late, Remus’ heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he approached the broken front door.

In a panic, Remus darted into the forbidden forest, tracking down the white wolf. His heart pounded against his rib cage as he heard the howling of a wolf in the distance. Its howls echoed off the trees under the full moon. A tremble went down his spine hearing the howling of a hunt filled the forest. With Remus’s enhanced hearing, he heard the running of the four legged creature and the twigs under its foot break.

Picking up his pace, Remus could only hope no harm would come for his pup. Who was this intruder? And what did they want with them? In the wild, wizards often hunted werewolves as a blood sport for it was a sign of their strength and superiority over magical creatures. Despite it being illegal, after a successful hunt, parts of their limbs and bodies sold on the black market for potions and their fur were too made into fashion among wizarding society. The price of a dead werewolf was high, often making generational wealth for poachers for decades to come. Remus had let his guard down thinking Hogwarts was safe for the both of them during the full moon. Would he pay the price for his mistake?

Following the sound, Remus howled into the sky, hoping Draco would respond and come back to him but it was in vain. The boy was chasing the intruder. Remus flew through the air. Listening in on the panting of Draco’s wolf breath, Lupin prayed he made it in time as he got closer to the boy. To his horror, Remus heard a woman’s scream, reverberating through the forest air. Frozen, Lupin was unable to move as the bloody cries of this woman's final moments of life reached his ears. In a mixture of emotions, the professor was glad his pup was in one piece but an incoming emotion of horror overtook Remus as he realized what Draco had done.

“Heeeeelp me! Have mercy!,” the woman screamed out. His ears picked up the chewing and crunching of meat and bones inside Draco’s jaws. As Remus finally reached Malfoy, all he could do was watch the scene unfold. He stared as Draco’s bloody wolf grinded and chomped down, feasting on the woman. It appeared she was still alive from the gurgling sounds of her choking on her own blood but just barely. Their intruder was feeling the pain of being eaten alive.

Remus walked closer to the bloody white wolf. He approached Draco slowly, studying the women until he realized it was Rita Skeeter. Again Lupin sat down and watched Draco eat her. There was nothing he could do for the woman. She was beyond help as her injuries only got worse with every passing second. Her fate had already been sealed as Draco’s meal. The white wolf, seeing the brown wolf, chomped down on Rita’s throat, releasing a river of blood to the ground. As the boy dragged her lifeless body on the forest floor, the young pup offered some to Remus’ wolf, unaware of what he had done. The young werewolf had taken a human life.

Remus’ wolf shook his head, still semi paralyzed on how quickly this night went wrong. The white wolf, overjoyed to have the whole meal for itself, continued to devour her. The white wolf sliced open her stomach, pulling her intestines out to consume it. Rita surrendered to the gravity of her situation as she faced death, calmingly laid out on the forest floor. She had given up, breathing slowly and no longer fighting for her own life. As Rita stared at Remus in the eye, she took her final breath as the light in her eyes disappeared. Her body laid soulless on the forest floor.

“The fear of being chased by two werewolves must have scared her enough to turn back into a human,” Remus thought to himself. He looked back at Draco’s wolf and saw he was chewing the contents of her insides. It seemed the boy was hungry. “Malfoy must have not eaten much all week,” Remus thought. The white wolf was not wasting anything, eating every meat off her bones and licking them clean. Rita’s body was still warm as steam left the body in the cold air. He watched on until in agony, knowing how much this would emotionally affect Draco.

The professor realized Draco by sunrise will wake up to the gravity of what he did. He couldn’t let his young pup carry this burden alone. Remus dropped the camera and walked towards the corpse. He too began to feast on the women. He ate the flesh in an urgency to get rid of the evidence. This could never get out. Wanting to protect Draco, Remus decided to hide this from the ministry. They didn’t need any more reason to go after Malfoy. Convicted werewolves were supposedly sent to Azkaban but Remus knew better than that. They disappeared under government control, never to be seen again. It was rumored among other packs that animal testing of new spells and potions were used on their kind, building the distrust between the werewolf and wizarding community.

Draco was too young and precious to Lupin to carry such a sin by himself. Remus would help the blond carry the shame, guilt and burden of Rita’s death. Malfoy’s sins were his too for that was what being a pack was about. They were one. If one fell, they both did. Lupin joined in consuming the human corpse so if the authorities came for his pup, they would have to take him too. Draco would never know the pain of being a lone wolf, of suffering the cruel fate of lycanthropy as Remus once did. Remus would make sure of that and in that moment, he realized Draco was his child. He cared for the boy greatly.

As it was Remus' first time eating human flesh, they both will have this first experience together. Draco already had so much weight on his shoulders from the mysterious task he was working on, the first year of being a werewolf, the duel with Greyback, Voldemort, his mother, and being publicly bullied while being disowned. If he could help Draco in any shape and form, Lupin would carry the blond’s burdens with him.

By the end of the hour, nothing was left of Rita. Draco and he were no longer clean, covered in blood and mud. Draco’s wolf was using her bones as chew toys, playfully dancing around the professor like a puppy excited for playtime. He hopped around Remus with a femur bone inside its jaws. Lupin, coming back to reality, walked closer to the white wolf and began to dig a hole. The white wolf sensing a change in activity and still high on adrenaline excitedly helped Remus. They kept digging and digging until the hole was 6 feet down. It was deep enough where rain would not bring up the evidence of bones to the surface. No one would find her as they were too deep in the Forbidden forest. Remus walked to the skeletal remains and crushed what was left of the bones into unrecognizable pieces inside his own jaws. Pieces so small, no expert could ever piece the bones back to one full skeleton. Together the two werewolves placed the bones down the hole and refilled it, leaving the skull and crushed camera still out.

Carrying both these items in his jaw, Remus and Draco walked another 3 miles into the forest before digging another 6 feet hole. In protection mode over his pup, Lupin was determined to hide what they had done. No one would charge his child for this crime, if there was no body to be found. He couldn’t stand by and watch another loved one be denied a trial. Once was one too many.

Again, Remus crushed the skull and camera inside his mouth, and refilled the hole. “No one will ever find Rita Skeeter. Not in our lifetime at least,” Remus thought. He dwelled inside his mind lost before deciding, “I won’t tell Dumbledore or anyone else for that matter. The headmaster can’t be trusted and he’s keeping secrets from me,” he thought. Lupin was certain Dumbledore did not have Draco’s best interest at heart. Draco’s wolf nudged Remus’ nose, asking the alpha if everything was alright. The young werewolf was sensing the anxiety radiating off Remus.

Together, they walk deeper into the forest a little longer. Lupin didn’t not want to go back to Hogwarts yet. It was better to get lost among the wind, trees, and sky of the forest than deal with their cruel reality even if it was just for the night. They head towards a river bank, laying down to sleep. Remus made plans, knowing they couldn’t go back to the Shrieking Shack until they washed the blood and dirt off of their bodies in the morning. Plans to console the boy and help calm him down, plagued his mind. Draco will remember the taste of human flesh inside his mouth as it sits inside his full belly. Remus needed to prepare for the incoming chaos come morning. When Nurse Pomfrey comes to an empty house, and she would notify Dumbledore and Snape, sending a search party, by then they would have their story straight.

~

Day’s Prior

A few days before the events of that night, Rita sat at her office, sipping on tea while contemplating her options. Chewing on her quill, she went over her recent visit from Crabbe Senior and Goyle Senior. They had come to her to reveal more information about the Malfoy family. This time their inside information was just too unbelievable yet tempting to just leave alone. The last tip the two families gave she was hesitant. It was unimaginable to even consider writing such a rumor, Lucius disowning his only son. That was until she mentioned how silly the rumor was to her boss. It was right there when she witnessed the look in his eye that Rita was sure it was true. Her superior already knew it, but was paid off to keep it a secret. Instead, the man went on to laugh but Rita remained unconvinced.

The journalist did what any good journalist would do: conduct her own investigation. After all, she was one of the wizarding world’s best sensational journalists and it was her duty at the top of her career to find the truth with a little nasty lie to draw the readers in. Because at the end of the day, a good story is what sells papers. With no shame, she would do anything for a good story even if she had to harm someone’s life. Scandalous stories are what sells and the people needed her, Rita told herself, justifying every action she did.

After discovering Lucius Malfoy submitted disinherited papers, she brought the documents to her boss only to be met with “leave it”. Determined, Rita ignored him, publishing the story behind his back. Her disobedience was worth every ounce of trouble she got herself into. Rita contemplated more as she stood up to walk around her office.

When she reached a conclusion, Rita bellowed with a laugh, “I must say this is an interesting development. If what the Crabbe and Goyle family say has any truth again, I’ll have the story of the century. No, I need the photo of the century. A great story needs a proof. Otherwise, I don’t think my boss will go easy on me this time around,” as she went off to Hogwarts again.

Chapter Text

The morning sun hit Draco’s face as he laid bare on the forest floor. Unaware of where he was, the blond slept comfortably under the warmth of the sunlight. Thinking he was in the hospital wing, he continued to sleep. “Strange, he wasn’t in pain this morning. The moon went easy on him,” he thought to himself. The boy curled into himself, sleeping more deeply than he had in months since receiving the bite. Malfoy had no body aches or fever from what he could tell. Unlike other times, Draco didn’t feel as if he was dying of hunger. The blond was naturally healed. As he stretched his arms over his head, he felt satisfying full while he yawned.

Feeling like a new man, Draco willed his body to continue sleeping, until he felt a breeze in the air. Was a window open in the infirmary? Usually he and Remus woke up exhausted, with cuts all over as if they had been through a fight or knight bus had hit them. After a full moon, the two werewolves were always so hungry that it felt as if their stomachs threatened to eat it itself but not today.

“What changed last night? Was I getting used to my new werewolf life,” Draco wondered as he searched for his blanket that must've fallen. Instead of his hands touching a soft mattress, Draco’s fingers searched on what seemed to be a hard surface. He turned into a new sleeping position, still trying to find his pillow, until he heard birds singing in the distance. These birds were incredibly loud as if they must be in the room with him.

It was only when he heard crickets that Draco’s ears focused on his surroundings to analyze what was around him. His hearing picked up the small details as he stayed half asleep. He heard a bird flapping its wings nearby and water crashing against the river stones.

Stretching his back and legs, Draco froze on the spot. Clenching his eyes closed, the boy had an uneasy sensation at the pit of his stomach as he smelled the earthy grass underneath him. “No… this can’t be. This is a bed he’s lying on,” Draco tried to convince himself as he ran his fingers through the grass. Little by little, bits and pieces of last night came to him before he realized he had no real memory after he blacked out. As the boy continued to pull at the grass, everything rushed at him all at once. He wasn’t in the hospital wing but in the Forbidden Forest.

Panicked, Draco stood up in a rush as he looked around. His breathing picked up, becoming unsteady as he noticed he was alone. Lost, Malfoy frantically searched where he was as he tried to find Remus too. Where had the professor gone? As his heartbeat sped up and hands shook, Draco turned around in a circle. He can’t go back to being alone again, the blond thought. Did Remus abandon him like his father once did? It was only after a fly landed on his hand that he glanced down. Malfoy noticed his hands were all covered in dirt and…blood. Blood? Draco checked his body for any injuries but there was none. This wasn’t his blood. His chest and arms were covered completely in… someone’s blood. Slowly, his lungs gasped for more air as his body failed to remember how to breathe.

Hesitantly, the boy touched his own face with both hands, before peering down at them. Draco’s heart sank as he realized his face was covered too. Had he hurt Remus? Where was he? Horror struck him as he felt a chewy object inside his mouth. Picking inside his mouth, there was something poking his gums and teeth, as well. It was raw and metallic tasting but in some weird twisted way, delicious. When he finally pulled out what was stuck in his teeth, Malfoy gagged, seeing it was a piece of flesh with a fragment of bone.

“REMUS! REMUS! NOOOO! WHAT HAVE I DONE? PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE TRUE!,” Draco screamed out into the forbidden forest, hoping he was wrong. He screamed and screamed, wanting someone to save him from his meltdown. Had he killed Lupin? The only person who knew what it was like to live life with lycanthropy. He was alone now. How could he face the others without Remus? The blond dropped to the floor on his knees, sobbing as the tears semi blinded him. He was a monster.

Disgusted with himself, the Slytherin desperately attempted to wipe his body from all the blood, but it was in vain. He was spreading it more all over his chest. Screaming into the ground, Draco did not notice the footsteps sprinting from across the woods. Remus ran towards the boy, coming from the direction of the river. “Draco, I’m here! I’m here, my boy,” Remus shouted back, as he dove right into Draco, wrapping the boy in his arms.

Still shaking uncontrollably, the blond had trouble breathing as he said in a trembling voice, “You're alive? Did I… hurt you?”.

“No, I’m okay. I’m fine. We’re okay. I’m here now,” Lupin whispered as he rocked Draco’s head in his chest, back and forth, trying to get the boy out of his panic attack. As Draco calmed down, his eyes met with Remus before he glanced down at the professor’s body. The man was also covered in blood and mud. Remus wasn’t injured either.

It was that confirmation that Draco lost it. He knew in the pit of his stomach and heart that they had eaten someone. Pushing Lupin away, Draco dry heaved, wanting to vomit whoever his body was digesting, but it was too late. Too much time had passed. Deathly petrified of last night’s event, Malfoy wailed towards the sky. He was what everyone thought he was, a monster. No one was safe from him as his thoughts flickered to Hermione. He was no better than Greyback. Draco’s mind returned to the moment when Greyback had clawed open his belly. The night when the werewolf bore his eyes into him with his guts between his teeth, mocking the boy.

Horrified, Draco held his stomach as his body remembered what it was like being eaten alive. As the blond cried out, more flashes of last night’s full moon came to Draco. Flashes of a woman’s screams begging for mercy that he had ignored. He remembered the thrill of the chase and the reward of consuming flesh that now haunted him. Terrified that Draco was losing it, Remus got down to his level and held the boy inside his arms again. He did not let go, as if it would help his pup from breaking.

Lupin tried to calm the boy, but the panic in his own voice was obvious, “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got you. I got you. I ate her too. Everything is going to be alright”.

Exhausted, Draco’s breathing went back to normal. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Sleep away his problems. Malfoy wanted to go back to his dreams for his reality that he was currently living in was a nightmare. After a few minutes, the blond was finally able to calm down in Remus’ arms. He peered into Remus’ eyes, “If I didn’t kill you, who did we eat?”. Afraid of the answer, Draco scanned Remus’ body still in disbelief that he was okay. He didn’t know what to feel. A wave of confusion filled him with relief that Remus was not injured but it was mixed with sadness that it came at the cost of another’s life. But before he could process those emotions, Draco was disgusted with himself with a flicker of thought that it was better that he had killed a stranger than his professor. Better her than Remus. How cruel could he be, Draco wondered? His father had been right to disown him.

A pause filled between the two werewolves before Remus decided to break the news. Getting the courage to speak again, Lupin replied with caution, “Rita Skeeter, but I need you to know it’s not your fault. We bear no responsibility for our actions if our inner wolf takes over. That is the burden of our curse. Something must have gone wrong with your wolfsbane this month. This happens to the best of us, Draco”.

Sitting back away from Lupin, Draco glanced down at his bloodied hands. He killed Rita Skeeter? He was covered in her blood. In a low whisper, Draco asked, “Why was she here? I don’t understand. What did I do to deserve this?”.

His body began to tremble again as he hugged himself. Tears welled up in his eyes. What did Rita want? Hadn’t she destroyed what was left of his reputation? That should have been enough for her, yet she came back to fully ensure to expose and destroy what was left of his life. “She was snooping for information. The night started as any other full moon but she entered our shack as an animagus. This was her own doing, Draco. I need you to understand that. Rita knew better than to enter a werewolf’s den on the full moon. After she took a photo of us, we hunted her down. Our natural instinct took over once it sensed we were in danger. This wasn’t our fault”.

Draco remained silent, not uttering a word. Despite Remus’s attempt at comforting him, Draco was in shock. He had eaten something as vile as Rita Skeeter. A part of him wanted to eat soap to clean his insides of what he had done but why was he still crying for her? Malfoy was numb to the information as he processed everything. The boy held his forehead, gripping his hair as if his mind was tearing itself apart and he was trying to stop it. It frightened Lupin seeing Malfoy this way. “Come on. Let’s wash up,” instructed the professor as Draco, who was on autopilot, followed him.

Disassociating, Draco no longer wanted to feel anything. Instead, the Slytherin wanted to disappear. This whole ordeal didn’t feel real yet. In a daze, everything around him was foggy. Checked out, Draco paid no attention that Remus was treating him with caution like a porcelain doll. He should have cared that Lupin was helping him wash the blood off his bare body but his mind was spinning with a million thoughts and emotions that he was unable to comprehend anything at all. There was nothing to hide anymore between the two werewolves. They both had committed murder and were lost in the forest. His life was over and they would come for him. This was perhaps the last human interaction he would have. Draco was certain he would spend decades alone in a cell, rotting away like his father.

Sensing Draco wasn’t there mentally, Remus continued to wash the boy as the water around them turned red. He washed Malfoy until his skin was clear and hair was white again. The two sat in the middle of the river, letting the river wash away their sins. Cupping water inside his hands, Remus washed Draco’s face before the boy moved away. In a fetal position, the blond never moved a muscle as he placed his face between his legs.

Out of nowhere, Draco whispered, “Remus… am I a monster? A bad person?”.

The boy couldn’t handle the thought of taking a life with his own hands. Biting his lips, Draco struggled to look at Remus. The person who believed so much in him and yet he had let Lupin down. Remus believed in his goodness when he still didn’t. Now, Draco was certain the professor would look at him differently after his mistake. Interrupting his thoughts, Remus responded, “No you're not”.

Not believing the man, Draco shook his head in denial as he began to sob again. He covered his mouth, trying to keep his cries in. The image of him chasing Rita before he pounced on the poor women, tore his conscience apart. “Your tears and remorse are proof of that. A bad person wouldn’t mourn a person like Rita”.

“I am though,” the blond said between sobs, breaking Remus’ heart in pieces. It was as if he was watching his younger self again. Remus choked on his emotions as he realized that he wasn’t talking to just Draco. He was talking to his child self. The boy who hated himself every day and swore he didn’t deserve to live until he met his friends. He had spent so many years with self hatred. So many of his friends' words of saying otherwise, fell on deaf ears. If only he could ease Draco’s pain. The path of a werewolf was a difficult one.

Lupin grabbed the boy's face with both hands, forcing Malfoy to look at him, “Listen to me. You're not a monster. You're a brilliant and talented young wizard, who is soft hearted but pretends not to be. I fully consciously ate her too. I deliberately hid her body throughout the forest. I plan to get away with her death. If I had the chance to kill her again, I would for your protection. Do you think I’m a bad person? Do you see me differently?”.

Shaking his head no, Draco remained quiet until he muttered, “Will the ministry take me away? I don't want to go to Azkaban like... my father”.

His entire life, Draco had admired Lucius. Growing up, the boy was proud of Lucius and wanted to be just like him. He saw a powerful man, who so many feared and gave in to Lucius’ demands. Draco didn’t know when his views on his father had changed. Was it after he allowed Voldemort to use their manor as their headquarters or when he was bitten by Greyback? Was it when he watched his mother be tormented by Death Eaters or when he officially was disinherited as a Malfoy? In just a few months, Malfoy’s view of the world had changed completely.

Now Draco wanted nothing to do with that man let alone follow in his footsteps. Lucius had failed his family, putting his desires for power over their safety. With a small mistake on his part, there was a real chance that Draco may go to Azkaban like most of his family: his father, Bellatrix, Sirius, and the Lestrange brothers. Was he incapable of change? Perhaps his destiny was already written in stone: a death eater. No matter how much one may beg the universe for a different outcome, it was impossible for the Slytherin. The cards were not in his favor and he needed to accept that. Draco was nothing more than a wheel in the machine of this war. There were only two ways Draco would end up after all this was over: 6 feet in the ground or in Azkaban. That was his fate. Voldemort had made sure of that.

Making Malfoy pay attention to him again, Remus assured his pup, “I won’t let anyone take you away. Listen to me, my child. I killed Rita Skeeter. I ate her as you tried to stop me. That is exactly what happened last night. I’ll go in your place if it comes to it. No one will care if I’m gone. Everyone I have cared about has left me. And if anyone dares to find the truth, they’ll have to arrest us both. We’ll go together to Azkaban”.

Seeing Draco still wasn’t responding, Lupin decided to drop a secret he never told anyone. A secret that would surely catch the boy's attention. Talking to Draco, who had his back turned to him, Remus admitted, “I almost ate Professor Snape back in 6th grade. It was an accident of course. The fool decided to follow me on the full moon. Trust me, these accidents happen more often than you realize”.

With his jaw open in surprise, the blond finally came back to reality. He silently asked for more information with his eyes, wondering what the details were. “One of the members of the Marauders decided to pull a dangerous prank. To be fair, my group of friends were cruel to Snape. Believe it or not, I was a bit of a bully, much like you. This prank would have led to Snape’s death. Snape wanted to know where I went every month and wondered why I missed school so often”. Remus glanced up at the sky, remembering his school days. It had been so long since he had spoken of this night. The night he was betrayed by someone close to him. Just speaking the words brought Lupin back to that moment. It was there Remus knew he would have never forgiven Sirius.

Turning back to Draco, Remus went on, “So my best mate, who hated Snape’s guts, told Snape to go under the passage of the Willow Tree that led to our Shrieking Shack. What my friend didn’t realize was Snape would actually go. Our bullying had finally caught up to us and Snape was determined to find something on us. He met my werewolf where I almost killed him. I would have succeeded if it wasn’t for James coming in to separate us in his animagus form”.

Lupin sighed out loud, suddenly feeling so small. “That is the real reason why we don’t get along, me and Snape. He never quite forgave me for scaring him half to death. And I in return never quite recovered from the betrayal of my best mate. My friend almost turned me into a monster that I feared becoming so much as a child. He knew my insecurities as a werewolf and my fear of being discovered, but did the prank, anyway. I was just an object for him for his amusement at that moment. That is the real reason why me and Sirius never happened. I still love him in some twisted way, but it wasn’t the same. I couldn’t trust Sirius and be with someone who would use my worst nightmare for their enjoyment. When I thought we could be friends again, it was too late. War, Azkaban, and death separated us,” the professor finally finished as he looked at Draco who had been listening so attentively. There was a look of sorrow on the boy’s expression for he was one the few that really comprehended how deep and painful that betrayal was.

All year Draco had been trying to kill the headmaster. But now that he actually took a life, Malfoy wasn’t sure if he could follow through anymore. The boy hesitated as spoke again, “What if I told you I am a bad person that was responsible for the things that have been happening this year? Would you still think I’m a good person?”.

Remus remained quiet this time, waiting for Draco to go on. “Yes, I stand by what I said. There are some people in this world who are stuck between two bad choices, but that does not mean they’re bad people. It means they are a person of their circumstances. And if given the chance, I know with my entire heart that they will choose to do good,” Remus replied immediately, hoping Malfoy would reveal more about what had been going on.

Peering up at Lupin’s sincere smile, Draco’s voice trembled as he blurted out, “Voldemort…. gave me a mission after I was bitten. I was ordered to find a way to sneak the death eaters into the castle and kill the headmaster. I’ve been trying to fix the Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Hidden Things and been trying to kill Dumbledore all year. I’m the one who hurt Katie. The necklace was for Dumbledore, but everything went wrong. Ron’s poisoning was me. I had no choice. He has my mother. I didn’t know Slughorn would give it to a student. I really was going to kill Dumbledore, but after last night I don’t think I can. If I don’t though, he’ll kill my mother. And I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND A WAY TO FIX THE STUPID CABINET SO HE’LL KILL ME TOO!”.

Draco sobbed again, releasing all his pent up emotions. He had confessed everything, freeing his conscience. Once he admitted one truth, Draco found he couldn’t stop as he rushed out his words. Afraid of what Remus would think of him, Draco went into Remus’s arms, in fear of how uncertain his future was. “Please don’t hate me. I didn’t mean to hurt Katie or Ron. It was an accident. I’m sorry. I know I’ve disappointed you, but please don’t be mad at me. I can’t take it from you,” the Slytherin whispered as he sobbed into Remus’ neck.

Draco, who so often exhibited a tough exterior, was a fragile child. He had no adults that had his best interests at heart, Remus realized as he rocked the boy back and forth. Patting his back, Remus told Draco, hugging him tighter, “I can never hate or be mad at you. I'm so proud that you trust me enough to let me in. We're going to figure this out together. You’re not alone anymore. You have me now,”. All the while, the boy in his arms cursed between tears at a cabinet that had made his life living hell.

An hour later, the two werewolves began to walk back. “Where are we?”, a shivering Draco asked Remus as he slightly trailed behind the professor.

A cold wind blew in their direction. With his arms covering his chest, Malfoy peered behind him, hoping no one was here to see him at his most vulnerable. He wasn’t sure how Remus had confidence in his walk and stood straight, as if nothing was wrong at the scene before them. He absolutely hated this part of being a werewolf, waking up and not knowing where he ended up at. The blackout in his memories during the full moon bothered him for someone who had every aspect of his life planned to the smallest of details.

“I’m not sure. We were out all night long. If I had to guess we’re in the deepest parts of the forest where no man has dared to come. Not even the strongest of wizards can survive these parts of the woods. Only the darkest magical creatures live here. Luckily for us, they consider us one of them,” Lupin responded back. The two walked what felt like hours with no way to track time. There was no sun this far in, so Remus guessed it could have been noon.

Suddenly, the sound of horses galloping came towards them. “Don’t be scared, Draco. They won’t harm us. Centaurs are incredibly wise and honorable creatures. As long as we show them no harm. We will make it out of here,” Remus calmed the boy.

Even without seeing who was headed their way, Remus knew. Although Draco had only read about them, Remus was right. Like werewolves, Centaurs were the most misunderstood and stigmatized among all magical creatures. Centaurs were not half breeds like the ministry of magic liked to categorize them as but a whole different species of their own. To call them a half bred or mule was done purposely to offend them. In that same light, they were patient for any young being that came their way. From what Draco remembered in Divination, Centaurs were natural born seers, reading the signs in nature, the stars, and other living beings in the forest.

The tribe of Centaurs ran wildly in a circle around the two werewolves. They stood tall as the trees around them, towering over the boy who was 6ft. At 195cm, if they wanted to, the centaurs’ hooves could break his skull with only a mere jump. The blond couldn’t help but to be scared and fascinated by them too. Staying at Remus’ side, the boy held onto the professor’s arm. It took everything to fight his instinct of growling at them. Soon Malfoy realized that he didn’t know much about what really lived in these woods. Hagrid had been a poor teacher. The only knowledge Draco had of these magical creatures was what the ministry told them, and that was corrupt. He was living proof of that. Everything he had read on lycanthropy was wrong or limited. Any books Draco read before his first transformation were wrong.

“Remus Lupin. Draco Malfoy. Good to see you’re alive,” the centaur said as he gave a bow to the werewolves. Introducing himself as the tribe leader, the head centaur explained, “Dumbledore sent a word to my herd, asking for a search party on behalf of Hogwarts. We refused. A man foolish enough to come into our territory deserves what the forest delivers him. That was until the headmaster told us you were one of us: magical creatures. And one child was among you two”. The leader walked closer, peering straight at Draco as he got a real look at the boy. “We have seen you and have waited many years for you. The one with courage”.

Confused, Draco stepped away from behind Lupin before he asked the centaur, “Courage? I think you have the wrong person. You want Potter, not me,” rising a smile out of Remus.

It seemed like the leader was contemplating what Draco had said as he studied the boy before him. He peered around first to feel his surroundings. Almost as if he was letting the forbidden forest tell him what the best course of action was. After a minute of meditation, the leader opened his eyes. “You killed someone last night. The forest has told me. Fear not, what happens in these woods stays here. It also tells me you are lost. You're in need of guidance”.

The centaur took out his hand, asking for Draco’s. If he was Draco from 5th year, the blond would have considered this all stupid and slapped the hand away. He always thought Divination was a useless class that depended too much on guess work. But the unnamed leader was not his Professor Trelawney, the centaur knew things that he shouldn’t have. Complying with the centaur, Draco grabbed onto their hand while the creature closed his eyes, reading Draco.

Son of Black
Son who was born of Darkness
Stare at your own reflection in the mirror
What do you see?
What is the truth?
Who is the monster?
Who is the master of your destiny?
Are you free or a slave to others?
Are you Man
or one with the creatures of the forest?
A soul stuck between two worlds
One bite changed all
A lone howl
Now two
Now three
She follows her love where the wolf goes
Never does she hurt the wolf
Her golden light promises the wolf another path
Walk alone and chained up you’ll be
Only in union can you set yourself free
Which fate will you choose?
Always remember this
Do not fear yourself
Fear man
Dragon the strong one
Dragon with courage
Dragon to free those who walk in the shadows of the forest

As the centaur opened his eyes, he went on as if he hadn’t just revealed insight into the future, “Come jump on. We’ll lead you out of the forest”. Seeing the hesitance in the werewolf’s eyes, the leader searched through his bag that hung around his waist along with his arrows. The centaur handed Remus and Draco an extra pair of clothes. Tired of walking and seeing no fear in Remus’s face for the situation they found themselves in, Draco nodded as he took the clothes while muttering a small thanks.

While riding on a centaur’s back, Remus asked Draco who rode beside him, “How are you doing over there?”.

The boy stayed quiet before answering, “I’m okay”.

Remus sensed the lie in his voice. The professor couldn’t help but to feel sorry for everything Draco had been through. He was being forced to grow up fast in front of his very eyes. 16 soon to be 17 and Malfoy already has faced so much that adults would never experience. The Slytherin has had to make decisions no man or a woman should make or bear alone, yet here he was. Their bites had changed their lives. This Draco for better or for worse is not the same boy from last year. Lupin couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of man this boy would have grown up to be if he was allowed to experience his childhood with no impending war.

He turned to glance at Draco, witnessing a young man, no longer a child. The last pillar Malfoy had left of his childhood was taken away last night. He has faced death in the form of Greyback and Voldemort. Draco had experienced what it was like to take a life in Rita. With all that in mind, Remus grew furious as they rode on. He was heated as a storm brewed his heart as he thought back to Dumbledore and all the secrets he had been keeping from the Order. How much did the headmaster know and what isn’t he telling us? All year Remus played along but was no closer to the truth. “No more secrets. When I see Dumbledore, I will demand answers,” Remus told himself, but Draco interrupted his thoughts.

“I would care,” the boy whispered.His voice was almost lost among the gallop of the centaurs.

Remus tilted his head in confusion as he asked, “What?”.

Draco glanced down at his lap, struggling with his emotions. His entire life was never allowed to feel but he wanted to change now. The blond explained as he avoided the professor’s questioning stare, “You said back there ‘No one will care if I’m gone. Everyone I have cared about has left me’ but you're wrong. I would care. You shouldn’t say that about yourself. Your students would care”.

“Has that been bothering you this entire time since I said that?,” Remus spluttered in genuine shock before choking back his tears. He didn’t even recall saying that, but Draco only nodded before refusing to talk again. That was enough emotion for the blond for one day. After that, the boy decided to outright ignore Lupin. They rode in silence with the centaurs until they arrived at Hogwarts again.

Chapter Text

After being given a clean bill of health by Madam Pomfrey, Draco went about the rest of his day as if nothing happened. He had attended classes and listened quietly to his friends’ conversations but there was a depressing aura since his transformation last night. The boy’s cordial smile faded once he thought no one was looking. When Malfoy did smile though it didn’t not reach his eyes. Being unusually quiet even with his close mates, Theo and Blaise left Draco alone, giving him the chance to gather his thoughts. They had decided not to question their friend or bring up his somber mood.

After dinner, Draco found himself, walking around the castle to clear his mind as he processed Rita’s death. The boy couldn’t help but feel guilt over her death. He hadn’t meant to hunt her down. Malfoy hoped there was no one back home looking for her.
Even with his growing guilt, it wasn’t enough for Draco to want to do the right thing and go to Azkaban. A family reunion with his father was the last thing he needed. Rita’s death was a reminder of his increasingly stressful assignment from the Dark Lord. Now that the blond knew what it was like to kill someone, he really couldn’t find himself to purposely take another life of someone that hadn’t wronged him.

While Greyback was a different story, Dumbledore had only been a small bother for the boy during his school years. If the blond really wanted things to go his way at school, all Draco needed to do was call his father for help. The old man showing favoritism to the Golden Trio wasn’t exactly a crime or worth killing him for. Whether Draco wanted to admit it or not, the wizarding world needed Dumbledore the most now that Voldemort’s rise to power was on the horizon. Who else could face the Dark Lord? It definitely wasn’t Potter for he didn’t have the skills to do so. Potter had only made it this far from plain luck.

Even with his reservations, Malfoy knew he would need to go through his task as it was either his life or the headmaster’s. The thought of dying did not seem pleasant to the blond, but was his life worth more important than Dumbledore’s? Despite Remus’ reassurance that he would help, Draco didn’t see how the professor would. He couldn’t see Remus helping him murder the headmaster.

Sighing over his predicament, Draco suddenly found himself in front of the fruit basket painting. The thought that he had eaten human meat made the blond queasy to the point that he had himself starved purposely since waking up. As he reached the end of the day, his hunger was getting harder to ignore. Since he barely touched his food at dinner, Malfoy relented and decided to eat whatever the elves cooked. As Draco tickled the pear in the portrait, the entrance to the kitchen appeared behind it.

While the Slytherin went through the kitchen heading towards the table at the far end of the room, an elegant black cloak, hanging from a chair, had caught Draco’s eye. Just from appearance alone, Draco could tell it was an expensive and high-quality fabric shipped from Italy. As he slipped his fingers through the cloak, confirming his suspicions, the boy was reminded of his mother. Narcissa liked to wear such clothes.

Draco’s mind wandered off, missing his mother greatly after what he had done. She always knew what to do in such predicaments. No matter how complicated or hopeless a situation was, to Draco she had all the answers. Although Draco knew it wouldn’t solve anything, he wished his mother was here so she could wrap her arms around him and pretend everything was alright. With each increasing day, Draco wanted nothing more than to be 10 again when all he had to worry about was where his mother and him would go for their latest shopping trip. To go back to the days where if he was upset, he could crawl onto his mother’s bed for comfort. Life was so much simpler back then, when he was still considered a wizard under ministry law.

He had managed to write to her occasionally since starting school, but many of their letters felt stiff. Neither could express themselves to their heart’s extent knowing the dark lord were reading them. Before Draco had realized it, it had been weeks since their last interaction. Like a child wanting his mother, Draco smelled the cloak in an effort to feel close to her in any way possible. Disappointed, his eyebrows furrowed at the lack of smell of his mother’s perfume, but it did look like a cloak she would buy herself. He wanted to go home to her.

Dejected, Draco thought to himself, “Hogwarts must be paying these house elves well,” as he put down an elf’s cloak. Just like old times, Dobby approached Draco. The former house elf brought Draco his favorite, key lime pie, remembering he had a sweet tooth. Malfoy thanked Dobby before the little elf went back to work.

Seated, Draco took a few bites before he finally glanced around, noticing how empty the kitchen was with very few house elves around. How strange, the boy thought. The kitchen was always busy, no matter the time of day, with dozens of elves, preparing meals for the student body. It was a job that never ended. Tonight, though, there were only a handful around. Ignoring what was going around him, Draco started to eat the whole pie, not even serving himself a plate. Eating from the middle and working his way out, Malfoy savored the intense lime flavor in an attempt to forget how human flesh tasted.

In the distance, the opening of the door caught his attention. The blonde froze in place until the familiar scent reached his nose. His body relaxed as he reached for another spoon. As he consumed the pie, Hermione came, taking the seat beside him. “How do you keep finding me?”, with no energy in his voice, Draco whispered as he handed Hermione the extra spoon.
“That’s for me to know and you to figure out,” she winked at him but noted the sadness in Draco’s eyes.

“I know for certain it’s not luck. Could it be a new tracking spell you invented? You’re intelligent to do that, but you'll have to show me your ways one of these days,” Malfoy smirked with dead eyes before going back to his pie.

The two picked at the pie between them before Hermione reached out to hold his hand in hers. “Draco, everyone’s worried. I know you have a lot on your shoulders right now and the less you tell people what you're up to the safer we are but let us help. I’m worried. I haven’t seen you this upset ever,” Hermione begged while raising Draco’s hand she had on her own and placed a peck on it. Continuing to eat, Draco quickly glanced at her before avoiding her eyes. Staying quiet, he grabbed another scoop of pie and fed Hermione.

Pushing further, Hermione begged, “Draco, please let me in”.

Unable to resist her request, the boy nodded as he contemplated how much he should reveal. He wondered if once Hermione found out what he did last night if it would change their relationship for the worse. If Hermione found out what he’s been up to this entire year, would she still love him? Draco closed his eyes, ready to lose Hermione, as he confessed, “I killed someone last night during the full moon… Rita Skeeter to be exact. It was an accident. I don’t know what came over me but she came into our shack to take a photo of us. I lost my mind to the wolf and attacked her”.

Malfoy peered away, unwilling to see what must be the disgust on her face as he decided to reveal the whole truth to her like a bomb. “And that’s not the worst part. Remus and I…. ate her, afterwards. Her entire body is gone. We hid her corpse and her family will never know what happened to her. And it's all my fault. Hermione…” Draco's voice cracked as he paused, hesitating to continue.

Feeling her eyes on him, Draco gave in, looking up at her. As a tear escaped his eye, he noted how instead of revulsion, Hermione had a look of grief on her face. Breathing out a shaky voice, Draco murmured weakly, “Hermione… What does that make me? My fucking werewolf enjoyed it. I’m a monster. I’m not as human as I want to be… What if I’m more like Greyback than I realize? What if… I’m a danger to you?”.

Before Hermione could interject, Draco asked, feeling insecure, “Do you still love me after what I did?”. Leaning over, Hermione wiped the tear on Draco’s cheek. She placed both hands on the side of his cheeks, forcing the boy to take in her words. “Oh, Draco. Nothing you could do can stop me from loving you. I’m so sorry that happened to you. It's not your fault. No wizard or witch should ever provoke a werewolf during the full moon. This was Rita’s own doing”.

Still sensing Draco was upset, Hermione continued hoping to raise a smile out of him, “If you're worried about being a monster, the fact you are mourning her proves you're not one. So save your tears for someone that deserved them, if anything you made a positive impact on this world. Rita was a terrible person. It’s no wonder I woke up this morning feeling like the sky was a little brighter today. You did a good service for society and the ethics of journalism”.

Nodding, Draco rested his head on her shoulder, and suddenly tried. Brushing her fingers through Draco’s hair, Hermione spoke up again, “Will it make you feel better to know I’m not a good person either? We can be terrible people together”.

Seeing Draco lift his head in curiosity, Hermione explained further, “Since Rita couldn’t stop making up lies, I may have held Rita captive in a jar out of anger, blackmailed her, and accidentally starved her. It honestly slipped my mind that beetles still needed to be taken care of. I just left her in my trunk in 4th year”. Finally, letting out a chuckle, Draco shook his head in disbelief. “You're right, that does make me feel slightly better. Are you sure you were sorted into the correct house?”. The blond slightly laughed before feeling down again. It was hard to forget what he had done and will have to do in the future.

Draco looked down at his lap before turning back to Hermione. Before the blond could speak, it was as if Hermione knew what was on his mind. The golden girl interjected before Malfoy could express his thoughts, “Please don’t compare yourself to Greyback. Even as a werewolf, you’re more man than a lot of men I know. The only thing you're guilty of is protecting your loved ones. I can never see you as a monster. You’ll always be Draco to me. No matter how much you push me away, you’re stuck with me”.

With eyes watery again, Draco cleared his throat, hoping to push away his emotions. He didn’t deserve her, Draco thought to himself. He wasn’t as good as she thought he was. The Slytherin spoke again, “You won’t think of me that way forever, Hermione. There’s something I haven’t told you. It involves what I’ve been doing all year…”. He paused, feeling Hermione’s eyes on him. Hermione stayed still, waiting for him to continue.

Feeling nauseous, the blond pushed his food away. Once she knew, would Hermione still want to be involved with him? They were on different sides of the war and Draco was unsure if he could go where she went, if he was allowed or deserved a chance. How would the light side allow him to fight with them if he was tasked with killing Dumbledore, their leader? Malfoy explained further, preparing to lose Hermione, “We're both going to need to pick a side soon. And I can’t go with you, but I’ll stay by your side until we have to go our separate ways, if you let me”.

Shocked at his words, Hermione reached out to hold his hand. “What are you talking about? I won’t allow you to leave me behind. Whatever it is, we can go to Remus. He’ll help us”.

Shaking his head, Draco turned away as he said, “Remus already knows, but I don’t think he can help me. It’s just… The Dark Lord gave me a mission over the summer to fix the Vanishing Cabinet so I can let Death Eaters into the castle and… I have to kill Dumbledore. I just don’t see a way out of my predicament. If I fail my tasks, he’ll kill me and my mother, but if I complete them, the Order will never accept me. I know you don’t want to hear this, but our time together is limited. After Rita, I don't know if I can go through with ending Dumbledore’s life. I’ve accepted fate, my short life. Now that you know what my task is, do you still want to be involved with me?”.

Without a second to lose, Hermione panicked as her voice cracked, “I’ll help you fix the cabinet! You can’t give up. I can’t live without you. Draco, I know more than you realize. I’ve figured out you had something to do with Katie and Ron long ago. All the things you did, I know, and I still stand by you. Any person in your circumstance, will do what you’re doing to save yourself and your family. You had no choice. We’ll figure out a way out of this, but you have to try for me! If you truly love me, you’ll figure out a way to be with me or let me follow you where you go”.

As he groaned into his hands, Draco couldn’t bear to look at Hermione, who had begun to cry. His back was against the wall. Malfoy couldn’t see what she did. She saw a promise of the future. Could he really allow Hermione to follow the same path as him? Draco just wanted to be with her, though. Was that so awful of him? “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m not good for you. I don’t even know what my day to day looks like for me anymore. There's too much uncertainty and if I lose you or god forbid hurt you….. I’ll never forgive myself”.

Hermione grabbed his face once more to kiss him, lingering on his lips for a minute before separating, “I decide what’s good for me or not. We’ll worry about the future another day. Just let me be with you,” before placing pecks on every inch of his face.

With every incoming kiss, Draco’s will weaken. Seeing the sincerity on Hermione’s expression as she clenched the front of his vest, he believed in their love. Nothing that the Dark Lord threatened to do could ever make Draco choose the dark side. The blond loved her more than he was afraid of Voldemort. Malfoy knew at that moment, Hermione would never have to ask anything of him more than twice.

Certain of how this would end for him, Draco kept quiet as he wiped her tears. Although the boy accepted his coming death, he then decided he had power over his reason. He would die for her and take as many Death Eaters with him. For Hermione, he would give her the world she deserved to live in. Malfoy just wanted to live the remaining time he had left with her. Live his last days together just like this, to be kissed by her.

With the taste of her lips, Draco made up his mind. Bringing her closer, the blond gently grabbed her by the chin as he went in for a deeper kiss. The blond rested his forehead on hers as he whispered, “okay”.

Afterwards, Hermione had decided to sneak Draco into the Gryffindor’s Tower. With both of them emotional, Hermione needed Malfoy tonight to ease her anxiety. Since finding out what Draco had been assigned to do, Hermione felt uneasy. The thought that at any moment, Draco could be taken from her life frightened the golden girl.

Despite how grim their situation was, Hermione was stubborn to find a way out for Draco. Tonight, Hermione wouldn’t allow Malfoy to be away from her. Now that she knew what was making Draco lose sleep these last couple of days, Hermione figured she could bring some relief into his life by letting him come to her dorms. While she held Malfoy’s hand down the empty hallways, the idea to bring Draco to her bed to help him sleep was sounding better with each passing minute.

Draco found it hard to say no to her request as his inner wolf loved being surrounded by her scent. He spent a good portion of their time kissing Hermione and scenting her. He found pleasure in openly letting his werewolf instincts act on their own. If one thing could cheer up Draco from the previous night, it would be spending the night with his beloved.

“Come on, don’t let the other girls hear you,” Hermione whispered as they tip-toed up the stairs. She held on to his hand while they entered her room and carefully hopped on her bed. Taking off his shoes and placing them under the bed to hide them, Draco placed his wand next to Hermione’s wand, on top of the nightstand. Smiling widely, the golden girl closed the curtains while placing a Silencio spell for the night. Hungry for Draco, Hermione pulled at the boy, dragging him under the covers with her. Malfoy sighed in satisfaction as he drowned in Hermione’s scent of caramel candy, pumpkin juice, and parchment paper.

Malfoy allowed Hermione to undress him until he was down to only his boxers. He looked at Hermione, almost drooling over her beauty. She was in a simple t-shirt and night time shorts. Draco admired how those brown and curls framed her face. Her full lips and golden brown eyes were to die for. He wanted to love every part of her, as the curves of her waist and hips were perfect not to hold on to. Hermione’s body fit perfectly against his. The blond wanted her right now, but he didn’t know how to tell her.

Without realizing, Draco gulped as he was longingly staring at the witch’s breasts. He had only seen them once on Christmas Eve. Since then, the two lovebirds simply groped each other whenever they made out. He wanted to view Hermione's breasts again. Draco imagined his hands cupping them. Malfoy tried to remember how her nipples looked like.

Quick to see his heated eyes, Hermione felt a little daring tonight as she made the first move. Fast on her feet, Hermione pushed the blonde down as she got on top of him, riding him like a horse. Shocking Draco, the golden girl made the boy blush. With Draco’s full attention, Hermione smirked as she teasingly removed up her shirt and bra. Putting on a small show, she let her chest be free as she squeezed them. Hearing a soft gasp coming from Draco, Hermione whispered, “You can touch me, if you want”.

Only hesitating for a moment, Draco grabbed both of her breasts and fondled them. Relishing Hermione’s body, Draco rubbed her nipples in a circular motion, encouraged by the sounds his witch was making. Unable to fight off temptation, Draco leaned closer as he wrapped his lips around her nipple, sucking on him. He grinned as he noted the way Hermione arched her back and gasped at the new sensation she had never felt before. Just this action alone and the visual of a topless Hermione in front of him made his cock hard.

As she felt his hardened groin under her, Hermione felt a little mischievous before she grinded against Draco’s length and pushed his face further into her breasts, enjoying how Draco’s tongue played with her nipple.

While their moans intermixed, she rolled her hips, determined to make Draco finish. Feeling a sexual awakening and feeling loved, Draco whimpered, “Hermione,” as the two clung to each other’s bodies. He allowed Hermione to use and have her way with him as she grabbed his chin for a kiss before she pushed him down to her chest. Getting the hint, Draco followed her lead as he rubbed his face against both of her breasts, letting himself drown between them. He got a little more confident seeing Hermione enjoy herself. Malfoy closed his eyes as he melted into her while sucking on her breasts. Leaving love marks behind on every inch of her chest, it was everything Draco needed. As Hermione whimpered, signaling she was close, she moved her hips against his hard length faster. As she rode him to a pace she enjoyed, the blond froze, reaching his climax too. Diving in for her lips, Draco released a deep growl as they both orgasmed together. The boy wrapped his arm around her in a hug as he came inside his own boxers.

As morning came, Draco was awakened to the sound of giggling girls. He shot right up, scaring Hermione awake. “Fuck, we over slept! How am I going to get out now?!”.

Not worried, Hermione groaned, still half asleep and half awake. “You worry too much. We’ll wait for everyone to leave. Remus is our first class, anyway. He won’t say anything to you since you're his favorite,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. This didn’t make Draco feel better as he grew increasingly nervous. Yes, he had broken tons of rules since his first year, but he had never spent the night inside the girl’s dorm before last night. What happened to those who were caught, he wondered? Would Dumbledore owl his mother and indirectly the Dark Lord for breaking the most forbidden rule under Hogwarts policy? His mind went wild, thinking ahead of all the possible consequences of something that hadn’t happened yet.

Hermione, on the other hand, laid down peacefully with her eyes closed. Malfoy stayed still as he heard the voices outside their bed grow louder. Panicked, the blond looked down at the witch, grabbing his pillow to hit Hermione with, “Will you wake up!? Your werewolf is about to be caught outside his dog house!”.

Finally awake, Hermione yawned, “Relax, I've been in the dorm with the same girls since 1st year. They won’t snitch on us. If anything, they’ll make you stay to spill the beans on the other single Slytherin boys in your house”. Giving into her calm energy, Draco along with Hermione waited as they listened to her roommates get ready for class.

“That’s weird, Hermione’s still asleep. Should we wake her up? She’s never been late to class before,” asked Parvati, genuinely worried as she neared her bed.

Wide eyed, Draco gasped, ready to duck behind Hermione, but Lavender replied back, “I think we should let her sleep in today. She’s always studying late into the morning. Probably one of those nights, again. Let’s go before we're late too”. Releasing their breaths they were holding, Draco and Hermione laid back into the covers but Draco sniffed the air. All the girls but one had left the room. Clearing her voice, Lavender spoke up, teasing the couple, “All the girls are gone, Hermione and Draco. The common room should be cleared out in 15 minutes. Before I go, some advice for next time, don’t leave two wands out in the open. It gave you two away”. Lavender giggled out loud as she hopped her way out of the door. Embarrassed, Draco looked at Hermione before hiding under the covers as Hermione laughed at themselves.

Chapter Text

Wasting no time once he and Draco had got back from the forbidden forest, the professor immediately went to find Dumbledore only to be told by Snape that he had gone out on official business. The mere thought of the headmaster made the werewolf’s blood boil. Every single time he needed to speak to Dumbledore, he was away from the castle. The old man had been avoiding Lupin all school year. It was beginning to irritate Remus that Dumbledore was gone for most of the time, leaving everything to Professor Snape in his absence.

After last night’s full moon, he decided he had enough of the old man’s game. Using his strong sense of smell, Lupin knew Dumbledore was back in the late afternoon. It was at that moment, Remus decided not to take no for an answer.

Once Remus was done with his classes for the day, he stormed right through the office, slamming the door open. Whatever Dumbledore was doing behind the Order’s back, Lupin knew it all connected back to Voldemort, the incoming war, and Draco. Startling the bird, a few books from the bookshelf fell from the force of impact. “Looks like the big bad wolf has finally come to blow your house down, Dumbledore,” the portrait of former headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black snickered, watching the scene unfold. Phineas leaned over for a closer look with excitement of what was to come. Anticipating a bloodbath, the portrait smiled as Remus ignored him.

Remus yelled at Dumbledore from across the room, “I’ve had enough with all the secrecy. Tell me what’s going on! Who do you think you are meddling into people's lives and manipulating them for your personal benefits? Are we simply just chess pieces to you?”.

Remus had been so focused on the headmaster that he did not notice Professor Snape was sitting across from Dumbledore. Buried feelings of their childhood hostilities bubbled up to the surface for Lupin as he suddenly remembered Harry telling him Snape had been violent towards Draco during Slughorn’s party. He really couldn’t find it in himself to trust Snape. Whatever Dumbledore saw in the man was a mystery, which furthered Remus’ questioning of the headmaster’s motives.

Turning back to Dumbledore, the wizard sat at his desk with one hand stirring a cup of tea. “Is that how you speak to your superiors, Lupin? Have some respect for Dumbledore. What did I tell you, headmaster? It was a mistake bringing him this year. He’s more trouble than he’s worth,” Snape snarked, as he leaned further away from the werewolf. A look of disgust flickered on Snape’s expression before it went to his usual bored neutral default.

It was obvious to Lupin that Snape still held grudges and prejudices towards his kind. It took everything for Remus not to snap Snape’s spine in half. The professor was done atoning for almost killing Snape back then all these years. For so long, Remus lowered his head around the man. He was done with the shame Snape held over his head. Snape had become exactly what he hated during their school days, a bully towards other students and him. If only Lily could see the way her former friend tormented Harry. Why should he still be punished for something that hadn’t been his fault? Perhaps, James shouldn’t have stopped the prank from happening. Finally standing up for himself, Remus released a guttural growl towards Snape, showing his canines and shutting up the man. He reminded Snape of his werewolf that had almost and still could kill him.

“Oh, looks like you really did it now,” said the portrait snickered as his eyes never left Snape.

Still high on last night's hunt, Remus, who only saw red, lunged towards his former classmate. Without thinking of the consequences, Lupin lifted Snape off the chair, slamming him against the wall. Holding Severus high above the ground into a choke hold, Remus growled, “Don’t you talk to me about respect when you laid a hand on a Draco. I also know you had something to do with him becoming a werewolf. Tell me what your role was, now!”. He continued to scream into Snape's face, noses almost touching each other as he breathed down at the snake. The head of Slytherin felt a fear he hadn’t felt for a long time. The same fear he didn’t know he had was reignited inside his mind for the first time since in 6th year. The oily hair man had forgotten how loyal Remus was to those he loved. How protective he could be against those who hurt his family. After all it’s in his nature to be protective as a werewolf.

After he collected himself, Snape pushed Remus off of him, “I did not know the Dark Lord was going to turn him into a werewolf! The boy was as good as dead after his father’s failure. I’ll have you know that I saved your mutt from being eaten by Nagini. My recommendation for a wizard's duel gave him a chance to live!”.

Snape took out his wand pointing it to the werewolf as he went on, “I didn’t know the Dark Lord would take my word and have the whole community witness Draco be eaten alive by Greyback. You should be grateful. Because of my actions, a lost puppy follows you around school grounds now. You're no longer lonely, you're welcome”.

Angered, Lupin snarled at Snape as his claws began to present themselves. “I have a hard time believing you with your track record of despising students your entire teaching career. You have a vendetta against the Malfoy family, don't you?! For being forced to be Lucius’ lackey all these years. You hate Draco just as you hate Harry for being James’ son, Snivellus”.

With cold eyes, Snape chuckled, “I seem to have hit a nerve, with my comments towards your pup. May I remind you that we wouldn’t be here if your cliques within the Order and the potter boy could tell which memories were fake! We are here because of you! I trained that useless boy in Occlumency and nothing stuck to him. Potter is as arrogant as his poor excuse for a father. The boy couldn’t put aside his anger and pride to learn from me. The Order stormed into the Department of Mysteries with no plan because of Potter. Why would you listen to such a idiotic, impulsive boy? You're just as guilty as me if we’re going to start pointing fingers. You indirectly caused Draco to receive the bite”.

Snape laughed seeing the momentary flash of hurt across Remus’ face before the werewolf spat in his face for good measure. The only sound was the mad laughter from the portrait, who appeared to enjoy the infighting among the men. Remus noted for the first time how Headmaster Phineas Black shared his hatred for the current headmaster, lighting an idea in his mind.

Still sitting at his desk, Dumbledore sipped his tea before clearing his throat and bringing the attention back to himself, “No fighting please. We have much to talk about, gentlemen. Take a seat, Remus and Snape”.

“This is going to be good. I’ve been waiting for this to explode on you, Dumbledore, since I laid my eyes on that werewolf,” chuckled the portrait. Dumbledore turned around, attempting to shoot a Silencio spell at the portrait but missed by an inch when Remus growled at him.

Lupin did not want to waste anymore time, diving straight for it, “You knew the whole time didn’t you? You knew Draco was a werewolf the moment he turned, about the duel, and his assigned tasks. Giving me the mission to guard the room was a ploy. He’s been struggling all year, reaching out the best way he knows for a boy who grew up in a traditional and conservative Pureblood household. Yet, you aren’t doing anything to help the boy. So much for, ‘help is always given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it’. So tell me this, why all the games? What are you hiding?”.

The portrait let out a, “Oop, he got your there,” slip but was ignored by the Headmaster and Snape.

Dumbledore intensely stared back at the werewolf, “Don’t tell me you have grown to care for the boy. I will admit this new development was quite unexpected. I needed you to come back to Hogwarts to help the boy transition into his current condition. Not to come back to adopt a son. We need the boy to complete his mission on his end for our plans to work”. Dumbledore poured a cup for the werewolf but Remus stood back up in anger, pacing around the room.

As he turned back, he leaned against the desk to be closer to the headmaster, “Yes, I have grown close to Draco. And our condition has a name, lycanthropy. He’s just a boy. Hasn't he been through enough? If the duel and Greyback wasn’t traumatizing, you want to burden the boy with your death in his hands? Why? Help me understand”.

In a collected expression, Dumbledore responded back with a smile with no life behind it, “No need to worry. He won’t kill me. The boy can’t do it. When Draco lowers his wand, Snape will step in to carry the task. It has to be done. I have less than a year to live and we need Voldemort to trust Snape. Snape needs to be his 2nd in command not just be a part of his inner circle”. As Dumbledore raised his hand to show Remus his cursed rotting hand, the werewolf froze as he peered at the headmaster as if it was the first time. With renewed eyes, Remus didn’t know who this wizard was. This was the widely admired wizard he had looked up to as a boy? In this instance, Remus realized nothing was off limits for Dumbledore for his goals. Lupin saw how the headmaster hid behind the excuse of “for the collective good”. He did just as much harm as Voldemort but was better at hiding it.

It took everything inside Remus not to throw the desk in front of him. Instead, he forcefully grabbed on to the edge of the desk, cracking it. “You're mad! Even if Draco doesn’t go through with it, he will carry the guilt. I should know. We’re one of the same” Remus spat out as he quickly glanced at Snape before turning back to the wizard. “And tell me this, what happens if Draco does go through with it? He’s desperate enough to save the only family he has left, his mother. He’s desperate to stay alive. He knows Voldemort is coming after him. After this war is done, are we going to turn a blind eye as they take him to Azkaban for your death like you did to Sirius Black!”.

“Are you still going on about that? Let it go. Why do you care that Sirius rotted in a jail cell for most of his life? You broke things off with him after the prank, did you not?,” Snape commented as he watched the two men’s conversation unfold before him.

Taking a deep breath, Remus remembered who was watching them from the wall. A member of the most noble and ancient house of Black was watching them. “Yes, I’m still mad about what happened to Sirius! You left him in Azkaban for 12 years for a crime he didn’t commit. The Order had 12 years to reopen his case to the Ministry of Magic. You knew he didn’t do it but did nothing. How can I trust you not to leave Draco to rot in prison like his uncle?,” the werewolf shouted louder for all the room and portraits to hear.

The portrait of Phineas Black interrupted this time, who looked stunned at this new found information, “You left a relative of mine in Azkaban?”.

Smiling, Remus peered at the former headmaster, “Yes, he did. And now it looks like he wants to get Draco Malfoy, son of Narcissa Black, killed. Another relative of yours”. Remus knew what he was doing by telling Phineas Nigellus Black this information. All the members of the Black family were the same after all. He had fallen in love with one, long ago before his heart got broken. It made Remus chuckle seeing the portrait not find humor in this fight anymore.

The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black had been stuck inside the headmaster's office alone with no other portrait to gossip or communicate with what is happening in the outside world. He had been cut off and separated like so many of his former classmates, who had been pawns in the first wizarding war. It was new information only a Pureblood would care about, to find out a distant relative of theirs went to Azkaban and another married into the Malfoy family.

Not counting the Blacks, the Malfoys were the only other oldest wizarding family in the wizarding world. There had never been a Black who married into the Malfoys. Remus knew that much. Now with a new sense of kin with the current boy the castle is talking about, the portrait of Phineas turning to Dumbledore before shouting, “How dare you try to come after my pure blood line! I’m not going to let you ruin another relative of mine. Spill the whole truth or I will.”

Dumbledore, seeing how he had no other option, reluctantly explained, “Draco won’t go to Azkaban. I have other plans for him. Unlike his uncle, I can use him. I let Sirius sit in Azkaban because I could not control him. Sirius would have gotten in my way. He was too rebellious for his own good and didn’t listen to a word anyone said. Whether Draco kills me or not, does not matter. No matter which side he leans too, I’m going to have the boy officially join Greyback’s pack to be a double agent for the order. You see, just like the first wizarding world, we’re having difficulty with various werewolves packs throughout Europe. I need a spy, who can tell us which werewolf clan has joined Tom Riddle. Draco is perfect for that role. Both sides of his family have connections to the Death Eaters, he’s a werewolf, and a powerful wizard at that. He will earn Greyback and Tom’s trust in no time”.

Almost losing his balance, Remus took a seat back down. Everything had finally made sense to him. With chills going down his spine, the old man’s plans for Draco hit too close to home for him. Dumbledore’s words made Remus colder as he realized he had been manipulated as a child. He had always suspected Dumbledore of holding on to information but this was different. He steadily peered back at Dumbledore, almost afraid of the answer, “I was a pawn for you in the first wizarding war, wasn’t I? When I first came to Hogwarts, you never cared about giving an education to a boy with lycanthropy. You needed a child to groom into a soldier. Sirius lost so much trust in me at the time because I was doing spy work with the werewolves clans. If I wasn’t a spy back then, I could have saved James and Lily….”.

The werewolf sat back as he processed what this all meant. He glanced at the portrait, who now had his eyes on him. “You’re doing the same to Draco, grooming him to be a perfect soldier. You’ll toss him aside once you get what you want out of this war, just like you did to me. The life that’s waiting for him is one of struggle that you placed upon him. You wanted Voldemort to give him the bite…. Snape didn’t think of the duel on his own. You gave him the idea which he gave to Voldemort”.

In shock, Remus stayed inside his own thoughts before talking more to himself, “If you have this many plans for Draco’s part in this war, you have plans for Harry too. Something bigger and darker”.

The portrait yelled, “Of course he does! The Potter boy must d—” before being silent with a Silencio spell by Professor Snape.

Deciding not to respond to the accusations, the headmaster stayed silent but that alone told Remus everything he needed to know. Dumbledore broke the quiet room, threatening Lupin for the first time in the man’s life, “What are you going to do now that you know my plans? I can not allow you to tell the Order about my plans. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to force you out of your teaching position once again. I stood aside as Lucius rallied the ministry to kick you out. I could have stopped it but I allowed it. I can do that once more. And Draco, the boy you care for so much, would have no one left on his side”.

His hands clenched in fury as Remus peered at the portrait, asking himself what would a Black do? He thought back to all the times he hung out with the Silver Trio and asked himself, what would a slytherin do? Lupin knew his loyalty and courage got him this far but he needed to be cunning and more ambitious, if he wanted to protect the children at Hogwarts. Getting up, Remus walked towards the door as he confirmed, “I’ll stay quiet for now but not for you. I’m staying quiet for Draco and Harry. They need an adult with their best interest at heart. You certainly won’t do that for them. I’ll also help Draco fix the Vanishing Cabinet. When the Death Eaters come into the castle, I’m telling the Order to send a team to the Malfoy Manor to save Narcissa. That is not a request I’m asking your permission for. Arthur and Bill already know about Draco. They’ll back me up”.

After Remus left, Dumbledore turned to annoyed Professor Snape, “This is troublesome isn't it?”. The Headmaster stroked his beard in thought while Snape calmly replied back, “I told you back in June that Lupin was nothing but trouble. I could have handled Draco myself. What now?”.

Dumbledore pondered for a minute longer as he stood up and walked over to his phoenix to stroke its neck. “If we want Tom to continue to trust you and allow you further into his inner circle, you will have to start spilling more secrets and plans of the Order. We need to balance good vs evil. If we save too many people so soon, he’ll suspect a spy among his followers. Snape, you must tell Tom the order is close to discovering the plans to enter the castle. Counsel him so he can adjust his plans a bit. I’ll die very soon and I need you to stay very close to Tom. We still have so many horcruxes to find and I'll need you to be there for Harry in my place at the end”.

Snape just nodded as it was the only thing he could do. He was too deep into Dumbledore and Voldemort's plans to leave. Plus, the unbreakable vow he made with Narcissa was the final nail in the coffin to any free choice he might have had left. There was no going back. Snape couldn’t help but to feel like a cornered animal and it all stemmed back to that no good Lucius Malfoy. Everything was his fault as to why he had to save his son. Done for the evening, Snape said his goodbyes as he walked out of the office with a new goal in mind.

Chapter Text

Flashback: beginning of the school year

Narcissa Malfoy walked through the Ministry of Magic with Kreacher by her side. A few days beforehand, Lady Malfoy had gone to Gringotts to claim the House of Black’s fortune only to be denied and turned away. With access to the Malfoy vault through marriage, Narcissa could care less about staking her claim to the Black fortune when Sirius had died at the time. She hadn’t even bothered to find out where it went since the Malfoy wealth was unimaginably large. That was then. Narcissa’s life had drastically changed since her husband’s arrest. Lucius couldn’t be trusted with the safety of their family. He had failed her and her son too many times. With not even a penny to Draco’s name, Narcissa had her eyes on her family’s vaults. Asking around during her tea time with other Pureblood wives, Narcissa had found out where the fortune had gone too. There was a new heir to the Black fortune that wasn't even from their own bloodline.

On a mission, she stormed past the office workers starting their days, passed the many departments, and ignored the young woman at the front desk when she had arrived at her target destination. Like a silent snake in the shadows, no one had noticed Narcissa's presence. Hidden in the background in plain sight, she drew no attention to herself as she desired to see only one person. No one was going to stop her. Lady Malfoy calmly walked along the walls so quietly not even her high heels could be heard. Kreacher hid at her feet, blending into her long dress. Any who saw her, Narcissa whispered a wandless memory charm to erase their memories. Any trace that she had been here would be gone. There was power in being overlooked. Since the arrest and sentencing of Lucius Malfoy was still very fresh in the newspaper, Narcissa knew the importance of going unnoticed.

As she entered a door, Narcissa saw the man she needed to see, invading his office space. Whispering a silencio spell and locking the door behind her as Kreacher came in, Narcissa sat down in the seat, with the man still distracted from documents laying on his desk. Letting her presence be known, the man across from her jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. “Rufus Scrimgeour, just the man I needed to see,” she said with her chin up, staring down at the man.

Scrimgeour was unhappy to see her with the recent controversy of Lord Malfoy. The man had to clean the mess Lucius had left behind since they both worked closely. The two colleagues had a big influence on the Ministry of Magic from behind the scenes and out of view. Once it was discovered by the public that Lucius was once again working for Voldemort and arrested at the Department of Mystery, Rufus had a lot of explaining to do with his higher ups. Their work relationship had gone back to the first wizarding war when Rufus had previously pardoned Lucius Malfoy, fully knowing Malfoy was guilty. After all, making friends from high places was worth keeping around. There weren't many influential people in power around these days, Rufus reasoned back when he saved Lucius from going to Azkaban. Unfortunately, this time, it was impossible to explain away Lucius' involvement with the Death eaters. In order to save himself and his job, Rufus had no choice but to stay back as Lucius was sent to prison.

Glancing up from his notes, Rufus had a surprised expression, seeing who was in his office. The two never had much interactions over the years, only knowing each other by name. Scrimgeour peered at the door, noting how it had been closed, curtains drawn down. In a calm voice, the man explained, “Narcissa Malfoy, nice to see you again. Before you ask, I’m sorry but I can’t pardon your husband this time around. My hands are tied,” already assuming what she was here for.

In a stoic expression, Narcissa reached out to grab the paper he had in his hand, burning up the document before them. Without uttering a single word, Narcissa demanded his total attention. “I’m not here for my husband. In fact, it’s the opposite. Do everything in your power to keep Lucius in Azkaban. If possible, for the rest of his life. He’s caused me more trouble for our family than helped it. I’m here for other business,” said Narcissa with a cold smile.

This turn of events immediately caught Rufus’ attention as his eyebrows went up. Sitting back, Scrimgeour folded his hands in front of him as he analyzed her, commenting “Trouble in paradise? I guess since Purebloods don’t believe in divorces this is the closest to divorce you can have”.

Narcissa ignored the man’s comment as she continued, “I had a meeting at Gringotts this week. Tell me why I had to find out from the goblins that the House of Black’s wealth now belongs to that troublesome Harry Potter. Of all the wizards, why did it go to the Potter boy?!”. Not wanting to waste her time, Narcissa went right to business. She stared at the man like the insignificant mouse that he was. To Scrimgeour, Lady Malfoy was a viper who had wrapped herself around him and had begun to squeeze the life out of his career before he could call for help. Shifting uncomfortably under Lady Malfoy’ glare, Rufus' eyes went to the floor to escape her anger until he was also met with an house elf that equally, if not more, gave him a look of fury.

Scrimgeour did not know how to respond. He was reminded of his fear of Narcissa. Despite others' view of Narcissa of being nothing more than a housewife, she silently had profound influence at the ministry with her ability to fundraise departments or projects out of debt. With a single charity event, she had the government officials at her beck and call. That was why Rufus had respected her for more than he did for Lucius. “Yes, it all belongs to the Potter boy. When Sirius died, his will stated it shall all go to Harry,” Scrimgeour replied with slight caution in his tone. At the mention of Sirius’s name, Kreacher scattered the remaining documents to the floor as he slammed his fist to the desk while Narcissa crossed her legs and sat back. She continued to stare at Rufus, letting the silence terrorize him. Minutes passed until when Scrimgeour cowered in her presence, she finally spoke, “Nonsense, the House of Black vaults belongs only to those who carry the blood of the Black family. The closet male heir, as traditionally it should have gone to. In this case, my son, Draco Malfoy, is closest. It should all belong to him”.

Feeling a false sense of courage, knowing what her comment meant, Rufus replied back, “I see the rumors are true then. Lucius Malfoy wants to disinherit his only son, so you're here to claim the inheritance of the Blacks as yours. Your husband has been calling us for days to have someone take care of his business but none are too keen to take calls from Azkaban”. As Rufus chuckled to himself, the bookshelf next to the pair was set ablaze by Narcissa with a nonverbal spell while Kreacher proceeded to hit the wizard’s head with a book for laughing at his madame's misfortunes. Surprised, the old man scooted back on this chair from the silent anger coming from the woman in front of him, “Apologies, I was just teasing. There's no need to set this whole room on fire. Just tell me what exactly you're here for. Knowing how clever you are, I’m willing to bet you’ve found a way to get what you want”.

Crossing her arms, Narcissa huffed before responding, “I have brought Kreacher to testify. He was there when Sirius got disowned and disinherited. It wasn’t Sirius’ wealth to give way in the first place. The moment the former heir, Regulus Black, was declared dead the family’s assets should have gone to my son when I gave birth. According to Regulus Black’s will that’s been given to me by Kreacher recently, it all belongs to Draco’s. If you’ve done your job correctly, your people should have seen in the records that just days before, my dear cousin, Regulus died, he came here and gave everything to his Godson if anything were to happen to him”.

Taking out an old yellowed paper, Narcissa showed Regulus’ will to Scrimgeour. “I brought all the documents with his signature. They’re all stamped with the House of Black ring and the Ministry’s seal of approval. It would seem that everything rightfully belongs to my son”.

Rufus' eyes widened at the will, realizing Lady Malfoy was indeed telling the truth. At the sound of her voice speaking again, he glanced up from the stamped document, “Say, it’s very convenient that the ministry forgot that fine detail, the existence of Regulus’ will, right around the time Sirius’ escaped from Azkaban as rumors that he was falsely accused were running rampant all over town. Was this the ministry’s way of settling out of court to avoid admitting they jailed an innocent man, the infamous Harry Potter’s godfather? I would imagine if the truth was ever revealed that the informants of the Potters’ location were still at large, the public would not take it lightly. Harry Potter is beloved by all, you know. The already crumbling trust the public has in the government would cease to exist”. Despite her calm voice, there were sparks burning from the tips of her flowy blonde hair and steam rising upwards from her head.

With the silent, very real threat, Rufus shifted awkwardly in his seat, as he stuttered,“Th—at might be true but there’s not much I can do Lady Malfoy in the current political climate. The wealth has already been given to Harry Potter. Imagine the media backlash if it leaks out that the ministry took the chosen one’s money. I don’t know if you know this but the public opinion has changed with the Malfoy name. Potter is a hero in the making. Because of your husband, I’m in hot waters right now. I need real leverage if I were to go to my superiors and colleagues about this. I’m— sorry Narcissa. I really am. I wish I could help but the Malfoy name holds no power anymore”.

Wanting to lead Narcissa out the door, Rufus stood up with the intention of opening the door but before he could take a step, he was forced to sit back down with her magic. Kreacher scooted his chair against the desk, making it hard to breathe. “You're mistaken about my family’s power. It is true that the Malfoys currently have no power, but you are forgetting I’m a Black. My house will rise from the ashes again with the downfall of the Malfoys. I would tread lightly if I were you, I can destroy the public’s trust in our institutions. Peter Pettigrew walks my manor’s halls. I can easily obtain his memory and let it be known by all that the ministry has failed yet again to get justice for the deaths of their precious Potters. Skeeter has been snooping around for a good story. Should I give her a call?”.

Sitting up straighter, Scrimgeour trembled in fear as he said, “That wouldn’t be necessary” as he imagined all the political turmoil that would cause. The small elf held an envelope opener around the old man’s neck. Smirking, Narcissa brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she revealed her final card, “If it’s leverage that you’re looking for, I have exactly the information you need in exchange for my wishes. Your superiors and colleagues will be happy to make my wishes happen”.

Rufus once again was very intrigued as he analyzed his options. With a tilt of Narcissa’s head, Kreacher stepped away from the man. Scrimgeour’s posture eased with the threat of his life and career gone. He tapped his foot and rubbed his chin in thought. If it was Lucius standing before him, he would have accused Lucius of bluffing in order to deceive him. He’s seen it too many times in the meeting he had with Lucius over the years. Many times over, the two would partner up in these meetings to exploit the other party, taking control of conversations to their benefit. Fill their head with empty promises. It was the reason why he kept Lucius around for so long. Scrimgeour was glad to have the head of the Malfoy family by his side. Lucius' influence was the reason how he was able to further his career so fast and keep the power but this was Narcissa, he thought to himself. She doesn’t play for just anyone. If Narcissa wanted something, she would find a way to get it. And if Lady Malfoy had information that would change the tides of power, he knew it was good dirt.

“Okay then, you have my full attention. But tell me first, how can I trust this information? Everyone is dropping like flies around here. People are disappearing everyday. There’s not many people here I can turn to anymore,” Rufus responded back while lowering his voice.

Once again, Narcissa raised her chin, glaring with much intensity, “My information is more than just gossip. My information comes from a valuable source, my kittens. My leverage concerns Albus Dumbledore”.

Gasping out loud, Rufus' eyes widened with this new revelation. He and everyone with power in the ministry hated Dumbledore with a passion. Especially the Pureblood community. Dumbledore was a threat to the ministry just as much as Voldemort. All the old man had to do was voice an opinion and the sheep-like community would rally behind him. The average wizard believed so much in Dumbledore and placed all their hope on a man they hardly knew. Rufus, Lucius, or Cornelius Fudge never did like that man.

As an Auror against Dark wizards for many years, Scrimgeour could recognize a threat from a mile away. The death of Dumbledore’s sister and his relationship with Grindelwald was always suspicious to the old man. After bringing Grindelwald under arrest, Dumbledore was deemed a good and powerful wizard worthy of high influence. When in reality in Dumbledore’s whole life that was the only good deed he did for the community. He was a man with too much power and needed to be stopped. People around the old man always happen to be in danger. Rufus always believed Albus had self-serving intentions but could never prove it. It was the reason why he only got along with Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was the only one actively trying to throw out the headmaster out of Hogwarts.

“You have me. Tell me what you know. Do you know how long me and Lucius have been trying to throw out that Dumbledore?,” Rufus smiled, now interested. While Kreacher went to sit next to Lady Malfoy, she insisted, “Only if you guarantee my Draco will be the heir to the Black fortune. With the fall of the Malfoy name, I need to secure a new future for my boy. A mother’s love is like no other. My son will be the heir to the Black fortune starting today just as my late cousin wanted”. Any signs of fear from the man were gone, replaced by glee at the thought of taking down Dumbledore.

Not wasting any time, Rufus agreed, “Fine, I agree on your terms. I’ll send my people by the end of the day to make the changes”.

Smiling widely, Narcissa was satisfied with what got done this week. She had been in a hurry to get all her errands done before Draco left for Hogwarts. Once he went back to school, she wouldn’t be able to freely go outside, not without a reason. She was sorry she couldn’t spend the summer with her son, but seeing that Death Eaters headquarters were at the Malfoy Manor, Narcissa used the time Bellatrix and Voldemort trained Draco to sneak out of the house undetected. It hurt her heart to see Draco after a long day with her sister Bellatrix and the torture that was supposedly going to make her son a better fighter. Even if she wanted to save Draco from his sessions, she couldn’t with the Dark Lord breathing down their necks. There were times Narcissa attempted to tend to all his wounds but Voldemort who was living with her would not let her. Instead, she was punished through her son. The next day, his training had increased and was more violent than ever. She had learned her lesson, standing aside was the only way to lessen the pain Draco went through. It was then she decided it was better to use the time alone while her husband locked up to set up a plan for her only son.

“You can sleep well tonight, Rufus. You won’t regret it. My little kittens have direct contact with the headmaster. I can assure you that Dumbledore has changed his will. The items in the headmaster’s will contain knowledge that will lead to the death of the Dark Lord. Imagine taking those items for yourself and figuring out how to kill the Dark Lord. YOU can be the hero of this wizarding world instead of Dumbledore,” she stated as the two shook their hands in agreement.

Just as Scrimgeour was about to question where she had acquired her information from and who these ‘kittens’ were, Narcissa interrupted the man, not allowing him a chance to talk. With a gentle smile as if she hadn’t just threatened the man, she went on while Kreacher kicked the man’s shin for good measure, “Before I go, I need one more thing that you need to do for me. Once Draco is the heir to the Black assets, you must by word of mouth, among your colleagues, say the Black fortune has been taken by the state as Harry Potter cannot inherit it as he is not Black by blood. Remind everyone that Sirius was disowned during his Hogwarts years. With no clear heir, the fortune will be on hold, until it is decided what to do with it. Forge some false papers, if you have to. That will cover our tracks in the meantime. And don’t worry about the Daily Prophet, I have paid them off and given them all the dirt on my husband. That will buy us weeks or months if we’re lucky”.

Chapter Text

After his meeting with Dumbledore, Remus was enraged as he went to the Room of Hidden Things. He hoped finally being able to see what the boy had been doing and his progress would brighten what was left of his day. Despite the maze of junk the room presented, it didn’t take long to track the Vanishing Cabinet by following Draco and Hermione’s scent. Flying within the aisles with ease, the Vanishing Cabinet was located in the back of the room hidden between mountains of furniture. As Remus approached the cabinet, he couldn’t believe how ingenious the cabinet was. There weren’t many Vanishing cabinets around anymore. They had fallen out of popularity over the years due to its restrictions. Only the most influential rich families still had them. Amazed, this was Lupin’s first time seeing one, a relic of the past. A twin Cabinet soon to be connected to its other half in Borgin and Burkes.

“This was how Voldemort would get his Death Eaters inside the castle to cause mayhem and kill Dumbledore,” he thought to himself as he touched the agar wood. The cabinets despite its years of wear felt expensive under his fingertips. There was no doubt a talented craftsman had a hand in its creation. Investigating it, Lupin opened the door to the cabinet before tracing his fingers over the lettering and symbols inside. From the recent carving letters, it appeared that Draco had started from nothing as his pupil attempted to fix the troublesome furniture. Observing the ancient runes markings, one by one Remus went over Draco’s work, reading each individual symbol.

Ancient Rune was not an easy subject to study. Most witches and wizards opted for another class such as Divination or his current subject Magic of Theory. Ancient Rune could be considered a lost language among the magical community. It was a form of writing witches and wizards used to be fluent hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but was lost through time as modern magic advanced with it. There was no more need to write your own ancient runes into magical items and magic became commercialized as capitalism rose at the end of 18th century in both the Muggle world and Wizarding World. With the standardization of magic, many individualized spells or specialized knowledge became lost. It was with the rise of the Ministry of Magic in daily life that they began to supervise over types of travel, banning some and enforcing other travel methods. During the first wizarding war, there was a sudden demand for items such as one-way portkeys, two-way portkeys, the floo, and vanishing cabinets to escape the war, Death Eaters and the killings.

The issue was that very few still had the knowledge to create their own transportational network. Many witches and wizards had become used to the government mandated transportation options. Various companies and governments at this time couldn’t produce enough due to disagreements and how time consuming some travel methods were when creating them. While the corporations were waiting for the green light from the Ministry, ministries from all over couldn’t come to one agreement in the United Courts of Magic, over how to vet the magical community, who traveled outside the allowed travel methods.

At that time, Voldemort was a powerful wizard in the making. There was so much people did not know about him. He had half the backing of the Ministry and the other half going against him. No one in the United Courts of Magic could agree if this strange man was indeed dangerous to the future of Magic or whether he was a revolutionist that would advance the magical community into the next age. Just as some feared, Voldemort was a mad man. Many lives were lost in the First Wizarding War because of the collapse of the transportation networks, resulting in the magical community being unable to escape and reach transportation. Many things were included in the reevaluated school curriculum after the war such as Ancient Runes and apparition so it could be learned and passed on in the next generation.

Studying the cabinet markings, Remus was impressed with what Draco was able to write using Ancient Runes which was almost lost language. The professor saw the boy had the correct symbols but was struggling to rearrange them all. One couldn’t just write the symbols into an item to make it work. They had to be arranged to the perfect alignment and equation for the magic to flow. Lupin viewed the academic books and Draco’s personal journals on the table next to the cabinet. As the professor read through the blond’s notes, Remus was able to find all of Malfoy’s mistakes and write in the correct formation inside the journal. He found it quite easily since he was the professor of the newly established class of Magic of Theory.

It was also not shocking though that Draco was struggling as the boy had been mostly absent in all his classes throughout the year. If Draco had just attended half the classes he missed, Remus was certain the blond could have found his mistakes faster. The professor was confident in the boy’s abilities but he sighed over how much pressure Draco had on his shoulders with his assigned task. The burden he had to endure was tremendous even for an adult to experience. Thankfully, Draco had finally let Lupin into what his mission was.

It was a quarter past 9pm when Remus owled Hermione and Draco to come into his office. As the two walked in under Harry’s stolen invisibility cloak, Remus greeted the open air knowing they were there just by scents. As Hermione and Draco finally appeared, Remus, not wasting any time, handed the duo Draco’s corrected journal notes. “I’ve checked your progress on the Vanishing Cabinet and read every single note you had. Well done, my boy. You almost had it but your theory just needed a little fixing here and there. I hope you don’t mind but I made a few changes”.

Draco opened his notes with Hermione looking over his shoulder. “Why didn’t I think of that?,” Draco mumbled to himself as Hermione had trouble deciphering the Ancient Runes from the top of her head. Remus looked at his two students as he replied back, “It’s alway seems easier once you know the answer. Take your journal back and repair the cabinet tonight. I cannot help you physically with the cabinet as I have responsibilities as a Professor and a member of the Order, but it doesn’t mean I can’t review my student with his endeavors in learning Ancient Runes!”. The older werewolf laughed at his own joke as he padded Draco’s shoulders.

Lupin turned to look at the Golden Girl, “Hermione, you got the map with you. I want you to go with Draco and be the look out. Once you both have the Cabinet up and running, Draco come back. I have more things to discuss”. The professor turned back to the boy as he continued, “Draco, it took great courage to tell me the truth. I have informed two other Order members about your mission. Before you growl at me, I did not tell them what it was. Only that you finally told me and I would lend a hand. These two order members, who I trust, have formed a plan to save your mother from the Manor. I’m telling you this because if you can’t trust Dumbledore, I want you to continue to trust me and know I have your best interest at heart”.

Still looking at the journal, the blond simply nodded in agreement. It had finally hit him. The final steps to the Dark Lord’s task was coming to fruition. It had always seemed far away. Now that the end was coming closer, Draco could only hope everything would turn out as well as Remus said it would but the boy was prepared for the worst, death.

Once Draco was working on the cabinet, Draco turned to Hermione who was on look out. “What did Remus mean you got the Map?,” he asked. Hermione laughed as she took out a piece of paper from her cloak. Waving it in front of Draco, it was time to fuss up as she explained, “It’s called the Marauder’s Map. It's a map of the whole castle. It shows every classroom and secret passage hidden within the walls. It shows the movements of every person in school. This is how I've been finding you all year”. Malfoy hunched over Hermione as she showed the boy the inside of the map. Amazed, his jaw was open. Draco located the Slytherin dorms, viewing where each person was. This magical item could have been useful during the year, he thought. “It’s not mine though. It's Harry’s. I had Remus take it from him once I realized Harry was using it to track you”.

Grateful that Hermione had been looking out for him despite they weren’t exactly friends at the start of the year, Draco leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the lips. “I love it when you talk dirty to me. I like the sound of that. You stole the map from Harry to protect me”.

Slapping his shoulder playfully, Hermione countered back, “I didn’t have good intentions either. I wanted to see what you were up to”. Draco’s hands slipped under her skirt, caressing her thighs as he whispered into her ears, “Even better, you stalked me instead. I’m flattered that I was on your mind that much. Obsessed with me and on your mind as you laid on your bed. Couldn’t get enough of me, eh? Say, should we use the map to play? I’ll be the Death Eater on the run and you can try to catch me as the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement”.

Gasping as Draco began to leave kisses on her neck, Hermione softly hit the blond’s head with the map, “Enough with the teasing! Back to work! This Cabinet isn’t going to fix itself”.

“Making me do manual labor as your prisoner? You're really getting into your role,” Draco joked as he focused back on the Vanishing Cabinet. A minute later a thought came to Draco as he asked her, “The Marauders as in Remus Lupin, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew? Those four really made the map? I should have gone to Remus for help sooner if I knew he had such skill sets”.

“From my understanding it was mostly Remus’s work. Did you know about the Marauders?”.

Malfoy nodded as he replied, “Yeah, Remus talks about them in our midnight walks around the castle” as he wondered what kind of chaos those four got themselves into with the map. He almost wished he could have been around to see it.

It was almost midnight as Draco wrote in the last symbol on the vanishing cabinet. He had Theo and Blaise inform Voldemort’s helpers to stand by the twin cabinet on the other end. When it was finally time to test it, Hermione handed Draco a green apple to put inside the closed door. Nervous, Malfoy closed his eyes, lifting his wand up to the cabinet. He prayed that the months of work were not in vain.

Murmuring in a low voice that only he could hear, “Harmonia Nectere Passus,” the blond tapped the cabinet. The surface of the cabinet glimmered in powerful ambient light. The boy held his breath, remembering the failure the day of the Slughorn’s Party when he heard the slashing of the bird, indicating it had failed. To their surprise, Draco and Hermione heard a distinct zoom. As he slowly opened the door wide enough for them both to see, Hermione shouted for joy, “It’s gone!”.

Closing it again, Draco repeated with sudden confidence, “Harmonia Nectere Passus”. As the blond opened the door, the apple had come back and survived the transfer between the twin cabinets. The bite on the green apple signaled to Draco that the Death Eaters at Borgin and Burkes had received it. Hermione jumped into Draco’s arms squealing in happiness, “You did it! Draco, you really did it!”. She cheered so loudly as Draco lifted her higher in his arms and swung her around in a circle.

All the work he had done on the cabinet since the start of the school year was completed. Malfoy ended the swing with a passionate kiss as they both stood in each other’s embrace. He grabbed both her cheeks into his palms and kissed her more, letting himself melt into her warmth before he pulled back. “We should go see Remus,” Draco remembered as he licks his lips while peering back at Hermione. Still catching her breath, Hermione nodded as she followed him out, their hands held together.

Chapter Text

After finishing the cabinet, the two lovebirds were on their way to meet up with Remus at the headmaster’s office. Draco was still reluctant, but he had been encouraged by both Hermione and Remus to go to Dumbledore for help. Hermione was only accompanying him as it was a private meeting for him and the order. Although Remus had his reason to hate and be suspicious of the headmaster, the professor still needed Dumbledore to invite the boy into the inner circle of the Order of the Phoenix. With the end of the school year near, Remus couldn’t bear the thought of letting Draco and his mother stay in the manor with Voldemort for another summer. The summer was fast approaching and with the completion of the cabinet, Remus had to act fast. The main reason Draco couldn’t bring himself to give the order a chance was in large part due to Dumbledore and Snape’s involvement in the organization.

With the assurance from Hermione that Remus would be on his side, Draco agreed for their sake, but did not let it be known that he had his own plans. There was also the curiosity about the additional two order members that knew about him and his mother. The blonde wanted to see for himself if they were trustworthy or not. They must be if Remus divulged information to them, but it was hard for Malfoy to let go of control. His father had failed him. With his life and his mother’s on the line, it was essential for the boy to see who he was at the mercy of. One thing was true for Draco. Malfoy was still left undecided on what he should do about his task to kill the headmaster. In the beginning, a naive Draco was so certain of his ability to end Dumbledore’s life. After he found out what it was like to end a life with Rita, the blond lost. The most he could hope for is perhaps the Order had other ideas.

Malfoy desperately wanted to believe the Order could help him and his mother, but if he found they couldn’t, he wouldn’t hesitate to prepare for his end. It was the least Draco could do since he wanted to make Hermione’s life easier if he was not involved. He was a liability on all fronts, as a son of a Death Eater, involved with the Dark Lord, surrounded by Purebloods who wanted her, a Muggleborn, gone, and most of all, he was a cursed man, a werewolf. Draco promised himself that he would do whatever he can with the time he had left to make Hermione’s upcoming mission easier for the witch. Although the pair hadn’t discussed what she would do after school ended, the boy was not foolish enough not to think that Hermione hadn't already signed herself up to save the wizarding world with Potter and Weasley.

Hermione walked with Draco to Dumbledore’s office while holding his hand and caressing her thumb over his hand. Because it was an important meeting, Hermione could see how nervous the blond was. Wanting to comfort him, she grabbed onto his hand tighter, lightly squeezing it. Still silent, Draco took a deep breath before preparing himself to walk up the stairs alone. The stairs were hidden by a Griffin statue. Only the correct password to the office would the stairs appear, making the office accessible. Malfoy lifted Hermione’s hand towards his lips, kissing it. The same hand Hermione was holding. “I’ll let you go. I wasn’t invited, but I expect you to tell me everything afterwards,” smiled Hermione as she stepped back from the boy.

Reaching out for her chin, Draco went in for another kiss as he replied, “Mmm I’ll let you know how it goes”.

The blond sighed softly with the taste of Hermione’s lips on his as he went on, “in return let me sleep in your bed tonight”.

Laughing to herself, she agreed. Malfoy smiled, watching Hermione leave. Alone again, Draco turned his attention back to the main reason he was here. He did not want to be here. He closed his eyes to rest them. The lack of sleep was getting to him. They felt red and tired. All Draco wanted right now was to follow Hermione to bed. Cuddle up to her and smell her curly hair. Knowing he had to go up eventually, the blonde groaned before his feet moved. The faster he got over this, the sooner he could go back to his witch. Malfoy walked up the stairs and entered the old buffoon's office. Peering around the room, Draco noted quickly who was inside the room. There was an additional mystery order member beside the two Remus mentioned, bringing up the total who knew about him to three.

Putting up a blank expression on his face, Draco hid his nerves as it was his first time attending a meeting with Order members. In the room, the boy saw Dumbledore, Remus, Madeye, Arthur, and Bill Weasley already sitting in their chairs, waiting for him. The men were currently being served a cup of tea from a Hogwarts house elf. After finishing and being overlooked by the wizards in the room, the little house elf went back towards the office near the door, waiting for the next order.

Walking across the floor, Draco eyed the empty chair and headed toward it. Alastor Moody was the first to stand up, bringing the boy to a stop. In an intimidating stance, Moody watched Draco with his special 360 eye. A loud stomp could be heard with every step of Moody’s prosthetic wooden leg as he got closer to the boy to evaluate him. Draco froze around this man that looked like his former professor but wasn’t. Technically, he had never met the man, but a polyjuiced wizard had been teaching the school that year. Malfoy had heard it was Barty Crouch Jr, who had come to Hogwarts disguised as a fake Professor Moody but it did not make it less intimidating to see the real Moody. Unsure of this person before him, Draco thought to himself, “The real Moody looks as mentally insane as the fake one. No wonder no one could tell Barty Crouch was a fake,” as a memory of being turned into a ferret came back to him.

“Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy. Former heir to the Malfoy fortune. A werewolf now, I hear. You know, I spent years trying to get Lucius sentenced as a Death Eater. Especially after your father cowardly used the excuse he was under the imperius curse to escape a conviction in the first Wizarding War. Tell me, what do you think about your father going to Azkaban this time around?,” Moody spat as he watched Draco with an intensity with his prosthetic eye. The eye studied the boy, catching a flicker of emotion, if there was any. It was as if he was watching Draco to see if the boy would lie or tell the truth.

Showing his pureblood arrogance he had been taught growing up, Draco scoffed, “I think you’re as useless as my father. You should have arrested him the first time around with my aunt. It would have saved me and my mother a lot of trouble. As for what I think about Lucuis being in Azkaban, he can die there for all I care”. Moody walked closer to look at Draco’s face only inches away, as he said out loud, “The boy has my approval. He has the look. Unhinged and with a bit Black madness just like Tonks”. He turned back to Draco, “Say, ever thought about becoming an Auror? I’ll take you under my wing. I sense power you’re hiding from everyone”.

Remus coughed, grabbing the attention back to the group. “Draco, come sit down,” directed Lupin as he patted the empty chair next to him. Seeing his chance and not wanting to sit next to a stranger, Draco listened, taking a seat next to Remus. From the corner of his eye, an older red headed wizard reached out and shook his hand. Draco was genuinely surprised the man was here. He knew who this person was as their families were often at odds with each other.

“Hello, Draco. I’m Arthur Weasley, Ron’s father. I’m certain you already knew that but allow me to introduce my oldest and first born son, Bill Weasley”.

Draco bowed his head slightly as he shook hands with both Weasleys. Uncomfortable at his long history of antagonizing Ron, Draco remained silent. He didn’t know how to respond to Arthur or Ron’s older brother. The boy hoped there was no resentment now that power dynamics had changed between them. Perhaps the Weasleys would give him the mercy he obviously didn’t deserve. Draco was no longer a member of the sacred 28. To make things worse, as a werewolf, the blond wasn’t considered a human let alone a wizard anymore. He had no standing in society. If the tables were turned, Draco knew in another life that he would show no sympathy. The boy was glad Remus sat between him and the Weasleys. Hiding slightly behind his professor, Draco felt like a child when he would often hide behind his mother’s legs and used her long dresses as a shield.

Draco felt awkward being in front of the two Weasleys. There was no doubt they had heard from Ron how he had tormented the golden trio. It was at this moment Draco wanted to curse at his younger self for being so foolish. There was also the added stress of everything his father had done to the Weasley family. The boy remembered each run ins his father had with Arthur, working under the Ministry of Magic. Malfoy knew his father had made Arthur's life unbearable at the Ministry on a mission to fire the man out of pure spite. The blond couldn’t help but wonder, why would Ron’s father and older brother want to help him? Had Remus forgotten to reveal who they were helping out tonight?

Before he could linger on that thought, Arthur spoke once more. Almost as if he had known what the boy was thinking., “I know our family has had our differences and a long rivalry, but I have always been a believer in second chances. You and Ron have had your fights, but I see an opportunity at being friends when the occasion arises,” Arthur gave a kind smile to the boy, puzzling Draco. The man had no reason to be so considerate without an ulterior motive, yet Arthur was, unlike so many adults Draco grew up with. “Remus mentioned you have something to discuss with us. Some inside information on you know who,” he finally finished.

Draco sighed, glancing at all the adults in the room. He wondered what everyone’s reaction would be. Eyeing the floor unable to look at the others, Draco revealed, “The Dark Lord gave me a mission in exchange for my life and my mother’s. I was to repair the Vanishing Cabinet inside the school. You see, it has a twin. Tonight, I finally fixed it and I’ve already notified Voldemort and his death eaters. At the end of June, they will come to Hogwarts to attack the school”.

The blond stopped, wondering why there wasn't any anger directed at him for what he did. He paused, unsure if he should keep going, but Remus’ hand on his shoulder gave him the push he needed as he continued, “All his best soldiers are coming here. Which are Aunt Bellatrix, the Lestrange family, Greyback, and the Carrow family. Only they can come. The ones who have earned the right to see the downfall of the school. They intend to mark the fall of Hogwarts as the start of the second wizarding war”.

Remus carefully turned to Draco, noting how the boy did not mention his other mission about surrounding Dumbledore. The professor wasn’t mad at the boy for keeping that to himself. Instead, his fury was directed at Dumbledore, who had decided to observe this meeting from afar. It seemed the headmaster was not done with manipulating Draco into thinking he needed to complete the second part of his mission. On the verge of speaking up, Remus was interrupted by Moody. “Is that all?”.

Thinking about the second chance he was given to tell everyone the entire task he had been assigned, Draco couldn’t. There was still a part of Malfoy that couldn’t put his full trust in the Order. Dumbledore had always been someone that held favoritism over the golden trio and Gryffindor. He couldn't imagine the headmaster genuinely caring for what happened to him or his house. Malfoy trusted Remus and Hermione, but as long as Dumbledore was involved with the Order, Draco would keep some cards close to his chest. Disappointed in himself, the boy couldn’t bear to look at Remus, almost afraid to see his reaction. The rest of the meeting, he didn’t. Instead, Draco focused his attention on the cup of tea that was turning cold. The house elf that had been standing in the corner refilled everyone’s cup and only served Draco a slice of lemon cake.

Remembering he wanted to help Hermione with whatever she had planned, Draco revealed, “I can also name every Death Eater and supporter. The day I was bitten by Greyback 300 people attended. I can name them all. I can also name the Death Eaters who stayed at Malfoy Manor and their position under Voldemort’s army. It’s not just his loyal followers from the first Wizarding war fighting this time around. Voldemort has built a bigger army than before,” hoping by doing this, there would be less death eaters after the Golden Trio.

Although he was unsure if he would survive, Malfoy also wanted to assure his mother would be taken care of. He couldn’t die knowing his mother was trapped in the manor surrounded by enemies. “In exchange, I’m asking for my mother’s safety. I can draw the layout of the Manor easily and tell you the weakest part of the property. It won’t be easy, but I can also tell you how to lower the protection wards. The wards on the edge of the property are sealed with a powerful dark magic set up by the first Malfoy. Although I’ve been disowned, the house still recognizes me since there is no one left to carry the name”.

As everyone listened, the stillness in the air gave away the seriousness of the situation. Death Eaters would come in a month’s time, endangering the children in the school. Still, as Draco peered up, expecting hatred in the eyes of Moody and the two Wealseys, he found none. Instead, there was sympathy in the eyes of Arthur and Bill. Clearing his throat, Bill was the first to speak up, “I say we agree with Draco’s terms and bring both Narcissa and him under the protection of the Order. We can’t pass this valuable information. It’s important that we plan for the day the school is trespassed and the evacuation of the students immediately. We don't have that much time left”.

Arthur gave a warm smile at the blonde before speaking to Malfoy directly, “Agreed, you have the support of the Weasley clan, Draco. You wouldn’t mind setting up another meeting, would you? Same people here today. Any information you have on the Malfoy Manor and you know who’s inner circle would help us tremendously”.

Quiet, Draco nodded in agreement, still not looking at Remus, as Moody interrupted in a booming voice, “We’ll use the distraction of the attack on the school to our advantage and split our team into two groups. The Order will come to Hogwarts to help evacuate the students and arrest the death eaters that come. It will be my pleasure to arrest them all myself a second time around. The Aurors will be our second team. I’ve trained them myself and trust in their abilities to break into Malfoy Manor and save Narcissa. Ted Tonk and Nymphadora will lead the infiltration into the Manor”. Moody laughed like a horse at the thought of arresting the Death Eaters that escaped him all those years ago.

Remus was relieved to hear a plan beginning to form. The old werewolf recognized that as long as Draco’s mother was not in safe hands, Draco wouldn't save himself. He came to this realization, seeing Draco omit information about the second part of his task. Not wanting to risk scaring the boy if he pushed more, Remus sat quietly next to the boy. “As for our problem with the dark magic on the wards, that does indeed present an issue. Wards are traditionally a charm spell only. With Draco’s information, I suspect the manor’s ward is a mix of family magic and dark magic with the charm acting as the baseline. The wards are weaker than the 12 Grimmauld House, so it won’t be an issue getting in. Grimmauld is all blood wards. The strongest wards in the world. We’ll have our experts look into dark magic before the mission. If all things fail, my people will carry a potion bottle with Malfoy’s magic with us. I prefer not to do this, though, because it doesn’t guarantee a way back home,” Moody finished.

As Remus walked Arthur, Bill, and Moody out of the office, he turned to see Draco lingering back with the house elf, who was preparing a box to put all the treats for the boy's exit to the Slytherin’s dorm. Lupin did not want to leave Draco alone with Dumbledore, but Moody insisted he come along to discuss more about Malfoy and the duel that happened over the summer. Moody was intrigued that such an event went under the radar and happened at a large scale. The man wanted to know every detail of it, even considering chasing Snape for the memory. “Where was Snape?,” an eager Moody thought to himself. With the realization that he would have to hunt down Death Eaters once more, it was as if the younger Auror Alastor Moody came back to life. Moody made himself a household name as the most famous auror of all time. He snickered at the thought of catching all the purebloods that had escaped the trials a second time.

Just as Draco began to leave, Dumbledore asked the blonde to stay behind. The headmaster, watching the door close behind the boy, said, “I see you have not mentioned your other task. And yes, I know about it. Professor Snape is one of my trusted spies”.

Malfoy's eyes widened as he tried to maintain his blank facial expression, but failed. Draco thought back at all the failed assassin attempts at the old man. How much did Dumbledore know? Did he know he was responsible for Katie Bell and Ron Weasley? He still felt guilty about Katie, which is why the wine bottle attempt was much weaker. He didn’t want more innocent blood on his hands but had failed with what happened to Ron and Rita. Every time Draco thought about Katie, the guilt ate him alive as if it happened yesterday. Sometimes the boy would throw up, thinking about the reports he read surrounding the condition Katie’s body was found. Malfoy stayed still, ready to accept the repercussions for everything he did.

Seeing he wasn’t going to get a response from the boy, Dumbledore spoke again. His voice stern. “Even with all the perfect planning we make in life, sometimes the Merlin takes us on another course apart from the one we intended to take. What would you do if the Order’s plan falls apart? If we can’t get your mother in time, what will you do? What if we can’t find Bellatrix and Greyback, the most dangerous people at the moment? These are the questions you must ask yourself, Draco. Question no one else dares to ask. I ask you this because sometimes the toughest choices are the only choices available to us. You and I both know what choice you will have to make in the end. Tom Riddle won’t hold any mercy for you or your mother once word goes back to him. Failure isn’t an option for your family again. He’ll hunt you both down if it’s the last thing he does”.

Draco’s anxiety washed away, replaced with confidence as he raised his chin. He was done being a puppet for other’s twisted games. The boy saw right through the old man, something the chosen one was blind too. He thought back to each time one of his classmates was put in danger. All because the headmaster needed Harry to do something on his behalf, sending the golden trio on a chicken chase. Channeling what Lucius would have treated the headmaster if he was here, Draco glared at Dumbledore. “They believe in me, Hermione and Remus. They believe I’ll make the right choice, but the truth is I haven’t decided what part I will play in this war yet. I do know one thing for certain. Whatever choice I make, I make it for the survival of my family and friends. Whether it’s good or bad for myself, I’m choosing it. I know better than to think this world is just black and white. This world is gray and sometimes good people make bad decisions for the betterment of others. I’ll never allow anyone to use me for their self interests like Lucius, the Dark Lord, or you. I would rather die than do that”. Before the courage he managed to find escaped him again, Draco walked away from that conversation, leaving Dumbledore alone.

Making his way down the stairs, exiting the headmaster’s office, Draco was bombarded by both Theo and Blaise. Fear rippled through him suddenly. Draco could see the worry in both of his friends' eyes. From the state of their ruffled ropes, the pair scrambled out of the Slytherin’s dorms to tell him something. Theo did not have his tie on, forgetting it back in his room. Blaise, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears. The person who knew how to hide his emotions like an impregnable fortress was teary-eyed. It shook the blond to his core. In all his years of knowing Zabini, he was never the type to show his emotions let alone cry.

“What is it? You're stressing me out,” Draco naturally asked Theo first since it’s always him that had the most to say, but this time Blaise spoke, rushing out words.

“She’s missing! She’s not here! I can’t find her or her sister!”.

Draco gasped, fearing it was Hermione they were referring to, but he remembered the golden girl was an only child like him. The blond, still afraid of the answer, asked Blaise, “Who?”.
Blaise, full of concerns, blurted out as he released all his tears he’s been holding back, “Daphne and Astoria! We can’t find them. All their stuff is gone”. The usual quiet boy shook Draco. He was lost, looking for some leadership from his friend. Right now, Blaise was too emotional to think logically and looked at his two friends to help him.

Theo finally spoke up, explaining to Draco, “Snape informed the Slytherin house that they transferred out of Hogwarts to Durmstrang. Her roommates are also saying the Greengrass family has finally taken the dark mark”. Stunned at the new development, Draco was confused as he shouted, “That’s impossible! Why would they transfer out when the school year is essentially over. We only have a month left! And to Durmstrang out of all schools? My father had connections there and still failed in convincing the school to let me attend”. The blond paced back and forth, wondering what this meant. Did Daphne really leave? Remembering the family curse Daphne told him about, Draco knew something terrible had happened to the girls. The Greengrass family wouldn’t risk putting themselves in harm's way for you know who. Their family’s survival was more essential to the Greengrass than being loyal to Voldemort.

“Durmstrang openly practices dark magic and most Death Eaters’ children attend there. Daphne’s family for centuries have stayed neutral in politics. Nothing would change that now,” Draco mumbles more to himself. The three stayed quiet as thoughts of what could have happened to the sisters were becoming very real.

“Daphne wouldn’t have left without telling me! She was kidnapped. I know it,” Blaise blurted out.

Draco peered up and removed his hand from his chin. He saw Blaise's broken expression. It was then Malfoy knew how serious Blaise and Daphne really were. The two over the course of the year had gotten very close, but the blond was too preoccupied to ask. He saw them both hold hands in the library but didn’t know the status of their relationship. Malfoy assumed Blaise would confess his feelings to Daphne by the end of the school year.

The three snakes had discussed what going back home looked like for them three. Theo and Draco currently had no home to go to unless they fully pledged to the Dark Lord’s movement. Lying to his best friends, Draco told them he was going back for his mother no matter what happened. “This would hurt less for Theo and Blaise,” Draco thought. Draco couldn’t find it in himself to tell them he may not finish the school year alive. Theo had confided before that he was actually considering taking the Dark Mark. Not for his father, but for Draco. Even with the blond hiding how precarious his situation was Theo and Blaise unconsciously knew he wouldn’t survive another summer. Draco had barely survived the last one by a thread.

Luckily, Blaise’s family had no connection to Voldemort thanks to his mother's history of ending all her husbands, but he knew Blaise would follow him, if given the chance. Malfoy promised to himself he would save his friends from his fate, but it seemed the war had caught up to them, interrupting everyone’s plans. Daphne was gone. A deep worry settled over the silver trio’s heart. Did the Dark Lord finally get to the Greengrass family? Refusing to believe that, Draco walked to Blaise, giving a hug to his friend as he whispered into his ears, “Don’t worry, mate. Once summer rolls around, my loyal house elves can help search for Daphne and her sister. I’m not their master anymore but if I ask, I'm sure they’ll help you. We’ll find her, I promise. Won’t we, Theo?”.

Theo nodded silently, unsure if Draco could keep his promise. They were the children of Death Eaters. They knew first hand how bleak it was to find yourself in the Dark Lord’s bad side.

Chapter Text

The end of June was fast approaching. Draco had just finished his last meeting with the Order, detailing everything they wanted to know. In the span of the first meeting and the last one, Draco had met with the Order 5 times to really recall everything that occurred during his summer with Voldemort. When he wasn’t divulging information on the Dark Lord, Draco was drawing every corner and inch of the manor from memory. He had drawn every hidden passage and weakness of his childhood home. The manor was three stories high and the width of 6 wizarding houses so it took more than one meeting to draw the layout.

Coming out from his last session, the boy went down to the Great Hall to grab a bite to eat. Draco had decided not to have his meals in the hall anymore since the news of his disinheritance was exposed. The blond still had to go through the hall to enter the kitchens though. After the unfortunate event with Rita, Draco realized with mixed feelings that he preferred eating raw meat over cooked meals. He did not need to give the student body another reason to look at him for his eating habits. Draco even got Remus to join him as it turned out a full enriched diet of raw meat helped heal and strengthen the two werewolves quicker. When Malfoy transitioned his diet, all the body pains and headaches that had tormented him since his curse, had disappeared. He found that he was able to use his enhanced hearing and smell to its fullest potential now. Draco’s skin and hair were flawless. Even Hermione noticed the changes in his face and loved to run her fingers through his silky hair.

He walked through the front doors of the Great Hall and in the corner of his eyes he saw Potter talking to a girl. Every hair on his body stood once he picked up the girl’s scent. He wasn’t more than two steps from the entrance when his ears picked up her voice too. Malfoy recognized it very well. It had been a while since he heard it. At this point of his new life as a werewolf, he knew everyone in the castle footsteps and voices. The girl next to Potter was Katie Bell. The girl he almost killed. Luckily, she had survived her ordeal but was left with permanent damages to her body.

Draco gasped as he heard Potter ask Katie if she remembered anything but much to his relief Katie recalled nothing. Still, it made the boy nervous watching everyone surround her while they helped her sit down. Guilt began to grow as the girl was visibly crippled with limited mobility in both her legs. Draco watched her fingers as they grabbed on to her school books.

Most of her fingers were gone with only two fingers on one hand and three in the other. Katie lowered her head, self conscious of her new body and attention she was receiving. It was the sight of having to see the result of her ordeal and her recovery that brought Draco back to that fateful day. Katie Bell's very existence was a reminder to the blond of what he did to her. He hadn’t been in the right mindset at the time. Why did he think that trusting a classmate to deliver a package to Dumbledore was a good idea? She was a casualty in his poorly put together plan. Malfoy felt his stomach turn upside down while his anxiety increased by the second as he watched Potter’s interaction with her.

When Katie peered at Draco, he could have swore her eyes lingered on him too long for comfort. The moment her eyes met his, he felt his heart plummet to the ground. The final domino that caused Draco to panic was the way Potter turned to look at him. Harry knew. The long-time rivals sensed that the other had caught on. Potter had an unmistakable certainty in his eyes that Draco was involved and no one could convince him otherwise this time. Harry had been on his trail all year. Draco couldn’t blame Harry for going mad when it came to him.

Yet, Malfoy was eternally grateful to Hermione for keeping them apart, gaslighting her best friend into thinking that he was wrong. The thing was that Harry wasn’t all that mistaken. The chosen one had reached the wrong conclusion but accurately followed the blond’s tail like a bloodhound eager to hunt prey. What Harry failed to realize was that he was not a Death Eater but a werewolf that had been forced to pay for the sins of a father. A werewolf that was still very much involved with the Dark Lord.

Before, Malfoy spent a good portion of his day avoiding Potter. Draco understood sooner or later the long-time rivals would have to come head to head. And that day was now. Potter noted the look of fear on the blonde’s face and pounced towards him. Although Potter had no evidence against him, Draco could have stood his ground and denied it but didn’t. With dread rushing through his blood, blocking all logic to his mind, Draco turned his back on Potter. His mind tried to comfort him with the fact that he did not directly curse Katie Bell. Malfoy had Madam Rosmerta do it for him. There was no way Katie Bell had figured out it was him. Most likely the girl was staring at him because Draco was the center of rumors all year round. He had fallen from high society. Who wouldn’t want to gawk at an outcast Pureblood? The guilt had eaten away at him, though.

All rational thought went out the window with one look from Katie. With Harry following closely behind him, Draco slithered down the hallway, zig zagging between students in hopes of losing Potter. It was all fruitless. Pursued by Harry, the chosen one darted towards Draco like a lion who zeroed in on their victim. Potter was blinded and motivated by his hatred as he chased Malfoy. Lost in the bleakness of his situation, Draco ran as if his time had finally caught up to him. Draco wormed in between a huge crowd of Ravenclaw quidditch players, who had just finished practice. Hiding among the players, Draco prayed Harry would lose sight of him or be blocked. The blond slipped towards the closest bathroom, Moaning Myrtle’s. As Draco gasped for air from the chase, it dawned on the boy that his escape from Great Hall was his confession to Harry. He had inadvertently admitted he had done it.

Once in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, all the remaining strength Malfoy had left, shattering to the ground like glass. The burden he had been carrying was bubbling back up to the surface. The boy had done a good job, pretending things were okay and forgetting the pressure of his task. Hermione, Remus, Theo and Blaise had helped Draco make a small fragment of his year enjoyable despite most of it being terror induced.

Uncertain of what the future had in store for him, Draco was unsure if he was going to be alive for one more year. Would Voldemort kill him and his mother? Would he die among the chaos as Death Eaters invaded the castle? Would he be killed by the public once it got out how much he was involved with the Dark Lord? Draco often asked himself these haunting unknowns.

The world was an unforgiving place. Draco had learned that the hard way. Everything was set up against him. There was no way out. The boy was trapped in darkness. The light had abandoned him, Draco thought. The burden of having to carry out both missions, living as a werewolf, being disowned, and fighting for his mother’s life hit him all at once. Slowly over the course of the year, he built a fragile waning motivation to keep on living for his loved ones and Hermione. Now the boy was back to square one, like the first day of school.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Draco ripped off his vest and loosened his tie. With tears spilling from his eyes, Draco couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror. In the reflection of the mirror was a scared little boy, who was on the verge of losing his mother. The only family he had left. Malfoy saw a boy who still had to make a choice to kill Dumbledore or not. Tasked with an impossible choice, it was his life or Dumbledore’s. Draco sobbed, knowing come June, he would die. There was no way that Malfoy could complete his task. Feeling the emotions of his mission for the first time, Draco allowed himself to mourn and accept that he had been set up. Although he had long accepted his demise, it still hurt. It hurt to know he was only a chess piece between two great wizards. The boy could only pray for a painless quick death.

“Is it wrong to save my mother? Did I do something wrong in trying to survive?” Draco whispered to himself in a broken voice as he went on, “I’m afraid… of dying. I want to live”.

Devastated, Malfoy choked as tears ran down his face. His path had been carved in stone long ago by his father’s involvement in the first war. Draco had been naive, sheltered in a pureblood bubble his whole life. It had taken everything being stripped from him, everything that made him who he was, to see how blind he had been. While his second life as a werewolf was still a curse, it covered the fog to reveal the truth. His thoughts drifted back to all the times he had bragged about his Death Eater heritage or Lucius’ actions. Oh, how wrong he had been before, Draco told himself. He was a fool. A child. Now that he had experienced what it meant to be involved with the Dark Lord, Draco knew the true price. It was cruel, filled with suffering, death, and misery for everyone in the wizarding world. No one from all sectors of society was safe with Voldemort. Not even his Pureblood ancestry could save his mother or him. His family had chosen wrong. Deep in the trenches of the Dark Lord, there was no way out for Draco. Change had never been possible for him. A happy life was not for people like him.

The blond felt like he was losing his mother. Not knowing how to save her, Draco cried even harder from the pain and thought of failing her. It felt like every path he was making, brought him farther away from her. Good or bad, all the choices he was making were taking his mother away. When he had made plans with the Order to save his mother, he couldn’t help but to feel like he was drifting away from her.

As a sob ripped out of his throat, Myrtle came out and asked, “What’s wrong, Draco? Should… I get… Hermione?”.

With the name Hermione said out loud, the mere mention of her crushed Malfoy as he wailed, looking up at the ceiling. What would happen to Hermione after he was gone? The blond wanted more time with her. What if the Order couldn’t save him? Draco hoped she wouldn’t mourn him for long. He didn’t deserve her tears. There was so much on the line. Malfoy wanted forever with Hermione, but he knew what was stacked against them. Draco leaned forward against the sink, trying to regain his composure. He splashed water on his face, breathing heavily. He was struggling to breathe.

Steps could be heard behind Draco as Potter slowly approached him. “I know what you did, Malfoy. You hexed her didn’t you?,” he spat.

Gripping on to the sink, Draco peered behind him, but found to his surprise that he did not hate Potter. Not like the first time when he saw the boy on the Hogwarts train back in September. Exhausted, Draco did not want to fight, so he froze, wanting to have a truce between them. The atmosphere was like the middle of a tornado with Potter at the center with him. Harry's fury grew dangerously high. If Draco felt the weight of his burden today, Harry felt his own too. Harry felt the burden of what Dumbledore assigned him to do. The responsibility of retrieving Slughorn’s memory of the horcruxes had strained Harry. Potter was just a child on the brink of adulthood. Since his parent’s death, the label of the chosen one had been forced upon Harry. The boy didn’t want the responsibility of killing Voldemort or accept that war was upon them.

Instead, Harry wanted to save what was left of his childhood. To add to this burden, his personal life was going wrong. He had drifted from Hermione this year and they had somewhat made up, but he knew she was hiding something from him. Harry witnessed a change in her but could not pinpoint what caused it. During this school year, he had seen Ron almost lose his life, witnessed Katie Bell’s bones break into shreds, and seen Remus grow strangely closer to Draco. Malfoy had stolen Remus from him. It was the only reason that he could think of pertaining to why Remus defended Malfoy during Christmas break. This year had gone terribly wrong for Harry. He knew somehow the Silver Trio was behind the prank and had framed him. Potter felt all the built up rage in him as he stepped closer to Draco. It was all Malfoy’s fault. He knew it. It had to be Draco.

Lifting his wand without hesitation, Harry shouted, “Expulso!”, marking the first move in this battle.

Thanks to Draco’s werewolf instincts, the blond dodged it like a snake, moving to the side. The spell hit the sink where Draco once stood, exploding on impact. The broken sink shot a stream of water inside the bathroom, flooding the floor. Myrtle, who had been watching their interaction, flew away, disappearing into the walls. Draco ran to the other end of the bathroom, using the stalls as cover. Harry didn’t know this, but Malfoy had decided not to fight back. He was done with it all. The blond didn’t want to do this anymore or have any more hatred towards Potter to fight a good battle.

This version of Draco compared to last year’s Draco was different. This young man had seen death in the little kitten he killed over the summer on Bellatrix’s orders. He had killed and consumed Rita while as a werewolf. Malfoy knew the pain of being tortured by Voldemort. As Harry continued shooting spells on him, Draco regretted hurting everyone that had been caught in the crossfire of attempting to kill Dumbledore. He had only wanted to save his and his mother’s life. To see the sun another day was all Draco had tried to do. The blond did not have it in him to hurt Potter. How could he bring himself to hurt an innocent person? The pain he went through every month under the full moon was too much. Draco could no longer continue living a cursed life as a werewolf.

As Harry went for a second Expulso spell, Draco used a non verbal spell shielding himself from Harry, Protego. The spell bounced, hitting the wooden stall near the blond. Pieces of wood shattered everywhere. “Listen to me, Potter. You don’t understand. Let me explain everything,” Draco yelled, attempting to call a ceasefire between them both.

“Oh, trust me! I understand very well what you did! You took the dark mark. Expulso!”, Harry shouted, unwilling to listen to Malfoy.

Draco dodged once again, still refusing to use an aggressive spell. After Harry ran towards him, Malfoy used a Protego spell to defend himself from the boy. Attempting to avoid Harry, Draco circled to the other side of the bathroom. The splashing of his and Harry’s footsteps and heavy breathing between them spread throughout the air. Malfoy stood still, waiting to hear Harry’s movements. Once the blond confirmed he couldn’t hear anything else, Draco lowered himself to the floor to see under the bathroom stalls.

Searching for Potter, he spoke up again, “You got it all wrong, Potter. I’m not a Death Eater. It’s compli—” but Draco couldn’t finish his sentence as Harry also ducked lower, shooting another Expulso spell. While Draco moved his body back against a wall, his werewolf instincts felt the spell coming his way. As he gazed at Harry, Malfoy finally saw how much anger Potter held against him. Harry wasn’t going to listen as he was driven by one singular goal in mind, go after Draco. In a hurry, the Slytherin went to the hide in one of the stalls, closing his mouth shut. Controlling his heavy breathing, Draco listened as Harry began to open every bathroom stall door to look for him.

Feeling the need to speak again to the Gryffindor, Draco yelled over the sound of rushing water, “What the fuck are you doing?”.

“What am I doing? I don’t fucking know! I’m only 16! Everyone expects something for me! Nothing has gone right this year. All I know is that you're somehow responsible for it all!,” Potter spat as Draco eyes widened, taking in who this battle was really about, Dumbledore.

For the first time in the Slytherin’s life, Draco saw the real Harry. Potter was just like him. He knew his classmate’s pain with how similar they were. In Malfoy’s worst of days, if he hadn’t listened to reason, Harry wasn’t going to either. It was there, the blond finally recognized how much trouble he was in. Keeping silent, Draco hid as he contemplated what his next move should be. Every bathroom stall opened with a harsh bang as Harry slammed the doors. Bam! Bam! Bam! Eyeing the door, Malfoy saw his chance to run was closing as Potter got closer. Deciding to take a chance, Draco darted towards the door. It was a risk going towards the open area to reach the exit but it was the only option left if Malfoy wanted to avoid fighting back. Running out of his stall, Draco did not look behind him as his eyes fixed on the exit of the bathroom.

As the blond almost reached the door, Harry appeared from the stalls, pointing his wand at his rival, before yelling out, “Sectumsempra!”.

A heavy thump hit the floor. The room soon filled with silence as Harry began to come down from his fury. There was no more splashing, no footsteps, no spells flying around, or heavy breathing. The air was still as the only thing that could be heard was the broken sink shooting a stream of water. It was dead silence. Harry couldn’t hear Malfoy anymore. Why wasn’t the blond shouting back at him? Seeing the water on the ground turn red, Harry sensed something was wrong. Fear hit the Gryffindor boy. He slowly walked toward where Malfoy should have been. That loud thud Harry heard sounded as if a body had hit the ground.

As Harry reached the Slytherin, he gasped at finding Draco lying on the ground covered in a pool of blood. Blood spurted out from the gash from his chest. Wounds so large and deep, it appeared as if his sword slashed his torso open. Covering his mouth in shock, Harry saw Draco’s inside wanting to slip out. Dizzy from the blood loss, Draco’s wand slipped from his hands as it rolled away. The blond lay still, choking on his blood, as he used his hands to keep his guts from falling to the floor. With no more strength, Malfoy gasped for air as he frantically peered at Harry for help but the boy was paralyzed in shock.

Harry stumbled backwards, not knowing what to do to save Malfoy's life. All Harry could do was stand. “What I had done to the Slytherin?”, Harry said to himself. The blond was losing blood fast with any chance of survival slipping with every passing second. The flooded bathroom mixed with Draco’s blood made it look like the entire floor was painted red.

As time halted for the two boys, keeping them in place, Hermione ran into the bathroom with Myrtle flying close behind her. As a sob ripped from her throat, she dropped to her knees across from Draco. Picking up Draco’s head, Hermione laid it on her lap, allowing the blond to breath again, no longer choking on his own blood. “Someone help us!,” Hermione screamed in a panic as she bawled her eyes out. Panic stricken, she shrieked in horror seeing the scene around her. She called out to Draco but there was a blank stare behind his eyes. “This is bad,” the golden girl thought to herself. Instinctively, Hermione attempted to cover the deep wounds on his chest with her own hands and Draco’s. “Harry! Help me! Please!,” she cried as she placed some of Draco’s insides back in his body. Harry stood there watching the scene unfold. Had he killed Draco? He didn't mean for that to happen.

Grabbing the nearest wand which was Draco’s, Hermione tried to stop the bleeding with a basic healing spell but nothing had happened. “Oh Merlin! It’s not working. Harry, what spell did you use?! What’s the counter spell for it!? I need the counter spell now!”.

Not responding, the reality of what he did hit Harry. The reality of Malfoy dying in front of him and he didn’t know how to correct what he had done. It was a random spell he had found in his potion’s book. Watching his best friend cry over Malfoy, “this was all my fault,” Harry thought to himself. Hermione, seeing Harry’s paralyzed expression, turned to Myrtle, who had been screaming but stopped at the sound of Hermione's voice. “Go get Remus and Snape! Hurry!,” she ordered as Myrtle once again disappeared into the walls.

The golden girl continued to cry as she tried but was failing to stop the bleeding. Putting pressure on the wound was all she could do as she waited for her professors to come. With tears blinding her eyes, Hermione screamed at Harry, “I told you to leave Draco alone! Why don’t you ever listen to me! Are you happy now?! You’ve done it. You killed Draco. All because you couldn’t let go of the idea of him being a Death Eater”. As anger filled the tears that were falling from her face, Hermione tore off the blond’s sleeves, exposing both arms. Guilt consumed Harry as he accepted there was no dark mark. In a daze, Harry attempted to apologize for what he did but the words he wanted to say refused to come out.

Seeing Draco’s life slip away, Hermione wailed harder, feeling helpless for the first time in her life. She always knew what to do but not this time. Hermione could feel Draco turn cold as ice. The blond slowly breathed in and out but each inhale he took was shaky. “Hermione…” Malfoy whispered as he finally realized who was with him. At the sound of his voice and eyes staring back at her, Hermione held Draco better, rocking his body inside her arms.

Crying into his white blond hair, she murmured to Draco, “Please stay with me. Please stay with me”.

As Hermione kissed his temple, a weakened voice came out of the blond, “Hermione, I’m glad I met you”.

The golden girl bit her lower lip, stopping herself from crying out loud. She was too frightened her tears would scare Draco from how bad things were for him. “Hermione… it’s too quiet here. Why did everything go quiet? Where are you?”.

Squeezing him tighter against her chest, Hermione wep, “I’m here. I’m here. Don’t worry, Draco. Everything is going to be okay. Remus is on his way”.

Turning his head to Hermione, he lifted his bloodied hand to brush a lock of hair behind her ears before deciding to wipe her tears away. He stared at her with a longing expression, submitting to his fate. Weakly shaking his head, Draco whispered, cupping her cheeks, “‘No… I’m not going to make it but it’s okay. Just stay with me. I don't want to die alone. Hold me”. Out of it, Draco failed to realize that Hermione was already holding him. The blond was so cold. He studied her face almost as if he was engraving every inch of Hermione to his heart where she belonged. “Strange,” Draco thought to himself. He had expected to be in pain but wasn’t. An angelic peace covered Draco as he murmured to Hermione, “hold me,” wanting to be in her arms as he passed. Hermione peered into his eyes. She could see life drifting away inside his now empty eyes. The same beautiful storm colored eyes she spent hours staring at had no light behind them now.

“Shut it. Don’t say goodbye to me. You're going to make it ” she pleaded, feeling as if her own heart was bleeding out too with his. She kissed Draco’s blue lips as she shook him to stay awake. Hermione was too terrified to let Draco close his eyes. “You're going to make it,” she whispered in a broken voice, going in for another.

With her free hand still putting pressure on his torn up body, Draco removed it and slipped his fingers inside her hands, wanting to hold it. “I love you… Can you hear me, Hermione? I love you. Always will. The moment you punched me in the face I knew that was it for me…. Hermione?” the boy mumbled, his gaze peering out into the empty air, attempting to search for his golden girl.

Broken, Hermione laughed with pain overwhelming her as she remembered what Draco was referring to, the time she punched him back in 3rd year. “You silly snake,” she kissed him once more, trying to make him realize she was there with him. With her breath stuck in her throat, Hermione peered into his eyes once more before they slowly closed. After speaking his last words, Draco took his last breath as his heart finally failed him and stopped.

Before it could sink in for Hermione that Draco’s heart had stopped beating, Remus and Snape stormed into the bathroom. Taking over the situation, Snape pushed Harry away while analyzing the spell that had been used, “Move, you stupid boy! We can still save Malfoy!”. The old werewolf ran past Harry, never looking at him. He did not know if he had any self control not to shout at Harry so he ignored the boy for now. Instead, Remus went over to Hermione, hugging her from behind as Snape took Draco from her arms. The golden girl sobbed loudly into the air as she tried to get out of Remus' arms to go back to Draco. Now that her Draco was gone, any self control she may have had before was gone. Her screams pierced the air. Her broken heart impaled the hallway, allowing bystanders to hear that something had gone wrong.

It took all of Remus' strength to pull her away and not to go running to Draco himself. He turned Hermione around, holding up her head into both his hands, “Listen to me! I need you to stay strong for me. I need to help Draco now. I need you to stand to the side while I help Professor Snape. Can you do that for me?”. The werewolf ensured Hermione’s total focus was on him as he said these words. Hermione, understanding the gravity of the situation, moved over still gasping for air herself.

Immediately recognizing the spell used on the boy, Snape muttered the counter curse to reverse the bleeding. This was his spell. He held his wand out to Draco’s chest and used the opposite hand to slowly move the exposed insides back into Draco's body. “Vulnera Sanentur,” Snape chanted over Malfoy’s dead body. The blood on the bathroom floor flowed back towards the boy, entering his body once again. Remus kneeled down too as he pointed his wand to the slashes on Draco's body. Using his knowledge, Lupin used a powerful spell to close all the deep gashes. The old werewolf years of healing himself under many full moons had finally paid off at this moment.

“He’s still not out of danger. We need to get his heart pumping again. I don’t know any spells to restart his heart,” Snape confessed to Remus as fear flickered for a second in his eyes. He had made an unbreakable vow, Snape remembered.

“We don’t need any spells. I’ll restart it myself using muggle CPR,” Remus responded as he positioned his hands together one over another and started the chest compressions. He used his entire body weight to manually get the blood pumping back all over Draco’s body. Tilting Draco’s head back to open his airways, the old werewolf delivered air into the boy’s lungs with his own mouth. Remus pulled back to see Draco hadn’t come back. Unwilling to give up, Remus continued this process for 3 minutes as he still struggled to bring Draco back to life.

Collecting herself again, Hermione sat next to Remus. She peered at Professor Snape and saw how pale he was. He was holding on to his arm and watching Draco with an angered expression. When a few seconds turned to 9 minutes, Professor Snape groaned in pain, clutching his heart with fear. Like thunder, Draco’s eyes opened wide as he gasped for air while coughing up blood. Before the room could take in what happened, Malfoy collapsed again from exhaustion.

“He’s breathing!” Remus shouted as Snape sighed in relief.

Going back to the blond, Snape lifted Draco into the air with a spell making the boy float all the way to the Hospital Wing. As Professor Snape made a dash for the door since Draco was still not out of danger, Hermione followed closely behind the man, leaving Remus and Harry alone.

Hermione couldn’t bring herself to deal with Harry right now. All that mattered to her was being with Draco. Taking a moment for himself before Remus finally approached Harry, he stood in front of James’ son, allowing the boy to suffer and feel what he had done. Each time Lupin thought of something to say, his mouth could not move, nothing came to mind. Instead, the professor calmly shook his head, “I’m disappointed in you,” before walking away from Harry.

Potter watched as Remus walked away from him. His hands trembled slightly as he called out, “Professor?”.

“Not now, Harry. I’ll deal with you later. Draco needs an adult present with him. As his guardian, they’ll need me to make some choices for him”.

Harry stood alone in the blown up bathroom that he had caused before deciding to make his way towards the exit.

It was night time when Hermione finally left Draco’s bedside. She almost didn’t want to go but only agreed once Theo and Blaise promised her they wouldn’t leave until she came back in the morning. Nurse Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall had spent the entire day healing wounds not visible to the eye and closing reopened wounds. It turned out that the spell used, not only cut Draco’s chest but damaged several of the blond’s vital organs. It was a spell that wasn't going to close the wound with a simple healing magic. No, this was a powerful dark spell that reopened its victim’s fresh wounds over and over again. It was a spell that cursed the individual with a slash to the body and nothing would close the wound until the victim bled to death.

Draco was sound asleep once the Nurse and McGonagall got the boy out of danger. With the chaos dying down, Madam Pomfrey gave Draco a blood replenishing potion and calming draught to help the Slytherin stay asleep while McGonagall approached Hermione. McGonagall handed her a slip of paper, excusing her favorite student from being outside the dorms past curfew for the rest of the month. During the medical crisis to save Malfoy’s life, McGonagall witnessed first hand how Hermione had grown closer with Draco, watching the way Hermione affectionately brushed Draco’s hair. Not once did the young girl let go of his hand as they worked on the boy.

Despite not understanding this new sudden development, McGonagall gave the note with the intention of giving Draco what he needed the most right now, support from those who cared about him the most, which was Granger. “Go back to the dormitories. Draco is in safe hands with Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini for the night. Take a shower and get a good night's rest, my dear. I’ll inform all your teachers you’ll be missing classes for the next few days,” the professor said to Hermione as she patted her shoulders before leaving the Hospital wing too. It was only when McGonagall told her to shower, Hermione finally looked down at her clothes. She still was covered head to toe in Draco’s blood. Her hands, arms, face and legs were all stained in dried up blood. It looked like she had been injured too with her disheveled appearance.

Still numb by what happened this morning, Hermione slowly made her way back to Gryffindor's tower. She hadn’t had a chance to think about what she would do once she saw Harry or Ron. Her only concern was to shower, sleep, and immediately head back to the Hospital Wing first thing in the morning. Whispering the password, the doors to the Gryffindor’s common room opened as she walked right through, not registering the amount of students still up. The golden girl did not process the gasps coming from her housemates when they saw her bloodied uniform. Her appearance confirmed what everyone had heard.

It wasn’t until Ron and Ginny slowly approached Hermione that she came to. They had heard Harry’s version of the story as the school’s rumor mill sprinted with insanity to every house and student in the castle. Many students saw Professor Snape run as he levitated Draco’s body to the other side of Hogwarts. Ron called her name one more time, getting Hermione’s full attention. She let her eyes linger on both Weasleys for a second before seeing Harry behind them. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest thing to do with the amount of eyes currently on the Golden Trio, but Hermione found all the emotions she held in that morning resurge back to the surface. The amount of students watching them was the last of her concerns. All the frustrations the three of them pushed back in the course of the year finally exploded in the common room for the entire house to see.

She pushed her way through Ron and Ginny, catching them both off guard. With all her might and intensity Hermione punched Harry right in the face, breaking his nose. “YOU FUCKING IDIOT! You almost killed Draco! His heart stopped! If it wasn’t for Professor Snape and Professor Lupin, Draco would have stayed dead! How many times did I have to tell you? He wasn’t a Death Eater!,” Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs with tears forming in her eyes again. Her voice was hoarse from the day’s events but the girl still wanted to unleash all her anger on Harry. All the resident Hogwarts cats, who were laying around peacefully, scattered in the uproar. Many sprinted to the nearest door at what was happening in the common room. All but one black cat, who stayed to watch everything with Crookshanks.

“I should be the one angry here! When were you going to tell us you were going out with Malfoy! Go on, tell Ron and Ginny what I saw! Have you lost your mind? Dating the snake who has been tormenting us since first year!,” Harry defended himself as Ginny attempted to remind him that people were watching. Still, Harry continued, “I don’t recognize you anymore. Who are you? The Hermione I know wouldn’t date Malfoy. How long have you two been a thing?,” confronting the witch. Feeding off Hermione’s rage, Harry too was blinded. The shocking revelation of Hermione’s relationship was hard to get over for Harry to see how wrong his actions were.

“Oh Merlin, please help me! Is that what you're so concerned about at this moment not that you almost succeeded in killing Draco? Grow up! We aren’t children anymore. War is here. Voldemort is coming for us all. There’s no us versus them. He’s coming after all of us! You had no right to almost murder Draco. You can’t run around pointing your fingers on innocent people and accuse them of being Death Eaters!”.

Breathing heavily, Hermione clenched her fists as she screamed with all her heart, “You never listen to me! Never! Why didn’t you leave him alone like I begged you to? Don’t you remember he’s been having family issues all year? It’s all over the papers. For once in your life, get over yourself! We’ll all be adults soon. We have bigger issues than a silly school rivalry. People can change, Harry. They don’t stay the same child who entered school our first year. I suggest you do the same”.

She paced back and forth in full rage, never letting go of her stare directed at Harry. Feeling the fire of her emotions, Hermione spat, “And why do you care if I’m dating Draco? We’ve been involved since the first day of school. What do you have to say to that? Huh? Does it anger you that things have gotten very serious between me and Draco? That I intend to stay with him? If I’m guilty of anything, it’s that I didn’t tell my two best friends sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and Ron, but I knew you weren’t going to give Draco a chance so I hid it from everyone. Seeing your response, I see I was correct in doing so”.

“Break up with Malfoy now. I can’t forgive Malfoy for everything he’s done to us. Break up with him”.

A long pause sat between Harry and Hermione. The curly haired witch with renewed clarity, realized the friendship between the three of them had finally snapped broken. She was growing up and becoming a witch she wanted to be without any fears of judgment and doubts in herself. She loved both Ron and Harry dearly. They were her first friends at Hogwarts in a new world she often didn’t feel a part of. They both had helped her endure so many struggles that came with being a Muggleborn witch. But now, she saw they both were holding her back. She loved those two fools and all the troubles they got into, but she loved Draco even more.

Hermione spoke up, breaking the ice between them, “Don’t make me choose because it won’t be our friendship. I will throw us away for him”.

Her voice faultered. It was the truth but it didn’t make it any less painful to cut ties between Harry and Ron. Hermione’s voice cracked, trying to convey how much Malfoy meant to her, “I can’t break up with Draco. I love him too much to even consider it. So if you're asking me to pick between you and him, I pick Draco. It will always be him. He sees me. More than you two have done. If you and Ron can’t understand that then, I guess we’re not friends anymore”.

Ron, who had been quiet watching the fight unfold, spoke up, alarmed at Hermione’s last sentence. “What! It’s always been the three of us. We’ve never been not friends before. Don’t do this Hermione. We’re all just heated from this fight. Give Harry and me some time to process what happened and your new relationship”. Ron didn’t know what else to say. He too hated Draco so much, however, he loved Hermione more and the thought of losing that friendship was worse. All year he found himself caught in the middle between two of his best friends. He stayed back, letting them handle it themselves. Ron now realized that that was a mistake. He should have aided the trio's friendship in this new territory they found themselves in.

Harry snapped his head to Ron, “Give us time? I made up my mind, Ron. I’m not accepting Malfoy or giving him a second of my time. He’s a bully”.

Ginny, unsure what was the correct thing to do, begged Harry to stop but her presence was ignored by the trio. This was their long overdue fight. Hermione couldn’t believe what she heard from her former friend. Pushing Harry back, Hermione hissed, “Are you serious right now! Not giving Draco another second of your time!? Did you think about your precious seconds when you almost took all of Draco’s!? Have you even thought for a second that this year that you’ve turned into a bully, making Draco’s life miserable? Huh? You're not any better!”.

Harry took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Ron stood in front of Hermione as he felt his version of rage. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! For once in your life will you not make everything about yourself! The world doesn’t revolve around you all the time, Harry, but your shadow is too big for you to see how it affects others. Please, shut up! I don't want to lose Hermione. She's our sister. If she wants to date a Malfoy then I’m willing to befriend the fucking prick. I’ll invite the snake myself to the Gryffindor tower everyday if it means the three of us can stay together”.

Hermione, unsure what to do anymore but still very furious, started to cry in front of her former friends and housemates. She didn't want things to end this way but Hermione desired to be with Draco too. Why couldn’t all the people she loved just get along? Seeing an emotional Ron defend her and get angry at Harry, made the witch feel guilty for starting this fight. It was growing bigger and Hermione didn’t know how to stop it. At the same time, she knew she rightfully had reason to be upset. It was her every right to shout at the top of her lungs after having Draco die in her arms. The only thing that felt right to Hermione was to cry in confusion of her feelings and fear for Draco, who laid in a hospital bed at this moment.

Lavender, who was standing in the background, sensed the conflicting emotions stirring inside Hermione. She stepped up, comforting her friend by holding her hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed. If you let me, I’ll be happy to come with you to see Draco in the morning for support”.

Hermione turned to Lavender as all her rage disappeared. Suddenly the fight she started was forgotten. Exhausted from the day, Hermione hugged and wep in Lavender’s arms as they both walked up to the dorms. “I saw his heart stop. It was awful. His heart stopped. He died in my arms,” the golden girl repeated non stop as the rest of the Gryffindor house watched on. Ron and Harry could be heard in the background fighting as Hermione and Lavender left the scene.

Chapter Text

Four days before the end of June, Draco still remained in the Hospital wing. Since the day of the accident, the blond was in a comatose state. With reassurance from Nurse Pomfrey that Malfoy's body was just sleeping in order to recover, Hermione stayed most of her breaks and meals in the day with Draco. After the Golden Trio’s fight, rumors had circulated around the castle causing many students to want to see for themselves how bad the accident had been.

To see if indeed, Malfoy died for nine entire minutes. The image of Draco’s lifeless body in the hallway had heightened the unrest that had taken hold of the school since the beginning of the year. Others wanted to see the boy who managed to break up the infamous Golden Trio. With too many students coming in for absurd reasons for a normally empty hospital wing, it was decided to move Malfoy to a private room inside the wing away from prying eyes.

In the aftermath of the fight, Harry spent all his time with Ginny as Ron had decided he needed time alone from him. Ron wanted to be alone in his thoughts, even refusing invitations to hang out from Dean and Seamus. In his solitude, the redhead visited Draco once, delivering flowers to his nemesis. Former nemesis? Ron was filled with confusion of where he stood with Malfoy. He felt a mixture of awkwardness and weirdness for being concerned over a Malfoy but knew how much Hermione would appreciate the gesture. He wanted to still be friends with her but only time will tell if they remained so. The flowers were a small gesture of peace now that the reality of Malfoy being around Hermione was becoming true.

Hermione gave a meek smile at Ron before he hugged her and left. It was the only thing she could manage to do as Draco hadn’t woken up yet. The two weren’t talking but not because they were angry at each other. Ron and Hermione needed time to soak in what happened in the common room before discussing anything.

Feeling the consequences of his actions, Harry found himself being the center of gossip with many avoiding him. Whispers of “Did Potter almost kill Malfoy?,” filled the halls. “Draco hadn’t been the best person in school but murder was not what a snobby rich boy deserved,” others said. Harry had gone too far, was the general opinion at Hogwarts especially with Hermione’s heart wrenching sobs seen by all in the common room. A distraught Hermione, who was seen by all as having it all together, shook the Gryffindor house. It was well known that Draco and Harry detested each other but none thought it would go that far.

With no excuses to save him, Harry felt the wrath of what he had done. Although Dumbledore did not expel Potter, the headmaster gave Harry detention for the remaining time left at school which meant everyday plus weekends. He was no longer allowed to play in quidditch, having been permanently kicked out of the Gryffindor team for the rest of his school career.

Teachers didn’t treat Harry any differently but there was a sort of fake overly professional attitude when interacting with him. He felt the distance between his professors and him who were friendly before. Professor Slughorn had stopped talking to Harry, taking his picture off his collection of students on his wall. This wasn’t too much of a loss for Potter though. Before the accident in the bathroom, he had successfully received the memory for Dumbledore so the boy no longer needed to kiss up to Slughorn’s ego.

The only comfort Harry found in this sudden ostracization was Remus had opened his office for him. Harry ate all his meals with Lupin after he found no one wanted to sit with him at the Great Hall. This was a relief to the boy. Remus went back to treating Harry as if nothing had happened. When asked by Harry why he wasn’t angry at him, Remus simply said, “Your father and I did many things that we now regret when we were students. We hurt people that I wish now I could take back my actions but can’t. As hard as this incident is, it will pass, Harry. This does not define you,” before going back to grading papers.

This silence Harry found himself with Lupin was welcomed. The professor allowed Harry to sit in his own misery but a part of Harry’s heart still held guilt. Harry took the time to reevaluate his actions and his friendships. He thought about Draco these lonely days more than he wanted to admit. The boy wanted to know what Hermione saw in Malfoy to earn her trust. He too wanted to see what Hermione saw.

The disappointment written on Remus' face that day played in Harry's mind. That day he had learned that Draco was somehow family to Lupin. “Remus should have given him a lecture of a lifetime but the treatment his classmates was giving him was more than enough punishment,” Harry thought to himself. Every student gave him the cold shoulder after hearing the full story from Theo and Blaise.

The two snakes furious at Potter did everything in their power to reveal to all who would listen what the chosen one did. The Slytherin duo turned everyone, who had previously avoided Draco at the start of the school, to his side now. Knowing Draco wouldn’t have approved if Potter got physically hurt, Blaise and Theo did the best next course of action: emotional damage. They decided that the blond had too much on his plate to worry their friend over their actions.

Hermione, Theo, and Blaise took turns watching over the blond in the evening with Remus taking over the night shift. After all, the old werewolf didn’t sleep much at night with his lycanthrophy. While Hermione watched over Draco today, she occupied her mind with completing Draco’s and her school work. Hermione knew the snake was failing most of his classes but still decided to help the blond. Studying has always brought her peace. In her worst days in the past, school comforted her. It was where she excelled at. At a time when everything was uncertain in her personal relationships, academia had never betrayed her.

The golden girl brought a second notebook, copying all her notes to the other one. She knew Draco would appreciate the notes for himself. Coping the most recent notes from Professor McGonagall’s class into the second notebook, Hermione was too occupied to see Draco was stirring next to her. Awake, Malfoy stared at her, watching her work. He admired her beauty as she worked hard. He had been given more time with her. It was all he wanted, time with Hermione.

The day Draco dueled Greyback, the old pureblood Draco had died. He had mourned for his old life but that Draco was never coming back even if the boy wished with all his might. Emerging from that night, came a second life for the boy. A cursed life filled with excruciating pain with each full moon. Draco had become a werewolf, insecure of where he stood in life and with others. A scared werewolf child is what he was. After dying from Harry’s spell, that version of Draco had too died. But in the pools of his own blood, an epiphany materialized as he felt his life slip for another time.

Coming into his third life, Draco finally understood the reason why his life had turned out this way. His reason for why he was still alive. There were things he needed to push to begin the catalyst of change in the upcoming war. He was done feeling sorry for himself. Draco would leave everything he had ever known, his dark pureblood heritage. It was not who he was anymore.

Instead, the blond had decided he would fight for the light side but he would do it his way. Trust no one but fight for the good of all. When his unavoidable death comes for him when he fails to kill Dumbledore, let it mean something. Let it be for the order. Let it be known to the wizarding community, hope and change for a better world was possible.

After waking up from his ordeal and realizing he was still here, Draco was more than sure on what he wanted to do with his mission regarding the headmaster. Potter had been the deciding factor in his choice to pick a side. Draco would not work for Dumbledore. He saw the old wizard for who he truly was. A menace who had his own personal agenda for power and frame. The headmaster had successfully blinded everyone around him, using all, plus Potter, for his personal benefit. Dumbledore was no better than Voldemort. The line between them was thin and waning.

If the Order was to win this war against Voldemort, they needed to divert from the headmaster. Draco would begin that trajectory but first the snake would need to trust the Order’s plan to save his mother fully and wholeheartedly. Malfoy wanted to fight for the witch in front of him. Hermione was his entire motivation to fight for a better life for her, to give her a peaceful world where she could be happy after he was gone.

The blond had decided to give his everything to Hermione, even if she didn’t ask for it. Hermione was the type of individual to leave herself last and take care of others first. If there was a way Hermione was able to request nothing, she would but Draco would deny her that. For his Hermione deserved it all and more. It didn’t matter anymore he had no future, no wealth, or no title. Draco would find a way to create a future for Hermione to live in.

With the urge to have Hermione hold his arms, the Slytherin Prince reached out to grab the quill out of Hermione’s hand, putting his hands in hers instead. At the touch of his fingers, Hermione jumped up from the shock. Forgetting he was still recovering, Hermione threw herself at him for a hug. “Draco! You're awake!,” she shouted with tears in her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her too, Draco with closed eyes smelled her curly hair, taking in her essence as she went on, “I was so scared. You wouldn’t wake up at all… Please, don’t leave me again. I won’t survive it a second time”.

As the blond noted the dark bags under her eyes, he wondered how long he was out. Draco kissed her forehead, thankful he was alive to do so. Squeezing her tightly inside his arms, he slowly released her. The blond pulled back to gaze into her warm brown eyes, “You will. You're stronger than that but I’m here now, Hermione”. Draco dove in her neck, distracting Hermione from what he said. The boy placed kisses all over her skin as Hermione released breathy gasp. His gray eyes lingered on Hermione until he had the sudden urge to hold her overtook him.

“Come here,” Draco whispered as he pulled the golden girl into bed with him. Laying his head on her soft breast, Draco closed his eyes again as Hermione held him. She was so warm and so alive, Draco thought to himself. Cuddled together, the two love birds never let go of each other, reassuring each other that the other was still here.

After almost experiencing being separated by death, Draco and Hermione needed comfort. But this light hug wasn’t enough for Malfoy. Draco needed to feel they were both breathing, to feel her lips on his own. Perhaps it was selfish of him, but Draco wanted to be everything for Hermione in the short time they have left together, to leave her something to remember him by. As a dying man, Draco wanted to experience what it was like to be with Hermione completely in every way.

With desperation running through his veins that heated his body, the blond got on top of her, savoring every inch of Hermione’s body and lips. With her moans encouraging him further, Malfoy kissed her with a fiery desire. Drunk on her scent, Hermione warmed his once cold soul. He felt alive.

As the blond snuck his hand up her blouse, he squeezed her breast. Interlocking their lips, the blond heard the quickening of Hermione’s heart beat. Cherishing every moment they still had with each other, Draco needed more of her. The Slytherin Prince ravished his witch, leaving lovemarks on her neck and chest. As he went back to her lips, Hermione moaned into his mouth, urging the snake to thrust his hips forward in grinding waves.

While a heat below her stomach grew, Hermione opened her legs allowing Draco between them. No words were needed to understand where they were going. As Hermione’s hips followed along with his, Draco’s hardened length thrusted against with necessity. Feeling the heat of his hips burning within her, every attempt for her voice to quiet down failed.

Their tongues met with Draco melting into more pleasure. The boy was hungry for his witch. As a growl he did not intend to make, released from his throat, Hermione grew excited. The two did not feel any embarrassment, seeing each other in this vulnerable state. Draco felt safe with her, to be his whole self around Hermione. Listening to the sounds coming out of her, it made the blonde’s cock hard. Like music to his ears, the golden girl’s moans went straight to his pants, tightening them.

In a state of peace, Hermione combed his hair with her fingertips just like the way Draco loved. Her very existence was Malfoy’s religion. He wanted to worship every part of her body tonight. In a sudden rush and unable to hold himself back anymore, Draco used Hermione’s wand to silence the room. In the hysteria, the two ripped the clothes off each other’s body.

Acting on pure instinct, he pulled both his pants and boxers with no shame, showing his member to Hermione for the first time. Still standing on bed with his knees, Draco stroked himself, showing her how much she riled him up. He kept his eyes closed with his mouth slightly open. The boy heard a gasp come from Hermione but kept going.

As Hermione sat up, she wasn’t scared off. No, she wanted this too. The golden girl reached out to his bare chest, tracing the new found scars that littered his body. The ones Harry had created. Leaning forward, Hermione kissed Draco’s injuries almost as if she could make it better. This was not how she imagined their first time would be like, emotional yet healing. This was better.

Draco moaned as he watched Hermione not care he was scarred for life. She wanted all of him, even with all his new imperfections. The bright witch had dreamt about this. Dreams of Draco thrusted inside her repeatedly. Now it was coming to life as she glanced down to his length. The werewolf’s cock was blessed in both length and thickness. It barely fit inside Draco’s hands as he continued to jerk himself in front of her.

Exploring his body with him, Hermione caressed his balls. It wasn’t until he felt fingers other than his own that Malfoy peered down. Staying still for her, he watched as Hermione got to know every inch of his nakedness. As Hermione continued to fondle his balls, she wondered if it was full and heavy with cum waiting for its release. Hermione could see the glistening of Draco’s natural lubrication from the candles of the room.

Seeing he wasn’t going to make the first move, Hermione took the initiative as the werewolf groaned at each touch of hers. Undressing what was left of her clothes down to her naked body, Hermione pulled him down, forcing the boy to lay on top of her. There she layed in his hospital bed on her back, underneath him for Draco to see.

Her arms were raised near her head and her legs opened wide, displaying her bare cunt to her werewolf. Draco's eyes darken as he watched drips flow down her folds. The scent of sex was filling Draco’s inner wolf with excitement. She smelled delicious to devour her whole, the werewolf thought to himself. Hermione's heart beat faster as she’s never done this.

In a trance, Draco moved forward, putting his hand between their bodies as he licked his lips, whispering, “This might hurt”.

“I don’t mind, Draco. I just need you,” she begged, as she brought their lips together again.

Returning the kiss, the Slytherin prince lined up his cock between her folds, positioned in her entrance. While he trembled with excitement, Draco at a slow but steady penetrated her until he was fully inside Hermione. Waiting for Hermione to get comfortable, they both gasped from this new sensation they’ve never felt before. Hermione from the slight pain and Draco from the intense heat wrapped around his cock. “Oh fuck… You feel so good,” he softly whimpered into her neck. The blond clenched his eyes shut, trying hard not to cum so fast. He wanted this to last for her.

Feeling the tightness of her hole around his cock, it took all of Malfoy’s willpower not to move his hips yet. To think he almost died without telling Hermione how he felt for her. Draco had wanted Hermione to know exactly what he was on his mind to leave no doubt of how much he loved and needed her. Whispering into her ear, Draco confessed, “I don’t want this with anyone else. You're it for me”.

Tilting her head back, Hermione shivered from the pain and pleasure happening all at once. She loved the way Draco whispered sweet nothings into her ears as her cunt throbbed from the stretch of Draco’s length. “You're so warm and wet for me, my love,” the blond groaned into her hair as his hands caressed her inner thigh that were wrapped around his hips. Her skin there was so soft. The temptation to thrust inside of her was unbearable for the boy. Falling apart from the heat between her legs, Hermione held Draco closer to her body, still afraid he would be taken from him again.

The sight of Hermione’s body easing as she got used to the sensation of his cock inside of her had Draco begging for relief, “Hermione... I fucking need you. I can’t take it anymore,” as he pulled his hips back slowly ready for her confirmation to fuck her. He waited for Hermione's sensitivity to go from pain to pleasure. With a nod of her head, Hermione moaned, “Yes, please,” pleading for his length.

Carefully and unsure, the werewolf thrusted as his arms buckled underneath from him. Gasping at the pleasure, Draco cursed under his breath, “Mmm, you feel amazing. Not— gonna last”.

Hermione, mouth open, whimpered at the friction of the werewolf’s cock inside her. In the empty hospital wing, only the soft moans could be heard from the pair. Draco attacked Hermione’s lips with his own in a desperate attempt to prolong their first time. With a mind of his own, his hips couldn’t stop as his thrusts gradually picked up its pace. Hermione felt Draco's muscular body against hers. With his full and large cock grinding a pleasurable spot she didn’t know she had inside of her, Hermione gasped into his lips. Their bodies felt so compatible.

The blond chanted her name continuously, pulling his cock out before thrusting harder. He explored the different sensations of going slower and harder but he noted a particular spot that made Hermione whimper with ecstasy. Targeting it, they both held their gazes, refusing to look away. The two wanted to remember this moment. Fearing he would cum before she did, Draco let his length sit there, enjoying the sensation of a tight hug on his cock.

“Draco, don’t stop,” she whimpered as her hips began to move.

She liked the sensation of Draco fucking her and didn’t want it to stop for anything. No longer feeling cold like the dead, Hermione’s flower warmed him up heavenly. Everything he almost lost a chance to tell her, flowed from his lips. Draco didn’t care how desperate he sounded. He wanted Hermione to know exactly what she meant to him. “Hermione…. What have you done to me… I love you. I need you to know that,” he groaned as his cock was melting inside of her and fucked her again. Leaking inside Hermione’s pussy, the wet noises their bodies made gave shivers down Draco’s spine.

As Malfoy really began to fuck her with earnest, the bed creaked. “Hermione… you're so good for me. So tight and warm. I’m melting inside you,” the blond whimpered into her neck as Hermione squirmed underneath him. It felt as if their bodies were made for each other. Unable to stop, the young werewolf felt his body was made to fuck his golden girl. He loved every minute of it, enjoying Hermione for himself. Give her a lasting memory to remember him by.

Every thrust was met with the slapping sound of his thighs against her. Arching her back, Hermione cried out with pleasure with Draco’s cock going deep inside her. Feeling like she was on clouds, the witch wrapped her shaky legs around his waist as their bodies danced against each other. The pressure of his cock massaged every inch of her that she didn’t know existed. It rubbed against the sweet spot they found together. Every thrust was met by the slicking of her walls coating all of Draco’s cock. They moved in unison, as they chased their orgasm.
“Oh shit... I’m so close, Hermione. I can’t st—op. Hermioneee,” Draco cried as he moaned between each of his thrusts. The boy went faster as an orgasm crawled to his lower stomach. “Ahhh,” Hermione screamed under him as she finally climaxed. The Slytherin Prince felt her walls clutch down, milking his cock for cum.

Knowing she was satisfied, he released everything that was holding him back. His hips increased their thrusts as he chased his own climax. Continuing to creak the bed, Draco froze as a wave of euphoria overwhelmed him. Without realizing what he was doing, Draco softly growled as he came inside her cunt, planting his seed in her warm walls. Exhausted, Draco collapsed on Hermione, letting himself cool down with sweet achy relief. The blond blushed thinking back to the things he said and the noises he made but one look at Hermione pushed his insecurities away. His witch held on to him as tears of pleasure escaped her eyes and sweetly kissed him back.

“Good news Draco, I think your lycanthropy gives you endless stamina,” she commented, raising a laugh out of the two of them.

Afterwards, Hermione laid down with Draco for a moment longer before needing to head back to her dorm. Her head rested against his chest while they were both still naked under the blanket. Staring at Hermione in a blissed state, Malfoy gently caressed her arms up and down while kissing her temple. As she hummed herself to sleep, Draco watched her, admiring her beauty.

Once she was out, the werewolf glanced up at the ceiling, thinking about the future. He dwelled on the Potter boy for a while, wondering if he was alright. Draco knew first hand what it was like to kill a person. The blond was traumatized for a few days for what he did. Harry in his case almost succeeded in permanently removing him from this planet. The werewolf hoped Potter wasn’t going too hard on himself. “Would talking to him make things worse,” Draco wondered?

Deciding it was best to leave Harry alone, Draco turned to see the flowers next to his bedside. There was a single pink tulip with a scent that had caught his attention. It was his mysterious neighbor, who was also sleeping in the perfect’s bathroom. There was another vase of yellow roses with another familiar scent. Unlike the pink tulip, the yellow roses had a card with it. As Malfoy picked up the card sitting beside the vase, his eyebrows went up in surprise from who it was from.

“Wishing you not to die. Ronald Weasley,” Draco wondered if it pained the Weasley to write this. It sounded like it as Draco couldn’t help but to chuckle. He wouldn’t have written a get well letter if the roles were reversed.

The blond had grown as a person but not that much in regard to Weasley. Malfoy still hadn’t confessed to the red head that it was actually him that almost poisoned him. “Should he tell Ron,” Draco wondered? Not yet. He shouldn’t test this apparent cease fire Ron gave him just yet. Looking at the note closer, he noticed a missing name. “That’s weird,” the boy thought. Those two dimwits did everything together. It was signed by the red head but not Harry. It was then the blond realized he hadn’t had the chance to ask what happened while he was out. He didn’t even know how long he was knocked out for.

The boy whispered, “Hermione, what happened after the fight and to Potter?”.

The curly haired witch rubbed her eyes, yawning, “You’ve been here for days. Theo, Blaise, Remus and me have been taking turns to keep you company. Snape brought you here but hasn’t been back since then. It was him and Remus that saved you…. Ron, Lavender, and even McGongall stopped by. We weren’t sure when you would wake but Dumbledore sent a letter to your mother too once he saw Pomfrey stabilized you about but Narcissa hasn’t come in to see you…”. Hermione peered into his eyes, wondering if she should keep going.

The topic of family had always been a touchy subject for Draco. At the mention of his mother not seeing him once, Draco cuddled up to Hermione. There was a hurt expression on his face, but the werewolf nodded at her to continue, wanting to hear more, “But I don’t think she can come though with you know who in the manor with her. Narcissa told Nurse Pomfrey to do everything she needed to save you and to keep her updated at all times. I’ve seen Pomfrey talking to someone in the floo network since you’ve been here. I’m sure it was your mother”.

The two quieted down not speaking of the obvious person they were avoiding but Draco asked anyway, “And Potter?”.

Making an uncomfortable face, it was Hermione’s turn to take comfort from Draco. She snuggled up to her wolf boy as she confessed, “I guess it’s better that I tell you now… Everyone is talking about it in the halls. I fought with Harry in the common room for the whole house to see. It was bad, Draco. I punched Harry and Ron was angry at him like I’ve never seen before. I mean Ron and Harry bicker all the time but it was different this time... Ron went berserk on Harry”.

Hermione sighed, remembering everything that had happened in the days since Draco was hospitalized. So many lost friendships. It pained her to think of Ron and Harry but she explained further, “I can’t face Ron either though. If I hadn’t started the fight, Ron and Harry would still be friends. I feel so guilty whenever I look at Ron. We haven’t talked to each other at all. I think it’s really over between the three of us this time. With Harry… I don’t know if I want to forgive him. He was furious when I told him I chose you over our friendship”.

Draco pondered on what Hermione told him, staying quiet for a minute. “You and Weasley should forgive Potter. He needs you, his friends. Especially for the fight ahead with you know who. It was an accident and I think he’s scared. That spell wasn’t for me really. When he shot that spell it was because of the pressure everyone is putting on him. We’re all being forced to grow up and he doesn't know how to handle it like me…”. Malfoy gazed into Hermione’s eyes as they interlocked their limbs.

Still relaxed from their lovemaking, Draco went on, “If you and Weasley won’t forgive Potter on my behalf, don’t. Strangely, I’m not mad at Harry. There’s nothing for me to forgive Potter for. Our fight needed to happen so we could understand each other. Sure he overdid it but it was a mistake. In fact, I finally saw him that day, Hermione. I misunderstood him all these years. Try to forgive Potter if you can. You have every right to feel what you want to feel after I almost died, but I promise you, I’m okay”.

Hermione smiled at Draco, watching him be lively again in front of her. For days she had waited for Draco to wake up. The blond had looked so lifeless in bed. This was a nice moment for Hermione as she took in what Malfoy had just said. “I think you're right. Harry needs us. More now than ever, but how can we face each other? What if we broke our friendship beyond repair?”.

“Nothing stays broken forever, Hermione. If your friendship is broken then start all over and build it on a stronger foundation”.

She smiled softly at Draco’s advice, feeling a little more confident about approaching both Ron and Harry. “Hey, when did you get so wise?,” she giggled in his arms.

Draco smirked, “What can I say? I’ve been spending a lot of time with Remus,” but noticeably went quiet afterward. Hermione noticed a dark cloud hovering over the snake. She moved her hand to hold his fingers as the werewolf sighed, looking for the right words to tell her. “The mission is going to happen in a couple of days… I’ve been helping the Order with details on Voldemort’s supporters and secret information that can help them, but I will have to pretend to confront Dumbledore to lure the death eaters in. I don’t want you there…”.

Hurt, Hermione was on the verge of protesting but Draco placed his finger on her lips to stop her. Instead, he removed his hand before leaning in to kiss her to calm Hermione. He explained, “it’s not because I don’t think you're a powerful witch but it’s because I've decided to go after Greyback and my aunt myself for everything they’ve done to me and my mother. I don’t want you there to see me like that when I kill them both”.

Although he didn’t tell her he wouldn't be coming back, the blond didn’t want to worry her or have her talk to him out of it. Draco had made up his mind and was going to go through with it. Worried, Hermione laid back down. She knew there was no way she could talk Draco out of it. Hermione stayed in her thoughts before replying, “I don’t want to lose you again. Promise me, you’ll be careful and come back to me”.

Hiding his face in the crook of her neck, Draco lied while he nodded in agreement, “Don’t worry. I’ll come back to you”. The two stayed in each other's arms before kissing one more time. They needed to get dressed, before Hermione got caught in bed with him. It was getting too late and Remus would come soon for the night.

In the quietness, Hermione’s mind wandered back to the accident in the bathroom while contemplating what Draco had told her. What Draco forgot to consider at that moment was that his witch was stubborn. Hermione had heard him but had decided not to listen. She was going to find him when the evacuation started, determined to stay by his side and keep him safe. Hermione wouldn’t lose him again.

Chapter Text

“Theo, Blaise, it's happening tonight. I’ve alerted both the Dark Lord and the Order. Follow the evacuation plan just as we practiced,” Draco said urgently, as he walked into their dorm room. It was nearing midnight, but the day still had not reached a conclusion. There was much left to be done. A mission to complete. The boy had barely been in his room this year. It had only been a day since he left the hospital wing, but time was of the essence. The blond decided not to attend his classes. There was no point. Instead, he spent the few hours he had left, skipping his classes with Theo and Blaise, and once Hermione was done with her classes, the blond stayed with her that evening.

Now that the school knew of their relationship, Draco saw no point in being careful. Things were set in stone. There was no going back. A few had raised eyebrows as the blond walked into the common room and followed Hermione to her dorm. The Slytherin stood out tremendously in the Gryffindor tower, but the boy had gotten used to being gawked at since being isolated from his curse by his own housemates.

Away from curious eyes, he watched her in bed while she studied, catching up on everything she had missed since his accident. Once Hermione fell asleep in his arms, Draco kissed her temple. Malfoy studied her for a moment, remembering every detail that he loved about her before leaving her. The blond did not want to say goodbye to Hermione, afraid it would make what was to pass much more painful.

The Dark Lord wanted his mission done now. With everything that was personal to him taken care of, Draco stood before Theo and Blaise. They were the only people that he trusted to follow what he planned. Although the two had an inkling of what Draco’s end goal was, Theo and Blaise respected their friend enough to do what he said. For they knew better than anyone, the few choices children of Death Eaters had. With walls against their back, Draco wanted to end things his way. Theo and Blaise would give that to Draco, but it didn’t make it any easier.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to help? We’ll do this together, if you ask us too. We're more than just friends, Draco. We're family,” argued Theo, trying one last time to change the blond’s mindset.

Blaise stayed quiet, already knowing Draco’s answer, but he was struggling with how this school year was ending. With his clenched fist inside his pocket, Blaise focused on the floor to hide his feelings. Since the disappearance of Daphne and Astoria, Blaise had been coming to terms with the war at their doorstep. It was no longer a far away idea that their parents told them would come. He had always imagined the war would stay as that, a concept. The ramblings from the crazed adults in their lives, but it had come from them in the form of the Dark Lord. Zabini knew Malfoy was right to ask them to leave with the evacuated students, but it was still difficult to accept.

Draco was a gifted fighter and if they both were to come, they would hold Draco back. The blond would be distracted, keeping an eye on them, instead of focusing on the fight ahead. Malfoy had a better chance of coming back without them there. “I have to do this on my own and I need you here to make sure nothing goes wrong while I’m away. It’s MY mission,” Draco replied back, ensuring Theo and Blaise looked him in the eyes as he said this.

They had never been an emotional group. Often hiding their feelings behind closed doors. But today, it was essential for Draco to let them know how much the pair meant to him. As a teary Blaise finally peered up, Malfoy swallowed his tears as he continued, “I’m thankful for all your help all year, but I can’t have your hands more bloody than they already are. I’m going through with it. Killing them all. Ending a life is not a sin I would want to burden on my worst enemy, let alone my brothers. I can’t let you help me”.

Theo, always the first to break, sighed with tears streaming down. The reality of Draco not coming back was becoming too real. He was afraid of losing him. The brown haired boy knew how talented Draco was but the risks were too high. Too many things could go wrong. Blaise stepped up, resting his hands on Theo’s shoulder. “Promise us, you’ll come back. We won’t forgive you if you die on us,” Blaise's voice cracked as he said this.

It was the first time the three acknowledged that word and what Draco had planned for himself, death. Despite knowing Draco wouldn’t keep this promise, Blaise still asked. Even if it was a lie, the quiet boy wanted to remember these words and hold them close to chest. “I promise. I always keep my word. It won’t be in the way that you want but I’ll come back. I’ll be with you even when you can’t see or feel me,” replied Draco, clearly his throat from the sadness that threatened to spill.

“I’ll hold you up to your word,” Blaise nodded, giving out a painful chuckle.

The silver trio took their separate paths, running out to the halls. As Draco reached the wall on the seventh floor, he stood in front of the blank wall, asking the castle to show him the Room of Requirements. Feeling adrenaline pump through his veins, Malfoy entered the room, making his way towards the Vanishing Cabinet in a rush. He felt time was closing in on him.

As he finally reached the cabinet, the blond hesitated for a brief second. While he breathed in deeply, thoughts of opening the door to Hogwarts and letting Death Eaters enter his mind. After months of desperately trying to make this moment happen, Draco could only stare at the cabinet door. “Was he doing the right thing?,” the boy asked himself but it was no use to question his actions anymore. There was no going back. The Dark Lord had already been notified and there was no way for the boy to complete the second part of his task, kill the headmaster.

Only by allowing Death Eaters to invade the castle can the blond begin to act on his plans, to go after everyone that hurt his mother, him, and could hurt Hermione in the future. Forcing himself, Malfoy lifted his wand to the cabinet. The blond closed his eyes, chanting the spell in a whisper, “Harmonia Nectere Passus”.

Without a second to spare, the laughs of a mad woman echoed inside the cabinet, filling the room of requirement. As the woman’s laughs became louder, Draco stepped back as his body remembered who was coming through. His bones remembered those laughs as the boy laid on the floor broken all those months ago. Unable to fight his instinct, Draco’s body froze, waiting for the pain this person always inflicted on him. The less he moved and screamed, the faster their training sessions would end.

Slowly the door squeaked open, as the woman’s long, boney finger wrapped around the door. “Hello nephew, No hug for your dear auntie Bella?,” Bellatrix snickered, giving him a crooked smile with rotten teeth.

Before the boy could understand what was happening, in a flash, five dozen Death Eaters came barging through the door, forcing Draco to step aside. This new development alarmed Draco. This wasn’t a part of the plan. Only Bellatrix, Greyback, the Lestrange brothers, and the Carrow twins were arranged to come, thought Malfoy as he began to freak. “Who are all these people, Aunt Bella! This is my mission! How dare you jeopardize my task! I was given the honor of killing the headmaster by the Dark Lord, not you!,” shouted the boy. He watched as the aisles of the Room of Requirement were filled to the brim with Death Eaters, spilling out towards the door. Many had come far and wide to be a part of history. Tonight the new regime will begin for those who had come, for their Dark Lord had found a way to bypass Hogwarts’ impenetrable shields.

Bellatrix grinned widely, almost making Draco filch out of fear, but he stood his ground, “No worry, dog. This is still your mission. Thanks to Snape’s inside information about the Order's current movements, we’ve come to help you. Our great Dark Lord has kindly decided to destroy the castle and kill as many Order members to celebrate Dumbledore’s death and to commemorate the new age of Pureblood supremacy after tonight”.

Malfoy’s stomach dropped to the floor at the implications of this. The Order weren’t prepared for this. Hermione, everyone he cared about, and his classmates were in danger and it was he who would did this, the Slytherin thought to himself. As quickly as these thoughts appeared, Draco forced himself to move on. He had to. If he dwelled too long on this and froze, it would only allow Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters to take total control. The boy had to trust Remus and the Order that they could handle this.

He turned to Bellatrix, asking, “Wait, if everyone is here, where’s my mother? Who’s at the Manor right now?,” trying not to appear panicked.

Bellatrix made a sinister face as she spat, “That sister of mine stayed behind. She wanted no part of this. Narcissa is a disgrace to the Black family, allowing her misfortunes to weaken her, and spend all her time in her room locked”. Draco’s aunt had a face filled with pure disgust at the thought of sharing the same blood as Narcissa. She then turned to gaze at Draco with a proud glint in her eyes. “My sister can’t see the greatness you and I are about to achieve. We’ll go down in history together, nephew. Do this and I’ll overlook your unfortunate condition. As for who's in the Manor right now, no one. Not even Voldemort. We evacuated the manor as a result of Snape’s tip. The Aurors will take my sister when they come to an emptied headquarters. Your mother will honor our family with her sacrifice”.

Madness overtook Bellatrix as she went on, thinking of doing her duty as a loyal follower for her beloved Dark Lord, “Narcissa did not deserve to live in the new world the Dark Lord will create for us. We're taking advantage of this distraction and the lack of Aurors currently at the Ministry of Magic by sending half of Voldemort’s army there. The Ministry of Magic will fall tonight!”. The madwoman jumped up and down, cheering for the demise of the Wizarding World.

~

Hermione sprinted in the empty hallways that had once been safe. The feeling that the last of her childhood was disappearing was apparent in the atmosphere. With no student in sight, only the cats of Hogwarts were with her. But these felines were running away from danger as she ran towards it. Cursing at herself for sleeping and allowing Draco to slip out of her sight, Hermione was forced to change her plans.

The witch was informed about the evacuation plan and had been watching the Marauder’s map all day until Draco distracted her. She had no intention of staying away like Draco wished her to. Instead, she would be there to help him in any way she could. She had originally thought to follow the blond from a distance but something had gone wrong. As she viewed the Marauder's Map, Hermione’s eyes widened at the sudden influx of unknown names. There were too many to count as what must be Death Eaters that appeared out of thin air on the seventh floor. Overwhelmed, the bright witch was unable to locate Draco’s name in the clashing crowd of names on the map. “The Order needs to know,” Hermione thought to herself as she went to find Remus.

As the witch turned to head to Lupin’s office, Hermione found the older werewolf at the end of the hallway. Not allowing Remus to take in her sudden appearance in front of him, Hermione spilled, “It’s happening! The Death Eaters are here, but something’s wrong. There's too many inside the castle. There’s at least 40 names on the map. You have to warn everyone”.

Almost losing his composure momentarily, Remus took a deep breath while trying to figure out how this affected their current plans. Dumbledore had wanted Draco to continue his tasks of opening the cabinet. The thought was to allow the Order and the aurors to disrupt and surround the Death Eaters but have they sent the boy to his death, Remus asked himself? The old werewolf recovered quickly though. With a flick of a wand, Lupin sent a patronus, warning to the rest of the Order of the new development.

Before the professor could speak to Hermione, the panicked girl interrupted him, “I’ll go find Harry and Draco and make sure to bring them back”.

Remus, although wanting to argue back with Hermione, settled for her wishes. Out of the golden trio, Hermione was the most sensible and level-headed when it came to incoming danger. Deciding to trust that Hermione would be okay by herself, Remus needed to focus on the evacuation of the castle. Their best chance if they wanted to bring both boys to safety was to split up. “Keep me informed. Those two are a magnet for trouble. After this is done, I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs at the entrance of the castle. But if you need me for anything before that, I'll be stationed outside in the courtyard with the other professors”.

Before going their separate ways, Remus turned to his student and wished for the best, “Please stay safe, Hermione. And keep the Map close to you”. She would bring back Harry and Draco. She had to. The werewolf couldn’t bear to lose anyone close to him again. His mind suddenly remembered his old friends, James, Lily, and Sirius, who he had lost in the fight for good. The professor gave the girl a quick hug before leaving.

~

Hermione had located Harry first on the map but to her surprise, Draco was also at the Astronomy Tower. Her relief was short though when she read Dumbledore’s name alongside theirs. She remembered back to what Draco had said. The Slytherin was going to finish off Greyback and Bellatrix. With things going in an unexpected way, Hermione felt the need to be there in case anything went wrong for Draco. What if once Malfoy turned his wand towards Bellatrix and Greyback, reinforcements were called? There was also Harry to consider. Seeing that Harry was not talking to her, the witch knew that her former friend did not know yet that Draco was helping the order. What if Harry genuinely thought the blond was aiding Voldemort? Harry, with no knowledge of what Draco had been through and no idea his rival was aiding them, Hermione feared the two boys would clash again, disrupting the remnants of the Order’s plan that was quickly falling apart. She darted towards the direction of Draco, Harry, and the headmaster.

Full of fear, her eyes watered as she ran up to the tower. She cursed under the breath. At this moment Hermione regretted not involving Ron and Harry in what she been doing this year. If they knew, the golden trio would have been united on an important night like this one. Ron was somewhere in the castle. The bright witch could only hope he was evacuating. And Harry was on the brink of involving himself in a crossfire, endangering not only himself but Draco. If she had trusted her friends more, Hermione wouldn’t be running to save both boys. Draco had been right. Harry needed help, especially since the boy had a habit of running into danger, without a second thought. In the middle of a growing emergency, the only thing Hermione could think of was holding Harry back.

As she creeped closer to the entrance of the tower, she found Harry below Draco and Dumbledore, hidden from view. With the utmost silence, Hermione snuck behind Harry. She pointed her wand behind the boy’s head. Her hands trembled slightly, hoping he wouldn’t be furious at what she was about to do.

Almost as if Harry felt her presence, he turned around but before Harry could act, Hermione whispered, “Langlock,” gluing Harry’s tongue to the top of his mouth. With the panic confusion written on Harry’s face, Hermione took advantage of a stunned Harry. She couldn’t risk Harry stopping Draco if the blond needed to kill the Headmaster in the end. Despite knowing it was wrong, Hermione wanted Draco to survive. No matter what it took. The bright witch pushed Harry against the floor and held his hands behind his back, preventing the boy from doing anything. With his face pushed against the floor, Hermione whispered into his ears, “Sorry Harry. I’ll explain later but I’ve come to save you and Draco”.

Harry bore his furious eyes at her as he tried setting himself free from her grasp. “How would being tackled to the floor save him?,” Harry wanted to scream at Hermione.

“I know I’ve been lying to you this entire year, but please trust me. If our friendship ever meant anything to you, you’ll trust me right now. The Order is working right now to save Draco. You can’t get involved this time. We need to stay back,” she begged, attempting to get through to Harry as he stopped trashing underneath. At the mention of their once strong friendship, Harry froze. It did mean something to him. There was a desperation written on Hermione’s expression that made Harry pause before deciding to trust her.

Finally relaxing his body, Harry’s eyes darted to his mouth with a questioning look. “Draco taught me that spell. Dumbledore and the Order have a plan to save Draco. We can’t disrupt their plans,” Hermione whispered in a low voice, ensuring Draco and Dumbledore did not hear her. Letting go of Harry, she placed a finger to her mouth, shushing the boy one final time. While he sat up, Harry, without warning, gave a quick side hug to the golden girl. After his week of isolation from all his peers, Potter had missed both Hermione and Ron. Seeing her here with him gave Harry hope he could repair the friendship. Hermione smiled weakly at Harry before pointing up.

The two former friends watched as Draco walked on the mental platform towards the headmaster in front of him. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face as Draco attempted to think of a way out of this.There were too many Death Eaters and his Aunt Bellatrix waiting for him to complete his mission. With the Order surrounded, Draco was unable to see how they would save him. He heard the cries of his classmates in the courtyard below as they ran away from the school. Nothing had gone to plan. Draco knew if his aunt even saw a moment of hesitation, he would be killed by her. As the pressure grew, the blond realized he may need to kill Dumbledore.

Draco had taken a life before. Why was he hesitating now? It was not as if he admired the old wizard. The blonde had plenty of grievances and complaints against the headmaster. He had been working towards this mission all school year, but Draco didn’t have it in him to go through with it. Dumbledore was no better than Voldemort. This should have been an easy decision but a part of the blond was confused about what the Headmaster wanted from him. The old man had always been distant and obscure whenever he talked, but it was much worse this year. Draco thought back to the beginning of the school year. No professors had been told of his condition by the headmaster. No plan had been in place for how he would spend his full moons. The boy had been on his own until Remus took him under his wing.

Every failed attempt on Dumbledore’s life was brushed aside. He had met no consequences. As he withered away, failed every one of his classes, broke every school rule and wizarding law to follow the Dark Lord’s order, Dumbledore had allowed it to happen under his nose. Had the headmaster wanted him to fail? It was as if Dumbledore had wanted Malfoy to come to him, when he was at his lowest, to beg for help.

“Killing the old geezer was better for the Order in the long run. Wasn’t it?,” the blond asked himself, but a realization dawned on the boy. Malfoy thought back to all his midnight conversations with Remus. The boy remembered their chats of what the older werewolf’s life was like during his schooling and the war. Dumbledore had isolated Remus just as he tried to do with him. He remembered how Sirius and Remus had been separated well into their adult years by unforeseen circumstances. Remus was alone, under the thumb of Dumbledore. Draco received his answer once his gaze met Dumbledore’s fake genuineness.

It was then, a now motivated Draco, knew what to do. “How fucking stupid could I be?” Malfoy cursed at himself. Dumbledore wanted this outcome. The old man wanted Draco to finish him and to go deeper into Voldemort's recruitment as the Order’s spy. “The damn fool was using me all year. If it's a Death Eater you want, I'll give you one. I’ll show you the greatest performance of my life,” Draco thought to himself as he slowly walked towards the edge of the railing and shot a spell towards the sky. From the gray clouds emerged the Dark Mark, hovering over the castle. A human skull as large as the sky appeared, with a snake slithering out of the eye socket.

Taking a step forward towards the boy, Dumbledore spoke, “Draco”. He was calling him, but Draco still ignored him. Malfoy watched the sky, waiting for his moment to act. “Draco,” the headmaster called again, but the blond continued to ignore him. The boy used his werewolf senses to determine how close the old wizard was. His werewolf senses were picking up a call from a strange yet luring third presence.

As Dumbledore approached him and was at a distance Draco wanted, the blond suddenly turned around and pointed his wand before the older wizard could react. “Expelliarmus!,” Draco shouted as Dumbledore’s wand hit the ground. When Dumbledore’s wand fell the call mysteriously ended to hide itself for safety and it changed to a tone of longing to the werewolf. The Slytherin prince was visually fuming as a suddenly unarmed Dumbledore took a step back. There was a surprise written on the headmaster’s face, acknowledging that he miscalculated how far he could push the boy.

Struggling to breathe, Dumbledore stared at Draco. The blond took a good look at the wizard. He noticed something had changed about the headmaster. The old man was pale, weakened from the cave he and Harry came from. Trying to assess the situation, Dumbledore spoke, “You’ve come to kill me, Draco…..You are no assassin”.

Slapping back with rage, Malfoy spat, “How do you know that?! I’ve done things that would shock you!”.

Draco was tired of these games. The headmaster had never once reached out his hand before today. He had never shown empathy for the Slytherin house. Instead of showing compassion for the conflicting values many of his housemates had to face at home and at school or else risk being shunned by their parents, they’ve been ostracized by the many adults at school. Yet, Dumbledore replied back, as if he knew Malfoy as a person and cared, “Yes, like the cursed necklace, the wine poisoned bottle, imperius curse, and hurting Crab and Goyle, and fixing the Vanishing cabinet. All brilliant, I must admit, but I can’t help to sense these actions are weak. You did not try earnestly. You chose not to”.

“Of course, those attempts were weak! I needed to buy time for my mother. Voldemort has her, but you don’t care about that. I can’t trust you or the Order as long as you're behind it, in saving her so I have to save her myself, starting with you”.

The boy and headmaster circled around the tower, slowly walking to the other side, never taking their eyes off the other. The air between the two individuals was so still, only the footsteps hitting against the mental floor could be heard. “Draco, I once knew a boy like you, who made all the wrong choices. There are other ways. You have a choice. Let me help you,” Dumbledore pleaded, to buy more time for Professor Snape to come. Snape was to earn Voldemort’s loyalty, not the boy. The boy was a loose cannon and he saw that now.

“Don’t talk to me about choices! I never had any! I was turned into a werewolf! You don’t know the pain I have to endure every month! Everything I was, died that night! It was either mine and my mother’s life or all those people I’ve hurt. I didn’t want to hurt them all. I was forced to,” the boy’s voice trembled as he released everything he had bottled up to Dumbledore. His inner wolf’s rage grew from everything that had happened to him, as Draco growled, wanting justice of any kind, “I’m going to bring honor to my family with your death. I’ll make my mother proud. You’re my mother’s best chance at survival”.

Shadows lurked from behind Draco. Appearing from the darkness were Professor Snape, Bellatrix, Greyback, and Greyback’s henchmen finally making their presence known. As Bellatrix snickered, she walked directly behind her nephew, whispering into Draco’s ears, “Make your mummy proud, Draco. I know how much you love that sister of mine. Narcissa raised such a strong boy. I can see you're more Black than Malfoy. Make us both proud”. She kissed Draco’s cheeks while still standing behind him.

Taking a step back, Bellatrix grabbed her wand and faced it towards Draco’s back. She was prepared to kill the boy after the mission was complete, just as the Dark Lord ordered her to do. All of Draco’s fumbling towards the mission and his indiscretions with the mudblood all these months did not go unnoticed by the Dark Lord. The boy was a liability with his connection to Hermione.

“Go on, kill the old man or don’t. Either way, I get to eat him afterwards,” taunted Greyback as he walked closer to Dumbledore to sniff him. His mouth salivated at the thought of tearing into the headmaster’s flesh and consuming it. In an attempt to defuse the situation, Dumbledore greeted the newcomers, “Good evening, Bellatrix. I do believe introductions are in order. Don’t you think?”.

“I love to, but I’m afraid your time has run out. Do it, Draco. Make your family proud,” the witch screamed, throwing her head back in laughter.

That laughter sends fear throughout the boy’s body. It was the same laugh that had taunted him during his training at the manor. Malfoy remembered laying on the ground beaten as Bellatrix stood over him and found pure enjoyment from his torture. Draco glanced at Greyback, who had cursed him to a lifetime sentence of Lycanthropy. Everything in the blond’s body told Draco to run as it remembered Greyback consumed him during the duel, but Draco stood his ground.

He took a step back, slowly closing the distance before Malfoy found his opportunity and took it. Without warning, Draco darted forward, pushing his aunt to the ground. In the middle of hysteria, Bellatrix screamed from witnessing the greatness about to happen in front, but the witch failed to notice where her nephew’s wand was directed at. Draco pointed his wand, roaring with all his might, “SANGUIS IGNIS FREVENTI!”. A powerful red steam of what appeared like dripping blood shot from the tip of his wand towards Greyback, who was standing near Dumbledore. Dropping like a fly who was zapped by electricity, Greyback's body fell to the ground, making a heavy thump noise.

Curious to see his new spell in action, Draco walked closer to analyze it. Drunk from the exhilaration of watching his tormentor suffer, Draco smiled as Greyback's body cooked from the inside out. This spell was a blood boiling spell that worked as if fire was burning the insides of the victim. The werewolf’s skin bubbled up as the blood underneath boiled to a temperature the human condition could not survive. It bubbled, appearing like something alive was crawling underneath Greyback’s skin. Soon his body smelled like barbeque as the host’s muscles also began to cook. A reminder that the human body was just a bag of meat and bones that held the vessel of the soul.

The eyeballs burst open from the intense heat of the blood boiling. Every opening on the Greyback’s body, face, and groin bled out as Draco continued to watch. The older werewolf’s skin hardened into a leather like skin before blackening into charcoal. As Draco tuned out everything around him, he stared at Greyback's hair that had started to burn off from the root of the skin and his clothes melted off. The boiling of the body made the Greyback’s bone so brittle, it made painful fractures. Fractures that appeared like a destroyed puzzle on the bones before finally cracking like eggshells from the pressurized heat and steam that was unable to escape the body. A peace settled over Draco as he watched Greyback slowly die. It turned out, he was his father’s son when it came to ruthlessness, Draco thought to himself.

Unable to scream from the shock, Greyback was visibly aware of the pain he was under. Instead of a scream, a loud screeching sound came out of the werewolf like a boiled tea pot left too long on the stove. All that was left of Draco’s tormentor was burnt jerky like meat as Greyback laid on the floor like the overcooked pig that he was. The ashy skin was so delicate it flew away from the mere air hitting the body. The burnt body steamed smoke into the icy cold air as Draco went over to a dead Greyback before proclaiming for everyone to hear, “Consider us even now. You took my life and I took yours”.

The boy stepped closer to Greyback, leaning over to whisper so only the two of them could hear, “That was for Remus Lupin. Remember that name in hell”.

Still watching from below, Harry witnessed how powerful Draco was as a wizard. It dawned on the boy that Malfoy could have killed him in the bathroom, but chose not to. Now that Harry thought back to their fight, the snake never raised his wand towards him. Horrified yet awestruck, Potter watched on, trying to keep up with the fight in front of him as he held on to Hermione to quiet her down. They were surrounded by Death Eaters and their silence meant the difference between life and death. Shocked, Bellatrix froze in confusion and an emerging fear of the scene before her. Turning around, Draco peered at his aunt with hatred in his eyes. It was then that Bellatrix knew her nephew was seeking revenge for what he endured over the summer.

Still feeling high from his murdering Greyback, Draco shot another spell into the sky in excitement. Nonverbally he shot Baubillious, from his wand as he laughed like a true mad Black. Blue lightning streamed high into the sky in the form of a dragon birthing itself out of the tip of Draco’s wand. The dragon roar sounded like a thousand birds as the lightning shaped dragon wrapped itself around the tower.

While her nephew’s eyes were off of her, Bellatrix used this opportunity to hide behind a pillar. For the first time in her life, she was fearful. “What was that spell he used on Greyback? Was she witnessing the Black madness first hand?,” she questioned herself. For a split second, Bellatrix swore she could see the one of the Black brothers, shooting the lightning in the sky as it shined brightly, blinding her momentarily. It wasn’t Draco that stood at the tower, but she saw someone from her past that she thought was long gone.

“Auntie Bella! You’re still in this room. I can smell you. Come out, come out, auntie, come out and PLAY!,” Draco sang as he licked his lips.

“There you are,” he grinned as he saw his aunt. The blond slithered towards her, ready to make her suffer. Without a moment’s hesitation, Malfoy shot a Fiendfyre in the shape of a snake at her as Bellatrix attempted to run. It was a small spell, but it was strong enough to hit her on the right side of her face. It was Draco’s first time using it after reading about it from his personal research on what Dark Magic would aid with fixing the Vanishing Cabinet. In pain, Bellatrix screamed as half her face was melting off. No water or spell could undo what Draco had done. Bellatrix would have to wait for the spell to burn off the area it hit. She withered in agony on the floor as her screams filled the tower.

“You had your fun! Now go on and Kill Dumbledore,” Snape shouted at the boy in front of him. In Draco’s distraction, Bellatrix managed enough strength to escape down the stairwell of the Astronomy tower. Her face was still burning as she went. Angered that his prey had escaped, Draco glared at Greyback’s old henchmen. “Go get her, you morons! Bring her back to me!”. With their former leader dead, the henchmen, filled with terror, listened to the boy. Faced with no choice, they followed the young werewolf’s directions now that the Greyback’s pack had a lack of leadership.

Draco strolled over to a stunned Dumbledore. The old wizard was at a loss what to do. He never certainly never saw this outcome. The boy did have it in him to kill, but he needed a reason to commit murder. Dumbledore thought back to everything he did or did not do and wondered if he would suffer the same fate as Greyback and Bellatrix. Draco’s next move surprised Dumbledore. The boy stood in front of the Headmaster, protecting him instead. “Sorry, no can do. It’s your turn to die,” Draco whispered as he then raised his voice at Snape “It was you that betrayed the Order! You told Voldemort about the evacuation plan we had. Any professors, students, or Order members that will die today is because of your betrayal. They trusted you! But I never did…. After all, it was you that gave Voldemort the idea to put me in a wandless duel against Greyback. You had a hand in me becoming a WEREWOLF!”.

Draco paused, looking for a reaction from his soon to be dead professor, but before going on, he continued, “With your death, I will weaken Voldemort’s inner circle. We can end this war faster by killing the Dark Lord's top three soldiers, all in one day. I have chosen what I want to fight for”. Malfoy connected eyes with Hermione as he said this. From his heightened senses, he knew she was here. Going back to face Snape, the blond said, “Now choose your side and perhaps I'll be more merciful to you than you were to me”.

Dumbledore stared at Snape, whispering “Please”.

Behind hidden eyes, Snape lowered his wand, surrendering to Draco Malfoy. “Alright, you win”. This action confused the boy. He didn't expect his professor to give in that easily. Malfoy kept his eyes on Snape, wondering where his loyalties were with. Draco had fully prepared to fight against one of the great duelists of a generation. A powerful wizard that one can debate is almost or as powerful as Dumbledore himself. Professor Snape walked over slowly.

Before Draco could comprehend what was happening, Snape grabbed him, lifting him up in the air. With his bare strength, Snape threw the boy out of the tower to be plastered to the ground. When Draco died on the bathroom floor, Snape made a happy discovery, making him think back to what the exact wording his vow was to Narcissa. “I made a vow to help you kill Dumbledore and complete your mission. Your work here is done. I never promised to save your life. Your mother should have been more careful with her words,” Snape chuckled to the spot where Draco once stood.

Snape swung his robes behind him as he raised his wand to the Headmaster, “AVADA KEDAVRA!”.

Dumbledore fell down the astronomy tower following Draco. The last expression Dumbledore had was how wrong he had calculated everything. Snape smiled at the sky as laughter erupted from his throat. He had finally gotten his revenge on the Malfoy family that cornered him to do their bidding. Snape had killed the son of Lucius Malfoy, the man who made him do all his dirty work all these years. Everything had been Lucius’ fault. The foolish man failed to retrieve the prophecy and Snape was made to fix his errors on both sides of the war. He was forced to save the boy while trying to play for both sides. Revenge on Lucius has never been so sweet.

Harry and Hermione, still under the platform, stayed hidden, but it was now Harry that was forcing them to stay there. Distraught, Hermione was so close, running out to save Draco but Harry knew it was too late. No one could survive that fall. If Hermione revealed that they were there, she would get them killed. Even with their bad history, Harry knew Draco wouldn’t have wanted that for her. Draco would have wanted her to continue on living. He would do this for Malfoy. Potter put his hand over her mouth before forcing her to walk away. Tears streamed down her face as Harry pulled her away. Despite his confusion over the blonde, Harry was crying for his friend, Hermione, who cared deeply for Malfoy. Hermione kicked and pushed in vain the whole way down as Harry went to find anyone from the order who could help them.

~

As Remus stood on the school ground in the courtyard, the students around him wept, wanting to go home. The castle they once called home was set ablaze. He had evacuated the last round of students and lingered for a moment longer than the rest of the Order members, who were starting to form a new plan to take back the castle. It had increasingly worried the old werewolf that Hermione was not back from bringing Draco and Harry. He tapped his foot to the ground, waiting for the three to show up, but no one came. Something had gone wrong. His werewolf instincts told him so.

Lupin did not want to assume the worst but if they didn’t come soon, he would have to start a search party for the trio. Just as his anxiety was about to overtake him, his ears picked up the sounds of a thousand birds chirping. As Remus looked up, he saw a hauntingly beautiful blue shaped dragon made from lightning appear from on top of the astronomy tower. He zoned his werewolf to hear who had casted it.

To his glee, it was Draco. His pup was still alive and showing everyone his true strength. This brought hope that Harry, Hermione and Draco were okay but Remus' smile was quickly replaced with fear at the sight of Draco Malfoy falling to his death. With a father’s instinct, Remus ran to the Astronomy Tower like he never had before.

The screams coming from Draco echoed into the castle ground for all to hear, alerting everyone to look up. The crowd cried in horror as they pointed to the sky. Lupin ran like a mother wolf, attempting to save its pup from danger. The professor waved his wand into the air as he shouted, “Arresto Momentum!,” praying he had made it in time. Draco’s free fall slowed down mid air. The spell stopped the boy’s body just before it hit the ground.

With his heart racing, Remus ran over to hold the boy. Inside his arm, Remus openly cried from almost losing another loved one. From a distance though, it appeared to all that the professor was holding a dead student’s body. Dumbledore's body soon followed as it crashed to the ground. The unfolding tragedy kept many students and professors back, respecting the dead from a distance. Although Lupin suspected Draco looked at him as another father figure, Remus knew the boy would never admit how much affection he too held for the old werewolf.

The professor did not care if Draco was going to reject his tears. They have been through too much this year for Remus to be concerned over that. He openly sobbed and held the boy tighter, refusing to let the child go. Paralyzed from almost dying, Malfoy never pushed Remus away or hugged the professor back. Instead, the boy had this void look inside his eyes from his near death experience. Draco's ears were ringing, unable to hear the old werewolf that was speaking to him. Numbness filled the blond's body. It wasn’t until Remus started to shake Draco while holding him with an iron grip did the blond wake up from his coma-like state.

As Draco turned to him, Remus asked with tears welling up in his eyes, “What happened up there?!”.

Draco continued to stare at Remus, still high from killing Greyback, before he finally settled down. “He pushed me off the tower,” Draco answered in a low voice. His mind was unable to comprehend that a professor he had grown up with at school had thrown a student off the tower to his death. He had known Snape was not to be trusted, but the man had shown no mercy. Snape’s snicker was playing in the boy’s mind, as that was the last thing he saw before he was pushed off the ledge.

“Who!?” Remus demanded, as he leaned in closer to hear.

Soon Arthur and Moody came running only to find a dead Dumbledore next to a crouching Remus with a very alive Draco Malfoy. “Tell me now who pushed you! I’ll kill them myself!,” screamed Remus, now angered that someone would push one of his students to their death. Draco peered up, watching the other two men come closer. “Professor Snape. Snape pushed me and Dumbledore off the tower,” the blond said in shock.

“Professor Snape pushed you? Tell me more! Wait, I want to see the whole thing myself,” Moody commanded a shell-shocked boy. Draco looked around at the destruction. Hogwarts was on fire with windows exploding. The former auror went into his pocket. As Moody grabbed an empty bottle, he then began collecting Draco’s tears without his consent. The blond did not even know that he was crying as he touched his cheek to feel them, but Moody pushed his hands away. Moody grunted in approval as he collected all of the boy’s tears.

“Remus, the castle has been emptied. It seems like something has gone wrong on their end, too. Bellatrix was seen to be very injured and ordered an evacuation of the Death Eaters. I also found Harry and Hermione. I’ve sent them to the headmaster’s office," Arthur said as he took in how the night was turning out for everyone.

Taking in a deep breath, Remus reminded himself that his other students needed him. The old werewolf nodded at Arthur in reply before turning to Draco once more, “Listen to me, Draco. Go to the headmaster's office. I’ll be right behind you, but we have a couple of fires to put out”. Seeing a protest begin from Malfoy, Lupin interrupted the boy, “Don’t worry about anyone seeing you. The school has been emptied. Go”.

~

On the edge of school grounds stood Theo and Blaise while Professor McGonagall and Nurse Pomfrey were doing a headcount of the student body. It was their third headcount of the night, but panic was starting to set in. The two older women struggled to count everyone, as most students were pushing those around them in search of their friends. Many groups had been split up from the chaos of trying to evacuate the castle.

From afar, the nurse was seen whispering something into McGonagall’s ears, whose eyes began to well up. The two Slytherin boys watched the Ravenclaw tower on fire as it burned brightly into the night sky, illuminating the sky in an orange glow. Blaise nudged Theo to look at the Death Mark above the castle. They waited anxiously for news of Draco. Despite knowing what Draco's plans were, they hoped things would turn out differently.

Still waiting for the headcount to finish, the ricochet of an endless amount of birds filled the ears of everyone who had escaped, alerting all to look up. The student body and the Order peered up to see a blue lightning in the shape of a dragon, flying in the sky. It caught the attention of everyone. The chirps were deafening, causing all to cover their ears. Professors, students, and order members all watched as a battle appeared to be happening in the astronomy tower. They prayed for Dumbledore to triumph over evil.

It was Theo's turn to nudge Blaise as both boys smiled proudly. They knew that lightning anywhere. It was Draco’s. They had seen Malfoy practice that spell so many times before. It made them burst with pride, witnessing how Draco had finally got it right. They allowed hope to settle in their hearts as Draco fought off the Death Eaters. Perhaps he will come back, Theo and Blaise thought. Draco was definitely going to come back, but the relief in their friend's return was washed away when students’ screams echoed from across the castle grounds, alerting everyone to glance up again.

A Hufflepuff student cried in terror, “Look! Someone is falling off the tower! Oh my god! There’s a second person falling!”.

Soon an ensemble of screams from the crowd went off. Disorder erupted again at the possibility that it was a student or professor. Panicked at the scene unfolding right in front of her, Professor McGonagall, with watery eyes but holding it back, shouted at the mayhem to anyone that would listen, giving into her worst nightmare finally. “Has anyone seen the Ravenclaw house? Has anyone seen them!,” McGonagall screamed to the crowd. Nurse Pomfrey was seen crying while counting the students again, still in disbelief. Students close to any Ravenclaw wept as realization began to sink in at the implications of the professors’ tears.

As fear settles into the bones of everyone there, Theo instantly searched through the crowd, realizing he hadn’t seen Luna all night. The brown-haired boy mumbled to himself, with Blaise following close behind, “We need to get Draco. We need to get Draco. He’ll know what to do. Luna. Luna. That person wasn’t Draco. It wasn’t him. Not our friend. Not Draco. Not Draco. Not Draco. Not Draco. Luna. Please. Not her”.

Catching Theo’s arms, Blaise made Theo stop.

“Not Draco. Not Draco. Luna. Where’s Luna? What are we gonna do?” Theo continued to whisper in a hushed panic at Blaise.

It was only when Blaise hugged him did reality hit Theo. Draco was gone. “That bastard went through with it. He left us,” Blaise’s voice broke as he attempted to comfort Theo, but his heart broke as the image of Draco falling from the tower haunted him.

Theo allowed himself to cry into Blaise's neck, hiding himself from those around him. All the Slytherins nearby watched as two of their own were falling apart before their eyes. “Draco. Draco. Draco. Draco. Please, not our Draco. Please. Please,” Theo uncontrollably sobbed into his friend’s shoulder.

“He’s gone. He’s gone. Draco. He’s gone” he yelled.

The Slytherins walked over, surrounding the pair into a tight circle. Their housemates hid the two boys from the rest of the two houses. It was only when their house hid them did Blaise, the quietest of the three friends, allow himself to cry with Theo. They both held on to each other as they cried for Daphne, Luna, and Draco, who was taken from them. In the safety of the Slytherin house, the pair allowed themselves to break as Slytherin always took care of their own.

Chapter Text

In the hospital wing at Hogwarts, Bill Weasley was recovering from his injuries obtained during the clearing of the school. While evacuating a group of students, he encountered Greyback’s pack, who were roaming the castle’s hallways for their next meal. Greyback’s followers were the few wolf packs in Europe, who openly practiced cannibalism, making them the most dangerous and infamous pack in wizarding history.

Since the first wizarding world, cases of kidnapped muggle children began to pop up and increase. With the muggle police unable to find the culprit, a tip came to the ministry, detailing that it was Grayback’s doing. After some investigation, it was found to be true. Much to the Aurors’ horror, who were assigned to the case, it was discovered that these children were being consumed.

The tradition was started by Greyback after the Remus Lupin incident. That was when the number of missing children started after that case. The thrill the werewolf received from getting away with his crime of attacking a child Remus Lupin was the start of it all. He and his pack found eating muggle children the most delicious. It was said the fear of those children’s last moments is what made the meat more tender. The terror in those children's eyes who had no idea magic existed gave Greyback a high. The werewolf loved to collect items like the muggle child’s missing posters or personal items as a trophy.

The werewolf was so good at creating mayhem. He came to be known as the skinwalker killer by the muggle police after so many reports of a man wearing a wolf mask appeared. After years of evading the Aurors, a trail of dead victims and grieving families, had many at the ministry dedicating their whole careers to catching him. They saw first hand the impact Greyback caused and the stigma survivors endured if they caught lycanthropy.

Not wanting to miss his chance to catch the werewolf and his pack of loyal followers, Bill did not think twice of fighting them. The oldest Weasley held the werewolves back to give the school children a chance to escape. Throwing a few bombarda spells at the werewolves, Bill led the pack away from the evacuation pathway. With his years of experience as a cursebreaker, an occupation where his life was on the line everyday, Bill held his own against the pack of six, ending the lives of two werewolves.

With the order members and Aurors scattered throughout the castle, no one was near to aid Bill’s fight against the werewolves. Many order members were in trouble themselves with the invasion of dozens of Death Eaters and Greyback’s loyalists. Finding himself in a dead end in one of the halls as he ran from the pack, it was Greyback that cornered the eldest Weasley and slashed Bill’s face. The infamous werewolf tore off Bill’s left hand for the pure joy of watching a wizard suffer.

Throwing the arm to his followers that were behind him, the young werewolves fought over the arm to see who would get the privilege of eating human flesh. If it were not for Bellatrix’s order to head to the astronomy tower, Greyback and his pack would have finished off the Weasley boy. The eldest son of Arthur was left to die on the castle floor to bleed to death. With the loss of blood, Bill blacked out before he was found by Moody.

~

"Where's my boy!?” Molly bursted through the doors, heading over to Bill.

Fleur Delacour was at Bill’s bedside holding his hand. During the chaos that erupted, Fleur and Bill had been separated. When Bill failed to come back with his group of children, it was Fleur who notified the others that something had gone wrong. As an active member of the Order, Fleur was outside, leading the others to the safety zone. At the news Bill was found, she ran to see him. Molly, who was at home, was the last Weasley to arrive as students were called back into the castle. One by one, the Weasley family trickled in. Fred and George second behind Fleur as Ron and Ginny arrived after the twins.

Seeing Molly arrive, Nurse Pomfrey had to stop her in her tracks. With an expression, hiding the severity of Bill’s injuries, Pomfrey needed to prepare the mother for the attack inflicted on the eldest son. In a nervous voice, the nurse warned, “Molly, before you see Willam, I need to discuss his injuries,” knowing the sensitivity of how others viewed lycanthropy and the stigma the werewolf community faced.

From personal experience, Nurse Pomfrey in her years working at Hogwarts’ hospital wing had witnessed first hand the rejection and the aftermath Remus faced and Draco now was going through in their lives as werewolves. She saw the cutlery of the curse each month tending to both Remus’ and Draco’s wounds. The state of werewolves’ bodies after each transformation was as if they came back from battle but the worst part of being werewolves was how suddenly overnight many loved ones became afraid of them. Nurse Pomfrey, still visibly shaken from the ordeal of the missing Ravenclaw students, gave herself more work to distract herself, busying herself with the many that came through her doors and seeked her help. There were many injured Order members from across the board that were currently staying at the wing.

“What do you mean? What happened!,” Molly urged for more answers as panic began to consume her. She had lost her brothers’ once. Their death’s had destroyed her. Molly, the lone surviving sibling. The last of her family line. The Prewett name was dead when she married Arthur. She didn’t even have her last name to hold on too. Throughout many of her life milestones, her mind often drifted to her twin brothers, wanting to call them to share news of her life.

Her greatest fear as a mother was losing one of her children. If that ever happened, Molly knew she would never survive it. Right now, fear seeped deep into her heart at the thought of almost losing Bill. Not knowing how to give the news, Pomfrey carefully dropped the news little by little. Waiting for the inevitable, from her experience working with Remus’s parents and Draco’s home life, Promfrey held her breath for Molly’s incoming reaction. She hoped she was wrong.

“William was attacked while saving a group of students. He led the attackers away from the evacuation……his face is scarred but he has both his eyesight, however, I am afraid we couldn’t save his left arm. You should be proud of your eldest, he is a fighter and a very strong young man. I have given him a blood replenishing potion so he is awake to receive visitors,” the nurse replied.

Pomfrey, on the verge of notifying it was a werewolf attack, Ms Weasley pushed past the nurse with tears beginning to form in her eyes. Molly could not wait any longer. She had to see her baby boy. What had become of Bill? Slowly logic faded her rational mind as the thought of one of her babies injured overtook her.

At the sight of Bill, Molly screamed. “Who had done this to her boy?,” she thought. Bill had three claw marks going down his face, destroying his once perfect skin. The skin around the scars were raw, fighting back any healing potions to close them up. The claw marks went between his eyes and disfigured his nose. When he was found, his nose was hanging off. With great difficulty, Nurse Profrey reattached it but it would never look the same. Bill’s face was changed for life. Never again would he look in the mirror and see the face he was born with.

At the sight of the scars, Molly knew what made them. If Pomfrey couldn’t heal the scars, there are only a few creatures that were powerful enough to fight healing magic from a witch or wizard. “Please tell me, those claws are not what I think,” she wept as she froze in place.

“Mum, I’m okay. Really. The nurse took good care of me,” a dizzy Bill tried to comfort his mother. As he sat up, Bill lifted his blanket with his right hand to hug her. At the sight of his missing arm, Molly gasped loudly, covering her mouth in horror. Her beloved son was disfigured. “Who would love him besides his blood family?”. With the scar so apparent on his face, it was a feature that would become an integral part of his identity and what people would see first.

Unconsciously, Molly stepped away from Bill in fear. Unable to accept Bill’s future, she stayed away from the young man in front of her. If she didn’t already know that this was her son, Molly wouldn't have recognized him. Her son’s face was destroyed.

Seeing the genuine fear on his mum’s expression, Bill paused before looking at Fleur for familiarity and safety. The witch he had met on the job as a curse break, and fought alongside with, leaned closer to him, touching his elbow to let him know she was there with him and always. They two trusted each other with their lives. Seeing his mum, Bill recognized that expression. It was the same face he saw during his short time as an Order member. He and his father had come across many of Greyback’s victims and accompanied the survivors to reunite them with their families.

More than half the time the families rejected the victims leaving Bill to stay with the survivor and Arthur to destigmatize the misinformation on werewolves with the other party. It had always made both him and his father sad to see families not be able to overlook the new werewolf condition of whoever they helped at the time. The werewolf community in the wizarding world were seen as savage creatures thanks to the harm Greyback’s crime brought with him. Unfortunately, since many went into hiding once they acquired the curse, Greyback, who was the most active in public, was seen as the standard werewolf.

Never in Bill’s wildest dream did he think his own mum would reject him. It gave Bill a new deeper understanding of all the previous victims he and his father worked with. “Mum?,” he called out again in a shaky voice.

“Wait,” she replied back, telling her son to stay away but when Molly saw the hurt in Bill’s face, she quickly realized her mistake. Taking back her words, Molly avoided his eyes, pretending everything was fine as if she hadn’t just rejected her child. She sat in the chair next to Bill. Although Remus Lupin was a family friend for the last couple of years, Molly swore to herself that his werewolf status was never a problem but the thought of Bill becoming one scared her. That was her boy, not just a person outside the family. The matriarch didn’t know how to feel about Bill’s possible new condition. What would life be like for her son?

It was then Bill felt the damage Greyback and his pack had done to the wizarding community all these years. Standing aside, the rest of the Weasley children stayed quiet, trying to decipher the awkward atmosphere settling around the clan. Fred and George, having been taught by Remus Lupin and respected the Maurander as a fellow prankster, didn’t understand how anyone could treat their brother differently. That was their brother. Ginny, the youngest of the clan and the most free spirited, stood back, nervously biting her lip. Bill was still Bill to her but her mother’s actions had rendered her speechless.

Ron saw the new cloud hovering over the family very clearly because he once too made that mistake against his former professor. For a time, Ron was afraid of Professor Lupin. He would have stayed ignorant if it wasn’t for Hermione lecturing both Harry and Ron about werewolf history in 3rd year. Letting his own mum's reaction towards his big brother sink in a bit more, Ron eye’s shot up wide in realization.

He thought back to Hermione’s words. It rang true now more than ever. “You're as ignorant towards Muggles as Draco, hiding behind the belief you're morally superior to him. At least Malfoy was upfront with his distaste for mudbloods,” he remembered when the trio was fighting all those months ago. Ron peered at his family with new eyes. He now saw how similar the Weasleys and Malfoys were. Although the two families sat on different sides of the war, they shared a common upbringing. It was undeniable that they were both Purebloods, who benefited from their status.

With her head steaming from anger, Fleur bit her tongue back for the stake of Bill. That person sitting across from her was still Bill’s mother, who had given him life. The French witch saw what her future mother in law had done to Bill. Waiting for a second mistake from Molly, Fleur was ready to protect him, even from his own family.

She stayed quiet, holding Bill’s right arm to signal she had this. Their months of working together made it possible to communicate with each without talking. When he calmed down again, Fleur held the one hand he still had, squeezing it to show Bill everything was going to be okay. She wanted Bill to know whatever news they received were, what the future held, werewolf or not, she was here to stay.

Fleur leaned over kissing his scared face as Nurse Pomfrey rushed over after Molly had pushed her to the side. Speaking to the couple directly, Pomfrey thought best to leave Molly alone to herself after what she witnessed. It was a lot for anyone to take in Bill’s injuries. “Since the family is here, I can finish the rest of my news. I had great difficulty healing your injuries. Werewolf injuries are complex for the average medical witch but luckily for you, you weren’t attacked on the full moon. You can feel at ease about not turning into a werewolf. It's a common misconception against werewolves. Even if you were attacked on the full moon, I can assure you from seeing your injuries you were not bitten. The bad news is that without an arm found, I am unable to reattach it,” she said out loud, letting it sink in for the family and Bill.

Pomfrey turned to Ron, remembering something else, “Before I forget, I received a patronus from your father. You are needed in the Headmaster’s office. Harry and Hermione are there waiting for you”. Feeling uncomfortable in the strange atmosphere, Ron willingly left, thankful Pomfrey had given him an out. The Weasley family stayed still as the nurse checked on Bill one more time before giving everyone some privacy.

Overjoyed to hear the news that Bill hasn’t obtained Lycanthrophy, Molly cried from relief. Her son wouldn’t lead a life of difficulty. Unaware of how her actions had been received by her son, Molly brushed his hair away from his face before cupping his cheeks with her hand. This action made Bill visibly uncomfortable, seeing his mum only treated him normally after the confirmation he remained a human. He couldn’t help but wonder what if he had been bitten? Would he not be welcome back at home? It wasn’t that far-fetched to the eldest Weasley. Draco Malfoy was previously Lucius’ only son and the golden child of the sacred 28 family, but the young Draco Malfoy had been disowned by his own father. Bill had read the Daily Prophet on Draco’s disownment and disinheritance.

It was clear to Bill what happened to Draco’s homelife. Lucius had rejected his own son for his werewolf status, which led to Remus Lupin taking Draco under his wing. Bill witnessed during Order meetings how close the two werewolves were. Draco seeked Remus as a father. It was the closeness of the two wolves that was the main reason why the entire Order had accepted Draco and agreed to save Narcissa. Bill was lost in his thoughts imagining another life if he was bitten as Fleur watched the sadness and wateryness coming from his eyes. Fleur once again showed Bill she was here for him by turning his attention to her.

“Oh Bill, what wonderful news! Don’t worry about the scars. You will always be my handsome little boy. I’ll still be here for you once the wedding is called off,” Molly replied as he finally hugged her son. She patted his back to comfort the boy, ignoring the confused expression that grew on Bill’s face.

As she went to grab the ointment to rub on his scars, the Weasley twins gasped before retreating from the hospital wing to avoid their mum and Fleur's incoming fight, taking Ginny with them. Although Bill loved Fleur very dearly and popped the question Christmas Eve for the whole family to see, Bill was having issues trying to mend his mum, Ginny, and Fleur’s relationship. No matter what Bill did, he couldn’t get his mum to see how amazing Fleur was.

There was a sort of animosity between the women in his life. Molly and Ginny once tried to talk him out of marrying Fleur but he never allowed those conversations to continue. He always shut these conversations down with ‘Fleur was here to stay’ before leaving the room. Fleur was an independent and fearless woman yet very gentle. She stood up against any injustice, which was what made Bill fall hard for her. He admired her.

When they met as curse breakers working at Gringotts, the two looked at each other and hadn’t looked away since. It was never a question in Bill’s mind if he wanted Fleur to be his wife. There was only going to be her which caused confusion to the eldest Weasley as to why his Mum and Ginny couldn’t accept her into the family. Fleur was more than her beauty, as a quarter Veela. Her heart was made of gold and he had the honor of having it.

“What do you mean by that?”. Fleur slapped back loudly, finally having enough of Molly’s foolery, “What do you mean by once the wedding is called off?”. The witch stood with hands on her hips as she looked down at Molly.

Molly, startled at this new side of her future daughter in law, moved her hand to cover her mouth only having previously seen her as an empty headed witch. Mrs Weasley had only ever thought Fleur was shallow who mostly cared about appearances. Fleur, who was already fuming for her Bill being rejected by his own mother, didn’t let Molly speak up. No longer would she allow herself or Bill to be disrespected. “You think I will not wish to marry Bill anymore? You think, because he was attacked I will not love him? Because I will. It would take more than a werewolf attack to stop me from loving Bill. Werewolf or not, I still love him. Perhaps you thought I care about how he looks? I am beautiful enough for the both of us. I think all these scars and his missing arm show that my future husband is brave,” the long haired blond witch raised her voice before taking the ointment from Molly’s hand. “And I shall do that!”.

Ms. Weasley fell back on the chair and watched Fleur spread ointment on Bill’s wounds. As the French witch leaned over to kiss his clawed up face, she made sure to scowl at her mother in law. Molly watched with the most curious expression on her face. It was as if she saw Fleur for who she was for the first time.

Instead of exploding on the blond witch, Molly went deep into her thoughts, realizing how wrong she had treated Fleur since the start of their relationship. Although she would not apologize to Fleur as she only had the best intentions to protect her son, Molly wanted to make up with Bill from how she reacted upon seeing his wounds and Fleur’s treatment. Pushing aside what she had done, Molly changed the subject, “Our Great Auntie Muriel has a very beautiful tiara. Goblin made. I am sure I could persuade her to lend it to you for the wedding. She’s very fond of Bill. It would look lovely with your hair”.

Fleur and Bill paused before looking at each other's eyes. The pair shared a wordless conversation. “Thank you, that would be lovely,” Fleur sweetly smiled.

The three adults still had a long way to grow their relationship but it was a start. Fleur had decided that she would never turn away someone who just wanted to care for Bill. Her fiance had a long road to recovery and should be the main focus of the family, not a fight between women for now. But later that night once everyone went home, Bill and Fleur had a talk about what happened. Fleur held Bill as he grieved his old arm and face. He broke in her gentle arms. She held him as he shed tears when remembering his own mother rejected him. A wound fresh for him. While he understood his mum’s reaction, it still didn’t hurt any less.

Fleur whispered words into his ears. Words that he was still enough. She talked about the future she still wanted with him, detailing everything she hoped would come to fruition. Told him how much she loved him as Bill laid on the bed in pain. As the tears slowly dissipated, a growing determination grew inside the eldest Weasley. Plans were discussed between the two lovebirds. As Bill told her he wanted to play a bigger role in the war, Fleur without hesitation agreed, also wanting to help fight Voldemort's army.

“Maybe we can help people like Draco and Remus. Help those who are turned away by the wizarding community. Who else will help them in the incoming war, if not for individuals like us?”. Nodding her head in agreement, Fleur smiled as the two laid in the hospital bed, thankful they both escaped the night of terror alive. They were still together and would stay that way. Nothing could separate the couple. Not family, not werewolf injuries, not different languages, two countries, two cultures, and most of all the war that had started.

Chapter Text

Standing in front of the door, Draco was steps away from entering the deceased headmaster’s office. Malfoy snapped out of his near death experience ​​and was somewhat functional but overwhelmed. When he fell from the top of Astronomy Tower, the boy was a changed person after he woke up. If Draco was honest with himself, he didn’t think he'd make it this far. Everything in his life since the summer had revolved around the Dark Lord’s task.

Now that it had passed, Draco didn’t know what to do. He had planned to die. What was he to do with this sudden second chance? There were so many choices in front of him. Choices that Draco hadn’t even dared to think about,​​ let alone dwell on, the idea. Choices that his father, his pureblood heritage, and the Dark Lord had forbidden. “What was he to do now that he was free to do what he pleased?,” Draco thought as he stared at the door.

Malfoy had a lot of things to think about now that he found himself not six feet underground. A sudden thought came to the boy. He wondered if he would have to answer for murdering Greyback. Taking a life was technically against the law and there was no way to hide what he had done like to Rita.

Malfoy just had to hope that the Order was not that strict when it came to their morals. Greyback was a horrific werewolf that had caused great pain when he was alive. The older werewolf had been one of the worst serial killers in the wizarding world. He was a wolf that tormented his dreams. The person who Draco avoided at the manor during his summer. Greyback lived in every corner of his thoughts and fears when it was too quiet at night.

In the mirror’s reflection hung to the side, Malfoy couldn’t help but to look at the boy staring back at him. He appeared different. Draco looked on to study his features that hadn’t changed. There were a few cuts and scrapes. His hair was disheveled, but there was something about his reflection. The boy that peered back at him was no longer a boy. who cried for his mum like that fateful duel with Greyback. No, the boy had come back from the darkest parts one could experience. A man forced to grow up. That man, in the reflection, could live for himself with no chains. Draco was a free man, who had lived more life than any grown wizard half his age.

Still a bit disoriented from his fall, the Slytherin saw how fragile life was as he remembered the advice Remus had given him all those months ago, ‘Time, how fickle time is. Take every moment you can’. “What did those words mean to him now”, Draco wondered. The boy shook his head from those thoughts. Even the act of thinking exhausted Malfoy at this moment. It was too much. Sighing out loud, Draco walked through the headmaster’s door into this unknown reality he found himself in. ​​

Before the blond could fully enter the room, a familiar pair of arms wrapped around his neck. Hermione recognized that undeniable white blond hair anywhere. There was only one snake with such hair in the entire school. “DRACO!,” Hermione cried as she ran to the snake and hugged him with her whole strength. She thought she had lost him. Tears flowed from her eyes as she remembered Draco fell off the tower. “How did he survive?,” she thought to herself. Finding relief from everything that had gone down, Draco pressed his face in the golden girl’s curly hair. He took a deep breath, smelling her. Malfoy never thought he’d be in Hermione’s arms again as he squeezed her waist bringing her closer to his chest.

Tears filled her eyes as Hermione called out his name over and over again, trembling inside Draco’s arms. Granger looked him over, ensuring he was okay before she angrily complained, “I saw you fall when Snape pushed you! I saw you almost die again. You lied. You said you weren’t going to leave me and you almost did it”.

Feeling Hermione, who was still upset, pulled away from him, Draco grabbed her face. To calm her weary heart, Draco caressed her tears away with his thumbs before leaning in to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. It didn’t matter if Hermione was angry right now with him. Malfoy still had time to make it up to her for as long as they both lived.

It was a kiss that had the Gryffindor girl peer up, noticing the change behind Draco’s eyes. The Slytherin had always looked at Hermione like she was everything. Now the look he gave was much deeper. He needed her. It was obvious now that she took a closer look that Draco too was shaken up but it also went beyond that. It was a stare tattooed in the deepest part of her soul, kissing it with only a single look of his. At the sound of a cough, Harry and Ron reminded the love birds that they were also here.

Embarrassed, Hermione stepped away from Malfoy, reluctantly putting space between the two. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Oh, ummm… Draco, how did you survive?”. The blond smirked, having noticed Hermione’s shyness. It was rare to catch her like this as it was often him. Suddenly the blond remembered who was watching them. Peering at the dimwit duo, Draco coughed awkwardly as this was his first encounter with Harry after the bathroom incident. Malfoy decided to act indifferent as he turned to Hermione, explaining out loud, “Remus saved me using the Arresto Momentum spell. He was on the ground near me when I was falling down”.

“Merlin, you one lucky bastard! I wouldn’t have believed it if the whole school wasn’t talking about it. Everyone saw it happen,” Ron responded, trying to fill the quietness of the room but Harry couldn’t help but keep to himself. He watched on the sideline. This was the first time the Golden Trio were in the same room outside of class since the argument they had in the common room.

Unsure if his friends would forgive him over how foolish he's been all year, Harry kept his head down, taking in how the night had gone. The Order had suffered huge losses tonight but most of all Potter was also watching Malfoy too. A growing guilt was growing heavy on him. Why hadn’t he listened to Hermione? He had judged Malfoy too harshly.

Before Harry’s very eyes, the snake was acting so differently with Hermione compared to other people. It was the first time seeing a glimpse of what the unexpected couple’s relationship was like. He had never truly seen Draco until now. Potter had alway thought Malfoy was just a bully, believing all those playboy rumors were until now. The blond seemed quiet yet playful when with Hermione. After watching the Slytherin turn his wand against his family and choosing not to serve Voldemort, perhaps it was time for Harry to put their differences aside.

Shifting awkwardly in place, Ron had heard so many rumors surrounding what had happened tonight. Although he had never been exactly friendly with Malfoy, the curiosity was burning away any resentment he had towards the boy just for this moment as he was asked,“So… is it true?”. Ron carefully walked around the subject, still unsure how to feel about Malfoy, “You killed Greyback? I heard my father talk about his terror finally coming to an end”.

Draco glanced at both Hermione and Harry a bit hesitant about how it would be taken if anyone found out how brutally he had taken Greyback’s life. At the same time, the boy was not sorry for what he did, remembering Greyback’s body in front of him. The spell he had created, coming to life to violently work its magic on Greyback brought him joy. The snake walked close to the red head with chin held high and hands inside his pocket, “Yeah, I’ll do it again for my own pleasure. I would watch that rotten hound die under my wand. Got an issue, Weasley?”.

With eyes wide in surprise, Ron stuttered, “No! I was just asking so I can thank you. I mean, Greyback almost killed my brother. Luckily he wasn't bitten but Bill barely escaped with his life. That werewolf tore off his arm and scarred his face…”. Weasley put his hands behind his neck feeling awkward showing his gratitude with Malfoy. It was still so foreign being civil to the blond. They had spent most of their school years at each other’s throat.

“Bill was hurt? Is he okay?,” Draco asked with a concerned expression. Although Bill wasn’t bitten, the boy knew by personal experience how terrifying it was to be attacked by Greyback. He shuddered at the thought of what the eldest Weasley went through.

“Wait, you know my brother Bill? How?,” Ron asked genuinely perplexed that the two knew of each other.

“Oh, I know him from all the Order meetings I had with Arthur, your brother, and Moody”. Draco explained but said no more. As the group went silent the blond wanted to slap himself for allowing the conversation to die down. It turned out it was difficult to show pleasantries for two simple minded individuals you’ve loathed since the moment they stepped onto Hogwarts. Malfoy wondered how long it would take for the adults to show up. “What was taking them so long?,” Draco thought to himself.

Interrupting the blonde’s thought, Harry spoke up, catching the attention of everyone, “It was Greyback that turned you into a werewolf, wasn’t it? That’s why you killed him at the tower. You had a personal vendetta against him and Professor Snape had something to do with it. He must have if he pushed you off the astronomy tower. Me and Hermione were watching you under the platform the entire time”.

Ron’s head snapped back at Malfoy. It was his first time hearing all this. “Professor Snape pushed Malfoy and I wasn’t there to see it but why am I not surprised!? I swear that man hated every one of his students. I’m gone for the afternoon and I missed everything!,” Ron complained, trying to catch up. Raising one eyebrow at the redhead, Malfoy replied with narrowed eyes, “Trust me. It’s better you weren’t there. We barely escaped out of there alive”. Ignoring the blond, Ron slouched in disappointment. He felt left out now that they were sharing information. As more information was sinking in and brewing in his mind, everything that had happened all year finally made sense. Ron stood straighter as it finally made sense for him. The real reason why Draco had been disowned and outcasted by his own house.

Weasley turned to Hermione, understanding why she had been so insistent in Malfoy’s innocence. He felt foolish now for thinking she had gone mad defending the snake. Stumped, Ron said nothing as he didn’t hate Malfoy exactly anymore nor was afraid of his werewolf status but was unsure how to befriend the blond. “Yeah, it was Grayback that turned me. Snape suggested the duel to Voldemort so I wasn’t on the best terms with him either. If I’m honest I should be dead after what Greyback did to me but somehow I was still alive after that night,” Draco trailed off, shaking his head at the memories of that day.

Most of his memory blackout after he had fallen to the floor but there were glimpses of what his mind tried desperately to forget. The boy would rather not test his luck. Some things were better off forgotten. From the cries of his mother when he woke up, Draco imagined it must have been horrific. Even Theo and Blaise had walked on eggshells around him as if he would break. Sensing his uneasiness, Hermione leaned towards Draco, holding his hand in hers. There was a long silence and understanding between Ron and Harry at how much they really didn’t know. This coming war wasn't as simple as black and white as they once believed.

Before the four Hogwarts students could strike up another conversation, the Order members: Alastor Moody, Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin came into the room. What perplexed Draco was the three men held what appeared to be a vial of tears. His tears to be exact. The adults excused themselves momentarily to watch Draco’s memory over at Dumbledore’s pensieve.

Crossing his arms in front of him, the Slytherin winced at the thought of the Order, particularly Remus watching his recollection of the night’s events. He didn’t want Remus to see him act the way that he did in the tower, blinded by his rage. Then it dawned on him. His reluctance turned to mortification as he remembered the last words he told Greyback as he killed him. Perhaps he should have been killed back there, thought Draco. He hadn’t expected anyone to watch his memories.

As the three men were done, Moody turned to him. Unable to help himself, Draco furrowed his eyebrows in anger at the man, who had taken his tears while he was in shock. While Moody walked up to Draco, he watched the boy with his mechanical gaze making the blond grow nervous under his watchful eyes. “That was quite a show you displayed up in the astronomy tower. Mad but critical to the events that transpired tonight. If it wasn’t for your insanity consuming you, over Greyback and Bellatrix, the witch wouldn’t have ordered a retreat. You saved many Order members tonight. We don’t have anyone on our side knowledgeable with Dark Arts anymore. Say... what was that spell you used on Greyback? I’ve never seen it before”.

Draco watched Order members in the room study him, waiting for an answer. Feeling overconfident in front of the legendary Auror Moody he gave a huge wolf-like smile, “Of course you’re never seen it before. It’s my spell. Made it myself. The opportunity to test it out landed in front of me and I took it”. He would not allow the man in front of him to intimate him. Malfoy held his head high as he showed no regret for his actions.

Moody’s mechanical eye spinned in every direction at the boy, analyzing Draco carefully, “Whatever it was, it was fast thinking. You had Bellatrix retreat and killed the most wanted criminal tonight, Greyback. We in the Aurors office have been trying to arrest the werewolf for years with no luck”. The man took a pause as he leaned closer to tower over the blond, allowing the young pup to view every inch of his scarred face that looked as if it once was only held together with stitches or else his face would fall apart. The Auror, who was fascinated with Draco, was trying to intimidate him but the boy stood his ground. Most flinched back at how repulsive his face was but not this child in front of him as he went on, “I’ve collected his remains to have the lab analyze the extent of damage from that spell of yours. I will be sure to give you updates of my findings,” as he took a step back with a glimmer in his eye.

Moody smiled back at the young man in front of him, excited to study and record the effects of this new discovered spell. After all his years chasing after dark wizards, the retired Auror was excited to have a powerful dark wizard on his team, one that was not Snape. The man was already imagining all the things he could accomplish with the boy that was not possible before. He spoke one more time, “You and I are going to have a lot of fun together. You know the opportunity to be my Auror trainee still stands”.

Remus coughed, interrupting the two wizards, “Draco, the three of us have had a discussion and seeing that everyone on the castle grounds saw your near death experience. We think it’s in your best interest to report your death to the newspapers. It would allow the Order to be two steps ahead of Voldemort with you being our secret weapon and an official member of the Order of the Phoenix”. Lupin had a look of sorrow written on his face. Almost as if he didn’t know how to proceed with what he was about to say. Whatever it was, it pained him as he continued, “It’s for your own safety to announce your death with how things ended badly for our other half of the team”.

Hermione, having known about the plan thanks to Draco before hand confiding in her, turned to her professor, “What do you mean? What happened at the Malfoy Manor?”. Afraid of what was to come from Remus’ mouth, Hermione stood next to the blond, holding on to his hand. Sensing the sudden tension of the room, Harry and Ron listened closely in silence, not having any information about what the room was discussing. Something was very wrong and the children felt it.

Remus took a step back, allowing Arthur to speak up. This alarmed the children, seeing their favorite professor not want to speak on the news. “That’s the issue. Nothing happened at the Malfoy Manor. It was emptied out. They knew we were coming... We have also been informed that Voldemort sent the rest of his men to attack The Ministry of Magic while we were at the Manor. It was a trap to distract the Order. As of now, the Ministry has fallen and is now under the control of Voldemort but thanks to your memory Draco, we know it was Snape that betrayed us”.

Hermione gasped as her free hand went over her mouth. Malfoy stood still, not moving as he took in these words. He felt it in his bones. What he feared the most had come to fruition.
Moody interrupted his thoughts as he explained further, “Which is why you are going to stay dead as far as the world knows. With so much loss today we’re going to use your death as propaganda. Tell the world Draco Malfoy was a hero. His last moments were used to protect and defend Dumbledore. Get the people riled up. Imagine the anger from the public once you become a martyr for the Order. Draco Malfoy, the golden child of sacred 28 pureblood families, stood up to Voldemort. Congratulations, you're our new poster boy, Malfoy. Harry, you’ll now have to share the spotlight. I want no complaints from you, boy!”.

Harry rolled his eyes at the man when Moody turned away. Hearing that last part, Harry was secretly overjoyed to know that for once he would not be the center of attention. Diverging the room’s attention, Remus said, “Moody and Arthur, I need you both to contact Xenophilius Lovegood”. Tired of not knowing what was going on, Harry spoke, cutting off his professor, “Wait, what's going on? There’s something you're delaying to tell us”.

Shifting uncomfortably in place, the old werewolf knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. Choosing his words carefully, Lupin peered down at his feet before replying, “Something went wrong during the evacuation. Death Eaters set the Ravenclaw Tower ablaze. All but 1 single 7th year students have been declared dead. Half of the 6th year survived. The other half didn't. From what the younger students are reporting, the older Ravenclaws and the head of household, Flitwick, sacrificed themselves to save years 1 through 5. They stayed behind to fight off the Death Eaters, allowing the survivors to escape. We counted everyone but one. Luna Lovegood hasn’t been found. We can’t count her among the dead or living”. Allowing the golden trio to take in the news, the three froze. Their first experience with death at a mass scale. Was this the harsh reality of war?

The old werewolf cleared his throat as he peered at Draco, who hadn’t moved a muscle. Malfoy was still as a statue. Remus’ heart broke for the boy who had lost so much. He hated what he was about to tell Malfoy but it was better to hear it from him. “Can you three give me a moment with Draco?,” Professor Remus asked the Golden Trio, but Draco shocked him.

With all emotion gone from his face, the boy said, “She’s dead isn’t she? My mother. I can see it on everyone’s faces”.

Hermione stared at Malfoy, not knowing how to comfort him. Standing beside her, the blond had a faraway look in his eyes. She squeezed his hand but his palm hung limp at his side as if he had forgotten Hermione was next to him. Although she wanted to cry for him, Hermione fought down her tears. They would have time together later. She couldn’t fall with him. Hermione needed to be strong as Draco came to terms with his mother’s death. With one look from Remus, she took a step back. She trusted Remus to be there for Draco. The room descended into silence as Lupin motioned everyone to leave the room, giving the two werewolves a moment alone.

The two werewolves sat down across from each other. The blonde Slytherin made no motion to talk. Lupin wondered if Draco was still in shock from tonight. The boy appeared to be checked out as we waited for Remus to explain so he did. “When the Order and aurors arrived at the Manor, it was emptied. They checked every single room in the house. The only thing we were able to find was a note on Narcissa’s bed. She….”. Remus was choking, unable to give the rest of the news but he endured for the boy. “Your mother drowned herself in the lake near your house. In her note, she truly believed Voldemort was going to end your life after you would have completed your mission. She took her own life to follow you”.

Remus reached into his pocket before handing a box to Draco. The older werewolf watched Draco’s facial expressions. It was disbelief and acceptance all in one but the box remained unopened in the boy’s hands. Deciding to go on, Remus explained what it was, “With the note, she gave the Order this watch for us to give on your 17th birthday. Although you're only 16 this year, she wanted the Order to bury this watch with your body when your coming of age came around. It was your uncle Regulus’ watch he received when he turned 17. I’m so sorry, Draco. Your mother passed away. We failed her”.

Hearing this, Malfoy opened the box. The clock was emerald green like his house colors with the numbers silver. In the middle of the watch was a snake wrapped around the B. It looked like a Black Family Heirloom, which made it more valuable to Draco. He didn’t think there was anything left of the Black family after Siruis died. From what he heard of the man, Sirius held a deep grudge against the Black family and their allegiances during the first war. The blond had always assumed the wizard would have gotten rid of anything that reminded him of where he came from. Even his own mother never talked much about her side of the family. The blond wore the watch before sitting down very quietly. “Okay,” Malfoy finally replied after a few minutes.

At the lack of reaction, Remus grew worried as he called out, “Draco?”.

Seeing the worry in his professor’s face, Draco shook his head, “I’m okay. Really. I don’t have time to mourn for her. Not when we’re at war and with everything else going on. There's no time to shed tears. She was the only family I had left but at least she won’t be alone. My uncle will take care of her now that I can’t”.

Remus peered into those gray eyes. He realized the boy was using occlumency to close his mind to his true emotions. Perhaps he should let the boy for now, Remus thought to himself, and allow the boy some time to himself as he responded to Draco’s words, “That’s not true. You're not alone. I was going to ask you before tonight because I couldn’t bear the idea of you going back to Manor with Voldemort living there for the summer. Come live with me in the Grimmauld house. Not because it’s the right thing to do or you're an Order member. You're my pack. I don’t think I can go back to being a lone wolf anymore. If anything were to happen to you. I’ll never forgive myself”.

As he finished what he wanted to say, Remus waited for Draco to respond but the boy sat back. It made the older werewolf nervous. Had he overstepped, he thought, before Draco spoke, “I don’t regret killing Greyback”.

Although this was random to Lupin, he was glad to understand what was going on in the boy’s mind. Malfoy had been too quiet for his comfort. “Did what he did to Greyback bother him more than he let on?,” Lupin wondered. Wanting to ease the boy’s guilt, he told the boy, “It’s only a natural human reaction to want to hurt those who have done the same to us. Some act on it while others do not. Whether people want to admit it or not, justice isn’t clear cut. It is often fleeting, unfair, or disappointing. When Greyback robbed me of my human life as a boy, if he would have ever been caught and placed on trial, it would have left many in angry tears or unsatisfied, including me. That man had 51 years of freedom of leaving a trail of terror behind. How is that fair when I’ve lived so far 32 years with Lycanthropy? Even if he would have been sent to Azkaban, I will live the rest of my life in pain, cursed. If he was allowed to live, no amount of justice would ever completely heal everyone he has hurt. No one can truly comprehend the events that led you to kill that man, Draco. The public would be cruel to judge you harshly without some consideration. Some will look at you differently but take note of those who still stand beside you. You're not alone in your feelings”.

Remus reached out to squeeze the boy’s shoulder, letting him know he was there for him. The boy glanced down, hiding his eyes from Lupin. There was a fear in Draco’s posture as he confessed, “I found joy in ending his life... Do you think of me differently, Remus… like I’m just like my father?”.

The werewolf’s face broke at the blond’s words. Malfoy had been afraid of how he viewed his actions. Sometimes he truly forgot how young Draco was. The boy was very much like a child who needed to be comforted by someone who cared for him. Looking at a vulnerable Draco, Remus waited until the blond glanced up before saying, “Nothing you can do can ever disappoint me. If I had to confess, I found pleasure when you killed Greyback. The last words he heard was my name while my first memory as a boy was the night he bit me. A fitting end to the man, I would say so myself but I also have gratitude towards him”.

Confused by his professor’s words, Draco flinched back. There was nothing Grayback had done to merit a thank you in the blond’s opinion. That man he murdered was evil. All he had done was brought misery to everyone he encountered. Greyback was the reason for his nightmares at night. “What do you mean? He’s taken so much from us, both” he spluttered.

“This cursed life he gave us has led me to you. What he did brought us together and for that I’m thankful”. Remus lowered his head to Malfoy, so the boy could study his expression, ensuring there was no doubt in the boy for what he was about to say, “You are not your father’s son, Draco. I see a boy, who is trying his best to be a better version of himself. A boy who sees the wrongs of his past but wants to change. It’s the most anyone of us can do: try our best. Lucius never saw the wrongs of what he did but you did. You are not Lucius”.

Overcome with emotion, Draco swallowed his tears as he gave Lupin a hug. He wanted to hide in Remus’ arms. Hide away his weak emotions until he gathered himself again. His face pressed against Lupin’s chest until he was certain he would not break. Although he lost both his parents, one to disownment and one to death, he still had Remus Lupin.

The boy was relieved as he peered up from Remus’s chest, “I wish you were my father instead of Lucius”. Malfoy’s voice broke as he confessed this before he cleared it again. He would not cry. This person before his eyes was the father figure he needed when he was younger. It was too bad they hadn’t connected until now, Draco thought as Remus ruffled his hair, making it a mess. Lucius had never allowed a single piece of his hair to be out of place. The feeling of Remus’ fingers messing with his hair brought him strange warmth to his heart.

“I am. I hope I am not overstepping but I view you as my son. The child I never had but now have the privilege of having. We both lost so many people close to us. I know I can never replace your parents but you brought me out of a darkness I thought I would always live in. If you allow me to, I would like to be your family,” the older werewolf replied as he wiped a tear that threatened to leave Draco’s eyes.

Still wanting to make sure, the blond asked again, “So you're not disappointed in what I did tonight?,” while wanting to pull away but Remus refused to let him go. The Slytherin peered at his professor, seeing he was just as lonely as he was before they had gotten close. Perhaps Remus was right to think what he thought. He too was grateful to Greyback for bringing them together. Lupin shook his head as he whispered into the blond’s ears, “Never. I’m so proud of the man you're becoming,” saying the words he too wanted to hear from his own father but never received. He would give this gift to Draco for they were true. He was proud of him. Draco hugged the man tighter.

Draco rested his face on Remus’s chest as he closed his eyes. Exhaustion was beginning to overtake him but the boy couldn’t wait to live with Remus. This was what he always wanted but didn’t know. A father who would love him regardless of his mistakes. He could be himself and never fear that Remus would turn his back on him. This man, who was a stranger back in September, he now adored as a father. Lupin was proud of him, his son. The blond found himself wanting to be like Remus. Remus, the person who had been there for him through his toughest year of his life. In a few short months, that was more than Lucius Malfoy had ever done in all his 16 years. His mother was gone but he still had Remus.

Chapter Text

It was the day after the death of Dumbledore. With the evacuation gone wrong, Hogwarts was in ruins. The students that were alive were picked up by their parents via floo. Those who could not be picked up took the Hogwarts train back home with the Order guarding the ride. The only ones that stayed behind were the deceased. The bodies of the dead were gathered to rest in the infirmary. Hallways were filled with the cries of parents.

As professors consoled the mourners, not a peep was heard in the castle. It was eerily quiet. Not even the Hogwarts cats made their presence known. The birds of the courtyard and Forbidden Forest kept their distance. A light drizzle of rain coated the windows and washed away the soot of the extinguished fires. It was as if the universe knew what had happened, crying along with those who had lost someone.

As Harry walked around the empty hallways of Hogwarts, he sat on a bench in the courtyard. He sat in the light rain, hoping it would wash his sorrows away. It did not. The longer he dwelled on last night’s events, the more Harry fought back tears in his eyes that threatened to spill. The hallways were opened to those who remained.

However, access to the Ravenclaw tower was closed to all. Harry hadn’t gone to sleep after the meeting in Dumbledore’s office. He stayed up, thinking about everything he had done all year. Potter thought about how he hurt Ron and Hermione with his stubbornness. His impulsive tendencies had really made things worse for everyone around him. It was something Harry hadn’t noticed before until recently. In the past, everything worked out for him or there were people there to fix what he had done.

Harry sighed, wondering how the year would have gone if he had just listened to Hermione the first time that Draco Malfoy wasn’t a Death Eater. Would he have seen the signs Malfoy was a werewolf and what would he have done with that information? Harry was still in disbelief that Malfoy was not the person he thought he was. It turned out there were redeeming qualities for the snake. He had been so blind. Remus and Hermione had seen friendship with Malfoy.

As Harry sat in the rain, he wondered if he had just been less judgmental, would the Golden Trio still be together? The current status of his broken friendship was all his fault after all. If things never returned to normal, Harry was certain he would carry the guilt for many years. He still felt ashamed after the bathroom incident. Looking back, Harry was astounded at his own recklessness for using a spell with no knowledge of what it did. Since that day, Harry had gone through every second of that fight. Although he wished it wasn’t true, Harry had to accept that he attacked first. Malfoy had never once raised his wand.

Harry sighed out loud. It never occurred to him that Hermione could have been in a relationship with Draco Malfoy, his nemesis. Blindsided, Harry thought about all of Hermione’s interactions with the blond. He genuinely thought it was Hermione having a fit to prove a point but after seeing Hermione run to Draco’s arms yesterday, he was reevaluating everything he thought was true. The guilt of indirectly hurting Hermione was gnawing at him. They were closer than friends. Hermione was the sister he never had. At least he thought so until recently.

Most of all, he was more frustrated at himself for making Hermione feel as if she couldn’t open up to him. The image of her crying over Draco’s limp body was something Harry wouldn’t forget. If only, he had listened to Remus over Christmas break. The professor had warned him about having prejudice against those different from him. Remus had given him a chance to see all his wrongs yet he still refused to see it. Sitting in the rain, Harry felt as empty as the castle was at the moment. There was nothing to do now but to accept the wrong of his actions and the consequences that followed.

The sound of footsteps approached Harry. Their shoes softly splashed the puddles around them as he sat next to Potter. “Hello Harry,” said Longbottom in a tired voice.

Peering at his lap, Harry mumbled, “Hello Neville” before asking, “Why are you walking around the castle? Shouldn’t you be on the train with everyone else?”.

Neville laughed but there was an obvious exhaustion written on his face. Perhaps he couldn’t sleep either, thought Harry. “I can ask you the same thing. Why are you sitting in the rain alone? But to answer your question, my nana has some important doctor meetings she can’t miss for my parents. She wanted me to stay here until she could pick me up. Right now though, I’m walking Trevor one more time before we all leave. No one knows if the school will open again so I’m taking it all in one last time, just in case. I also went with Camellia Chang to say goodbye to all her housemates that perished in the fire”.

Potter nodded, remembering Neville’s parents were permanent residents at St. Mungo’s. The boy’s parents were tortured into insanity during the first war. Overall, Neville was raised alone by his grandmother, never knowing his parents. His entire life his parents were Institutionalized. Sometimes Harry forgot there were other classmates of his that had difficult childhoods too. It wasn’t only him. Yet, Harry was too busy feeling sorry for himself to see that. He was beginning to realize that he really was oblivious to everyone else’s issues than his own.

With the second war starting last night, Harry wondered how Neville was holding up. Would it bring up bad memories but as Harry looked at Neville, he was surprised by what he saw. The boy before Harry still managed to have a bright smile despite the heavy losses everyone suffered. Longbottom held his toad, petting his head. He wondered how Neville was still positive.

Harry also wanted to sit in Neville’s positive demeanor but frowned again. A question dawned on him as he sat next to Neville. “Why was Neville with Camellia? I didn’t know they were friends?,” Harry thought to himself. He wanted to ask but it was finally nice for someone to still be willing to talk to him after what an ass he’d been this year.

Since he almost killed Draco, most of the school but particularly Gryffindor ignored him. This wasn’t the first time he landed on everyone’s bad side but it was the first time he didn’t have Hermione or Ron to support him. Neville turned to look at Potter, noting the frown growing on his face. Clearing his throat to get Harry’s attention back, Longbottom spoke up, “I’m sorry about Dumbledore. I know how close you were to him”.

Hearing this, Harry stared at Longbottom, wondering if he was genuine in his sympathies. Neville was. For as long as Harry knew him, Longbottom had never been cruel like that. Nodding, Harry finally asked what was on his mind, “No offense Neville but why are you still talking to me? Everyone else is mad at me for attacking Malfoy and well…for being an ass. I don’t understand”.

At this Neville chuckled as he continued to pet Trevor. Unable to help himself, Harry decided to reach out to poke the slimy toad, bringing out a tiny chuckle. Trevor the toad was squishy like a stress ball. The ugly amphibian turned, croaking at Harry before hitting the boy’s face with his elongated tongue.

Surprised, Potter flinched at the creature’s actions. Wiping his face, Harry listened as Neville laughed at him, “I’m talking to you because like Camellia, you need a friend more now than ever. You're just trying your best with what’s been given to you. If I were in your shoes, I would’ve given up my first year. I wouldn’t have returned to school, year after year like you have. Something always goes wrong for you. You're as unlucky as me”. As Harry lightened up, Neville gazed out to the courtyard.

While the two boys sat in silence. Harry saw the opportunity to ask about the Ravenclaw so he took it. “I didn’t know you were friends with Camellia?”.

With a smirk and eyebrows raised, Neville turned to peer at Harry. Harry's ears got red as Cameilla's name escaped his lips. It was only after saying Camellia Chang’s name out loud did Harry feel his heart skip a beat but it was mixed with guilt. These were feelings he shouldn’t have. He had something going on with Ginny although they hadn’t exactly defined their relationship. Too much had been going on for Harry the last few months of the school year. Just the mere mention of Camellia brought back old feelings Harry thought he had thrown away.

Neville responded to Harry’s question, saving his friend from melting away in his embarrassment, “She is a very good friend of mine but she’s just a FRIEND”. Neville sneaked another look to see if Harry caught the second friend, but he did not. The boy had too much going on his mind, Neville realized as he went on, “Camellia has been awfully lonely these days just like you. She’s been outcasted by many of her own housemates and other houses. People tend to forget Camellia was Umbridge’s victim too when the truth serum was forced upon her when drinking Umbridge’s tea. After the first year of Cedric’s death, everyone stopped talking to her because they didn’t want to deal with her depression. If you ask me though, I think everyone in her house stopped talking to her because they were upset that she let her sadness affect the quidditch games. Everyone started to ignore her after they lost the house cup, but used Cedric’s death as an excuse”.

At the mention of this, Harry gasped silently as his heart broke for her. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be isolated. Grief never truly went away. Instead, grief snuck its way into every aspect of a person’s life.

“She wasn’t used to having no friends. She went from being liked and being friends with almost everyone to sitting alone by the end of 6th year. This year everyone still remembered Camellia’s emotional mood swings and avoided her. She was spending her last year at Hogwarts alone but one day I saw her and decided to befriend her. We've been friends ever since,” Neville finished as Harry took in what he said.

Harry got quiet. It was only after Neville pointed out how lonely Camellia had been all year did Harry realize he hadn't seen her at all. Like Ginny, Camellia was very popular or was. Before everything went down, Harry remembered that Camellia always had a group of giggling girls around her. She was always in the center of the group. The Gryffindor always thought Camellia was the prettiest when surrounded by her friends because that was when she smiled the most. Her smile brought out her freckles on her nose and her dark long hair, letting her beauty shine.

Now that he really thought about it, Harry hadn't seen her eat at the Great Hall either this year. It crushed Harry to realize he might have caused her to stop smiling. The same smile that made Harry’s heart skip a beat. How was someone so sweet and kind hearted being bullied by everyone? Harry thinned his lips as he remembered again how his classmates in Dumbledore’s Army were swayed to be cold towards her with his decision to ignore Camellia from that point forward.

It did not come from any malicious intent but he hadn’t known how to deal with his feelings for her so Harry avoided her. As he looked back at his actions, there was regret at how he may have had a part in her isolation. Dumbledore’s Army had been too quick to judge her without understanding the full context of Camellia's action. Instead, they called her out for treason for the failure to keep the group a secret and Harry hadn’t spoken up.

“Oh shit…. I was the reason why she lost so many friends after the Dumbledore's Army incident. I guess I'm getting a good taste of my own medicine with everyone ignoring me too. Except in my case, I deserve it for being an asshole to Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy. Especially what I did to Malfoy,” Harry commented more to himself. He peered down to his feet as he continued, “I wonder if Camellia’s happy after discovering the entire school is bullying me now and I spent the last month eating lunch with Remus”.

Unable to help himself, Neville cracked a smile, “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that. I have a strange feeling she holds no hard feelings for you, Harry”. Longbottom watched the rain as he remembered the favor he did for Camellia before he had discovered a moping Harry.

“Yeah you're right, Camellia isn’t that type of person. It’s what makes her so… wonderful. She was the only one that refused to treat me poorly in 4th year, which makes me a worse person for forgetting about her when she needed a friend the most. I couldn’t show her the same kindness she gave me back then,” Harry criticized himself as he continued to mope

Potter noticed how suddenly quiet Longbottom got as if the boy was trying to find a way to help him. Neville’s mood darkened for a second before he continued, “I don’t know if you know this Harry but your fate as the chosen one could have very well been mine too. My parents were also a part of the Order and my birthday landed at the end of July. My birth was only one day earlier than yours…. sometimes I think, what if Voldemort picked me? Would my nana survive knowing that I was Voldemort’s target?”.

Neville paused, as his voice shook, revealing his inner emotions. “Sometimes… at night when my nana thinks I’m sleeping, I hear her cry for my parents. She misses them. I don’t. Not really anyway. I’m admitting this only because you're the only person who also lost everything in the first war. Your life with a mum and dad was taken from you too”. The boy took a deep breath, stretching out his legs. He squinted his eyes and scrunched his nose to stop himself from getting emotional.

Once Neville regained himself, he went on, “It’s more like I’m grieving the idea of having parents but I don’t miss them on a personal level. I don't know who Alice or Frank are. I have no memories of them. They’re just people I visit with nana at the hospital. When I go to see them… sometimes I wish they would just… die, to end their suffering. Keeping them alive is just as cruel than what Bellatrix did but I would never admit that to my nana. That’s no life to live. My parents just stare up at the ceiling all day like they’re bodies are only empty vessels. I go only for my Nana. I’m the only thing that keeps her going. I see all the hardships you have had to deal with and I just know my nana would have collapsed from all the stress”.

Knowing he damped the mood, Neville allowed Harry to hold Trevor. His pet always made him feel better. The two boys watched as the toad stared intensely at them both with its big eyes. As the creature rubbed its head against Harry’s thumb, a calmness dropped over the boys like a blanket. It was nice to have someone that didn’t have huge expectations of you even if it was a toad, Harry thought to himself.

“So in a way, I look up to you for trying your best when the entire wizarding world is asking you to do the impossible. The wizarding world has worshiped you and made you a hero but you were just a baby when it happened. And you're just expected to finish the job? End you know who’s life as if the world’s greatest wizards haven’t already tried. So, I’ll always look up to you Harry for never giving up. In a way, I wish I was like you,” Neville said.

Harry got lost in his thoughts processing what Longbottom told him for a while. They still sat in the misty rain until Harry asked, “Can I tell you something, Neville?”.

Nodding his head, Neville replied, “Of course”.

The boy turned to Neville as he explained, “I think you're brave. And I sometimes wish I was more like you too. You might be always paranoid about everything but you still face your fears everyday. You smile even when it’s hard. What I do isn’t bravery. It’s called, not having any self perseveration. I’m always heading first into danger, not considering the harm I bring my friends into. While you, Neville, you always chose to look at the best in people. You see the loneliest people and keep them company, giving friendship to people who need it the most. You have friends in every house, even in the snake pit. If I were more like you, maybe I wouldn’t have attacked Malfoy first. If I were you, I would have listened to what Malfoy had to say. It turned out he was like us. He was forced to walk a path he didn’t choose or want. If you and I were the chosen ones, he was one too. Destined to join Voldemort based on his family background. That snake wasn’t the bad person I wanted him to be. And now, I don’t know how to face Hermione and Ron”.

Neville hummed while thinking about what Harry said. “I never thought of it that way that Draco was like us. Picked by you know who, like he chose us…..”. He paused before turning to see Harry to ensure he was listening, “Don’t you see what you have to do, Harry?”.

Confused, Harry shook his head.

“Don’t make Draco Malfoy's death mean nothing. We, the students of Hogwarts, will carry on his story and continue the fight for him. If he lit the torch last night then it’s our responsibility to pick it up and keep going. You never got to apologize when he was alive but you can honor him in death”.

Harry stayed silent. Longbottom didn’t know Draco was technically alive and that he could still apologize in person, but his friend had a point. Everyone that passed the night before, Harry didn’t want their deaths to mean nothing. He decided to keep going for them. Neville interrupted his thoughts as he said, “One more thing, Harry. If you're worried about your friendship being broken with Hermione and Ron, all you need to do is start all over. It’s a chance to build a stronger foundation of your friendship. Nothing stays broken forever. They’ll forgive you eventually. I just know it”. Harry's eyes widened at Longbottom for the advice he gave. He didn't know how wise Neville was until he checked up on him. “Did he get his old soul from his grandmother?,” Harry wondered. The kindness he received from Neville was enough to make Harry’s eyes watery.

“Thanks, you have no idea how much I needed this talk”.

Neville gave a toothy grin as he patted Harry’s shoulders, wanting him to come with him. “Come walk with me and Trevor”. Already standing up, Harry shrugged his shoulders. He had nothing better to do anyway. The boy was getting cold sitting in the rain as he asked, “What are we doing, just walking?”.

Giving a cheeky grin, Longbottom replied with excitement, “No, we need to say goodbye to all the portraits and the ghosts of Hogwarts”.

Shocked, Harry shouted “But why?”. He was already regretting that he agreed to accompany Neville. There were too many portraits in the school. It would take up the whole morning. “Everyone left them in a rush without saying goodbye. With the school shutting down, there's no one to keep them company anymore. Not even the professors. We’re all leaving so it’s important to say goodbye to them,” Neville explained as Harry thought Trevor nodded along too.

At this thought, a sadness filled Harry. It was a tradition on the last day of school, all the ghosts and portraits waved to the children as they went to board the train. They hadn’t had the chance to do that this year and might never will. All his classmates had left in all the chaos that the permanent residents of Hogwarts were forgotten. They had no choice but to stay. Harry never thought it was possible that he would feel upset over an inanimate object but here he was as he replied, “okay,” following Neville.

Later that evening, Harry was ready to face his friends, thanks to Neville’s encouragement. He waited at the Astronomy Tower for Hermione and Ron. He had sent an owl to them, asking them to come. Watching the colorful skyline of the lake and mountains surrounding Hogwarts, Harry leaned against the railing. To think that hours ago at this very building, everyone’s lives had changed.

As Potter heard his friends come behind him, he shifted awkwardly in place. The two stood beside him as they watched the sky in silence. The sky was a blend of orange, yellow, and purple. The night threatened to overtake the bright sky as it got darker. Clearing his throat, Harry gripped around the railing for support.

Nervous, Harry broke the awkward atmosphere and spoke, “It’s beautiful isn’t it. I always come here when I miss my parents and Sirius but now I can’t stop thinking of Dumbledore”.

At the mention of the headmaster’s name, the Golden Trio peered down, hoping the man didn’t feel any pain. “I’m sorry you lost Dumbledore. I know you don’t have many parental figures in your life. He was like a grandfather to us three. Always letting us get away with things we shouldn’t have and spoiling us with gifts,” Hermione said in a detached tone.

Harry glanced at Ron. He felt alone right now and needed someone. Ron placed his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it as they shared a look. It seemed Ron also noticed how distant Hermione was. Sighing, Harry grabbed something from his shirt pocket and handed it to Hermione.

In an expressionless voice, Hermione noted out loud, “It’s fake”. As she observed the locket inside her hand, it was a beautiful green gem with the symbol of a snake inside of it. The chain holding the locket was golden. It looked so real but the weight was off. It felt cheap. This was a dupe but the bright witch still opened the locket, finding a paper. She read out loud for Ron to hear too.

“To the Dark Lord.

I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.

-R.A.B”

“R.A.B? Who’s that?” Ron asked, confused. He racked his brain for famous wizards with those initials but found none.

Harry shook his head, “I don’t know. But whoever they are, they have the real Horcrux. Which means it was all a waste. All of it. Dumbledore and Narcissa Malfoy died for nothing. Bill got hurt for nothing. The older Ravenclaws' death was my…”.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione snapped in an angered voice, “Don’t you dare say it was your fault. Nothing was your or Draco’s fault. I had to give my werewolf an ear full earlier too. Ron and I won’t hear any of it. It was Snape. He’s the one that betrayed us. He told Voldemort all our plans. Everyone’s blood is in his hands, not yours. For Merlin's sake Harry, we both saw him throw Draco off the tower”.

After getting an earful, Harry looked away in shame. The conversation went dead as the Golden Trio peered out to the sunset. “I’m not coming back, Hermione and Ron. I got to finish whatever Dumbledore started. I don’t know where that will take me but I’ll let you both know where I am, when I can—,” Harry began but Ron interrupted him. “I’ve always admired your courage Harry, but sometimes you can be really thick and stubborn. Haven’t you learned anything from this year with your fight with Draco with us? Learn to listen and communicate”.

Reading Hermione's body correctly this time, he knew how hurt she still was. He would need to be the middleman between these two for a while. Weasley had visited Malfoy in the hospital a few times. The red head saw first hand how badly injured the snake was. He watched as Hermione sat next to Malfoy’s lifeless body. She was at his bedside sometimes from morning to night, rarely coming back to the Gryffindor tower. Ron glanced between the fighting pair. Hermione and Harry were quiet, unable to face each other still, so he added, “You don’t really think you'll be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you? You need us just as much as we need you. Where you go, we go”.

Harry turned to both of them. He was still fearful that their friendship was really over but asked, “You're both not mad at me? I haven’t been a good friend to either of you. After how much I hurt you, Hermione. I almost killed Malfoy after you told me not to use a spell. Made you watch your boyfriend almost die twice. And Ron, I put you in the middle between us, forcing you to pick a side. You tried to tell me to back off since the train ride to Hogwarts in the nicest way possible but I still pushed to prove I was right until the end”.

Ron shrugged his shoulders before giving a side hug to Harry. “Sorry mate, but you're stuck with me. You're not shaking me off that easily”.

Harry then peered at Hermione with hopeful eyes, waiting to hear from her. He waited to hear that she was coming too but no words came from her. Ron frowned, upon seeing this outcome. He did the only thing that came to mind, nudged Harry to try again. Through his actions, he told Harry to not give up.

Potter walked closer to Hermione with his voice full of sincerity, “Please, Hermione. Come with us both. We need you. I need you. I don’t think we can do it without you. I’m so sorry for all the hurt I’ve given you. I will never free myself from that guilt. Your face seeing Malfoy die in your arms has haunted me every night since then. I see now that I have a lot of growing up to do. I don’t know how to make it up to you but I promise I will earn your trust again if you let me”. Harry finished with a few tears falling from his eyes. He realized here how mad she really was. Maybe this time he really fucked it all up. The boy didn’t know if he should beg again.

Hermione, who had only been listening, turned to look at her former friend. “You're right. I’m still mad at you. You ignoring my pleas was an insult to our friendship. It was more disrespectful than all the other times you brushed me aside. I’m always burdened with the responsibility of saving both you and Ron time and time again. Yet, you're asking this of me again? When you refused to trust me when I said, Draco wasn’t a death eater. You questioned every action I did all year. The two of you judged me when I went to Slughorn’s party with him. I’m over it. I won’t let you two walk over me”.

The bright witch turned to Ron, including him in this discussion as she continued, “I want you two to know I was serious about what I said in the common room. If I’m made to pick a side, I pick Draco. I meant it. It will always be him. He gives me a proper place in his life, by his side. He wants me for who I am. Always looks out for me. And because of that, I will always side with Draco. Because of him, I’m coming this one time. But after the war, It’s over”.

The red head spoke up confused, “Because of Draco, you're coming?” while Harry peered at his feet. This was more difficult than he imagined, Harry thought.

He avoided her eyes as Hermione nodded, confirming they heard right. “I’m coming for Draco. He asked me to forgive you and told me he wasn't mad at what happened in the bathroom. There’s nothing to forgive for, is what Draco told me. He also said to me that if I can’t find it in my heart to forgive you then do it for him. He wants me to fight alongside you two so I'm helping only on behalf of Draco’s request. I love him, Harry. Until this war is over, Draco and I can’t truly be together. I’ll help only so we can end this war faster”.

Not letting the two boys talk, Hermione walked away. Ron and Harry watched as she went down the stairs. Only barely sinking in what she said. As soon as Hermione disappeared from view, Ron replied, “Shit mate, I can’t believe I’m saying this but we owe Malfoy for his help. He pulled through for us……You okay Harry?”. The boy had a sad expression on his face that made Ron uneasy.

“I messed up Ron. She’s never going to forgive me”.

Ron’s eyes lingered on the sunset for a bit longer, as he said the only thing he could, “Focus on the fight ahead and give her time. Whatever happens between the three of us, I’m choosing to believe we’ll all make it”.

~

Harry walked back to Gryffindor tower to retrieve his trunk before going to the headmaster's office. It was time for him to go back to the Dursleys via Floo. It had been decided by every Order member that Harry and Ron would be in danger if they took the Hogwarts train with Voldemort and his men still out there.

The two boys did not argue back since many of the student body were still shaken up. Also, Harry did want eyes upon him after everything that happened since last night. It would bring him too many bad memories, seeing everyone’s distraught faces and Harry just wanted to be alone. When Harry made his way up to the boy’s dormitories, he found a little red box sitting on top of his luggage. It was wrapped in a beautiful golden ribbon as Harry picked up the note to read it.

“To Harry

Only in the loneliness of times can we see the beauty in life and begin to appreciate what we previously did not see. It is only when you're at your lowest can you learn the most about yourself. So remember, In the darkest of times, don’t forget to look up.

A friend who still believes in you”

A single tear escaped his eyes before Harry flipped the note to find who had given him a gift. To his disappointment there was no name anywhere on the note as Harry pulled the golden ribbon to open the box. It was the most curious gift the boy had ever received. One so special that no one had ever thought to give Harry this before.

People always tried to buy Harry’s friendship by gifting him the most expensive items. This gift was the exact opposite to what Harry normally would have been given. “This person must have been half-blood or muggleborn?,” thought Harry. He had never seen these in any of the wizarding shops. Harry was holding a quirky and cheaply crafted ring from a gumball machine. He had always wanted one but he never had spare change or money in general whenever he was with the Dursleys.

In fact, this ring was very popular with all the neighborhood kids from where Harry lived. It was a muggle mood ring that supposedly changed to what you felt at the time, but Harry knew it only changed to the temperature of your finger. That was the trick to the mood ring. There was a simple “mood stone” in the middle of the ring’s band.

When Harry put the mood ring on his index finger he realized the person charmed it with magic. The stone that was once blue turned white while the band of the ring warmed the area that wrapped around his finger. As the stone lifted from the ring to float in the air, it bloomed into a lily.

Amazed, Harry went to poke it, making the lily spin in a circle. This gesture brought the boy's mood back up as the flower lingered in the air for several minutes, waiting for Harry’s smile to stay. Once Harry sat down on the edge of his bed, smiling widely for the first time since the bathroom accident, the lily transformed back into a stone and found its way to Harry’s ring.

Afterwards, Harry decided it was the most thoughtful and most treasured gift he had received. A ring that would feel his sadness and bloom into a Lily when he needed it the most.

Chapter Text

The Quibbler
BREAKING NEWS: The Malfoy Dynasty Has Ended
Draco Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy Dead

On June 30, 1997 Hogwarts was attacked by members of He who must not be named’s army. In a coordinated attack, death eaters planned a double raid on the Ministry of Magic that same night overwhelming Aurors and the order. As of now the ministry has fallen into the hands of he who must not be named’s new regime.

According to close sources, many lives have also been lost at Hogwarts. It can also be confirmed that Dumbledore and countless unidentified students have lost their lives during the invasion. With devastating news back to back, it is a day of tragedy.

We have received word on one of the student’s identity at Hogwarts who lost their life. It was confirmed moments ago by Alastor Moody, who led the evacuation and rescue of the castle, Draco Malfoy, the only son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, has lost his life during the attack. Malfoy played a huge role in the evacuation and defending of the castle. He fought alongside many of the Order of the Phoenix members.

The former Malfoy heir was last seen in the Astronomy Tower attacking the Death Eaters. His heroic efforts led to the death of the infamous Fenrir Greyback, who has terrorized both the Wizarding and Muggle world for years with his murders and cannibalism of children. Draco Malfoy also did great damage to Bellatrix Lestrange, forcing her and the Death Eater to retreat and indirectly saving many lives that night. From many eyewitnesses from the ground, the young boy's last moments were protecting the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore as they both fell off the Astronomy tower to their deaths.

Narcissa Malfoy, philanthropist and mother to Draco, had also died that same night. In recent months since the arrest of Lucius Malfoy, not much has been heard from her. Many thought she had hidden herself from society due to her family’s tarnished name. It has now been found out that He who must not be named held her captive, took over the historical Malfoy Manor, and had been forcefully using the family’s fortune to fund their movement.

As they attempted to use Narcissa against her own son, Draco held firm in his beliefs, working with the order instead. Showing great bravery in carving his own path separate from his Pureblood ancestors and own father. Narcissa, refusing to be a pawn in their games, followed Draco as they both faced death with courage.

After hearing news of He who shall not be named ordered the death of her son, Lady Malfoy took her own life. Narcissa was to be rescued by a specialized team, lead by Kingsley Shacklebolt, however, the Malfoy Manor was found looted. Only a note to her beloved son was found. Help came too late.

Narcissa Malfoy committed suicide by drowning, unable to live a day without her son. Those who knew Lady Malfoy reported she was a good mother and loved her son dearly. He was her sole reason for living and it is no surprise to many that she decided to leave this world with Draco. In return, he was his mother’s son.

Close friends of Narcissa Malfoy reported Draco was only close to his mother and they both had a strained relationship with Lucius Malfoy, living under his abusive household. Although the latter can not be confirmed, with Draco’s disinheritance, it is not implausible. With the life the young Malfoy had lived, it is admirable he stood his ground against you know who’s followers till the very end.

While he was alive, he was seen as the golden child among the sacred 28 pureblood families. In recent months though, he had been in the news from his disownment from his father. A surprise to many due to many of Draco's relatives being famously connected or confirmed Death Eaters. Despite his upbringing of Pureblood traditions and supremacy, Draco Malfoy was different from his father. Many saw him as a soon to be Death Eater.

To me, he was a boy. A boy of 17, who had dreams of his own. He was a normal teenager, who had many friends at Hogwarts. He befriended students from other houses like my daughter, Luna.

Despite being misunderstood by many, Draco Malfoy never surrendered the difficulties of the last few months of his life. He overcame and found happiness outside of what others expected him to be. He found love. My condolences go out to Hermione Granger, the love of his life now and forever. The two publicly dated and were a widely popular couple at Hogwarts. The young man left his family for the Golden Girl. A close source to the couple stated, he was the happiest he ever was after cutting ties from his father and couldn’t wait to start a life with Granger.

Draco Malfoy was only a boy on the brink of manhood but we can learn a lot from his short life. He was someone who fought for his beliefs. A boy who fought for the rights of all in his last moments. Even with the world stacked against him and his mother held hostage, Draco was a boy who stood against he who shall not be named.

I sent my prayers to this young man, who I would have loved to know. A boy, who still had so much life ahead of him. Draco was taken from the Wizarding World too soon. He was a brilliant and talented young man adored by those who knew the real him.

Let Draco Malfoy’s death be a reminder that we, the people, must not fear he who must not be named. We fight the good fight and this attack on our wizarding society will not scare us. We will not allow a small man to tear down our community. We lost today but as Draco Malfoy did, we will pick ourselves up and continue on. Not all is lost.

If Draco Malfoy, the symbol of Pureblood supremacy, died for our cause and the belief in the right for all to live under these dangerous times then he shall be our martyr. Draco’s defiance against he who must not be named is proof that that small man is not as powerful and influential as he thinks he is.

If Narcissa Malfoy, the symbol of royalty among the sacred 28, died for her good son she raised. We, the people, will fight on for Draco’s sacrifice and for Narcissa’s unwavering love for her son. While the Malfoy Family Dynasty has perished, their impact on society will continue for they will not be forgotten. They left us with the gift of perseverance. When all seems lost, one can begin again. May they rest in peace.

He who must not be named is a coward for attacking innocent children. Children who could not defend themselves. For a small man who claims to want to preserve Pureblood lineages, values, and traditions, he has now exposed himself to us all. He has exposed himself to his very own loyal followers.

For if the Malfoys were not safe, the other sacred families stand no chance. He murdered a historical family, whose bloodlines date back before the creation of our wizarding society and was there at the creation of the Ministry of Magic. A dynasty, where when our ministry fails to remember who they represent, consistently funded projects, charities and forgotten departments that would have been closed down if it were not for their donations. A pillar of our wizarding world was lost today for one small man’s selfish pursuit of power.

In times of peril, we all must stand together, wizards of all backgrounds and all magical nonhuman beings, if we are to survive in the war that has come for us all. For one’s blood status does not matter to he who shall not be named. The future, our children, he has killed did not matter to him.

I urge all my readers, Half-bloods, Muggle-borns and Purebloods, to open our eyes to the truth and the danger we face.

We will carry on Draco Malfoy’s last act of bravery with us. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

To my nephew who I never met but loved with all my heart, may you find peace wherever you are.

Written by Xenophilius Lovegood

~

Reading the Quibbler, in a fit of rage Voldemort slammed the newspaper onto the table. After he and his followers had abandoned the Malfoy Manor, they had taken residency at the Lestrange Manor. Done with the failures of the Malfoys, the Dark Lord thought it was best to move their headquarters. Because the Lestranges had shown their loyalty to him, their manor was the natural pick. Although the Malfoy family had served him for many years, they could not be fully trusted. At any opportunity, Voldemort was certain that the family of snakes would put their own self interests over his.

Thanks to Snape though, he was able to end that bloodline and the many issues they caused him. After he had been informed that Draco was divulging information to the Order, it had given Voldemort a chance to eradicate their family dynasty. The only one remaining was Lucius but he was a broken man. It seemed even in death that wretched family was causing him trouble. Wanting an output for his fury, the dark lord snatched his wand, pointing it at his unknowing victim.

Refusing to look at Bellatrix from his disgust, he threw a Crucio on her, giving her more pain than she already was in. Half her face and much of arm was burned. Her thick curly hair was scorched off on the side of her injury. Too damaged, her once long hair was cut to her shoulders to get rid of the singed tips. Whatever spell the Malfoy boy had used was immune to any healing magic. She would remain disfigured.

While Voldemort should have been happy they killed Dumbledore and had gotten rid of the Malfoy boy, the Dark Lord was more annoyed than before. Not even the screams of a pathetic Bellatrix could make him feel better. He held the Crucio spell in place just enough for the witch not to lose her mind before letting go.

Although his raid at the Ministry of Magic was successful, Voldemort had lost too many blind followers at Hogwarts. It had been a mistake to let Draco Malfoy live as a werewolf. He should have ended the boy during the summer when he had the chance. Walking over before crouching over a injured Bellatrix, Voldemort asked in a calm but cold tone, “Tell me. How did you let your nephew kill my best soldier, Fenrir Greyback? His loss will be felt among our people. We lost our most loyal pack of dogs. Greyback was our only tie to the werewolf pack. Now I have to go fetch a new pack of dogs for your mistake”.

The man hovered over the witch, glancing at her with revulsion at how pitiful Bellatrix appeared, trying to get her tremors under control. He whispered into her ear, “Not only that but the boy nearly killed you. Are you really loyal to me, Bellatrix? I gave you the privilege of leading the most important mission of my cause, and you got half of our people killed. I gave you strict orders to kill Draco after he ran around with that mudblood girl. He sullied your family name and questioned my cause. I should kill you right here for your failure. Luckily for you, we lost too many to get rid of you”.

Panicked, Bellatrix lowered herself, laying flat on the floor. “MY LORD! It was not my fault. I did the best I could with my nephew. He may be my blood but he’s all Narcissa’s doing. It was my sister Narcissa's fault for raising an ungrateful and weak child. He had Dumbledore at his knees yet he chose at the last second to defect to the other side. He takes more after his Malfoy side, just like his father, Lucius. The Blacks have shown nothing but loyalty all these years. I will not let you down”.

Bellatrix stared at the marble floor, knowing if she glanced at his direction, it could make things worse. She racked her brain for a way to ease the Dark Lord’s fury. In a steady voice, she replied as she hid her trembling hands, “It was good riddance that the brat died. If Draco couldn’t see the truth and righteousness of our cause, it was a gain to lose him”.

Not pleased with her answer, Voldemort growled at her before turning his back on her. He couldn’t afford to lose her. The only thing that brought him comfort was knowing he was the sole reason for the downfall of the ministry and Dumbledore. The wizarding community was under his total control. It did not matter if a few of his own had doubts after the article. Fear will instill loyalty in them.

“BRING ME SNAPE! NOW!,” the Dark Lord yelled at the other Death Eaters across the room. His followers were frozen in place, terrified at the scene before them.

Bellatrix, the strongest of them, was on her knees staring blankly at the marble floor. Her hands were clenched as her body trembled in a hidden anger at the humiliation. The Death Eaters around the Dark Lord scrambled all over the manor to find Snape. Once found, the former professor, Severus Snape, walked into the room calmly, with his chin held high. Bellatrix, recovered from the curse, stood to the side as she refused to look at Snape.

Voldemort hurried over with his robes flying behind him, “How certain are you that Draco Malfoy has died? I don’t need any additional problems from that family. I need your word as I am apparently surrounded by fools”. Voldemort pointed his wand at Snape, as he tilted his head toward the Bellatrix, when referring to the incompetence of the people around him. “That mutt can’t be left alive if he is involved with the Order. I have just gotten confirmation from the Malfoy’s house elves that that idiotic Narcissia drowned herself over her useless son. Pathetic, dying over love”. Voldemort gave a distasteful look at the whole idea of dying for someone.

Deciding to stare ahead, Snape cleared his throat, never looking away from the spot he has chosen to focus on, “As dead as one can be, my lord. No one could survive that fall. I pushed the boy myself for his failure to kill Dumbledore and to avenge Greyback and Bellatrix's honor. Such a disappointment he ended up being”.

Not pleased with the answer, Voldemort marched up to Snape, stepping into his view. Centimeters away from his face, Snape could feel the Dark Lord’s harsh breath down his neck. “Why push the boy when you had magic? Were you waiting for the opportunity to murder the boy to gain my favor? How can I trust you if you turn your back on your ally? The Malfoys were your long time friends. Were you not?,” Voldemort growled, fighting off the urge to kill the entire room. Too many people had gone off course during his plan and raid of Hogwarts. He needed blind loyalty.

Snape chuckled, relieved he did not have to hide his truth. He no longer had to play for both sides. “My Lord, I admit I was waiting for the chance to kill the boy, but not for the reason you think. In truth, I wanted to hurt Lucius for my own amusement. Malfoys’ failures have caused me to pick up after them one too many times. I saw my chance and I took it. Narcissia’s suicide was an added benefit in indirectly harming Lucius”.

At the mention of Narcissa, Bellatrix turned her back on the men of the room. It hadn’t even been a day since the death of her sister. It was too soon for her yet these men treated her sister as nothing but a burden, a fallen tree in their path to power. Her mind was still processing her permanent disfigurement that she had only now realized she was the last surviving member of the black family. Her sister was gone.

Hearing Snape and her Dark Lord chuckle at her sister’s last painful moments in life, Bellatrix walked away with a hard to read expression, leaving the room of men who paid no attention to her. Bellatrix had decided to lick her wounds, gather herself, and wait for the right moment before casting her full wrath upon all who saw her as less than when she finally returned back to the Dark Lord’s side. She would show them all.

Paying no attention to the room, Voldemort continued to stare, almost making Snape uncomfortable, but soon grinned cheek to cheek. As he held out his hands, he proclaimed, “I knew I was right to make you my 2nd in command over Bellatrix. You have never failed me. Do you want to be rewarded for your efforts? Tell me the type of women you like and I’ll send a muggle whore to your bed. No one needs to know of your indiscretions. Nagini can eat the woman afterwards. I assume you like redheads with green eyes? Mmmm?”.

Voldemort placed his boney hand on Snape’s shoulder as he turned to Lestrange, “Randolphus, sent your men to find a woman that looks like Lily Potter. Make it a muggle with a nice set of tits for our friend here. Snape loves to fuck mudbloods. You remember her don’t you? She fought alongside James and Sirius on our raids back then”. Lestrange threw his head back in laughter before wiping a tear as he calmed down. Snape went stiff at their mockery but his interest was intrigued.

The Dark Lord snickered at him, almost as if he knew what was on his mind. Voldemort bent down, whispering to his ear, “Snape, try not to have too much fun imagining the Lily girl as you fuck her. Do try to remember it’s still a dirty mudblood”. Seeing Snape force himself not to react, Voldemort bellowed out loud knowing Snape was humiliated. He saw his opportunity to mock the halfblood and took it. Although he was now his 2nd in command and had earned his trust, Voldemort still wanted Snape to remember who was in charge and to never forget it.

While Rodolphus Lestrange and his men went out to scout a Lily look alike, Voldemort still paced around the room, unable to rest. He was deep in thoughts, going over the night’s events. All his walking had made his followers anxious, waiting for the next order. After witnessing both of the great and oldest houses of Black and Malfoy fall in their lifetime, some of the men and their families were starting to have their doubts.

Many wondered if they chose wrong. If they did realize it, it was too late to defect. They had taken the dark mark and now Voldemort had access to their families. At first they thought it was a nice gesture to live in close proximity with the Dark Lord, earning his trust and loyalty to move up the ladder. However, Narcissa's imprisonment and death had opened all their eyes. All their families were prisoners under Voldemort in case they failed or betrayed Voldemort. The Quibbler had knowingly planted a dangerous seed in the minds of Voldemort's followers. If not addressed properly, it could grow into a rebellion for the Dark Lord. He couldn’t have that.

Draco Malfoy’s death presented a new dilemma for the Dark Lord. The boy was supposed to be an example to both his followers and the wizarding world what happened when you failed with him. Instead it had the opposite effect. It seemed the boy’s death had lit a tiny flame in the darkest of times.

Airing on the side of caution, Voldemort knew it must be put out immediately. Any flame was dangerous even the smallest of sparks. Sparks had the ability to grow into untamable wildfires. Snape, who is standing to the side, flinched as Voldemort yelled for him, “Snape, go call a meeting with all my Death Eaters. Call my allies overseas, as well. It’s time I meet with them once more. I’ve made my decision. Our plans have changed. If the Wizarding World no longer fears me thanks to that Malfoy boy, I’ll show them real fear. I was merciful before. I no longer want to be the most powerful wizard in Britain. I’ve decided to conquer all of Europe under my new regime”.

~

Location: Azkaban

With a menacing smirk, a prison guard walked over to Lucius Malfoy’s prison cell. The jail cell was a dingy box with the ceiling leaking. The bed, if you could call it that, was cardboard laid on the floor. There was a rusty bucket on the other side of the room, where prisoners relieved themselves. Lucius in the middle of the room, rocking back and forth in a fetus position. There was a blank stare in his expression as if he was no longer there.

Seeing the once great man become pitiful, the guard took out his wand from his pocket. When no one was watching, the prison guard used a flipendo spell, slamming Lucius backwards to the wall. Still not moving, the head Malfoy laid sprawled in his back. He paid no attention to his tormentor, except for the nice leather shoe of the ghost sitting next to him. Lucius looked away, refusing to look at it.

The guard, laughing at his own amusement, threw the Quibbler into the cell. As it hit Lucius directly on the head, the guard began to walk away while chucking, “Congratulations on being the last Malfoy. Your family line will die in this cell”. Hearing this, Lucius snapped out of his comatose-like state. The wizard immediately ran to the bars, screaming, “What are you talking about?! What happened to my family?”. His eyes were wide in shock, while he attempted to squeeze his face through the bars to peer directly at the guard. Demanding answers, Lucius begged, “Please! What has become of my family?”.

As the guard enjoyed the sight of the Head Malfoy on his knees begging, he studied the tortured soul. “Don’t tell me your family man now? What happened to disowning your son and abandoning your wife for the Dark Lord? Wasn’t it all worth it to save your own skin? The way I see it, your family’s suffering has ended. They have found freedom in death and it is all because of you”.

At the horror of hearing his family’s death, the Head Malfoy dropped to the floor as the guard walked away. Since the prison break in January 1996 that had Bellatrix Lestrange and many other famous death eaters escaping, many guards had switched sides. Many now worked in secret, swearing to the Lord Dark’s cause. Many like the one that delivered the news to Lucius only saw the older Malfoy as a failure. The guard had no issue leaving Lucius to go mad.

Panicked, Lucius quickly picked up the newspaper to read it. When he finished, he quickly snapped out of it and ran again to the bars to scream out in agony. He screamed until his throat burned out, presenting himself as a deranged lunatic. Passing guards smiled, continuing to walk, never paying an ounce of attention to the madman. Lucius pulled at his hair as the realization that his son and wife were truly gone. He was alone in the world. Finally broken beyond repair, Lucius screamed until the halls were filled with his voice. This had been the final straw. The last remaining thing that kept him going was gone.

With an unstable mindset he looked out the square window to see the sea. With so much anguish, it dawned on him that he would die on this island. The moment he had arrived at Azkaban all those months, he used occlumency to close his mind in order to survive. What was the point now? The news of his family perishing was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over his head. Clarity had reached his mind but it was too late and so he screamed until his voice went hoarse. Thoughts that he should have fought more for his family, plagued Lucius’ mind.

The guards that came and went mocked Lucius over his son and wife, stabbing his heart further. “What had he done?,” Lucius cried into the air. He hadn’t heard much pertaining to his family since he first got here but these last few weeks, he was surprised at what his boy had been up to. When he heard Draco had a girlfriend through the whispers he didn’t know what to think. Lucius up to that point thought Voldemort would eventually break him out. And after the war, he would set up a marriage arrangement for Draco. Lucius was still determined to set his son on the path he wanted but these rumors had him thinking. Was his family moving on without him?

The Head Malfoy found it did not bother him that he did not know who Draco involved himself with. Instead, he was hurt that he had no part in his family. He would never see his son marry or see his grandchildren. He would never grow old with Narcissa or make up for his treatment of her over the years. Lucius was effectively cut off from all of society with only the ghost as his only friend. Slowly over the weeks, his mind was slipping. He would all be a forgotten memory in Narcissa’s and Draco’s new life. Before, Lucius had mixed feelings over his son carving out his own path but the whispers of his son’s life made his stay in Azkaban tolerable.

After all the head Malfoy was paying for his sins of failing both Voldemort and his family. Lucius believed he deserved to be here and found most of his days drowning in depression, but reading the recent newspaper of their deaths was a cruel reminder of what he caused. Unable to deal with his grief, Lucius slammed his own head against the brick wall, wanting to feel anything but the pain inside his heart. BANG! BANG! BANG! He continued to sob. Although his cries disappeared among the crashing of the sea against the rocks outside his cell. The blood from his face gushed down to his dark gray Azkaban uniform. Exhausted from all his screams, the older Malfoy fell to the floor, laying down again like a rug.

Lucius doesn’t know why but he felt the sudden urge to peer at the moon. His only mercy since his arrival. The moon who held no ill feelings towards him. Its kindness was the only good companionship he received. Days passed, never leaving from his spot and his gaze of the moon never faltered until one day he heard footsteps coming his way. Nice leather shoes and silky robes walked into his view. Lucius slowly lifted his head to see who it was.

“Severus Snape?,” he questioned out loud.

“I see the news of your son and wife has reached you even on this cold rock,” the former professor noted as he took a look around Lucius' new home.

The ghost in wet dripping robes, made a stink face at Snape before Lucius would go past him to see the former professor. Snape scrunched his nose from the smell coming off Malfoy as he went on “I’ve come to give my condolences. Your boy was a brilliant student of mine and your wife was loyal. Both were too kind for his world”. As Lucius stayed quiet not knowing what to say, Snape commented with an emerging snicker and a false sadness in his voice, “So tragic. This is how you chose to spend the rest of your days. To rot away. To drown in your own sorrows”. Severus walked closer, bending down to Lucius’ eye level.

“Look at the house elf, Lucy. That is how we will escape,” the shadow that had been haunting Lucius had pointed out. It was only then did Lucius see a small bruised house elf, hiding behind Snape’s robes as Lucius pretended that the young man wasn’t in the room.

Finding the strength to speak after not eating for days and only filling his hunger by licking the water from the leaking ceiling, Lucius lifted his head from the floor. He whispered as his throat was still sore from his cries, “Snape, my dear friend. The only thing I accomplished was murder my own family for my own selfishness. Look where my ambitions for power have brought me. I have failed to rule my house, failed as both a husband and a father”.

While thinking of Draco, his voice began to crack as he cried, “My son. My son. I’ve failed him. Tell me, Snape. Did my boy at least find some happiness with that Granger girl?”. Snape stayed still. His face showed no emotion but he was slightly uncomfortable, seeing a grown man so broken with agony.

Clearing his throat, Snape confirmed, “Yes, he was happy. The happiest I’ve ever seen him. Oh dear friend, I hate to see you suffer like this. Falling in the depths of your own despair just as your son fell down the Astronomy tower. I would hate to die like you. Free falling in your own grief and suffering”. Snape gestured to Lucius to come closer as if he was about to reveal a grand secret. He waved him over as Snape waited for Malfoy to crawl to him.

When Lucius placed his face between the bars, Snape inched closer as he whispered in a menacing grin that widening each second, “Listen closely, Lucius, to what I’m about to tell you”.

Like a puppet, Lucius did what he was told, staying silent that not even a raindrop could be heard outside. “I want you to know that everything that befell your family was because of me. It was I that suggested to Voldemort to turn your son into a werewolf to sully your bloodline. And best of all, I killed Draco Malfoy, your former heir and beloved son. I found a loophole in the unbreakable vow that I made with Narcissa. I only vowed to help him with his mission. Your wife should have been more specific. She was quite pathetic when she came to me and begged like a dog for me to help Draco. Narcissa never said I couldn’t kill your son afterwards. I quite enjoyed destroying your family name, legacy, and bloodline, my old friend. You made it so easy”.

Lucius' eyes widened in shock. His mouth hung open. Snape’s confession brought him to a stand still. Without another word, Snape stood up while throwing his head back in laughter. He quite enjoyed hearing the angered screams of his former colleague. The abused house elf lingered back longer. The small creature trembled in fear as he bowed his head at the older Malfoy. It seems the creature had given Lucius his sympathy. The site of the elf caught the attention of the mad Malfoy before the small creature apparated itself to a now far away Snape. The elf had apparated inside Azkaban.

In a hurry, Lucius stuck his head out to see the house elf a little better. The elf suddenly appeared at Snape’s feet. He watched as the elf was kicked by Severus Snape. It was at that moment, Lucius received an idea. Azkaban, before the escape of Sirius Black and the mass prison break, had been thought to be an indestructible fortress. The guarding and introduction of the Dementors made it impossible for anyone to escape. These creatures sucked all the happiness and soul lingering around the cells, rendering most wizards immovable. They hovered effortlessly in the air, bringing fog with them. The dementors were the foulest creatures, only bringing despair with them.

Lucius had been always careful not to remember any good memories around them. He had been frightened that he'd end up an empty shell like most men did here. When the guards weren’t here, these dark creatures took over the watch. Since the downfall of the Ministry of Magic, the dementors only answered to the Dark Lord. Lucius' mind wandered as he studied these dark creatures. It was then he remembered that some magical creatures did not follow the same magical rules that wizards did. Magic affected them differently. Dementors were only loyal to people who feed them the most. Elves on the other hand were loyal to their master and their family. Hope began to grow for Lucius.

Remembering the house elf, Lucius laughed out loud in happiness. He stood up with shaky legs to dance in place. In the depths of his own madness, Lucius hopped around the cell like a child, up and down. With matted hair, Lucius screamed, “Elf Magic! It’s perfect! The only magic more powerful than both man and dementors!”. The ghostly young man in wet clothes rolled his eyes at Lucius for dancing like it was his idea. He now laughed at Voldemort and Lucius. House elves were so looked down upon it had never occurred to Lucius or anyone that elf magic could bypass through any barriers including Azkaban’s.

Lucius laughed at himself for ever seeing these creatures as less than. It was elf magic that would help him break out. “Mippy!” Lucius whispers into the void, careful not to attract any dementors his way. The older Malfoy hoped his logic was correct. POP! When Lucius heard the appearance of his house elf, he crawled while giggling towards it. Mippy, the Malfoy House elf, scared to be called to such a cold place in the middle of the ocean, ran to Lucius. The small creature held his master’s shirt like a lost child.

Lucius couldn’t help but to hug the house elf, swinging her in his arms but this sudden affection scared the poor elf. Lucius had never been kind. What had happened to Lucius, Mippy thought? “Master? Mippy cannot come to you. Master has received a life sentence at Azkaban”. The elf studied the man, who looked so frail. This was not the proud Malfoy she knew her whole life.

Not listening, Lucius was too overjoyed as he replied, “I need you to break me out of this cell and take me back to Manor. You see, Mippy, I have finally seen the light. I need revenge on all who killed my son and wife. Help me will you? For old times. I know all my house elves’ loved my little boy. I want to avenge my son”. Seeing the seriousness in Lucius, Mippy paused, lost in thought, considering this request. Perhaps Lucius had changed like Draco did over the summer. Mippy noted how her master didn’t order the elf. He had asked for help, making Mippy and Lucius equals.

The house elf peered straight into her master's eyes. She saw emptiness and void behind them. Although her master had survived this long at Azkaban, Mippy saw that Lucius was not the one she had come to know. This Lucius was broken beyond repairs. He may be breathing but Azkaban had claimed another soul. Still scared of her master, Mippy walked closer to touch Lucius’s chest. As she felt his heart, Mippy shook her head in sadness. The dementors have taken much of his soul. A few days longer here on this rock, Lucius would no doubt be in a vegetated state. Nothing was left but the emotion of grief in her master’s heart. Mippy remembered her friend Draco and the kindness he showed her.

It was then she decided to listen for her little master, Draco, who had made her his equal. “Help master to help Draco? Mippy is saddened, we lost our little master. Lucius promises to avenge Draco Malfoy if Mippy helps Lucius apparate out of here?,” the little elf asked.

Hearing this question, Lucius went on his knees, bowing to the elf like a god. This proved to the elf that Azkaban indeed had taken another soul. The soul of her master Lucius. “Anything for Draco. I promise on my life to avenge my son by any means necessary. The only son of my blood,” the older Malfoy whispered in excitement, ignoring the laugh in the back of the cell at that statement. In an instant, Mippy did not hesitate as she grabbed Lucius’ hand before apparating them out of Azkaban.

Chapter Text

Since Draco was supposed to be dead, he would be the last student to leave Hogwarts, alongside Hermione. No one besides the Order could see him, so naturally the blonde would not be able to take the Hogwarts train back to London. As hours passed, the castle emptied with grieving parents going home eventually. The two stayed hidden, spending most of their time in the library, near the back. Draco and Hermione were certain no one would be of the mindset to read during this time of mourning. They were correct.

The library was abandoned with shelves knocked down and books scattered everywhere. The sight broke Hermione’s heart. She had spent the majority of her school career at the library. Remus and a couple of other Order members still had some investigation to conduct around the castle, so it worked out for the both of them to be alone.

Once all the day was wrapped, Remus and Draco planned to take the floo from Dumbledore’s old office to 12 Grimmauld Place. Hermione’s family, who also resided in London, approximately 18 minutes away from the Black house by muggle car, agreed to pick her up near there. Her parents lived in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London. It was more convenient to pick her up at Borough of Islington, where the Grimmauld house was located, than have Hermione wait in King’s Cross Station alone until she was picked up.

Currently in the Slytherin dorms, Draco packed his personal items in his trunk. What was left of his stuff, Malfoy noted. The boy realized half of his personal belongings were missing. As he sniffed the air, he detected the scent of Theo and Blaise all over his side of the room. “They must have taken something to remember him by,” he thought to himself. There was some part of Draco that felt guilty for not having Theo and Blaise in the loop but it was better this way.

The blond contemplated letting Theo and Blaise join the Order but Moody was strict on keeping the circle small. There was also the issue that they’re sudden disappearance would attract unwanted attention from Voldemort's side. He couldn’t put their lives at risk. It was best to keep his status as not dead a secret from his best friends. Malfoy would have to wait until the war is over to search for them.

The snake smelled and heard Hermione come into his soon to be old dorm. He knew her scent and the sound of her footsteps anywhere. “Are you packed?,” she asked while holding a small bookbag and a couple of books inside her arms. Crookshanks and the black cat trailed behind her.

Sighing, the boy sat on the bed, exhausted from the recent events. “I don’t have that much to pack actually. I think Theo and Blaise must have taken most of my belongings in memory of me,” Draco tried to laugh but it did not reach his eyes. With a bleak mood coming over the room, Hermione stepped towards the bed to sit next to the blond. “I’m sorry you couldn’t say goodbye to them. You’ll see them again one day, I promise. And… if you ever need someone to talk to about your mother, I’ll be here always”. The bright witch reached out for his hand, holding it in hers.

Malfoy shook his head, attempting to push away the emotions that threatened to spill. The boy rested his head on Hermione’s shoulders as the two cats jumped on the bed, asking for pets. Staying in silence, the two watched as the black cat was suddenly affectionate with Draco, rubbing its head on his chest. Crookshanks laid between Hermione and Draco, whipping his tail back and forth. The blond softly scratched black cat’s head.

A small smile appeared on Draco. At least someone in the castle was happy. It seemed Crookshakes had made a friend among the dozens of the cats of Hogwarts. He noted how the pair of cats always followed Hermione and him or the felines disappeared for days. The black cat watched Draco with such attention, almost as if it was waiting to hear him speak. “She's in a better place now. Free from my father and you know who…. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing the Grimmauld house. The house that she and her family grew up in,” the blond replied, wanting to change the subject. Hermione nodded. She did not push the subject forward. Instead, she listened.

Continuing to pet the black cat, the room was filled with silence again. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. A serious but determined look. Hermione gulped, sensing what Draco was about to say was important. Since last night, she had been worried for him. Hermione watched on as Draco stood up. He placed the cat down, walking over to his truck. As the blond searched for something, Hermione watched in confusion. “I had a lot to think about after almost dying. When I fell off the tower, do you know what my last thought was?,” Draco whispered as he avoided her stare but Hermione should see how red his ears turned.

The Slytherin was still searching in his trunk as he spoke, “You. I was thinking of you, Hermione. You’re my everything. When I was falling, I was filled with so much regret. I wanted more time with you. Time is short and delicate but I want every second of my life to be with you. There’s so much we have to do like go on more dates, graduate together, wake up every morning in each other’s arms, and grow old together… The castle is in ruins, Luna is missing, the older Ravenclaws are dead, Dumbledore is dead, and my mother is… dead. Time won’t wait for anyone”.

Draco paused his thoughts, after finding what he was looking for. He breathed in relief that his brothers, Theo and Blaise, did not find it. Draco pulled out a silver ring in the shape of a snake to be wrapped around the ring finger of the wearer. The snake had green emerald gems as eyes. It was carefully crafted with the scales of the snake carved on it.

Standing up from the foot of the bed, Draco turned to finally face Hermione. Hermoine sat shocked, unable to believe what was happening. Was it just her wild imagination or was Draco really doing this? Her eyes watered as she held her hands in front of her heart from the overwhelming emotions that were overtaking her. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as her breath quickened.

There was a nervous expression on Draco’s face as he held the ring. He gulped as he continued, “My mother gave me this ring to wear at the Yule Ball. It was my favorite ring to wear but it doesn’t fit me anymore. I’ve grown since then but it might fit you”. Now standing in front of Hermione, the blond went down on one knee as he grabbed one hand. Slowly, he presented his ring to Hermione. His hands trembled.

With the other palm she still had, the golden girl gasped out loud, covering her mouth. Hermione could hear her heart pounding inside her eardrums. Crookshanks showed his approval by rubbing himself on Draco’s legs while the black cat stood back up in surprise. “Hermione, I love you with all my being. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I know we're too young and maybe even reckless but we don’t know what the future holds for us. After what happened that night, we have to consider one of us or both of us might die in this war. I don’t want to waste anymore time. I don’t want to just fight for you but fight for us. For our future. We're all living on borrowed time, Hermoine. We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow or even a month from now. Marry me, Hermione. Right now”. The slytherin prince’s voice cracked as he placed his ring on Hermione’s ring finger.

Tears blinded the witch as she nodded incessantly. Draco lowered his head, ensuring Hermione saw his eyes as he said, “I want you to be your husband, the father of your children, and to love you as you deserve to be loved. I promise you that I will love you as long as I breathe and beyond. The day I stop loving you is when the ocean dries out. You are the reason why I choose to bear all my suffering in my condition. I know my curse will be a burden to you eventually but allow me to be in your life. Please. With my curse our future holds too many uncertainties. I don’t have much to offer you but if you give me a chance I know we can be happy together”.

Speechless, Hermione went on her knees and held Draco’s face in her hands. In the short amount of time, they have been through so much together. The witch peered into his eyes, seeing the young man who quickly made himself at home inside her heart. She could’ve never imagined her first day of school that her year would end like this. The Slytherin Prince, who became someone she couldn’t live without. The boy she loved so much it hurt to stay away. Hermione had never felt this way before.

Hermione knew she had love for her parents, for Crookshanks, and for Harry and Ron but this love with Draco was different. The love she held for Draco could not be measured even if you counted every single star in the universe. This boy, who was kneeling before her, had changed her life in a blink of an eye. He chased every fear and insecurity away. He was the tissue that wiped away her tears. If Hermione was his sun, then Draco was her moon. They loved each other like the way the sun’s gravity pulled the moon into an eternal dance of day and night. One cannot exist without the other. Hermione couldn’t live without her Draco.

She smiled, remembering how far they’ve gone together from fighting during the early years of Hogwarts to now. They were once young kids who saw each other as academic competition until they began to steal secret looks as they walked past each other. Who would have known following Draco to the library as he held onto her like a raft would change her life? Memories of stolen kisses and intimacy she never experienced before with another filled her mind.

Hermione nodded repeatedly while Draco was still on his knees. The old Hermione would have protested against herself for following her heart instead of her logic, but that's how much she had grown with Draco this year. After finding comfort in logic and knowledge for so many years, she discovered the best moments in life couldn’t be experienced in books. Chances that didn’t make sense on paper had to be taken. Hermione was living life the way she wanted to, thanks to Draco, not because her mind told her the path she should follow.

Remembering how devastated she felt when Draco died in her arms, the answer was obvious to her heart. Time was precious. Steal every second they can now that the future was uncertain with the collapse of the magical world they once knew. Hermione peered at him with sweet teary eyes, “You’re not cursed to me, Draco Lucius Mafoy. Your curse is my blessing. It gave me you. I’ll hold onto you in your darkest nights. I can never stop loving because of what you are for there is so much more to love”.

She paused for a second before leaning in for a kiss, “Yes. My answer is yes. I’ll marry you”.

Ecstatic, Malfoy pulled her up. Once in his arms, Draco swung her around as they shared a passionate kiss. They pulled apart only to go back for another kiss. Laying his forehead against hers, the blonde whispered, “You just made me so happy”.

Draco and Hermione excused themselves from Remus and the Order with the excuse of wanting to walk on the castle grounds one more time. It was a valid justification as Hogwarts’ future was uncertain. Whether it would open for next school year was to be determined. They both knew in the back of their minds and it went unsaid that if the school opened again, they weren’t coming back. They wouldn't be able to if they wanted. Hermione was wanted by Voldemort. Draco needed to stay dead so they fully expected to be on the run together.

The two lovebirds hiked along the lakeside with a change of clothes. They held their hands tightly as the two cats trailed right behind them. Draco and Hermione stopped near the lake across from Hogwarts. With the castle in their direct view, it was the perfect location for their marriage vows. The trees of the forbidden forest covered them, helping the secrecy of their eloping. The lake was crystal clear with the water as blue as the sky. The sunset colored the lake in blues, purple, and pink. The sky appeared clean with only a couple of clouds here and there.

They changed into the outfit they only had available, which was what they wore at Slughorn’s party. Draco wore an all black cloak and suit while Hermione had her navy dress that sparkled. There was an added cloak for the occasion, draping off Hermione’s shoulders. Draco managed to find a couple of abandoned candles around the Slytherin room. As he lit the candles, Draco brought Hermione into the middle of the circle.

The blond admired his witch in front of him as he twirled Hermione in her full dress. Bringing her closer, Malfoy held her hand as he spoke, “I want to marry you in a proper legitimate ceremony, Hermione. Not only exchange words but I want you to appear in my family line on the Black tapestry. So whatever happens to us, no one can deny our feelings for each other”.

Hermione felt as if a simmering fire of excitement lit inside of her. Giddy, Hermione was overjoyed but she had questions. She had never attended a wizarding marriage ceremony before. What did it involve? The bright witch had only ever gone to muggle weddings whenever she went home. With their forehead still touching, Hermione asked, “But how? It’s so last minute”.

“I’ve thought about everything. We can have an elf be our witness and officiate it. It’s common practice among Purebloods and I know just the right one for the job”.

Although Hermione should have been anxious at how last minute it was, she was strangely calm. She trusted Draco to lead them. Whenever Hermione was with him, she could always let her guard down and lean on him. Nodding her head, the bright witch rested her head on his shoulder as they still faced each other. She listened as Draco explained, “I’ve never called upon this house elf before but the House of Black ring is mine. It hasn’t burned me, so I’m certain I can call upon them. I can’t use any of my father’s elves and risk our whereabouts getting back to him”.

Seeing Hermione hadn't protested, the blond took a breath once before calling the house elf for the first time, “Kreacher,” he called out loudly into the empty air. His breathing stopped, afraid Kreacher wouldn’t come but those thoughts were tossed aside with a loud, POP!

With the popping sound, the house elf apparated in front of the couple. The grumpy looking elf had a scowl on his face as if he hadn’t gotten to finish his house chores. There was a momentary look of confusion until he laid eyes in awe at Draco. The small creature gasped, “Master R….?,” but stopped himself from finishing that sentence. It couldn’t be him. That person had long passed. Eyeing the white blonde hair on this wizard, Kreacher knew who this boy must be. Only one family had that distinctive physical trait.

It was Kreacher's first time meeting Narcissa’s son. The boy's eyes reminded him so much of his beloved master. He had never gotten to know Draco. As an infant, the Malfoy boy had never had the chance to meet his mother’s side of the family. The elf suspected that Lucius had forbidden it. The head Malfoy was known to be strict. Kreacher walked closer analyzing Draco’s face. He couldn’t help himself.

The elf marveled in curiosity how eerily similar Draco was to the black family. A family he once served but was long gone. Narcissa had given birth to a son that had the face of a Black. The boy’s had delicate feminine features with a sharp jawline just like the Black brothers. He was just missing the infamous black curls. The noble family had strong genes often overpowering those who married into the family. Kreacher continued to stare at the boy in front of him, his master's reincarnation as his eyes landed on an unmistakable item, the House of Black ring. The elf’s eyes bulged out of his socket in sudden excitement of what this meant.

With the sudden undivided attention from the elf, Draco adjusted his suit uncomfortably before raising his chin high in fake confidence, “Kreacher, can you marry us? A soul bond ceremony to be exact”. The small elf did not move. Instead he raised one eyebrow at the two kids before him. Attempting to convince Kreacher, Draco went in, “And I would be honored if you can be our witness”.

Seeing the seriousness of the Narcissa’s son’s request, only then did Kreacher look who was the bride to be. As his eyes landed on the girl, the elf made a stink face with his lips curled in disbelief. He recognized Hermione from his time with Sirius as the head of household before that man had died, much to Kreacher’s delight. Merlin had truly blessed him that day. That ungrateful blood traitor invited the Order and the current mudblood into the house. Now the ancient house was used as headquarters for the Order, forcing Kreacher to follow orders who were less than deserving to step foot in that place. “Such a disappointment Sirius Black was,” the elf remembered.

Kreacher stepped back, while studying the girl. “Draco wanted to marry her?,” Kreacher commented to himself. They were an unexpected pair. The elf was familiar with Hermione. The girl had spoken up in his defense whenever she caught Sirius kicking him. Yes, the small elf was somewhat appreciative of the mudblood’s kindness but her existence went against the morals and teachings of a Black.

Hermione sensing the turmoil in the house elf, bent down to an eye level to Kreacher. Gathering all her inner Slytherin, Hermione smiled sweetly, “Please Kreacher, will you marry us. It would be an honor to have you witness our marriage. The very elf who once served the greatest master the house of black has ever birthed, Regulus Black”. Kreacher gave an annoyed expression at the filthy mudblood but not because of her blood status but because she was winning in her plead by calling his former master the greatest wizard to ever live.

Draco, seeing what Hermione was doing, noticed how Kreacher was on the verge of agreeing. The blond pushed the house elf a little more, also bending down at eye level. The Slytherin reached out to hold the house elf's hands, catching Kreacher off guard. It had been so long since someone treated him with kindness. The boy in front of him was holding his hand just like Regulus used to.

As Draco begged, Kreacher held on to the hand pretending it was Regulus’s. “Please Kreacher, if not for me the last member of the most noble and ancient House of Black, then do it for my uncle Reggie. His only godson he never got to meet. I only have you to know him through”. Kreacher groaned, the boy even whined like master Regulus did when he didn’t get his way. Still, a smile threatened to appear on the elf as forgotten memories came up again.

The house elf kept his stinky face, unable to deny or accept Draco yet. Kreacher gazed at the ring before the black cat in the back of the couple caught his eyes. Recognizing that cat, Kreacher dropped his stink face to observe the young man more. The black cat walked over next to the couple, before nodding to the elf. With the cat’s approval to go on ahead, only then did Kreacher accept the request.

Kreacher, now upset that mudblood would join the family, asked while side-eying the witch, “Kreacher must ask the young Master, what names should I place on the tapestry ?”.

Draco, who was still holding a grumpy Kreacher's hand, replied, “Uhhh…..Put our birth names on the Tapestry under my mothers name but can you glamor it away from prying eyes? We’re going on the run soon so we need to hide”. Another idea came to the boy as soon as he finished his sentence. Standing up straighter, Draco went on, “Make me Regulus Black’s legal son on the tapestry and official records. My name can be changed to Regulus Scorpius Black and my bride can be Cassi Jean Black. Hermione Jean Granger is too widely known. She’ll need a new identity too”. The blond grinned back at Hermione, excited with his bright idea.

Uncertain if he heard right, Kreacher snapped his head to his young master, “Regulus Scorpius Black? Did Kreacher understand correctly?”. Like a flip of a switch, the house elf’s attitude changed in front of the couple. His former master’s name would live on with Draco. The blond nodded as Kreacher asked another question, “Young master will live at Grimmauld as your permanent residence with…?”.

Kreacher hesitated on the name, unsure which one to go by until Draco explained, “Yes. 12 Grimmauld Place will be our new home but when we’re alone, you can still use Draco and Hermione to avoid confusion. In public, we’ll be Regulus and Cassi”.

Kreacher found himself excited for the first time since Master Regulus’ death. He hated to admit it but serving no one in a huge dark house was quite demoralizing. Although Sirius Black was a disappointment to the eyes of the little elf, after his death Kreacher went into a depressive mood, having no one to serve. The House of Black was forever gone thus cursing him to serve no one. With the possibility of new descendants of the Black bloodline being born in the future, the elf had a little skip in his step at the thought of serving a new generation. Kreacher was also ecstatic with Regulus’ son moving in as the small elf did not understand the difference between it being a cover to the boy genuinely getting adopted. More accurately, Kreacher did not want to understand, wanting to live in his version of reality.

Watching the noticeably cheerful house elf, the couple watched Kreacher snap his fingers as paperwork, cups, a large white ribbon, and a small knife appeared out of thin air. While he prepared for the ceremony, Hermione turned to Draco, “Why the name Scorpius?”. Hermione asked, remembering she had never mentioned that name to Draco. The bright witch was curious if Draco knew somehow she loved that star or was fond of that name.

“It’s just a name I like. The Blacks have a family tradition of naming their children after stars. And no one in the family is named Scorpius. I’ve had the name in mind since I was 13. It can be our child’s, if you like”.

Hermione grabbed his hand, too emotional to speak. The idea that Draco had a whole future in mind with her, made her eyes well up. After clearing her voice, she replied, “Scorpius is a perfect name”. Bringing his arms around her shoulder, he rested his chin on the top of her head. “I hope you don’t mind but are you okay that I gave us a second set of names? I forgot to ask you first but I figured it would help us stay under the radar in the war. It’s not too late to change your name to one you like better”. Draco nuzzled his head in the crook of Hermione’s neck, hoping she wasn’t mad for making decisions without consulting her. She had always been an independent witch. It was one of the qualities he loved about her.

Taking in Draco’s musky scent, Hermione closed her eyes as she relished in it. To think a day prior, she watched Draco almost die again. She almost lived in a world where she couldn’t hold him like she was doing now. The witch squeezed Draco in her arms as she whispered in his ears, “Cassi is perfect”. She smiled, at the thought that they were soon to be husband and wife. Mr and Mrs, Malfoy. For once Hermione didn’t need to take care of someone or be the one to initiate plans. Instead, she could relax and trust Draco to take care of things. All her life she had to be to think for her friends and family, but here was Draco taking care of all the finer details that she hadn’t even thought of.

With Kreacher standing in front of the pair as evening approached, Draco and Hermione held each other's hands as they looked deeply into their eyes. She stared into his stormy eyes while he peered into her golden brown eyes in return. The birds could be heard chirping in the distance. The wind ruffled the leaves in the air. The evening was perfect just for them. As Draco brushed a strand of hair away from her face, he saw how happy she was as he went to fix her hair. Her beautiful brown hair. He loved that long hair of hers. Her curls that wrapped around his fingers, made the blonde melt. Draco always found himself at ease playing with her hair.

During their cuddle sessions, the blond sometimes buried his own face inside her hair to sleep in the smell of Hermione. The Slytherin lifted his head, connecting eyes with Hermione. “I know the answer but I have to ask once more. My name holds no power anymore. My reputation will be in tatters once my condition is known. I don’t have a fortune or anything to offer you. Our future remains uncertain as long as I’m cursed. I’m a werewolf with no rights. I won’t be able to hold down a job, open a bank account, or own property. I won’t blame you if you don't want the burden of having a werewolf as a husband. Do you still want to marry me?,” Draco asked, wanting to give her one last out.

Holding his chin up, Hermione planted a peck on the tip of his nose before she said, “When is it going to sink into your thick skull? Your lycanthropy doesn’t matter to me. You have a good heart, Draco. I love how you always want to prove me wrong intellectually. You push me to put myself first. You're not afraid to be vulnerable around me. That’s more than most men can say. Even as a werewolf, you're more man than any wizard I’ve seen. I love you more than I can put into words.”

With teary eyes, Draco connected their foreheads as he asked in disbelief that she still wanted him, “Are you certain?”.

“Yes I am. You're the only one for me”.

“With the incoming war, you still choose to stay by my side?”.

“I do”.

Draco smiled as he wiped a tear away from Hermione’s face. Kreacher waved his hand, signaling them to say their vows. Nodding his head, the blond turned to Hermione again, “I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us”.

“I, Hermione Jean Granger, promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us” Hermione whispered, her lips almost touching his, breathing the same air.

“Will you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, allow me this privilege of sharing your life with me; through the best and worst of what is to come, and long as we both shall live".

“I do. I will love you as long as I breathe”.

After they had said their vows, Kreacher spoke, “It is time to exchange rings and to hold hands for the soul bonding ceremony”.

Draco and Hermione held each ring in their fingertips while Kreacher went on, “A ring is an unbroken circle, with ends that have been joined together. A ring that represents your union. It is a symbol of infinity, and of your undying love. When you look at these rings on your hands, be reminded of this moment, of your commitment, and of the love you now feel for each other”. There was no hint of a scowl on the elf’s face. A wide grin that hadn’t been seen in decades appeared on his expression. A smile of hope for the house he loyally served.

“Draco, place the ring on Hermione’s finger and voice your words”.

“Hermione, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love with the pledge: to love you today, tomorrow, always, and forever”.

“And now Hermione, place the ring on Draco’s finger and voice your words”.

“Draco, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love with the pledge: to love you today, tomorrow, always, and forever”.

Confirming each ring was on their finger, Kreacher was pleased as he went on, “Now take your individual knives and cut the palms of your hands before rejoining them together once more. I will wrap your blooded hands in a soul binding ribbon. In this joining of two souls, may your soul be mixed as one eternity. May you love each other in this lifetime and the next one, forever destined to find each other”.

Draco and Hermione without hesitation did what they were told. After Kreacher handed them a cup of red wine, the house elf recited ancient words over the cup of wine, blessing the wine for the couple so they may become one. A glow of light appeared around the cups before it wrapped around their joined hands. After Draco and Hermione drank from the wine, Kreacher snapped his fingers.

Before the cats and their very eyes, the ribbon melted in their skin, tattooing itself to the forearm of the couple. Their pair gasped in awe as they felt their souls become physically and emotionally tied together as one. They were now connected as if their souls blended together like water. Indistinguishable from the other. They were one of the same. Neither one held any regret. He felt her being inside himself and vice versa. It was the sensation of knowing how much love each one had for the other. Bare and exposed, it was more intimate and tender than sex itself as they’re souls were joined together.

Kreacher, eyeing the two cats, whispered in a low voice while the pair were lost in each other’s gazes, “Before these witnesses, you have pledged to be joined in marriage and one in soul. You have now sealed this pledge with your wedding rings. By the authority vested in me, the House of Black Magic, and Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife”.

Done with waiting, Draco took his free hands as he held on to Hermione’s hips while she in turn wrapped her arms around his neck. As they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, the pair kissed softly, giving themselves goosebumps. In the middle of their heated exchange of kisses, Draco couldn’t help to think how lucky he had been to take a chance and follow his heart when pursuing Hermione.

Never did he believe that he that would have the chance to marry for love. The blond always believed he would be trapped inside an arranged marriage. A tear slipped from the corner of his eyes, expressing how dear this moment was. Hermione pulled back to wipe away his tear, before going in for a second kiss.

Chapter Text

Regulus stood on top of a cliff, watching the sea several feet under him. He watched the beautiful horizon taking a moment for himself. The storm clouds above him blackened the sky, covering the stars and moon. The thunder screamed in the distance showing its wrath. Dancing tears from the storm clouds came down. Regulus closed his eyes, letting the wind carry the sea salt to his face. The heir tasted the ocean on his lips while his black curls flew in the wind. When he opened his eyes, Regulus watched as the waves crashed against the black stones. On the cliff below him, there was a small crack opening. It was easy to miss if one did not know what to look for. The cave was barely visible, covered by the crashing of the angry sea.

Regulus peered down at Kreacher, who was holding his hand and shivering in fear of what was to come. In the cold sea air, Kreacher pleaded with his master not to go, which only strengthened Regulus' resolve. A fire ignited in the heir’s determination from the task that awaited him. In the stillness, his mind drifted with thoughts of his older brother. The name Sirius echoed inside his heart. It was a name he hadn’t thought of in years, not when he had surrounded himself with his own trusted loved ones.

For a fraction of a second, he almost believed he could bury the hatchet with Sirius for leaving the family now that death loomed near but he couldn’t. The two brothers were just fundamentally different with Sirius’ rebellious and impulsive behavior compared to his analytical and perceptive behavior. Regulus looked out to the sea ahead, wondering if this was what Sirius felt when he left for the Potters all those years ago.

But as soon this thought came, Regulus went back to hating the brother he still very much loved. While he too was leaving his family behind, it was for a very different reason. They weren’t the same. Regulus wanted to protect his loved ones that he was leaving behind while Sirius had abandoned them.

His brother had left Reggie to deal with the consequences of his actions with no consideration of what he indirectly caused. He had taken Regulus’ life of a second born son with him that day, causing the young boy to inherit the mantle that was never intended to be his birthright. His actions had also indirectly taken her from Regulus.

If Sirius had done it on purpose, Regulus would have respected him more but he knew his brother well. Once Sirius came into the realization of what became of his family, the guilt would almost destroy him. It would have been some sort of comfort if Sirius had damned them all for his own selfish reasons but he hadn’t. It all started with one of Sirius’ many trivial fights with their mother in the end.

The Blacks were not dying out in a memorable way. An ending that would have been deserving of their legacy but instead the family was slowly disappearing into the wind due to an unattended butterfly effect Sirius had caused. A pitiful end to their ancient family. Regulus could only hope that the actions he had taken would have some effect in the future, changing the tides for the Blacks that would survive this war. “At least he could comfort himself knowing he did all this for the family he had created,” Regulus told himself.

The heir crouched down meeting at an eye level with his house elf that he held so dear to his heart. “Where’s the cave?,” he asked Kreacher who trembled along with the wind.

“Behind those waves is a crack on the cliff, Little Master. You can’t apparate there but I can,” shouted Kreacher over the loud violent sea.
Regulus had never wanted to smirk at Voldemort more than ever in that moment. The fool was so cocky that he had underestimated those who he thought were beneath him. To think a house elf would be Voldemort’s downfall almost made Regulus laugh if this hadn’t been his last day on Earth. It was his lucky day that Tom Marvolo Riddle had taken the time to put anti-apparition wards around the cave but had forgotten elf magic could break through any wizard made wards.

“Take us to that rock. I want to see it closer,” Regulus commanded as Kreacher appeared hesitant with a look of wanting to go back home. He knew his Little Master very well from all the years he followed and worked with the heir. The last few years, Kreacher had been at his side, the instant he took over the family duties. The elf knew this wasn’t a normal trip. They were not simply going to take a look around and leave. Regulus in the recent months had been up to something, spending long sleepless nights in the family office.

“One of them was not returning home,” Kreacher thought to himself. Regulus cared too deeply for his elf to willingly leave him behind. That was what frightened the house elf: the death of his child that he raised as an infant and now master. “That’s an order, Kreacher” he replied as the elf bowed. It was only with the confirmation it was a command from his Master that Kreacher reluctantly took them to the cave.

In a heartbeat, Regulus was apparated on a ragged piece of rock with Kreacher right beside him. His cloak fought against the wind as the pair was surrounded by the harsh sea all around. The waves crashed into the rocks he stood on, splashing his boots and pants wet. It was as if the once calm sea felt the fire inside his heart, growing more restless and more vengeful for him. He heard the rising and falling of the waves underneath him. The roar of the sea was one of a battlefield, violent and relentless. Man versus nature. No regular man could have survived these waters. A muggle man would need great mountaineer skills to make it to this cave. Sailors would fall victim to the sea in a matter of seconds from the rough waters as it claimed another life. Regulus saw that only a wizard or witch could make this trip. It was impossible to enter the cave without any magic.

Uttered, he looked at the cave in front of him with eyes full of blood and fury. This place would become his tomb, buried at sea and swallowed whole by the ocean as they become one. Regulus wasn’t afraid. If Merlin was on his side, he would take his body back home after death, ending his family’s search for him. Let his body be found to end their suffering with the gift of finally being able to move on from the loss of another heir.

Regulus fueled his anger to give him the courage to step forward. Let his rage burn everyone, who had wronged his family, and harden his resolve. Everyone who threatened her would pay. Fire boiled inside his heart. His eyes saw nothing but red. This sea would turn black under his wrath. He would face death with dignity and honor in the name of his house. Death at this very moment would be his friend. A comrade to aid his vengeance. Regulus welcomed his end with open arms.

The heir went inside his coat pocket, taking out the fake Slytherin Locket. He rubbed the glittering green stone with his thumb before tracing the S shaped snake. The gold chain wrapped around his fingers as he wondered how the wizarding world would report his death. He wondered how they would remember him. Would they ever find out about what the last few months of his life entailed? Did he care if they never learned that he was the first to betray Voldemort? Regulus hoped that the large donation he made to the papers would report his death as one of suicide. That was all he wanted, to save his family’s name and house.

If historians did somehow find out about his actions against the darkest wizard of all time, they might name Regulus one of the secret heroes of the First Wizarding War but he couldn’t care less about being deemed a hero. He didn’t see it that way. In that regard, Reggie was not like his brother Sirius, who boasted to the world of his brave actions of leaving the family. He won’t gloat like Sirius as he didn’t particularly care for the attention from the public. Their loyalty was fleeting, giving it to the next wizard who claimed to be of importance. What really mattered to Regulus the most was the salvation of his house. His sacrifice would be for his ancestors that came before him and for the future members of the house, putting in his small part in the long line of generations.

This was all for his family. Regulus didn’t need to be remembered. If his family never learned the truth of his bravery, it didn’t matter as long as they lived on for him. Regulus loved them too much to voluntarily leave them behind. He had his own goals to protect what was left of his house. The heir didn’t care about the fate of outsiders, only that of his family. He only cared to save what was left of the wizarding world for her. She deserved so much better than the life they were given.

Everything had been for the House of Black. No one had ever dared to place themselves above them, even the Malfoys. This had been true for many centuries until Voldemort had come from nowhere. An imposture calling himself one of the Pureblood of the sacred 28 family, claiming to be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Regulus laughed at Voldemort’s so-called claim. Not because it wasn’t true but because Salazar Slytherin’s bloodline was deemed unworthy and unclean compared to the Blacks. They fell into extinction due to their own weak and brittle magical lineage. However, the Dark Lord throwing around the name Salazar Slytherin was enough to gather followers. Soon other houses with no spines followed suit, becoming mindless soldiers.

The House of Black, once surrounded by admiration and respect, found themselves surrounded by hunters in the shadows. No one dared to regard the Blacks as servants, but the Dark Lord had changed everything. What Voldemort did not take into account was he had messed with the wrong house. The House of Black does not bend to no one. They have no master. They were above the sacred 28, coming from a time before the wizarding world was created. They had rightfully claimed their spot among others with fire and blood.

After the failure of his house’s elders, this was something the youngest of the Blacks would not accept: becoming a servant to a false master. If Voldemort wanted his house allegiance from the heir himself, Regulus would refuse it with death, denying that man that pride and satisfaction. While so many houses folded like cowards, Regulus welcomed his end.

While Voldemort disrespected his family name by leaving Kreacher to die, he would show the Dark Lord what it was like to be targeted. He found satisfaction knowing he would be the trigger for the hunt against Voldemort starting. In due time, his ancestor’s portrait, Phineas Nigellus Black, would begin to feed Dumbledore bread crumbs pertaining to Horcruxes on his orders in the years to come.

In the end, Voldemort might erase his house and take Regulus’ life but he will not get the House of Black to bend to his will. As the living embodiment of ‘The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black’, Regulus will live on in life and in death. His house will endure for he had left everything to Draco, his family's greatest secret. The Blacks will come out on top out of this war for the heavens were on his side. Setting his family to the right path, it was inevitable until he obtained his vengeance against all his enemies who wished them harm. One way or another Voldemort will die at the hand of his house, through fire and blood.

Regulus placed the fake locket back safely inside his coat pocket before telling his house elf, “Kreacher, hold my hand. I want you to guide me through the cave”. He gave the little elf the same hand that once held the locket. The locket that would take his life once he found the real one. The house elf peered up with another desperate plea in his voice. “Little Master, Kreacher will go. It is too dangerous. Leave now”.

Regulus looked down, saying nothing but his eyes spoke for him. The same fire he felt inside his heart was behind his eyes. A look of a thousand words. Kreacher knew how much his master hated to order him to do his bidding. They had come too far to turn back down. He must march forward. Regulus treated his house elf, Kreacher, as an equal, more loyal than the majority of his family members that had left. It was what Regulus said next that made Kreacher realize how much danger they were in yet the wizards still put his life before his own.

With words Regulus rarely used, he commanded, “that’s an order”. Kreacher blinked his tears away, saddened of what was to come. With a heavy heart, the elf gripped his master’s hand before disappearing inside the cave and leaving behind the angry sea.

Chapter Text

Arriving at the abandoned Manor after his escape from Azkaban with Mippy, Lucius walked around the ruins of his home. The sole of his shoes crushed the glass spread across the floor as it cracked underneath his footsteps. With the door wide open, the cold air invaded the Manor. Walking into the living room, Lucius noted how dim the manor was. It was just as dark as his cell in Azkaban. It appeared as if a stampede had gone through his ancestral family home.

As soon as he entered the hallways, screams were directed at him. His family portraits shouted at Lucius for all the trouble he had caused the Malfoy family. Many spat curses at him, declaring Lucius the worst Malfoy to ever exist. The news that the Malfoy line had ended with the death of Draco Malfoy had reached the manor.

With a crazed look on Lucius' expression, the portraits were stunned into silence as they viewed the eyes of a deranged man. There was an emptiness in them. It seemed as if his mind was deteriorating from the outside. The lone Malfoy strolled around his once family house that reeked of death as the shadowy man stalked Lucius from a far. The dining room’s walls were splattered with blood. This was the room the Dark Lord held his meetings.

Sensing the wards had broken down, with a wave of his hand, Lucius reestablished the protections. Only those, who were allowed, would be able to visit him. As the older Malfoy sang to himself, Lucius swung his arms up and down absentmindedly while he checked the damage in the backyard. Deciding to walk through his late wife’s garden, his eyebrows narrowed as Lucius saw even the plants had died. Lucius ignored the man who stalked from a far. It had followed him from Azkaban. It was the only room in the Manor that Narcissia had total control over.

Before, the head Malfoy couldn’t have cared less about trivial things like gardening until now. This was the garden that Narcissa spent all her time in when Draco was not around. The old wizard used to curse at the damn flowers when his family was still alive. The fact that they received more attention from his wife than him annoyed him to no end.

Today, Lucius stood at a stand still. The only reminder he had left of his late wife died along with her, thought Lucius as he went down on his knees in a field of dead plants. He picked up what seemed to be the only alive flower in the whole garden as he reflected. When the red aster was placed inside his hand, the once alive flower wilted into ashes the moment it was touched by Lucius. Killed by the man in Lucius’ shadow for it was refusing to let Lucius take the flower as his own. Confused at the sudden flower withering away, the only logic he could find was that they were Narcissa’s favorites.

And like her, Narcissa were withering away, becoming distant memories. The little flower died when Lucius touched it. The head Malfoy wondered if perhaps he had sentenced her to death all those years ago when he cut her from her family like how one cuts a flower from their stem to be shown off in a vase. “Things must have been bad if she had neglected her only sanctuary away from him,” Lucius thought to himself.

When they had first married, it was nothing more than to further the bloodline. An arranged marriage. A marriage of convenience. She was the perfect candidate as Narcissia came from a traditional pureblood family. Noble blood of ancestral lineage equal to his, ran through her veins. Love was the last thing on his mind. Lucius assumed just like his parents had, they would eventually grow to love one another or at worse be civil with each other just like it had for every Malfoy in his line.

However, years went by. Narcissia still had not performed her duty. Not a single baby was conceived. Lucius wasn’t a fool. He knew his wife was suffering from miscarriages and infertility issues but it angered him that he did not yet receive his heir. While Narcissa hid behind her late cousin, Regulus Black, Lucius had his parents pressuring him. Whispers filled the manor. Whispers that this arranged marriage had been a mistake. His parents, including himself, treated Narcissa colder and colder every passing month.

For a time, Lucius only came home to perform his duty each night and spilled his seed inside her before leaving Narcissia alone in bed. As he found better company in the arms of other women, she in return spent all her days having childish tea parties with Regulus. When he turned 29 that was when their relationship had taken a turn for the worse.

Instead of finding relief when they had finally conceived, the wedge between them became wider. Each side had done their duty. There was no reason to be involved in each other’s lives. The only thing tying the two together was their unborn son, Draco. As she continued to devote all her time to her pregnancy, Lucius found himself going deeper into the inner circle of the Dark Lord, climbing up the ranks at a fast pace.

While his work life was blooming, his family life left much to be desired. He resented Narcissia. The head Malfoy watched as Narcissia did have the ability to be affectionate, just not for him. That was apparently reserved only for Draco. Any hope for a happy marriage died when they both received the news of Regulus’ death. While he was admittedly happy to be rid of the Black heir, Narcissa became aloof. She was colder as if she too had died along with her cousin. No longer did she pretend to tolerate his presence.

Most days all she did was cry at the Black family’s catacombs or spend her time inside the gardens. Regulus' death changed Narcissa’s view on family values and her morals. He knew from watching her reaction to Regulus' death that she no longer cared for upholding Pureblood values as he did. In her world, only Draco mattered, who was still in her belly. With that in mind, Lucius did not care. As long as his heir was cared for, he let it go.

After the birth of their son, he grew more bitter towards them both. The moment he saw Draco’s face, Lucius rejected the infant, seeing all the haunting appearance of a Black. Draco had only inherited his white blond hair. It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on him. Regulus was gone but fate glanced fondly upon Narcissa, giving her a reincarnation of her cousin.

The head Malfoy immediately wanted to try for a second child but was faced with the issue of her infertility. As hard as they tried, they never conceived again. His anger simmered as he watched his wife care for their son. All the attention Narcissa had given Lucius at the start of their marriage went all towards the boy. When she wasn’t with Draco she ignored him, preferring to garden instead. The baby Lucius had hoped would fix his marital issues had only drifted them apart.

As years passed, the older Malfoy saw how Narcissa was raising Draco to be a mummy’s boy. This infuriated him to his core. Trying to salvage their son, he pushed Draco to his limit to toughen him up. He raised his son to be the perfect Malfoy heir no matter the consequences. It was not until Lucius was rotting away in that cell, alone with his thoughts, did he figure out that that was false. He didn’t want the best for his son. That had been an excuse to hide the fact that he hated Draco for the mere fact his boy received the love he would never know from his wife.

It was only through his own son that Lucius saw his wife had the ability to care and love and that angered him. The softer Draco became the harsher Lucius was toward the boy. He denied his son the opportunity to know his mother’s side of his family, fearing it would taint the already soft mummy’s boy even more. He grew jealous of Draco’s relationship with Narcissa as it reminded his nonexistent one.

It was a constant struggle as every physical punishment he gave towards Draco, Narcissa pulled away further. His relationship he had with son was stuck in a push and pull motion. The older Malfoy felt pure relief from abusing his son for all the bitterness he held in for Draco. Every cold grudge he held for Narcissa, he would inflict on his own son but Lucius realized this far too late, the cause of his anger.

The more perfect his pureblood son Draco became, Lucius raised the bars higher, still not satisfied. Every time the bars were raised, Draco would reach it with no problem. Any other father would have been pleased. Not Lucius. Some unconscious part of him wanted to see own son fail. Draco became the golden child of the sacred 28 families, modeling what a Pureblood child should be.

Thus, when Draco had become a werewolf, Lucius was blinded by his jealousy and power that he jumped at the chance to disown him. All to protect the family’s reputation and legacy. Draco’s new condition would only stain the family line. He was pleased to finally have a reason to reject his only son.

Now Lucius sat in the gardens that he once hated. Alone with only the shadow stalking him from the doorway. “You know where to go next,” said the ghostly man but went ignored. The garden was dead just like his family. He wished it all to come back alive. For Draco and Narcissa to come back. As he moped in his own misery, Lucius wondered if he had treated both his wife and son better would they still be alive? The head Malfoy remembered all the mistakes he made with his family, wishing to go back to change the trajectory of his family’s fates. He wondered if he hadn't pledged himself to the Dark Lord where he and Narcissa would be.

Weeping, Lucius felt as if he had failed as both a husband and as a father. He weeped until he was blinded by his tears, speaking to no one but the dead garden. “My poor Draco. You suffer greatly because I was a weak man. I see now that I was the problem. Why did only in your death did I see my mistakes? You should be the one alive instead of me. You died for the sins of a father but I’ll make everyone who harmed you pay. I might have failed to protect you in life but I’ll protect you in death”. Sitting on the dirt ground still wearing his Azkaban uniform, Lucius with a determined look wiped his face.

He glanced up at the sky, wondering if Narcissa and Draco were watching him as he called for Mippy, “Take me to the Zabini Manor in Italy.”

Arriving at the edge of the property with the black figure behind him, Lucius noticed the property wards being lifted to let him in. Cautiously walking towards the Manor, Lucius fully expected retaliation against who he came to see. The path to the manor was long with flowers along the sides. Just near the edge of the lake with the sun high in the sky, the Zabini household was like a getaway. Away from all the trouble back home. The war had not reached here yet.

As he reached the door, an explosion headed his way, missing his head. Years of running with Death eaters kicked in as Lucius dodged it. It was Theodore Nott who casted the spell. He raised an eyebrow at the boy, who had spent so many summers at his home with Draco. Although he had relatively ignored Theodore most of the boy’s life, the hatred in Nott’s eye caught him off guard. “He must blame Draco’s death on me,” Lucius thought to himself.

In the corner of his eyes, Blaise threw a diffindo spell with the full intention of making Lucius bleed to death but the more experienced wizard stepped to the side. Free from the burden that were emotions, Lucius was able to take control of the fight. He had hid his grief behind his Occlumency shields. Emotions out on the field were only a liability that cost mistakes. Although the two boys were good fighters, they had let rage fog their mind, a sign of their age and inexperience.

“This will not do,” Lucius thought.

The older man had not only funded the Dark Lord’s campaign in the first wizarding war, but was more deeply involved with Voldemort than the public realized. He became an advisor, counseling the Dark Lord on how to quickly infiltrate Pureblood society and the ministry for power. Lucius soon was a part of the inner circle among the Death Eaters.

At the speed of light, the older Malfoy reached for his own wand before shooting a powerful Venus spell. The spell created a miniature swirling tornado in the entrance way, taking every plant and statue with it. Caught off guard, Theo and Blaise held on to a column, unable to keep their eyes open. As the winds picked up, their strength faltered until they flew up into the air and landed in front of the man. Once Lucius saw his opportunity, he tied the boys in ropes with an incarcerous spell.

“Untie us coward! How dare you walk a free man when you threw your own son away! You hid in Azkaban like the weak man you are while Draco paid for your mistakes! You’re a poor excuse for a father and a husband. You killed them!,” Theo screamed. Red faced, the veins in his neck popped out like a mad dog.

Still mourning from the loss of his brother and Luna, Blaise stayed silent the entire time, observing the situation from afar. Draco’s father strolled slowly to them before bending down. The cool demeanor from Lucius hit a nerve with Blaise, more than he liked to admit. There was no ounce of regret on the man’s face. Wanting to make a dent in the man’s iron walls, the boy replied with the same indifferent expression Lucius was giving them, “I see you’ve come to assault us like you did to Draco all his life. Did you enjoy hitting your son until he blacked out? We know of your transgressions against your family. The bleeding. The torture. The bruises on Narcissa and Draco,” Blaise smirked as his eyes darkened while he stared straight at Lucius with no fear in his eyes.

The shadow behind Lucius laughed as Blaise continued, “You know, I’m glad Draco got to know what the love of father should be like in his last months of life in another. Your trash was another man’s pride and joy”.

At the mention of his past sins, Lucius paused. This was salt to his wounds. Thrown in his face was a haunting reminder of his failures as a father. Who was the boy talking about? Who had grown close to his son? The shields inside his mind trembled at the thought he had been replaced but Lucius reinforced his walls. He had to accept what he had done in order to move forward. Lucius would carry his sins, use it as strength for his path ahead when it would become difficult to bear.

With more retaliation, Blaise informed Lucius with a calmness that could trick anyone, “You kill us, my mother will come after you. You’ll just be another man she’ll have to bury in the backyard. My dead step fathers will be your only company in the afterlife,” but inside he was boiling with fury. Theo, seeing Lucius distracted as he stared off to an empty space of the room, spat in the man’s face to further disrespect the person who had been the cause of his brother’s misery.

“Well deserved, I say. Give my praises to Theo, would you”. Malfoy stayed still, trying to ignore the demon but it mocked Lucius further. “Will you kill these boys like you did to Draco or will you take my advice instead? Which one will it be?,” asked the haunting figure, but Lucius walked past it. “You can’t ignore me forever. I’m always here,” it said.

Draco’s friends had fire inside of them. This made Lucius grin in delight as a plan came to formulate in his mind. Wiping off the spit from his face, Lucius leaned closer, “Why would I kill you both when I need you to tell me everything Draco went through in the summer and his mission? I want every single detail of his life while I was gone. I came here from the kindness of my heart to ask. I could have used Legilimency on you both already. You can either help me or I will force my way into your mind. Which will it be?”.
With distrust written on his expression, Theo asked, “And why would we tell you?”.

A seriousness fell upon Lucius at this question, causing the two boys to peer at each other. “I need to avenge my family. Make Snape pay for what he did to my son. If it’s the destruction of the Malfoy family he wants to see, I’ll give it to him”. Theo, still steaming from his anger, slammed his head against Lucius’s face, making Lord Malfoy's nose bleed.

“Wait, Theo. Hold on,” Blaise said as he put his head on his friend’s shoulder to ease their temper before he turned back to Lucius, “What do you mean by Snape?,” Blaise asked curiously.

Slowly turning his head to face them, it was at that moment both Blaise and Theo saw that this wasn’t the Lucius Malfoy they knew. There was something beyond those blue eyes. It was full of deep regret. The eyes of a man that had lost everything. The eyes of a man who was seeking revenge. “You don’t know? Snape killed Draco. It was he who pushed my son off the tower. The spineless fool came to see me and told me myself. I’m going to kill everyone connected to the Dark Lord. Burn Voldemort’s cause to the ground from the inside. Everyone who’s ever had a hand in the suffering of Draco and Narcissa will face me”. Lucius was grinning ear to ear.

The two boys looked at each other, seeing an opportunity of a potential partnership at their doorstep. Since the death of Draco, they had been drowning in their own sorrows that weighed them down. They were restless, wanting to do something instead of hiding. The three had something in common, the desire for revenge. Blaise and Theo wanted to avenge Draco, Luna, and the Greengrass sisters.

They didn’t trust Lucius. After all, they knew the long history he and Draco had. They were there in the aftermath of the physical punishment the blond endured from his father but perhaps they didn’t need to trust Lucius. All they needed was to form an alliance. Nothing was more dangerous than a crazed man who had lost it all. Perhaps this version of Lucius would help Blaise and Theo hurt everyone for Draco’s memory.

For days, both boys spent hours looking back at everything and wondered what they could have done to help Draco more. Maybe they could have changed something and Draco would still be here. Learning it was Snape’s doing that took Draco from them, it lit a new violent blaze under the boys. “Whatever you have planned we want in,” Blaise spoke up for both of them.

Lucius untied the boys and shook on it. Theo, finally calming down, advised the man, “You’re going to be here for a while if you want to hear everything that’s happened since you've been gone. So many Death Eaters were involved in the torture of Narcissa and Draco over the summer. We have a list. But about Draco, he spent his final days with Granger and working on the cabinet. There’s nothing much to say on that end—”.

Lucius snapped his head to the brown haired boy, “Cabinet? Tell me everything about it”.

Blaise began to lead the group into his home as he interrupted them, “Come inside, Malfoy. I’ll have the elves prepare us tea”.

As everyone walked away, the ghost shouted at Lucius, still being ignored. “You're welcome”.

Chapter Text

A week later, arriving at 12 Grimmauld Place, Draco and Remus had settled into a routine. The blonde was setting up the dining room table while Kreacher finished cooking in the kitchen. The house was run down, long overdue for renovations. It was smaller than the Manor but it was home.

With only Kreacher and Remus as the house inhabitants, it was more intimate than what Draco was used to. No matter which area of the house he was in, the boy could hear the inner goings of other parts of the house. It was noisy which strangely put him at ease. Back at the Malfoy Manor, each member of the house had their own separate wing. Days would pass where Malfoy did not see Lucius even while living in the same house. Grimmauld Place, despite its tragic history of the Black family, was homely.

While dinner was almost ready, Remus was in the office reading a last minute report from the Order. Since the death of Dumbledore, Moody and Remus have been filling up the role Dumbledore left. After the headmaster’s death, Remus increasingly grew more anxious as the Order realized Dumbledore had died with many of its secrets and no plans to ease the transition between him and whoever was unfortunate to hold up the mantle of the Order after him. With a void in leadership, most duties fell on Remus’s shoulders reluctantly. He and Moody were left to pick up every card Dumbledore had held so close to his chest to figure out what exactly it meant.

Moody was especially angered by it all. Dumbledore's unprofessionalism, as he called it, made things difficult for the man. Keeping everyone in the dark, had blinded everyone when Snape, the man Dumbledore swore was on their side, betrayed them all, leaving them down another person.

In a fit of rage, Moody bulldozed his way through the headmaster’s office, opening everything without permission. The old man was dead. Social etiquette be damned. There were nothing more than chains that slowed Moody down. He was determined to find every dirty secret of the former headmaster. If Dumbledore had any complaints, he would have to wait until Moody dropped dead to air out his grievances.

With nothing to stop him, Moody inspected every nook and cranny, leaving no stone unturned. In his search, they discovered a vial of the memories that had originally belonged to Professor Slughorn. A vial that mentioned Horcruxes. This had piqued Remus’ and his interest. It was also discovered that it was because of the destruction of one of these horcruxes that cursed the headmaster. They hadn’t known the headmaster was dying nor had no idea what caused it until now.

Remus swore under his breath that the old man even in his dying days had left them with more questions than answers. With no idea what a horcrux was or how to find them, the Order had nothing to go off from. As Remus read his reports and cursed Dumbledore more, the front door rang.

Throwing the utensils to the side, Draco shouted with excitement, “I GOT IT!,” as loud footsteps filled the hallway from the kitchen. The boy ran to the door, not allowing anyone else to go get it. He hurried along as he opened the door widely, not allowing the individual to ring it a second time. “Hermione!”, the blond shouted as he wrapped her in his arms before picking her up. Laughing, Hermione held on tight as Draco spun her in the air. It had only been a week since they last saw each other but it had felt longer, like a lifetime.

The moment they separated at Hogwarts, they felt their soul bond hummed, waiting for the reunion of their other half. Her bags and trunk were forgotten on the floor. Walking right in, Crookshanks meowed almost as if he was greeting Malfoy before making himself home. The feline did not turn once, leaving the couple in the entrance.

The blond gave her a huge kiss before the urge to take in her scent consumed him. He took in a deep breath before leaving small pecks all over Hermione’s neck and face. His face nestled at the crook of her neck, remembering her smell of pumpkin juice, caramel candy, and parchment paper. He hugged her, remembering what her body felt like against his. Instinctively his groin inched closer to hers.

With their soul bond now settled and together again, the couple did not feel Remus arrive at the entrance of the house. Too engrossed with each other, they almost didn’t hear when the old werewolf coughed but smiled as he notified them of his presence. Red faced, the couple quickly separated.

Seeing Draco too embarrassed to talk, Hermione spoke instead, “Hello Remus, do you mind having an additional person stay here for the summer? My parents are touring around Australia and went to visit a summer long convention for dentistry there”.

With one eyebrow raised in suspicion, Lupin commented back, “A summer long convention, you say? Quite unusual as most conventions are only a weekend long. I didn’t know there was so much knowledge surrounding teeth that took up that much time to learn”.

Straightening her back, Hermione had forgotten Remus was half blood, raised by a muggle mother. Hermione wanted to smack herself on the forehead for her foolishness. She did not take into account that Remus was quite familiar with the ins and outs of the muggle world. Not only that, the old werewolf quickly learned how to spot lies from his students, having been a teacher for two school years. She had gotten used to being the only outsider, the lone muggle born in her circle. The moment she brought up anything related to the muggle world to her peers or professors, most had a glazed over look as they nodded along in politeness.

Stumbling over her words, Hermione replied, “Yes, they're updating their dental school certificate to be more accurate, which takes up a lot of time. They thought I would be happier here instead of being bored in their hotel room”.

The old werewolf’s eyes darted between the pair as he tilted his head at Hermione's words. Relenting, instead of dissecting that statement further, Remus accepted it before giving her a side hug. He was happy to see her. “Stay as long as you like. We were about to have dinner. I know Draco here will be pleased to have you around,” Remus teased as he grinned at Malfoy, who avoided his eyes. The best part of teaching was poking fun at his students, Remus thought to himself. They made it so easy. Whatever these two were up to, he would find out soon enough as he helped Hermione carry her bags in.

At the dinner table, Kreacher had made a large pot of chicken roast with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. As the steam of the food filled their nostrils, Hermione noted the large amount of food the house elf had made. “Did Kreacher know she would come but even then it was too much for 3 people?,” Hermione thought. Perhaps the elf was happy to cook for a filled house again.

Distracting her thoughts, Remus talked to the two teens, “Draco, I think it’s best if we give you a second identity. Although I love having you all for myself in this house. You need to get some fresh air. Maybe Hermione can show you around London in her spare time or walk at the park nearby. You two can’t be holed up here for the whole summer”.

He turned to Draco, who was deep in thought. There was something the boy was inching to say. The old werewolf turned to Kreacher, who was filling Hermione’s plate to the brim with food. The little elf hadn’t been asked to do that nor did he once call Hermione, mudblood. Since Draco and he had arrived, the elf had relatively ignored him, not that he cared. The way Kreacher attended to the witch’s needs was highly unusual but what set off the red flag in Remus was how quiet Hermione was being.

With narrowed eyes, Remus finally asked as he scratched his chin in thought, “What have you two done? I didn’t grow up with James’ and Sirius’ antics to not notice how strange you’ve been acting since we left school. The Marauder’s and I were McGonagall's original headache. Broke her down and her strict rules for the next generation. I can smell the mischief oozing out of you two”.

The professor folded his arms as he stared at Draco and Hermione. He noted how the pair gave each other a look before Malfoy finally spoke with his head high. “We got our alternate identities cover, Remus. I told Kreacher to give me and Hermione a new set of names. I will be known as Regulus’ secret son born out of wedlock and kept secret until now. I’m the right age when he died so I think it’s a clever cover. May I present to you, Regulus Scorpius Black and my wife, Cassi Jean Black”.

It was then it all clicked to Remus. Kracher’s overall acceptance of the girl. The way the house’s wards did not notify them that Hermione had arrived. It was because by ancient Pureblood tradition, she was lady of the house if Draco legalized himself as Regulus’ son. The werewolf had found it suspicious that Draco wore long sleeves even in the hot summer days. The aura around them was different somehow when he saw the love birds at the doors. Remus smelled something changed between them as if the duo somehow carried the same scent now. At first, he had shrugged it off as the teens were now intimate. After all, they were young adults and it was not uncommon.

Wanting to confirm his suspicion, Lupin pulled up Draco’s arms. He saw the soul bonding marks on Malfoy’s forearms. The marks looked like streaks of ribbons going up the arms. Pulling back his arms, Draco grabbed his neck nervously, almost afraid of his reaction. “You're married? And not just married but soul bonded too? Were you going to tell anyone?,” the werewolf exclaimed in surprise.

Hermione hid inside her curly hair, grabbing it to cover her mouth with it. The bright witch pulled down her sleeves too while she was at it. They hadn’t discussed how they would tell their friends and family that they were married. Feeling a little rebellious now that he was a married man, Draco replied back, “I told you Remus. I was going to better my chances by marrying Hermione. I almost died twice and I remember what you told me. Time is precious and don’t take it for granted. I love her. And as a married couple, I demand she rooms with me”.

Remus gave an airy laugh, not unbelieving it. These Slytherins would be the end of him, he thought to himself. Draco had used his own advice against him. He was almost thankful for his years as a Maurander. It unknowingly prepared the outlandish behavior from the golden and silver trio. Lupin glanced at Hermione and Draco and the worried looks they had. The two looked so young but determined at the same time. It was as if he was looking at Lily and James, who also married straight out of school on a whim. The older werewolf leaned on the table in defeat as he picked up a spoon to eat.

“Fair enough, you did tell me you were going to marry Hermione on our walks. I’m glad my advice was heard wholeheartedly. Didn’t expect it to be so soon but nonetheless, I congratulate you two on your marriage. May it be a long and happy one”, Remus genuinely smiled, hoping this young couple’s outcome would be different than his friends’ as he went on, “As for the two of you sharing rooms, you are married adults so I can’t say no but please have mercy on my enhanced hearing and keep the snogging to a minimum. I trust you know about silencio spell. And Draco, come to the study room later, I’ll show you how to make a birth control elixir for you to take”.

“You’ll have to show me too, Remus. Me and Draco will need plenty for the future,” the bright witch responded nonchalantly as if she hadn’t flabbergasted Malfoy while Remus continued eating, unaffected by her comments. The pair would need a large inventory of this elixir for when they went on the hunt. It would even do good if Ron and Harry took it, Hermione thought to herself as her mind went in a million directions. She hadn’t asked if Draco could go but Harry would have to accept it. Hermione was not leaving her husband behind. Preparation for every scenario was needed for their group, no matter how small or far fetched it seemed. Better to be safe than sorry. She would have no accidents or surprises from the boys on their mission.

Her thoughts trailed off as her ears also perked up at the other information that Draco had told Remus he was going to marry her long before he had asked her too. She made a mental note to ask Draco about it while a mortified Draco was shocked how upfront Remus was about what went on between two people. That had been a taboo topic in his own family. The only conversation he had ever had with Lucius was more of a threat about having a child out of wedlock that effectively ended with forbidding him from such relations until he was married. The Malfoys did not sully their names with bastards running around.

According to Lucius, after the arranged marriage Draco would have had, he would be free to bring as many witches to his bed but until then, it had been out of the question and never talked about since. The blond wasn’t even certain he had seen his parents share a bed in his entire life. If it wasn’t for Lucius’ very real threats, Draco would have honestly questioned if his parents know how children were created. It was a miracle he had even been conceived with how cold his parents were to each other. “Was this a muggle thing?,” Draco wondered as he glanced at how open Remus and Hermione were.

“Now back to the topic of new identities. I’m glad we have that sorted out but we still have a slight problem. Your blond hair sticks out, Draco. It gives you away. The moment you enter a wizarding town they’ll know you're a Malfoy. The good news is your face is all from your mother’s side so we can get away with saying your Regulus’ son”.

Hermione gasped as he reached for her bag that was around her, placing it on the table before them. It hadn’t left her side since she had arrived. As she dug into her purse, she had her whole arm inside, digging for a few seconds. The bottom was endless it seemed. Remus' eyebrow raised suspiciously again but stayed quiet to see where this was going. Why did Hermione need such a purse like that? “I bought something for your hair, Draco! Muggle hair dye. It’s Sirius’ exact hair color. I’ve been preparing all week with everything I can think of. I got months worth of food and medical supplies. Potions I thought were needed are packed. Books and research on any topic I think we could come across. I even have everyone 's clothes in here”.

Remus cleared his throat, grabbing Hermione’s attention, “Where exactly are you going to need that much preparation? One does not simply have a whole warehouse inside their purse with no intention of going out for a long journey”. Seeing the quietness that befall the two teens, Lupin went on, “For once, will you let the adults give you two a hand. We need to help one another. Dumbledore was always keeping secrets from us all. Trust is essential if we are to succeed in this war”.

Feeling guilty, Hermione admitted everything, “I was going to tell you, I swear but I was waiting for Harry to arrive. Draco and I were going to twist his arm to get him to tell you himself. Dumbledore before he died… gave Harry a mission that only he can do, find all 7 Horcruxes to make you know who mortal again. These Horcruxes allow him to live forever, essentially, unless all of them are destroyed”.

Remus felt a headache coming on. Nothing was ever simple as he thought to himself. When he had reviewed Slughorn’s memory with Moody, he had hoped that it was just that, a memory. It dawned on him that defeating you know who was becoming more difficult by the second. The werewolf sighed, “That explains the vials of memories Moody and I found in Dumbledore’s office. What we found mentions a Horcrux and the ring that had inevitably cursed the headmaster to death. At least we know how many there are now. Can you tell me what these Horcruxes are exactly? I’ll need to have a meeting with Moody first thing tomorrow morning. He would be happy to know we have a lead now”.

With a look of remorse, Hermione told Lupin the bad news, “That's just it. These horcruxes can be anything. We don’t know what or where they are but we have to look for them. Two of them have already been destroyed, the ring and diary. The Diary was intentionally destroyed by Harry in first year. Dumbledore was looking for one of them the night he died, a locket but it turned out to be fake so that one remains lost but at least we know what the 3rd one is”.

She paused as she clutched her bag from the nerves. Hermione hoped Remus would take what she was about to say well. Even though she thought Harry’s plan was not well thought out, the group had nothing to go on. Being on the run while searching for these horcruxes was for the best to avoid getting captured. “Harry feels too strongly about finishing what Dumbledore started. He and Ron aren’t going back to school if Hogwarts reopens and I can’t leave them to do this mission alone. They’ll be lost without me or worse get hurt. We don’t know when but we plan on disappearing to search for them”.

The room remained in an awkward silence until Draco slammed the table while talking to himself, “That damn fool! He was egging me on to kill him when he was already dying! Was Dumbledore really going to make me feel guilty about his death for something he did to himself? Did he have no morals?”. Remus gave a sympathetic smile to his pup while Hermione ignored them both digging inside her purse once again. “Here's all my notes I’ve found on Horcruxes. There’s very little information on them in general and nothing on how to destroy them”.

Later that evening, Draco and Hermione were in the bathroom, washing out the hair dye. It wasn’t exactly black. They wanted to match the family portraits in the hallways so they found a color that had a brown undertone. It was still black but in the sunlight highlighted browns could be seen underneath. The former blond stared at himself in the mirror after drying his hair with a drying spell as he asked out loud, “How do I look? Could I fool anyone into thinking I am Walburga and Orion’s only grandchild?”.

While taking both hands to brush his hair back, Draco was assessing how he felt about his new appearance. He knew that his blond hair wasn’t the only thing that made him a Malfoy but that was underlying sadness, seeing his white blond hair gone. The wounds from his disownment had ripped open once again. Before Draco comforted himself with the knowledge that no matter how much Lucius denied him as his son, his physical appearance was undeniable proof to the world that he was once a Malfoy. Even his mother had blonde hair. It was strange seeing himself with black hair. It felt as if he wasn’t his mother’s son either. With black hair, his disownment felt permanent. There was no going back to the person he was once. He didn’t not even have the right to be called Malfoy anymore. And that had been his whole identity.

As he swallowed back the knot that was stuck in his throat, Draco pretended to like his new look but Hermione knew. The bright witch hugged him from behind as they both studied his new appearance, giving him comfort. After a while, Hermione stood on her tippy toes before planting a peck on the boy’s cheek. “You look quite handsome if I do say so myself but why don’t we ask Regulus himself if you pass as his son?”.

The snake dropped his face into a disappointed frown, “We can’t ask him. Kreacher said his portrait has taken a vow of silence, promising never to tell the secrets of the real Regulus. After the death of my uncle, the portrait refused to talk to his own mother, father, and even my mother. I tried to see him when I first came but he didn’t even bother to lay an eye on me. In fact, he turned around after recognizing Remus”. He had never felt so distant from his paternal side of the family and yet his mother’s side was a deafening silence. It gave him more questions than answers. He was reminded that he was now an orphan. A new reality for him.

Hermione held his hand in hers. She knew how much Draco had looked forward to meeting his godfather to ask him many questions about himself and his mother. “I’m sorry. I know how much you looked forward to talking to him. Maybe you can talk to Lady Walburga”.

As they walk down again into the hall, the pair walk in front of the portrait before waiting in silence. Draco stood directly facing her, only an arm’s length separating them. Curiosity got the better of him. The Slytherin wanted to know if he did resemble Regulus or if it was just people’s wishful thinking.

Since Remus and he had arrived, Walburga had refused to look at either of them, pretending to sleep the entire time. Walburga, who had her eyes closed still, spoke, “Leave while I’m still in a good mood. I have no interest in talking to a Malfoy even if you got yourself adopted as my grandchild. Your father has caused this family too much trouble”. As she heard no footsteps leave the area, a somber Walburga groaned, talking to no one but herself, “The great house of Black has perished. I have failed this family and have lived long enough to see the end of our lineage. Orion… my Orion died from a broken heart. And my poor Regulus, burdened by his brother”.

While listening to the portrait’s grievances, Hermione walked forward, knowing her presence would trigger it. She knew just how to push Walburga to look at them, “Is that how you treat the new Lady and Lord of the House of Black? I expected more from you. Quite disappointing. I guess all the great and glorious stories I heard about your house aren't true”.

It worked as Walburga opened her eyes in fury, “Shut it you, Mudblood! You're no granddaughter in law to me. I don’t care if the portrait Regulus nodded his head to Kreacher in acceptance of your blood traitor husband becoming his child. You will never be a part of this family!”. Her screams echoed in the hallway.

Refusing to see his wife get disrespected, Draco jumped in front of Walburga with his wand pointed to the portrait. He hid Hermione behind his back in protection as he said through his teeth, “I dare you to speak to my wife that way again. You’ll find yourself burned off the wall”.

As if she had seen a ghost, Walburga gasped out loud. Her eyes wide as they finally laid on Draco Lucius Malfoy for the first time. Piercing their ears, the portrait began to sob and scream at the top of her lungs, catching both of them off guard. She screamed in horror while peering at Draco, forgetting the conversation they were having before. In her mind, Walburga saw her son in front of her, haunting her with his death. “GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY! I did the best I could! My sons! My sons! They're gone! PLEASE HELP ME! NOOOOO!”.

Draco, astonished, stepped back as he watched Walburga lose it. There was such anguish in her voice. He had never heard anyone scream like this. It was so human. Draco saw the haunted eyes of a mother in mourning. Suddenly, Remus sprinted out of the office and over to them. As his eyes darted to the open portrait, he hurried to close the curtain that was previously blocking the portrait.

Remus had made a deal with Walburga when they first arrived, feeling sorry for the woman trapped behind it. Stop screaming and they would leave it open, was the agreement they had reached. The three of them stood speechless at what had happened. Hermione was the first to break the silence, “I guess that answers our question, doesn’t it? You look like her son, Regulus”.

Grabbing the front of his shirt, Remus waited for his heart to slow down as he commented, “Please don’t trigger that intolerable woman again. I just got her to agree to stop shouting at us”. Draco and Hermione both shared a guilty look, having caused the screaming. “Sorry, Remus. We wanted to share my new look with Walburga to confirm if I look like her family,” Draco replied with his hands in his pockets. This time he was hiding behind Hermione.

With that unexpected reaction behind them, the two lovebirds walked to their shared bedroom. Remus had taken Orion and Walburga’s room while Draco took Sirius’ bedroom. When Draco first arrived, he had run upstairs to find Regulus' room and claim it but seeing the portrait made Malfoy rethink of taking the room. The portrait had ignored the boy, making the atmosphere awkward. With Regulus’ back turned, it made Draco feel as if he was intruding on the portrait.

Feeling like an unwelcome guest, Draco left the room undisturbed. Seeing Kreacher had brought up Hermione’s bags into their room, Draco yawned “Let’s get ready for bed,” before he heard creaks up in the attic. With his hair standing on the back of his neck, Draco paused to listen better in the silence. The two heard more creaking as Draco asked in a hushed tone, “Did you hear that?”. The two looked up, on alert, but soon the silence came again. Malfoy didn’t want to admit it but this home was spooky at night. It kept him awake at night as he listened to what he assumed was the house settling.

With not much light coming in, it was considerably darker than the manor or Slytherin common room. Cobs and the deterioration of the building made it noticeable that no one had lived in this house for years. It was abandoned. No longer the family home his mother must have grown up in. His senses were high on alert once darkness overtook the sky. “Could this once lively home be filled with the phantoms of his dead ancestors?,” Draco thought to himself. The voices from the portraits did not help ease these silly notions for the young pup.

Smirking, Hermione teased the obvious frightened boy, “What? Afraid there’s a ghost in the house?”.

Snapping his head, Draco tried to hide his fears, “‘No! There’s no ghost here. I should know because I checked every closet and room for my own peace of mind and your safety. It’s probably… just a boggart living in the attic. Let’s go to bed”. The boy grabbed Hermione's hand as they walked to their bed. “I sense a rush in your footsteps. Don’t you want to go see what the noise is?”. Draco turned around, giving Hermione a scowl before diving into the covers to hide. The young werewolf mumbled out loud the unfairness of how his enhanced hearing made everything louder. One of the downsides of his lycanthropy.

The witch giggled before she went on, “Relax Draco. It’s just the house settling”. During this commotion, Crookshakes stood in the doorway. The cat was busy watching the ceiling. His ears twitched as it listened to the creaking noises.

Another sleepless night, Draco tossed and turned until he settled for watching Hermione sleep. At least one of them would get a good night’s rest, the slytherin thought to himself. Since the young werewolf had been turned, he had the ability to sleep less than the average human and not affect his overall energy. Werewolves, very similar to wolves in the way, were active at night. This ability had been a gift when Draco was tasked with fixing the cabinet but at nights like these, it was a torture. He wanted nothing more than to wash his worries away in his dreams.

Malfoy brushed Hermione's curly hair behind her ears, watching her breath slowly in and out. Leaning forward, he left a small peck on the sleeping witches lips before getting out of bed. The boy figured that perhaps his inner werewolf wanted him to watch the house and guard. Maybe by fulfilling his werewolf instincts, Draco could find sleep afterwards.

After doing a round on the house, Malfoy watched the night sky from the living room for some time. He watched the moon that he had grown to fear and hate with his whole soul. Yet the boy couldn’t help but think that his mother was no longer alive to watch the same moon with him, even from afar. He was alone. Motherless. His thoughts drifted back to their last interaction in person. It was at the train station. The two had just stood next to each other, fearful of who was watching them. If Draco had known that would be the last time he would see her, he would have embraced her and not give a damn of what others thought of them, of the Malfoy family.

Taking a deep breath, Draco turned his back on the moon that had brought him sadness. As the Slytherin headed to his room, he was stopped at the sounds of a weeping in the distance. It was the portrait of Walburga. Draco suddenly remembered the look Walburga gave him. It was a look mixed with horror and regret. It seemed he wasn’t the only one dwelling on past mistakes tonight.

Draco tiptoed to the portrait, standing before it. As he held the corner of the curtains with the intention of apologizing for scaring her that evening, Draco whispered in a hushed tone, “I’m going to open the curtain slowly. Please don’t yell and wake the house up. It’s only 3am”. He paused, waiting for a response but nothing came. Taking that as a yes, the boy opened the curtains.

Before him, Walburga had her back to him as she wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She did not want to be seen crying. Draco waited for her to regain her composure as she went from a grieving mother and widow to an arrogant Pureblood. It was a switch he had seen his mother do so many times to uphold their image to the outside world. The portrait’s proud cold stare. The way she held her chin up but Draco could still see the tears that were too slow to dry away.

His mother had acted the same way whenever she hid her emotions after an altercation with Lucius. He had been the only one she allowed to see her vulnerability. Her walls were kept up from everyone else for it was just him and her for so many years. His heart tugged seeing Walburga. She had the mannerisms of his mother, a high society lady.

As Draco went to sit on the floor, against the wall to watch her. Walburga raised an eyebrow, removing her sneer from her face. Instead, she watched him in return as she took in his appearance. As she walked closer to the edge of the portrait, Walburga studied Draco who looked like he could have been Regulus’ son in another lifetime. Another lifetime where the Blacks were not familiar with tragedy. She carved this image of this Draco onto her heart for this was the only glimpse she would have of what could have been.

The two Purebloods stayed in silence, never taking their eyes off of each other for a long time, until Draco spoke up, “I’m sorry I frightened you earlier. It wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to ask if I could pass as your grandson. I see now how cruel that was”.

“It’s fine, boy. You did not mean it,” she replied in a weary voice, catching Draco off guard. Her voice was hoarse as if she had broken it from her cries. He had not expected her to respond but Malfoy immediately wanted to continue their conversation, grasping at any connection to his mother no matter how insignificant it seemed. It was important to him. “You see, I can't go outside as Malfoy anymore. I’m supposed to be dead,” Draco explained further.

Again, Walburga was quiet, watching the young man in front of her. She watched Draco with warm eyes for a fleeting second before coldness overtook her stoic face. She had been brought back to another era from before the first war. A time where Regulus once walked these halls. A tear escaped from the corner of Walburga’s eyes but this time she allowed it to be spilled in front of Draco. She did not hide it like before. Walburga felt safe enough to allow Draco to see this side of her.

She was so much like his mother or more accurately it was the other way around, Draco thought as he remarked, “You're mourning just as I am. You weep for your sons as I weep for my mother…. She died earlier this week. We had no funeral. There was no time…with the war…It’s just me now, just like it was only you for so many years”. The young werewolf waited for a rejection from Walburga. He had expected her to tell him off and to go away but Draco heard nothing from the portrait.

He took it as he had permission to speak to her to fill the time of his nightly routine patrols. “When Remus invited me to live here with him, I was so excited. I secretly hoped I would have the chance to speak to all the portraits like the ones at the Malfoy Manor. They're loud and annoying with a mind of their own. But to my surprise, everyone here is cold. I wanted to ask you and Regulus about my mother but I see now I won’t get answers about our side of the family. She’s really dead now and just a fading memory”.

A small tear escaped his eyes. Only then did Walburga speak up, breaking the silence between the two, “Your mother isn’t gone, Draco. She lives on in you. You were never Lucius’s son but Narcissa’s cherished child. Her heart and soul that lives outside her body. A terrifying but beautiful fate all mothers suffer”.

She finally leaned forward to get a good look at the werewolf. “You embody her. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you got all the Black facial features. You're all Narcissa’s beauty. Your mother had our face. The only feature she inherited from her Rosier side was her blond hair. With your white blond hair gone, our side of our family sticks out only. You got our gray eyes and high cheekbones. Our full and womanly lips match. And like my own son Regulus, you're masculine yet feminine at the same time. My son had this beauty to him. There’s no doubt you are desired and envied by both men and women like the Blacks were regardless of gender but our intimidating exterior that kept many at a distance. You did not inherit an ounce of hideousness from those vile Malfoys. Such a pity, Lucius’ blood runs through your veins”.

Draco couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Not many in the wizarding world had the courage nor dared to critique the Malfoys. If they did, it was a whisper among the masses. Walburga’s criticism of the Malfoys seemed amusing to the werewolf as the Blacks were the only other wizarding family who’s words held merit.

“In hindsight, if I knew what would happen to our family, I would have convinced Pollux to arrange a marriage between your mother with Regulus. It’s not uncommon, you know, among the Blacks. If you look back on our family line, brother to sister and cousin to cousin have married each other. It kept our affinity with blood magic strong. Narcissa and Regulus would have had a happy life together, I think, if they weren’t so loyal to their duty as members of our house”.

The witch sighed as her thoughts drifted to the past as she went on, “Those soft looks they gave each other but it never went any further than that. They knew the needs of the family were more essential during the first war than their own desires. Narcissa never wanted to marry your father but only did what she was told. It was an alliance to unite two powerful houses. Regulus would have been married off to another great house,” Walburga continued to watch Draco’s growing confusion as she grinned to herself.

“Fate is a funny thing. Although denied her heart’s desire in life, the universe gave Narcissa a child that looked like her beloved. If only I could have seen the anger in Lucius' face,” the portrait said with a knowing look in her eye as she peered at the boy. Confused, the boy made a face of disbelief. This was news to him. There was so much he didn’t know about his mother. It was hard to imagine his mother with someone else let alone his uncle. Lucius and Narcissa in the wizarding world had become synonymous with one another. Their image as one was so powerful that Draco at times forgot Narcissa was a Black as a young girl.

Giving a disapproving look at the boy, Walburga remarked, “You may have inherited your mother’s looks, but I see your empty headed as most men of your gender suffer from. Narcissa wasn’t only merely your mother. She was more than that. She was a girl, a woman, a talented witch forced to be a dutiful housewife. Narcissa had a whole life before you came along”.

Embarrassed, Draco explained as he avoided the portrait’s gaze, “It’s just… that mother hardly spoke about her family or the circumstances surrounding her marriage to Lucius. There’s so much I didn’t know about her”. Malfoy didn’t know why but it felt as if he was getting reprimanded by an authority figure at how Walburga gave him a less than pleased look.

Seeing how upset Draco was, despite trying to hide it, Walburga sighed as she explained, “It wasn’t a happy wedding. She cried the entire night the day before the wedding. It was only after Regulus came to calm her down and spent her last night as a free witch together, did she stop. She wouldn’t have wanted you to know that”. The portrait felt pity for the boy. He was perhaps too young to understand that not knowing Narcissa’s past was not his fault. It was the circumstances of the family he was born into. This was a lot to take in for someone who had just lost their mother but he wanted answers.

The werewolf mumbled more to himself but the portrait still heard him, “I knew my parents never loved each other but I didn’t know it was that upsetting for my mother. Why did she go through with it?”.

Without hesitation, Walburga peered down as she explained, “To restore the family’s tarnished reputation in the eyes of the Pureblood community. After Andromeda ran off with that muggleborn, Sirius joined the Order, and the whispers of Bellatrix slowly falling into madness, Narcissa and Regulus could not afford to be less than the perfect embodiment of Pureblood aristocrats that we were known for. Narcissa had no choice but to be a child bride for Lucius”.

Shocked, Draco snapped his head up. His eyes wide as he took in her words. As he stuttered, “I don’t understand. How youn—” but Walburga interrupted him, not giving him a chance to ask.

It was as if she wanted to reveal the family’s past before she could think and stop herself. “Lucius was becoming too old for that bachelor’s life. There was pressure to finally settle down from his own father. He had a duty to perform as the next heir of the Malfoys. To top it off, that family had always had fertility problems. I suspect he suffered the same condition as so many men did in that Manor. While our household had children running through these walls, the Malfoy manor each coming generation laid almost empty. He had his eyes set on your mother and our family magic. Quite stubborn that man was. Lucius couldn’t take no for an answer, used the crisis the family was experiencing to his advantage. He convinced Orion to marry Narcissa to him. While she was 16 and Lucius was 26, your mother, who was still attending school with Sirius and Regulus, had to leave Hogwarts and begin her married life with your father”.

“My mother graduated though…,” the werewolf replied in a weakened voice. Is that why his mother found it difficult to leave Lucius, Draco thought to himself? Lucius was all she knew.

“No, she left school,” she confirmed to a distraught Draco.

Finally answering the original question he came for, the portrait replied,“If you want to know if people would believe you're my grandchild. No one would doubt it, once you walk out this door. Since I answered your questions and told you more of your mother’s past, would you answer mine?”.

Silent from what he had found out, Draco agreed to her terms. It was his way of thanking her after she had opened up. “Is it true that you're a werewolf? And did Lucius really abandon you and Narcissa? Your foolish father broke his terms of the agreement with the marriage contract. It was agreed upon to have you raised as both a Malfoy and Black. Your grandparents Cygnus and Druella died never having met you. They waited and waited but Lucius never brought back their daughter or grandson. They died saddened that they lost all three daughters”.

At this revelation, Draco was surprised, he had been ready for other questions but not knowledge that his grandparents he had never met, died waiting for him. It gave him shame that he knew next to nothing about his mothers side of the family. Draco only knew the loneliness his mother and him experienced for so many years in the Malfoy manor. Any family he did know of was either in Azkaban or dead. His father had been strict in keeping them both on a tight leash which he didn’t come to realize until after he was disinherited.

“They were waiting for me? Do you think they would have accepted my mother and me after my father left us and found out about my lycanthropy? Tell me everything about our family, please. You’re all I have left to remember my mother”. A rush of words came out of the Slytherin. He wanted to know everything before Walburga went back to ignoring the household again. This might be his only chance, he thought. Draco was nearly in tears but they stayed trapped inside the corner of his eyes.

On some level, he still hadn’t accepted his mother’s death. No matter how much he tried even with his occlumency shields put away, he couldn’t mourn for his mother. Something clicked for Walburga at that moment. She couldn’t help but to see a child who resembled both Narcissa and her son perfectly. She saw a child who wanted his mother back and for a haunting moment she swore she saw her two boys crying for her.

Walburga wondered if Sirius ever cried for her, wanting to come back home. “No”, she quickly answered herself. She made sure to make Sirius hate her. The day she burned Sirius off the Tapestry, Walburga had regretted it, realizing the wards wouldn’t let him come back. It was a heated moment she would live to regret for the rest of her life and even more so after watching how it broke Regulus. Before she had pretended to be ignorant but kicking Sirius and Andromeda out of their family, affected Regulus and Narcissa more than she wanted to admit. She saw the many afternoon teas they would have together but Walburga didn’t know how to fix the family. It was Orion and Walburga's responsibility as head Lady and Lord to build up the Black household and live up to their greatness.

Instead every step they made, the Black family walked closer to their own demise. “You know the day I received news from Kreacher that Sirius died. I thought I would be relieved to finally get rid of that disappointment of a son. Strangely enough, I found myself broken. Sad, I no longer had an opportunity to get my child back or come to an understanding. I didn’t realize it at the time but I unconsciously waited for Sirius to come back for Regulus' funeral when we found his body. They truly were brothers until war made each one choose a side. Loved one another even if they thought the other one hated the other…. If I wasn’t so stuck in my old ways, they wouldn’t have hated each other. I pitied them against each other”.

There was a lost look in her eyes as she spoke about Sirius. Draco stayed still, knowing the significance of the portrait’s current confession. It was an insight into the secretive Black family. “After Sirius landed himself in Azkaban, I don’t know the details but I believe my son. I know him better than anyone else. I’m his mother after all. He was loyal to a fault. He would have never betrayed those friends of his. Believe it or not, there was a golden time when all five cousins were happy and close, playing as one in the gardens. Your grandparents would have adored you, seeing the man you’ve grown to be”.

Walburga glanced at Draco as she made sure he was paying attention as she said these words, “I was the last Black standing like you are now. I had to watch everyone die as I became alone. Only when everyone was gone did I realize my mistakes. Family is all we have, Draco. I’ll tell you everything you want to know about our family. Come to me anytime you want but you have to remember your ancestors grew up in a different generation and time. I can’t promise that I’ll always understand you, but I can promise you this. I will try for you because I failed to try for my two sons”.

“It took Sirius death as the last Black for you to change. Didn’t it?,” the werewolf stated as a fact rather than a question.

Walburga looked at him as if she wanted to ask something personal but it would be considered overstepping but she decided to ask anyway, “Your father mirrors me in a lot of ways. We both failed our children and our house and lost our spouses to a broken heart. We lost everyone and your father thinks he’s alone just like I had to live alone in my grief for so many years. Knowing my story and how your father really is, do you think you would ever forgive Lucius?”.

Almost as if she was afraid of what Draco would say, Walburga peered away. She refused to look at him but behind that hardened exterior was a broken woman. Malfoy knew the portrait was indirectly asking if he thought her sons would ever forgive her through his relationship with his father. Taking her question seriously, the Slytherin pondered on her question before he reached out to touch her frame as if to comfort her. He waited until Walburga directed her eye on him again. “If I’m being honest, I don’t know. I only know with my time that I’ve spent with Remus, what the father and son relationship I missed out on with Lucius. I don’t know if I will ever forgive my real father but I know I will always mourn for the loss of never having that relationship. I will always have that need to look for him. I can’t speak for both Regulus and Sirius but I know they thought of you. They looked for you just as you're looking for them now”.

Chapter Text

Unable to focus, Regulus read the same line over and over again in his reports. He had been waiting for his guest to arrive at his family’s office at 12 Grimmauld Place. Time ticked as the person he was waiting for was late yet again. Regulus should have expected this as this person was known for taking their time.

Still impatient, he set aside his papers, finally giving up on doing any work. Instead he turned his chair to peer out the window. The full moon looked especially bright tonight. Regulus took a deep breath, feeling as if he didn’t belong in this room. His whole life, this had always been his father’s study room but with so much going on within the war and family, Regulus had no choice but to take up the mantle. He had to fill in the shoes in the absence of the elders of his family.

The study was an area of the house that only the head of the family could use. He still felt inexperienced as if he was a fraud. He didn’t belong here. This was supposed to be Sirius’ office. So many of his Pureblood colleagues expected Regulus to lead, knowing exactly what the final destination was but in reality, he was taking it one day at a time. The war was constantly changing the path before him, forcing the wizard to divert each time.

On long nights like these, Regulus wanted nothing more than to be with Cissy. Being with his sweetheart always made days where nothing went right during his meetings with the Dark Lord more bearable. As he stared out at the sky, Regulus wondered what she was doing. Was she sitting in their garden? On the rare occasions he did have a free day, they would spend hours in the green house or yard, tending to it. He didn’t particularly care to garden but he adored doing it with her. It was a chance to watch Narcissa smile and hear her laugh. Her happiness was what he loved about it. She was at peace there.

Despite having some free hours, Regulus had something important to discuss with who he was waiting for, something only they could do. She was the only person he could trust with what he was about to ask of her. He wondered if she would listen to him. Regulus hadn’t been in this role long nor did he have the life experience to get some respect from others. Even when he encountered his father’s circle or the Death Eaters, Regulus found that often they either ignored him altogether or thought very little of him. He had been fulfilling both grandfather Pollux’s and his father Orion’s duties more now than previous years.

Unfortunately for the family, both men were often too weak to tend to all the needs of the Black family or take part in the sacred 28 meetings. Since Sirius left home back in 6th year, his grandfather and father had been training Regulus to be the heir, moving him up the line of succession for the Black’s fortune from 4th to 3rd overnight. In a short span of a few months, he was moved up again to 1st in line in everything but name. Pollux's health was going downhill fast due to his advanced age, while Orion was suffering from a mysterious illness of some kind. The healers at Mungo’s were unable to detect anything wrong.

At the time Sirius left home, Regulus had only been fourteen years old, taking the heavy burden from his brother, Sirius. If he had no remorse like Sirius, Regulus could have followed along and left as well but he had people to think of. Regulus couldn’t leave Cissy to fend for herself. Pureblood witches belonged as property of the household.

By the time Regulus reached a point where he could take more of a role as the head of the family, Narcissa had already been married off. If he had abandoned his family like his brother, it would be impossible to be near Cissy let alone be a part of her life as a blood traitor. Who would look out for the family’s best interests if he left it to Orion and Pollux? One brother had to stay behind to lead the family.

If Sirius thought he was courageous for going against the family. His bravery came in the form of self sacrifice. Regulus paid the price for Sirius' freedom with his own, for that was his true duty as the spare, to replace the heir if it came to it. That was what he was born and raised to do. Give up his life for the continuation of the family bloodline but what motivated Regulus more was to protect the vulnerable of his household. He had once been ignored like them as the former spare. Tossed aside until now. Before he had accepted his life of living in the shadows of Sirius for he was only a replacement until Sirius had male heirs of his own.

Things did not pan out that way. The dynamics of the family had changed the day his brother had left. Regulus wasn’t a coward for staying behind like Sirius often judged him for. He was sacrificing his happiness and freedom to ensure Cissy was safe. That was his bravery.

For a long time Regulus couldn’t forgive Sirius for being so reckless and leaving his only blood brother for another, James. His “real” brother Sirius liked to mock Regulus. He had put strangers above his blood. Regulus could only hope that it had been worth it for Sirius as Regulus would never allow his brother to come back into the family for the damage he had done to their household. It had cost him and his two cousins too much.

This wasn’t the life Regulus imagined for himself, now nineteen. He was only fifteen when he made the decision to leave Hogwarts behind for his time was better spent outside of school. It seemed pointless to sit in class with war on the horizon. While many of his peers including his brother saw these actions as confirmation he was walking the path of a Death Eater, that couldn’t be far from the truth. In reality, Regulus left school to take his place in what was left of the family, Narcissa and Bellatrix. What also pushed him to quit his studies was the day Pollux had announced Narcissa’s marriage with Lucius.

From that moment on he would follow her. Standby as support, waiting until she wanted his help or he needed to interfere with her disastrous marriage with her husband. As a young Pureblood witch, there weren't many available paths Cissy could take for her future. Like many who came before her, it was expected that she would leave school to fulfill her wifely duties with the Malfoy heir. Bare his children. Further Lucius’ bloodline. Cater to his needs. Keep his bed warm. Be ready to satisfy him when Lucius wanted. Always be available and never say no but that life was not worthy of Cissy. She was more than that to Regulus.

Just the very thought of leaving Narcissa to fend for herself wasn’t an option to Regulus. From the moment Regulus met Lucius, he knew what type of man he was. He had witnessed it first hand. The Malfoy heir was a man who viewed women as expendable. Regulus had attended many Pureblood Gentlemen clubs, where only male Purebloods were allowed to come. He was not amused with what he saw.

It was then, Regulus vowed to stay at Narcissa’s side. Never leave her alone with a man like Lucius. Lucius was widely known among the Sacred 28 to take a new woman nightly, sleeping his way among wizarding society and the red light district. He had the income to buy women and be welcomed into their beds.

Due to his social status and power, Lucius was unfortunately desired by the women in their social circle, even those of his colleagues. Little did the men at the gentleman’s club know that Lucius had had their wives for a night of pleasure. Some even forced their wives to sleep with the man, knowing the power he had in the ministry. All in the name of furthering their careers. Women were just a toy to Lucius. It infuriated Regulus that Narcissa would be sharing Lucius with all of Pureblood society. While Regulus wanted more than what his duties could give him, he would content himself with following Cissy. He would do anything in the limits of his power to keep her safe.

While Regulus was sitting at his desk, a knock appeared at the office door. The person he had been waiting for finally arrived. “Come in,” ordered the heir as he set down his pen. It was Bellatrix who had come to meet with the head of the Black family as he requested of her. As much as Bellatrix hated to be ordered by her little cousin, who was significantly younger than her, he was a reasonable individual. He wouldn’t have asked her to come if it wasn’t essential. The young wizard always seemed to be considerate of others feelings, well known to be courteous. Yet, he was blunt if he had something to say, which still caught Bellatrix off guard at times. It was a contrast to his polite demeanor.

She often wondered if his tactful diplomatic manner allowed him to get away with the harsh truth he said out loud to the people around him. After a day of missions, Bellatrix had willingly come to his office to hear what Regulus had to say. Plotting down on the chair, the witch leaned back before placing both feets on the desk. She picked at her nails as Regulus muttered a cleaning spell on the dirt that had fallen onto his desk.

As Bellatrix got comfortable in her seat, she took note of Regulus putting a silencing spell on the room. Her eyebrows went up more curiously than ever. The witch sat up straight. Suddenly more interested in the last minute meeting with Regulus. “Whatever her little cousin had to say it must be serious if he can’t risk his own mother listening in,” Bellatrix thought to herself.

Only after the room was charmed with a silencio spell, did Regulus turn around to address Bellatrix. With the utmost serious expression, he folded his arms, staring into her gray eyes. The eyes of a Black. The awkward silence hung in the air as Regulus searched for the right words. He wanted to approach the topic in his mind with care. If the wrong people found out, it could put Cissy in danger.

As Regulus struggled to speak, it raised the alarm bells for the witch even more than they already were. Bellatrix could see her little cousin swallow nervously as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead. Although he was mature beyond his years, this image of an anxious Regulus reminded her of how truly young he was. He hid his nerves well, but it was there. Regulus was a boy on the brink of manhood. An awkward teenager.

With a scowl on her face, her annoyance grew. She had finished her mission early yet she couldn’t go home until Regulus would just spit out what this was about. “What did he want?,” the witch wondered to herself. She had enough of it. Not knowing how to handle the abrupt meeting, Bellatrix did what came naturally to her. She lashed out. Annoyed at her baby cousin for his dramatics, Bellatrix barked with thunder in her voice, “YOUR TESTING MY PATIENCE. I know I’m not here to keep you company. Whatever you have to say, SAY IT! It must be important if you can't have my dear auntie listen in,” commanding the room’s attention.

The heir gave a soft chuckle at Bellatrix's firecracker personality. He didn’t expect anything less than that. Bella was harsh to almost everyone around her but you couldn’t deny she wasn’t protective of those she cared about. She had always been a force to be reckoned with from the time they were all children.

It was for this reason, Regulus needed her more now than ever. He only trusted her with Cissy. Narcissa was one of the few that Bellatrix had allowed to see past her walls that she placed around her. They were close as sisters and even more so after the eldest left the family for a muggleborn. As head of the Black family, Regulus had accepted he didn’t have full control of her. The young wizard never tried to control her though as he respected her too much to try. He had seen his own grandfather and father try but failed to reel her in.

The prior heads of the household married her off, yet it was undeniable that Bellatrix, as a woman, ran the House of LeStrange. She had silently infiltrated her husband’s house as her own despite only being seen as property in the laws of magic. They had failed to see how much of an asset Bella was in her magic abilities and cleverness to hold power in a patriarchal society. The Black family needed someone like Bellatrix to modernize the household. He needed her, as an ally and as an advisor.

Without her, Regulus was alone in the Black household. Everyone in his generation had been married off or left. The burden to continue the Black family magic was getting heavy. They were quickly becoming isolated among the Purebloods from their strict hold on the old ways of magic. The growing unfamiliarity with their other peers was causing tension. A tension that could lead to the Blacks being surrounded by enemies on all sides. Their traditions were a double edged sword that kept them strong but did not allow the chance to explore the absolute limits of their power.

Regulus sighed, thinking to himself, “It was now or never”. He stared back at her with the most serious expression Bellatrix had ever seen. Deciding there was no easy way to drop this bomb, Regulus, in a stone-like face, asked, “Cissy and I want to create a child together with our family’s magic. Will you help us?”. The witch before him blinked, taking in what he had said as if she hadn’t processed it. Fearing Bella would turn him down, Regulus went on, “Otherwise I’ll wipe your memory and find someone else”.

Bellatrix scoffed, almost wanting to laugh out loud. “Who else would he find?,” she thought. Besides him, Bellatrix was the only other that was proficient in their family’s magic. Only the Blacks had the knowledge of blood magic. When Bella saw Regulus was serious in his request, she went red in fury. Removing her feet from his desk to get a more stable posture, she exclaimed, “You're serious, aren’t you? You're more of a fool than Sirius was”.

It was Regulus' turn to scoff as he tilted his head in judgement. Bellatrix’s comparison of him to Sirius was something he would not tolerate. It was an insult. Everything he did was for the family. Over her jest, he didn’t have time for this. Cissy and him were running out of time. More accurately Cissy was. Regulus needed an answer immediately to start planning or find another way. Through his teeth, he explained, “Bellatrix, I don’t joke around. I left the humor to Sirius years ago. But yes, I’m very serious. Cissy wants a child of our family line”.

Standing straighter in her seat, Bellatrix asked as she gasped, “Do you really think you can get away with this? What do you think will happen to Narcissa if this gets out? Lucius will not take kindly to this. He’ll demand your head if you laid a single finger on my sister”.

Narcissa still had not given Lucius the heir he so desired. They shouldn’t be having this conversation until a Malfoy heir was conceived. After the Malfoy child was born and Narcissa was free from her burden as a woman, it was still an outlandish idea that could end the Blacks and Narcissa. The price of another man touching a wizard’s wife and property was paid through their life. It was rare for Purebloods to go that far today but it had been common in the old ways of magic. The Blacks were in an unstable position among the sacred 28 with their scandals over the past few years.

On top of that, Lucius was a prideful man. He was the type of man that would bring this archaic law back just to spite the Black family. Her cousin and sister could not in any way have a child in this lifetime. That child of Regulus would only suffer in that household led by Lucius, if one came to be. He would be considered a bastard, treated differently compared to the Malfoy heir. Worse of all, it was giving Lucius access to the Black’s family magic. The moment that child was born under that house, it would belong to the Malfoys, not them. Blood magic was highly protected in their family from going into the wrong hands. Bellatrix was in utter disbelief that Regulus had asked this of her.

“Will you help us or not?” Regulus urgently asked again, leaning closer to her.

Staring out the window, Bellatrix folded her arms as the witch spoke, “Don’t use that poor excuse of creating a child of our bloodline with me. I see right through your deception. YOU just want to see my sister heavy with your child”.

The heir saw Bellatrix was a person who he needed to be direct with. Instead of trying to hide his intentions and feelings for Cissy like she expected him too, Regulus would give her the truth. “And what of it?,” he spat out as he stared her down. He would not relent. The atmosphere around the two was heavy as neither wanted to give into their battle for dominance over this exchange. Regulus was unsure how much time passed but he won. As she sighed and glanced away, he continued, “Is it wrong to want a child with someone you love?”. Bellatrix stayed silent this time taking in his words, annoyed more than ever. When Regulus saw she wasn’t going to respond back, he pushed for an answer, “If you care for her, you would help us”.

To his surprise, Bellatrix didn’t snap at him like he expected her too. Just like he surprised her, she in turn did too. Instead, she gave a sympathetic look at him for his and her sister’s situation. In a mixture of sorrow and irritation, she replied, “I’ve always known what’s gone on between you two. I know she spent more nights in your bed and never once in Lucius’ so don’t ever question my love for my sister again. I’ve helped you two sneak around more than you realize. I’ve been keeping Lucius busy with missions while you keep Narcissa satisfied, as you should be doing. What good is a man, if he can’t make his woman come? It’s the only thing they're good for and yet most men fail at that”. Regulus’ eyes widened but quickly narrowed, as this time he was silenced by the witch. He stayed quiet, wondering where she was going with her confession.

“Do you think I didn’t notice how you apparated into her room on her wedding night, once our mothers confirmed the marriage was consummated and Lucius left to be with one of his many whores? I was there with all the mothers, to confirm Cissy was no longer pure. I helped hide your magical signature so you two can spend her wedding night together afterwards. I gave her the elixir to ensure she didn’t come to be with your child the next day. Your bond with Cissy is why you left school. You followed her,” Bellatrix told him.

With a calmness he had never seen from her, Bellatrix reached out to hold his hand in hers as she said in a soft tone, the bearer of bad news, “Carry on with your relationship behind closed doors. Accept that Narcissa will have Lucius’ children and love my sister in the shadows. That was her and your plan, wasn’t it? Lucius will only be her husband in name but her heart will always belong to you. Conceiving a child from this affair, will only put a target on your and Cissy’s back. This is foolish. You’re smarter than this. Your cock and emotions are getting the better of you like so many men around us. Overcome it. Don’t be one of the many men that fail to control their urges. Be better. What do you hope to achieve from this?”.

Regulus grew in anger as the vein on his neck popped out. Those soft eyes Narcissa loved turned rageful like Orion and Walburga’s iron fist, showing he was more like his parents than he wanted to admit. However, instead of impulsively snapping at the opposite party like his parents did so many times. Regulus stayed quiet, trying to find his words as Bellatrix waited in quietness.

She squeezed his hand to bring him back to the present. Her usual fire that many have been burned from was gone for him only. Regulus will never know what it was like to be in her wrath, she had decided long ago. Whether it was pity or not, Bellatrix did not know but she acknowledged the difficult path her cousin was on with being the new face of the Black family. He had inherited a dying bloodline. He didn’t need any more grief.

Despite her efforts, no matter how hard Regulus attempted, he couldn’t calm down. The young man was filled with anger for Narcissa, for himself, and for the duty that has been placed on them. “Release it, brother,” Bella whispered, giving Regulus the space to unleash everything that he had been forced to carry on behalf of the whole family.

With her other free hand, she, who was like an older sister to him, caressed his cheek as Regulus trembled from fury at their situation. Bellatrix had given him permission to show what was eating him alive. Life was so unfair for the trio. This time Regulus was not going to push aside his feelings. He wasn’t going to be mindful of others. Instead, the young wizard was going to fully express himself and everyone else can be damned. Regulus was done trying to please their parents and the sacred 28.

Since the day Sirius left the family all those years ago, Regulus was forced to carry a responsibility that did not belong to him. He clenched his eyes, infuriated as he complained to Bella, still holding her hand as a raft, “The thought of Narcissa carrying another man’s child, angers me. It makes my blood boil. It should be me. His life with my Cissy should be mine. Is that what you want to hear?”.

Bellatrix peered at Reggie, who appeared his young age now. He was still very much a teenager in her eyes much like her baby sister or should have been. Instead of enjoying his youth, he had grown up fast the last couple of years. The broken appearance of his facade reminded her that her little cousin had been through a lot. It had blindsided the family when Sirius ran away, finding a new family to be with.

Any other person would have crumbled under the pressure that Regulus was in when he was named heir at the young age of fourteen. A role he had never been prepared for. As a boy, he was so quiet and soft back then. Still was, when one knew where to look. Even with his inexperience in life, he proved himself to Bellatrix when he made the shocking decision to leave Hogwarts the following year to fulfill his duty.

It was the only reason she chose to listen to Regulus, the future head of their family. He stepped up and picked up the torch dropped by Sirius. Unlike many previous male heirs, Regulus was trying to change the family for the betterment of everyone. He actively tried to fix the mistakes of the older generation as best as he could, taking his role seriously. She, who was also involved with Voldemort and Death Eater missions, could see the sacrifices and the pain he was enduring. He had grown to be a fine man. An honest one. More than most of the men Bellatrix knew in her life. Any other would have moved on with another woman and stayed between their legs, but Reggie had never strayed from Narcissa once. His heart still belonged to Cissy.

Regulus continued to address Bellatrix but this time with helplessness. There was a desperation yet determination Bellatrix could hear in the tone of his voice. “Yes, I’m in love with your sister. My cousin, who I have grown to love not only as my sister but as a woman. I wish that it was me that married her but our family’s circumstances didn’t allow it. Call me a selfish bastard. That is what I am, but know this. I will never leave her to suffer alone with Lucius. We’ll suffer together. And if something were to happen to me during my missions, I want to leave her with a part of me. Will you help us or not?”.

Letting go of his hand, Bellatrix crossed her arms. Her will was wavering as a part of her wanted to help him despite the consequences. “If Lucius ever finds out, the Malfoys would not take our trickery lying down. She will suffer the brunt of it. I can’t do that to Cissy”. Still not fully on board, Bellatrix shook her head but her face scrunched in confusion.

Closing the distance between them, Regulus stood up from his chair to sit next to her, catching Bellatrix's attention again. He moved his head to be in the way of Bellatrix’s view, not letting her glance away. “Don’t you realize she’s already in danger? It's been four years and yet there is no Malfoy baby. What do you think will happen if she continues to fail to give Lucius his heir? Tell me Bella? Will Lucius be kind enough to allow her to live? The only way to end a Pureblood marriage is by death. You know that. Her murder will be hidden as an accident as past Malfoy ladies before her. Even if she is allowed to live, Cissy will be ostracized by our peers, becoming the laughing stock once Lucius tries to get an heir with another woman. And if by some miracle he does manage to get a bastard, she would be forced to raise it as her own. She will be humiliated. Narcissa is the best of us. And you know it. She deserves better”.

Bellatrix shook her head to deny this, trying to ease Regulus' worries for Narcissa. She knew he was right at a certain level but what good would it do to feed into his fears. “We can help her if it comes to that. Blacks protect their own,” she lied more to herself than him.

Interrupting her, Regulus protested immediately, “You know that’s not true. If it was, why haven’t you come back to live with us now that I’m the head of the household. Just as you belong to the LeStranges, Cissy is no longer a Black. By law, she belongs to the Malfoys now. Her fate is in their hands. There’s very little we can do to protect her. That vile beast has already blamed my Cissy for their struggle to conceive when he’s the reason for it. I refused to stand aside and watch her suffer any longer, month after month. You don’t know what it's like to hold her as she cries from the loss of another baby that should be mine”.

His cousin before him tried to put distance between them but Regulus insisted, confessing, “I’ll only say this once and never again after we succeed; I’ll gladly put my child inside of her. For her safety. And because I’m in love with your sister”.

Angry at what Regulus had told her, Bellatrix kicked the desk before her for it was nothing but the truth. The witch even glared at him for reminding her how she was stuck with the LeStranges. Bellatrix couldn’t leave even if she wanted to. Like Narcissa, Bellatrix was burdened every night as her husband, Rodolphus LeStrange, tried to put an heir in her. Her in- laws were making remarks at her “empty womb” at every opportunity given but little did they know Bellatrix was taking precautions to prevent a pregnancy.

Finally, Bellatrix sat back as she spoke again, “There's one flaw in your plan, little brother. Every Malfoy that has come to existence has had white blond hair. Our genes are strong, as well. There’s a chance that child will come out with our trademark black curls. Narcissa has blond hair but with you, that child has no chance to come out to be blond like her. Once Lucius sees the baby does not have his family’s signature straight white locks, he’ll want to do a paternity spell. He’ll find out what we did. Your beloved Cissy will be gone before we can do anything. We’re both away more often than not with the Dark Lord’s missions”.

He smirked, knowing he got her. With excitement, he sat at the edge of his seat, now holding her hand as he explained, “I’ve found a spell, deep in our family library, an ancient blood ritual, that will help Narcissa. The Blacks have long been gifted in blood magic since the beginning of when magic emerged in our world, keeping our family gifts to ourselves. We hold that knowledge for our eyes only. The most the average paternity spell will reveal is whose family lineage runs through my son’s veins. It will only tell Lucius that Malfoy and Black blood is in that child, not that an abnormal amount of Black blood is in my and Cissy’s baby. He will think nothing of it once the test confirms it’s technically his child, as Narcissa is of our family”.

Her eyes widened in amazement. Regulus really was the future of the Black family. Stunned, the witch went to grab Regulus by his chin. “Explain. How can it be both your and Lucius’ son? If I am to help you, you need to tell me everything. I will be in danger too if it is discovered that I had a role in this. Don't leave anything out, Reggie. I value my life”.

Regulus waved away her hand, explaining the genius of his plan. “There’s a forgotten and ancient blood ritual. Very few in our family have performed the spell. It was to legitimize bastards and bring them into the family line officially. This ritual will give Narcissa’s child three parents. Our baby will be conceived by her, Lucius, and I. We need Lucius’ seed to take root in Narcissa’s womb once again so the baby will have a body created by them both. The moment we confirm her pregnancy, the ritual will need to be done before the 6th week, so that my blood will help sustain her child to birth since Lucius’ seed is too weak to produce life. My blood will run through Cissy’s baby, becoming mine as well, filling in the gaps of creation where Lucius’ seed fails”.

Regulus had done it again, making her speechless. Still having some doubts, the witch glared at him. It was undeniably dangerous. The Black family could lose Regulus if it were to be discovered. They couldn’t afford to lose another heir, especially one like him. Seeing her hesitation, he begged, bringing Bellatrix back to when they were children, “Please help me. I need you... One cannot succeed in their endeavors if they never take a risk. The consequences are high but it’s worth taking a chance”.

To her, the ritual was too good to be true. She bit her nails nervously for the first time since she entered this office. Bellatrix was inside her thoughts, laying out all the possible downsides. This behavior steaming off of Bellatrix encouraged Regulus more. It was his sign that this was the correct path for them all. His cousin wasn’t rejecting him but instead wholeheartedly considering it. Bella needed one more push and the heir knew the right thing to say to sway her.

“I thought out of all people, you would help us”.

There was a knowing expression in Regulus that caused Bellatrix to turn to him in cautious interest. He knew. Did he? Trying to deny anything he might know, Bellatrix asked with her hand folded again, “Why would you say that?”.

With a blank face, Regulus carefully revealed, “I know, Bellatrix. With our grandfather and my father bedridden most days than not, I have officially become the head of the Black family, in all but name. Our grandfather has told me everything there is to know about our family and our secrets, even yours that you thought were well hidden. I know about him. I was in the room when grandfather decided your fate”.

Bellatrix uttered with a stammer, “I don’t… I don’t know what you speak of”.

Regulus went to grab Bellatrix’s palms once again, using his thumb to sooth her nerves from her deepest darkest secret. A secret she did not allow herself to dwell in. “As the head of the family, I want to protect what is left us. There’s nothing I can do for Sirius and Andromeda anymore. They’re blood traitors but I can keep you and Cissy safe. Our generation has been failed by our parents for far too long. They’ve put us in a precarious situation. I will not allow us to be put in danger by them any longer. Bound by our duty, our future has been decided by our fathers, whose ears have been filled by the whispers of those who wish harm upon us. Our peers have gotten cocky, Bellatrix. We’ve been looked down upon one too many times. Some think they're better than us while others wait for the chance to get our genetics into their family line. They want to steal our family’s magic as their own. It’s why we still had offers of marriage even after what Sirius and Andromeda did. The rest think they can use us but they’re all wrong. I’ll make it so that our enemies wish they’ve never met us”.

The witch allowed his words to sink. She couldn’t help but to wonder if it was Reggie’s doing that Grandfather Pollux and her father Cygnus had stopped pressuring her to conceive a child. They had long wanted her to stop running alongside Voldemort and his followers. While she didn’t believe in the Dark Lord’s cause, her initial reason to join was to gain power in her future and as a woman to reject the norms she was expected to follow. There was more she wanted out of life than to be a housewife and birth children that by law wouldn’t belong to her. She ran along Death eaters to prove to everyone around her that nothing could hold her back. Not a single man.

She believed in the power of Voldemort more after what happened to her. That night of the fire.

Her grandfather and father had especially wanted her to stop following Voldemort after Regulus was forced to take the mark. They used the excuse that he now was the representative of the Blacks while her husband was his family’s. There was no need for her to continue. It was time for her to start a family, which is what they used to nag her. While she had always been vocal that she never wanted to be a mother to her sisters and brothers, Bellatrix was running out of excuses to give. She slowly glanced up to stare at Regulus. It was then, Regulus nodded while his eyes confirmed what she thought at the moment. He was fighting for her wishes as best as he could.

With Regulus willing to side with her on her arguments with her father, Bellatrix decided to help him and Narcissa. It was that confirmation that she knew he would listen to her desires for her future, if she were to ever go to him. Reggie would take her more seriously than the other males in the family ever did. The fact he is coming to her for help showed Bellatrix how much he, as a wizard, respected her, as a fellow magic caster. This was all she had ever wanted. To be respected as a witch.

There was no doubt in her mind after this meeting that the young boy before her would grow to be a fine gentleman. Very few had acknowledged her talents and skills in magic but he did with this request. The family would finally be in good hands the day he can officially take the title as head of household.

Pushing away her emotions that threaten to take over, Bellatrix clapped her hands together as if she was the one doing a favor for Regulus. “Fine, I’ll do it. Only because I do like the idea of pulling the rug out from under Lucius. He has made my little sister suffer too many times. Lucius thinks just because he has the Dark Lord’s ear that he’s a greater wizard than me. He’s mistaken. Lucky for you, I’ve been waiting patiently for the day to strike him down. It seems an opportunity has come to me today”.

The witch stood up to walk towards the door, but before she could turn the doorknob, Regulus called out for her. “Bella”. As Bellatirx turned to see what he wanted, Regulus with a look of appreciation said, “Thank you for everything”.

At a loss, the witch didn’t know how to take his words. No one has ever thanked her, especially the men around her. “For what?” Bellatrix asked.

“Thank you for helping us to be together all this time….. it’s more than I deserve when I couldn’t do anything to help you. I was only able to stand by”.

It was these words that made her heart weary. Words she desperately wanted to hear from her father instead but would never hear. Regulus truly was too kind for the world, apologizing on behalf of their fathers’ shortcomings. Hearing what her little cousin said, Bellatrix peered down as she gave a soft chuckle. She remembered what had happened to her.

It would be so easy to tell her Reggie, who she saw as a brother, to shut up. It hadn’t been his fault that he couldn’t do anything for her. He had only been fifteen when the accident occurred. At the time, he was still partially attending school on and off. The responsibility laid on Pollux, who overpowered Orion. Their grandfather had made the final decision. Reggie didn’t need to feel guilt for what had happened. The fact he even felt the need to blame himself for standing by, proved to Bellatrix she needed to help him. Help him lead the family. Regulus was the heir the family never expected but needed.

Instead of acknowledging the incident, she turned a blind eye to her past, “I don’t know what you're talking about,” before shutting the door behind her.

~

“Lucius is going to be gone for two weeks,” Bellatrix smirked as she walked into the attic of their family home before she went on, “I suggested to the Dark Lord to send the mule to do a tour overseas with the excuse we needed more support internationally. We got more than enough time for the ceremony”. There was an underlying excitement for the witch at the thought of doing this ritual. A ritual that hadn’t been done in their family for centuries. She’ll be the first to do it.

“You're late,” Regulus said absentmindedly as he was still in the middle of preparations. Ignoring her little cousin, Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at him as she saw nothing wrong with her tardiness. After all, Bellatrix was doing Reggie a favor in lending him the pleasure of her presence. The least the heir could do was complete all the preparations. She neither wanted Cissy nor her to lift a finger.

She looked at the scene before her to see Regulus finishing some last touches on the ritual. There was a book on the floor with what appeared to be directions of what she needed to do. A book with everything there was to know about blood magic. Bellatrix kneeled down to skim over it. Her brows furrowed, it seemed intense but she had confidence in herself to succeed. The young witch wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Cissy or Reggie.

It surprised Bellatrix that he had the family’s book laying out. She picked it up, expecting Regulus to protest but his back was fully turned to her. He didn’t care if she did. No. More accurately, Regulus trusted her and all those in the room with its secrets. She studied its contents, taking in what very few of her ancestors had been allowed to see. The book appeared old with its yellow pages but it was still taken care of as it was the Black family’s closely guarded item.

Only a select few or those in line to inherit the house were trusted with the book of spells as it contained all of the family’s blood magic practices that weren't available to the masses. If the book was ever lost, it would be a great tragedy for not only the Blacks but the wider wizarding world. Many of the spells that had been learned and gained since the emergence of magic would be gone, setting back the pioneers of potioneers and spell creators, who studied blood magic long ago. The family’s hold on blood magic was what gave them power and wealth. They had centuries of traditions and knowledge behind them. It forced the magical community to go to them for help and potions for their issues as blood magic was thought to be the strongest of the branches of magic.

Finally standing up, Bellatrix turned her attention to the rest of the room. There was a drawn star pentagram on the attic floor written with Phoenix's blood. The ritual had to be performed in Phoenix’s blood due to the magical bird’s enhanced magical properties of rebirth after death. If the three of them were to save the unborn fetus inside Narcissa, they would need the magic from the bird to give new life to the child that Regulus and Narcissa would create, preventing a fate of death. There was also a time restraint that caused this ritual to be difficult to complete for the wizard. It was a small time frame of exactly the sixth week of pregnancy. That week was the start of a beating heart, according to the book and was the only chance to conceive a child made from three parents.

When Bellatrix turned to the couple, she scrunched her nose in disgust. They were in the middle of painting runes on each other nudes bodies with a mysterious black liquid. The texture of the liquid made Bellatrix nauseated. The mysterious goop had a smoke to it while it sizzled inside the cup that Regulus was holding. With a face of repulsion, the witch asked, “What the bloody hell is in that horrid thing?,” as she pointed to it. She stepped back, not wanting to be anywhere near it.

With a tone of indifference, Regulus replied, not even looking up as he wrote the last runes on Narcissa's bare body, “It’s a mixture of Dragon's blood and my seed. Dragon’s blood, unlike all living creatures, is naturally black, due to the high temperature of their bodies. It’s also why the blood is always smoking even as it cools down but the most important part of all this is the blood must be taken from a pregnant female dragon, right before they are ready to lay their eggs. This concoction will strengthen my and Cissy’s child as dragons are resilient”.

Bellatrix saw that indeed he was correct as there was slight smoke coming from the runes drawn on their bodies, but she spat out, “I asked what it was. Not a potions lesson”.

Dragon’s blood in general was hard to obtain, often costing a fortune. One would have had to travel to Romania, the land of dragons, to purchase it. Even then, the country had strict regulations for the protection of the species. Bellatrix wondered how much this specific type of Dragon’s blood had cost Regulus. The couple before her were both covered from head to toe in symbols Bellatrix had never laid her eyes on. She had never paid attention to ancient runes class as a girl. The sudden realization of what the blood was mixed with caused Bella to make a face while eyeing Narcissa. She couldn’t help but judge her sister as the pair were technically they were both covered in Reggie's seed.

Still not glancing at Bellatrix, Regulus could sense her facial expressions on the back of his skull as he replied, “Don’t make that face. You act like you've never bedded a man before. I’m certain that monstrous thing you call a husband has missed and spilled on you on many of his drunken nights. If the man can barely follow along a string of sentences let alone an intellectual discussion, I’m willing to bet he has difficulty finding where to put his cock inside you even with directions”. Without missing a beat, Narcissa giggled as she attempted to cover her smile with her hand. Regulus peered at her, admiring her laugh, before placing a light kiss on Cissy’s lips.

Pretending to vomit from the scene before her, Bellatrix said, squeezing out any dignity LeStrange may have had left, “Please don’t speak of that man when I’m around. It’s so troublesome that I even have to act satisfied in bed. Three thrusts and the man is out cold. What a weakling”.

It was Regulus’ turn to be amused as he playfully teased his older cousin, “That’s not what he tells everyone at the Gentlemen’s club. He’s convinced us all he’s a stallion”.

Astounded, Bellatrix huffed as she narrowed her eyes at Reggie, “Ha! That can’t be further than the truth. Of course, the smallest man I've ever seen would say that”. Just the joke alone gave her the urge to strangle her husband in his sleep but he was away more days than not. “There there, sister. If Merlin looks fondly upon you, the war may kill him for you. A dream come true, a widow with a large fortune, you’ll become,” Narcissa hoped as she tried to calm her down. Cissy had a distant look in her eye while she sighed as the thought of her own husband dying seemed pleasant as well.

Ignoring the two witches, Regulus walked over to his bag in the far end of the room. As he grabbed a sleeping draught potion, Regulus returned to Narcissa, handing it over to her. With nerves suddenly trickling in, Narcissa squeezed the bottle in her hand, praying everything would turn out fine. This child inside of her had to take hold in her womb. If it didn’t, she didn’t know what she would do. The young witch didn’t think she could take the pain if she miscarried or Lucius’ reaction. Each time she lost a baby, Lucius gave her no time to recover before bedding her for an heir. Narcissa hated every single touch by that hand but she feared him more.

With every passing month with no news of a pregnancy, he grew more agitated. As if Regulus sensed her anxiety, he used his other hand to softly lift her chin up, getting a better look of her gray eyes that he adored. Tilting her head, he rubbed his nose against her cheek to ease her worries. Although she claimed to be excited to finally be able to have his child, Regulus could see the nervousness written on her expression. Her tense body eased as he kissed those lips of hers, not caring that Bellatrix was rolling her eyes at them.

Let her watch with envy, he thought as explained, “My Cissy, it’s time to take the potion. It will put you to sleep immediately, but I promise you won’t feel any pain once you're under. I made it myself”.

Popping open the bottle, Narcissa went to brush back his black curly hair just as he liked before lifting the potion in the air, “To us, Reggie and our awaited child”. Bellatrix, still hanging out in the background, pretended to gag at the scene. She broke the intimacy between the young couple as she judged them, “I don’t know why you hold babies in such high regard. They’re parasites that suck the life out of your youth. I gladly kill mine every month. It’s easy, you just insert your wand inside and begin to scramble the nuisance like eggs—”.

Regulus suddenly snapped his head, offended at the statement that she made to the group. How could she make such remarks in front of him? Displeased, he scowled, “Lies! Don’t insult my skills and talent. Those elixirs you’ve been stealing from the brewing room are of my personal batch. Your womb is as inhabitable as the Sahara desert. You're welcome for that”.

He scoffed, whispering to himself, “Pregnant my ass”.

Pretending to care, Bellatrix gasped, grabbing her chest dramatically, “Me? Steal from your personal batch? Now, who’s the liar? I don't steal. I take things that are mine to take so be a good little brother and keep making more for me. I have no interest in procreating a spawn of lesser quality with the little man I call a husband”.

“That’s enough between you two. We mustn’t waste anymore time. We only have tonight’s full moon to do the ritual”. Narcissa, holding her hands tightly together with the potion in hand, sighed in contentment as she visualized their child, “I can already see my little Reggie being cradled inside my arms. Do you think our boy will have our eyes?”.

With a small smile, Regulus tilted his head to the side, “How do you know it’s going to be a boy? It could be a girl, you know”. “It has to be a boy. I want to name him Draco Regulus Malfoy. Draco is the name you picked out years ago for us, after your favorite star constellation”. Tossing her head back, Bellatrix gave a hearty laugh as Regulus warned Cissy with sadness in his expression, “You can’t name the baby Regulus. Not even as a middle name. Lucius will suspect us if you do. It will only bring unnecessary attention to us”. As Bellatrix came down from her laugh, she noted the dejected look in Narcissa.

With sympathy, Bellatrix agreed while trying to lighten the mood with some teasing, “He’s right, little sister. You'll have to name the child after Lucius. An unoriginal name of a narcissistic man. His pride will force your hand to sign the certificate as Lucius Malfoy Jr”. When Narcissa stayed quiet with a gloomy look, Bellatrix sighed, hating to see her little sister this way, “If it comes down to it, I’ll start whispering how great the name Draco is for my future child that will never happen. Lucy has a habit of stealing everything that is mine. We’ll trick the bastard into using the name,” bringing out a grin out of Narcissa. Feeling slightly better, the young witch downed the potion as she sat in the pentagram on the wooden floor.

As Narcissa started to feel drowsy, she laid down in the middle of the circle. Waiting until she was out cold, Regulus walked over to her body, checking if indeed she was asleep. Narcissa didn’t know this but Regulus had changed the formula to strengthen it more than normal. He didn't like lying to her but if she knew the truth of what was about to happen during the ritual, she would abandon their plan and accept the consequences of not being able to provide an heir for Lucius. He knew her well enough to know she would accept her death. Regulus couldn’t have that. He needed Narcissa to live years beyond him. The thought of leaving her alone was worse than death itself. His death was unavoidable that he had come to terms with.

Regulus had worked for the Dark Lord as a supporter that helped gain allies for their cause. It was his way of avoiding the battlefield. However, he was quickly running out of excuses not to join many of his Death Eater colleagues on missions and terrorism. Even Bellatrix’s hands were tied and couldn’t prolong his participation. Not wanting Narcissa to worry, Regulus reasoned this was for the best in case things went wrong. He didn’t know how his death would come but he felt it coming. The wizard had been looking too much into Voldemort. It was inevitable that he would get caught by the man.

Turning to his cousin, Regulus spoke, “Bellatrix, I have something to tell you. Something I left out”. He slowly went to sit next to Narcissa, laying next to his witch.

In disbelief at this sudden confession, the witch glared at him, not liking where this was going. “What did you have me sign up for? I don’t like being tricked or made a fool”. Regulus focused on the ceiling above him as he shook his head, “I didn’t leave anything out. At least not intentionally for you. If Cissy knew the risks of the ritual, she would have never agreed”.

Crossing her arms in front of her, her eyebrows went up in curiosity, “Go on. What’s going to happen to you? The only reason she would reject this is if you had to get hurt for it to happen”. Bellatrix’s heels clicked on the floor as she walked up to him.

Towering over him, the witch stood over Regulus, forcing him to look at her. He took a deep breath as he explained, “There’s a tiny probability I won’t make it out alive in this blood ceremony. That’s why I needed to put her to sleep to prevent her from saving me. There's going to be a lot of pain involved. A small fraction of our ancestors have passed away from doing this. It’s the reason why this blood ritual has been shelved away in our library. I also admittedly don’t know what exactly will happen to me. This is where I need your help. Once the ritual is complete, I’ll be close to death. I need you to force me to drink a blood replenishment potion”. He pointed to his bag that contained the potion.

Annoyed at this revelation, Bellatrix replied, “Forget about everything. I don’t want a hand in your death. Wake my sister up”.

“Bella!” Regulus shouted, forcing the witch to look at him. He had never yelled at her before. If he wasn’t the head of household, she would have pulled his ears for the disrespect, but Bellatrix saw the same desperate look again. She stayed quiet to listen to the rest of what he had to say. “I came to you because I trust you. No one else can do this. Only a witch of high skill can finish the ritual. That’s you. I need someone who isn't going to quit mid way on me. Once the ceremony begins, it is essential that we don’t stop. I’ll die, if it’s paused midway. No matter how much I scream for mercy, don’t listen to me. Don’t stop. Even if you see me go right before your very eyes, I need you to continue the ritual no matter what”.

Hearing this, Bellatrix didn’t know what to say. She chewed on her lips as she took a step back. She needed some distance from his unwavering glance that pleaded with her. Bellatrix stared at Regulus so hard that she could have burrowed a hole into his skull, but she finally moved as she nodded, making Regulus relieved. He hadn’t known he was holding his breath the entire time as he waited for her answer. “Hand me that book,” Bellatrix ordered. When she grabbed the book, she asked a question that had been bothering her since the day they had met in the office. “What if we do everything right and it still doesn’t work? What then?”.

“That won’t happen. If we fail that means it was Cissy that was the infertile, but it’s not her. It’s him. It will work. I know it”.

With no hesitation, Regulus grabbed a knife to cut his wrists, making him bite down on his lower lip in pain. He had to do this fast before he lost his courage. The cut was deep enough that it was worrying for Bellatrix, who stood by and watched. When he finished cutting his wrist on his opposite hand, he dropped the knife while gasping. The cuts spilled blood onto the floor, mixing with the phoenix blood pentagram. Closing his eyes, Regulus signaled to Bellatrix to start the ritual. “Remember Bella, the words must be sung nonstop in a loop. You can’t stop chanting no matter what happens”.

Giving the boy an irritated expression, Bella rolled her eyes,“Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time”.

As Regulus settled, Bellatrix opened the book to say the words of the ceremony. Her eyes widened as the star pentagram before her began to glow a deep red light but nothing dangerous had happened yet. All seemed normal. “Had Regulus overreacted?,” she thought to herself. Just as she began to ease, Bellatrix jumped hearing screams coming from Reggie. Her eyes flickered to Cissy, who was still out. It was then she was thankful that Regulus had the idea of giving Cissy a sleeping draught. The screams pierced the air causing her to wince. The blood from his wrist that had been slowly bleeding previously was now flooding out at an alarming rate. Bellatrix wouldn’t be surprised if she was witnessing Reggie lose half his body’s blood.

The pool of red came to life as if it had a mind of its own traveling over to Narcissa. The blood directed itself, making a path up the legs of and into Narcissa’s womb. Regulus lifted his chest in pain screaming louder than before. When Bellatrix checked what the boy was screaming about, she tensed, still chanting. Regulus’ magical core was in the process of being stripped by force from his bare body. His magical core that appeared like a gray orb hovered over the couple.

“Bella! Don’t stop!,” shouted the boy with tears streaming down his face. The young wizard was no longer screaming but instead sobbing. It felt as if his entire body throbbed in pain. An unintentional force had pierced his body open to suck the life out of him. His skin was being pricked by needles on every inch of his skin as a portion of his magic left him.

The runes written all over Regulus’ body glowed black as it lifted off their skins and up towards Regulus' magical core that hovered above the couple. It looked like a wisp of black magic that twirled around the ball of light. Both their bodies were illuminated in a dome of red light created from the pentagram below them. The dome appeared to be duplicating the appearance of Cissy and Reggie while a painful rip could be heard along with the cries of Regulus. The sound that was heard was the last remnants of his full magical core being stripped off his body.

To the sudden horror of Bellatrix, the cries of her cousin stopped at the same time. Regulus laid on the floor unconscious with no signs of life. Drained of blood, he was pale with no color to his skin. The glowing runes on Narcissa’s body united with Regulus’ and were now dancing around the orb together. It seemed to Bellatrix that the runes were waiting for something until she saw what they were waiting for. A piece of Regulus' soul swam out of his mouth, flying over to the ball of light. Nervous, the witch turned to look at Cissy, verifying her soul had also safely flown over. Continuing to repeat the ritual’s words, Bellatrix gripped the book in her hands as her eyes stayed on her siblings' souls in the air. The two souls reunited in the middle, joining the ribbons of magic and blood before splitting apart again.

The pieces of their soul transformed into two red figures while the runes pulled the near dead infant from Cissy's womb. An image of an infant made from blood lifted from Narcissa’s belly. It appeared weak with no heartbeat as it stayed hovering closely to Narcissa, not moving. Meanwhile, Regulus and Narcissa's soul was lively as the two figures joined as if they were kissing. Narcissa’s figure was embraced by Regulus’ as he went into her, becoming one. The two small figures wrapped around each other as their ghostly bodies danced against the other. On the last thrust a new soul was formed in the middle of the two red versions of Narcissa and Regulus.

The new addition had a strong heartbeat while the two soulmates separated to finally reunite with its body, leaving behind the new soul inside the ball of light that was made from Regulus’ magic. When the orb made of dragon's blood and Regulus’ seed sank into the body of the fetus, Bellatrix noted that the almost dead infant became lively. Its once still heart began to dance to Bellatrix’s chant, stabilizing its heartbeat with the rhythm of her song. The baby that hovered over the pair formed facial features from both parents that weren't there before. Bellatrix thought she even saw white blond hair begin to grow when before it was just a blank canvas. An empty vessel that couldn’t hold a soul completely to birth.

Although it was just a projection of what was happening inside Narcissa, Bellatrix could see all of Regulus' face on the child. With no warning, the ball of light shot down towards its mother’s belly, making Bellatrix fall back from the force of the magic around the star pentagram. Slightly disoriented, Bellatrix gathered herself as she peered up to see the baby was gone and the last of Regulus' blood went up Narcissa’s leg. After checking her sister’s chest was still moving, Bellatrix gasped in shock seeing Regulus’ body empty of blood.

Springing into action, Bellatrix darted across the room as she shouted,“Fucking idiot! I won’t have Cissy upset at me if you die on us!”.

With blood replenishing potions in hand, the young witch forced it down Regulus' throat, one after the other, giving more than the recommended amount. The witch continued to grumble under her breath, fighting the urge to not smack Regulus for his plan. She stayed still, waiting for her cousin to come back from the brink of death. Minutes passed as Bella waited for the potion to take effect. She hoped it wasn’t too late. It was only when color began to fill in his cheeks did Bellatrix sigh in relief.

Although Regulus was no longer gray, he still appeared weak. His chest barely moved as if he was struggling to breath. Bellatrix felt his pulse, realizing his heart had stopped. Regulus had gone too long bleeding out.

“You better wake up or else, the Dark Lord will be the last of your concerns. I don’t know what she sees in you but here we are, you stupid boy,” Bellatrix muttered under her breath as she waved her wand over the boy’s chest.

Thunder like electricity appeared from her palm as the young witch restarted his heart. Before her eyes, Regulus gasped for air as she put her two fingers against his neck. His heart was getting stronger each passing minute. Beginning to come into consciousness, Regulus moaned from the throbbing all over his body. His hands trembled from the shock. The feeling of being completely depleted of his magic was one he was never going to forget. Furious, Bellatrix grabbed his chin, forcing the boy to look at her, “Rest assure, if you would have died on us, I wouldn’t have missed you one bit. I only saved you for my sister. If it were up to me, I'd let you die”.

Chuckling under his breath, Regulus nodded, “You say that but I saw that panic look in your face,” before fainting once again.

She sighed, looking at her unconscious little cousin again as she covered him in a warm blanket, “Annoying brat”.

Bellatrix finally turned to Narcissa, who was deep in slumber, wondering if the ritual worked. Studying her closely, there was a light glow in her sister’s belly. It must have worked, she thought. That image of the infant she had seen was burned on her mind. Her mind lingered on that memory, in awe she had seen the creation of life from their family’s magic.

Sitting back down, Bellatrix plopped herself on to the floor, tired and drained of her magic, as well. She closed her eyes to rest them. With an expression of pity, Bellatrix mumbled out loud to the room, “Poor Cissy. Soon she’ll grow fat. Let us hope the baby takes after our family. Merlin, help her if she has to push out a monstrous sized Malfoy baby”. Hearing a shuffling in the attic, she turned to it. Her face softened as she noticed even unconscious, Regulus and Narcissa had their hands interlocked.

Bellatrix sighed, “Fucking idiots”.

In the next few days, Regulus was out cold inside his childhood bedroom. Bellatrix had cleverly sent her aunt and uncle away, to be with her parents at the family’s manor in France. She had pushed them with the excuse that it had been a while since the parents had vacationed together. With the grown adults away, it was just Narcissa and her, nursing Regulus back to health, hoping he would wake soon. Bellatrix had suspected it wasn’t the loss of blood that had him bedridden.

Instead it was the pure shock of experiencing full magic depletion in minutes. Magic depletion took a lot from a magic caster. It strained the body. With around the clock care with the help of Kreacher, the elf was sworn to secrecy by Bellatrix or else he’d face immediate death by her hands. The only excuse the house elf was given was that Regulus had come back from a dangerous mission but that he would be fine. There was no need to fuss over the boy, she told Kreacher.

When Reggie finally woke up, Cissy brushed his hair back, while leaving a small kiss on his lips. While stroking his cheek with such tenderness, Regulus sat up, wanting to lean against her shoulder. Instead, Narcissa climbed into his bed to be in each other's arms. Her head laid on his chest while his arms wrapped around her, stroking her stomach. His hand rested on her belly as he whispered, “I can’t wait to hold our baby in my arms, my love”.

Narcissa smiled, settling deeper in the covers. With the whole household away, it felt as if this was another life. A life where Regulus and Narcissa were married and were Lord and Lady of this house. Wanting to dwell in this dream for longer, the pair stay in bed the entire morning with talks of this imaginary life. With impossible plans of how they would raise their child together, the love birds fed their forbidden desires that would never come to fruition.

Once Narcissa’s shift was over, Bellatrix slammed the door open. The young witch entered the room, throwing a feather light charmed shopping bag onto the floor, already considerate of Narcissa, who was still pregnant and had no signs of her losing it as her past ones. It was a bag full of expensive maternity dresses and jewelry to explain where her baby sister had been, shopping. It was a closet worth of new clothes. “Here’s your cover story. It’s all the latest fashion from France and Italy”. Bellatrix sat on the chair near Regulus as her eyes checked over how he was doing. “You have to go. Lucius is back and is waiting for you,” she explained to Cissy, who had a downcast mouth. Narcissa did not want to go back home but she knew that she couldn’t stay.

“GO! NOW! Unless you want Lucius to catch you in bed with Reggie,” the older sister ordered, not giving Cissy a chance to say goodbye. Bellatrix glared at her cousin, daring him to say anything to her. Trying to hide his disappointment, Regulus gave Cissy a deep kiss goodbye, trying to let her know it was only for a little while. He will visit her as soon as he can. As Narcissa picked up her bags, neither said a word to each other as Bellatrix stood over them, rushing her sister out.

With his eyebrows furrowed, Regulus watched his love leave, before he turned to Bella, “There was no need to be harsh. She’s your sister”.

Crossing her legs, Bellatrix sat back as she replied, “It was time to stop playing house for the day. You know as well as I do that she couldn’t stay any longer. It was better for Cissy to be angry at me for ordering her away than at you. I only did what neither of you had the strength to do”. As Regulus took in her words, he turned away. He stared at the wall, hiding his bottled up emotions. “You're right. Thank you for that”.

In the quietness of the room, she waited for him to look back at her. When he did, Bella went on, “Now that you're awake. Something’s been bothering me since you came to me with your request. There’s something that doesn't make sense". Regulus’ body froze slightly. Did she find out what happened to Cissy, he thought? No. Bellatrix wouldn’t be here if she did. He had to tread carefully. Bellatrix was close to the truth.

In an indifferent tone, he asked, “What?”.

“What triggered you and Narcissa into doing this blood ritual? You two were fine sneaking behind Lucius’ back until now. You almost risked your life to give my sister a baby. A baby, mind you, that you will have no part in raising and will call Lucius father”.

Regulus sat still, going through his mind on what was the best thing to say. “I’m waiting,” she demanded. He sighed as he realized Bellatrix was not going to let this go. It was then he decided to lie. If Bellatrix ever found out what made him go through this, Regulus would lose control of her. He would never be able to stop her from murdering Lucius with her bare hands. As head of household and as her brother, it would hurt him to see Bellatrix go to Azkaban. He had almost lost his self control with Lucius so he didn’t expect her to have any.

The best course of action was lying but Regulus would make it dangerously close to the truth to make Bellatrix believe his words. Make it impossible to separate the facts from the lies. Taking a deep breath, he explained “I wanted to be selfish,” knowing full well his lack of answer would trigger her.

“That’s not an answer or do you think I’m a fool?,” she spat out. Bellatrix grabbed his chin as her nails dug into his skin. She forced her little cousin to peer at her.

Pushing her hand away, Regulus glared down at his lap, using the kernel of truths to fuel the anger in his voice. She had to believe his false words for her safety. “I know you think highly of me, Bella. You call me your only brother to the other Death Eaters. You see me as someone who is not like other Pureblood wizards that disgrace our community but I need you to see that I am still a man. A man with pride. Having to let Cissy go night after night, there’s only so much a man can take”.

With build up fury that has been long hidden, he said through his closed teeth, “Each time I have to leave Cissy at the Malfoy manor, the thought of leaving her alone with Lucius infuriates me. She’s mine yet I have to watch Lucius be with her in public. He doesn’t deserve her”. He swore under his breath as his eyes watered. He thought he had this under control but more of his feelings were flooding out more than he wanted. Unable to push them back in, he swallowed as a tear spilled from the corner of his eyes. As Bella reached out to comfort him, Regulus slapped her hand away before uttering a small apology.

Seeing Regulus shake with anger, Bellatrix was shocked into silence. She had never seen Reggie lose his control before. With hateful eyes, Regulus peered up at the ceiling as he admitted with a mixture of truth and lies, that even he could not separate himself, “I want to be the one that walks with her down the street, holding her hand, to kiss her in public, and it be my ring on her finger. I want all of the wizarding community to see ME as her husband, not Lucius. I almost lost my patience one night. I swear I was so close to killing him but his death will not go unnoticed. He’s too deep in the Dark Lord’s inner circle and the ministry. I’ve thought about every possibility but his murder will eventually go back to me. Then I toyed with the idea of running away with Cissy. Start another life where no one knows who we are. I even bought a port key to America…”.

With sorrow in her expression, Bellatrix reached out to hold his hand in hers, “That can never happen. A life on the run is no life for you or her. He’ll track her down and you’ll be arrested and killed”.

With bitterness in his voice, Regulus admitted, “I know” as he forced his eyes closed. He bit down on his lips, showing a vulnerability to Bellatix he wasn’t able to show to Narcissa as he needed to be stronger for the both of them. He glared at Bella as he told her what had been festering in his heart, “I want to hurt Lucius where only a man can hurt another, his pride. Make him feel like I have all these years. I have accepted that I will never be able to call our sister, my wife. She can never be my Lady of the House of Black”.

Regulus removed his hand from Bellatrix, clenching them instead. He confessed as if Lucius was in the room with them. “If I can never refer to Narcissa as my wife then I want to be able to call her, the mother of my children. I want Cissy to know me as the father of her children. Make her heavy with my child. Give her what she’s always wanted to be, a mother, while I get the satisfaction that I gave her her first born. I want Lucius to know that I gave her what he couldn’t. Force him to raise my son as his own. Lucius may have taken Cissy from me but I want to hurt him, knowing he only received a family because I allowed him too. His legacy only continued because of me while I snuck my blood into the Malfoy bloodline. I’m nothing but a pathetic man who can’t let Narcissa go”.

Leaning forward, Regulus spoke into his lap, unable to look at Bellatrix. He didn’t want her to see how broken he really was. “My heart can’t let her go. I know I’ll have to marry another Pureblood witch for the continuation of the family but I can’t do it. I just can’t. I always imagined Cissy as the mother to my sons and daughters. Sleeping with another would be unfaithful to our relationship, if we can call our sneaking around as that. I don’t want to wake up with another woman in my bed or be forced to grow old with a strange witch. I wanted it to be Cissy,” Regulus confessed in a choked up voice.

At a loss of words, Bellatrix’s eyes were wide in surprise, hearing Regulus’ true feelings for the first time. He had always been an image of calmness that nothing could get under his skin.

“The truth is, I had no good reason to do all this, except that I’m a selfish man. I’m no better than the rest of them. I’m no different than Lucius”. Hearing the name of the man they both hated, Bella wrapped her arms around a now sobbing Regulus. The young boy tried to push her away to hide his tears in a fetus position but Bella didn’t allow Regulus to.

In a moment of rarity, Bellatrix comforted him in a way she both wished their mothers did when she and Narcissa was married off from the family, “Never refer to yourself as that again, Reggie. You're not like them. Never will be. You saved our Cissy’s life and reputation as a woman by doing this. Other wizards would have left her and taken another. Not you. You’re the most selfless man I know. I’m proud of you, for finally taking something for yourself”. She pressed a motherly kiss to his forehead as he allowed himself to break down in her arms, crying in the crook of Bellatrix’s neck.

Regulus shed tears that belonged to both him and Cissy. He shed the tears he couldn’t when he had to be strong on the night before Narcissa’s wedding. Tears that he held in as he was forced to walk Narcissa down the aisle to Lucius. Regulus had never been more jealous of someone else in his life. It angered him that he wanted to be in Lucius’ place. He broke down remembering how upset Narcissa was that Lucius was rough during her first time. He grieved for Narcissa knowing she would never have the husband that she always imagined having as a little girl. She was chained to an unfaithful man and no matter what they did, they couldn’t be together as they thought they would be as children.

Life was pulling them in different directions as Regulus desperately tried to hold on Cissy. He shouted as if someone in the family had died, “It’s not fair, Bella! It’s not fucking fair! Why can’t I be with her?”.

Perhaps, it was him who was dying inside, he thought. As Bellatrix held him tighter, she too got emotional listening to him, spilling tears with him. She held him, wanting to help carry his burden. Bellatrix would help him in any way that she could as her heart broke for Regulus in that moment. The young witch comforted her brother, allowing him to be the child that he and their fathers had denied him to be. He had been a boy forced to grow beyond his years. She allowed Regulus to throw a tantrum as he screamed, “IT’S NOT FAIRRR! WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS? WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THE LIFE WE ALL WANTED! IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR”.

~

The Month Prior

One night as Lucius and Narcissa were having dinner, Lucuis threw his plate onto the floor, causing the witch to jump. Full of rage after the elves had told him Narcissa had miscarried the night before, Lucius without warning flipped the table, scaring Narcissa further. She trembled in fear as she watched him tiptoed closer to her like a prey stalking their meal.

Grabbing into the arms of the chair, he stopped Narcissa from running away. He pointed to her stomach as he shouted “You failed me once again! It’s been four years yet I have no heir! Are you not a woman? Are you aborting my sons on purpose to get under my skin?”. With their faces centimeters away, Naricissa turned away, feeling his hot breath on her, trying to intimate her. Her heart slammed against her rib cage as she urged, “I swear I’m not! Let me try again. I’ll bear you a son, I promise”.

Throwing his head back in a sinister laugh, Lucius replied “Try? You WILL give me a son”. Caught inside his own anger, Luciuis turned Narcissa around to face the wall and bend her over.

“Wait, my body is still.., not healed ye” she whispered as Lucius lifted her dress. In an attempt to silence her, Lucius yanked her hair back, forcing her to look at him as he said, “Do your duty as my wife. Accept that you belong to me now,” before pushing her head back down. Spreading her legs apart, Lucius entered her. Each scream of pain he heard from her was encouragement as he thrusted along to her pleas of stop’s and no’s.

Annoyed at the noise she was making, Lucius choked her from behind so he could focus. Cornered, Narcissa stayed still as her vision began to blur and her lungs couldn’t find air. After Lucius spilled his seed inside Narcissa, he threw her onto the floor, before stepping against her face. The wizard leaned forward, ensuring Narcissa heard every word as he threatened, “If you tell Bellatrix or Regulus of your treatment here, I’ll kill your entire family. Make no mistake. That is a promise”.

When Lucius left the dining room, Narcissa crumbled into a ball in shock. Gasping for air, Narcissa felt as if she still couldn’t breath as she began to hyperventilate. Not even an appearance from Mippy, calmed her down. The walls were closing in on her as Mippy slowly approached, asking if she needed any assistance. Narcissa, unable to form words, did not see the elf. Mippy, worried about the health of Lady Malfoy, went to get Regulus without being ordered too.

At the sight of Narcissa on the floor and the destruction of the furniture, Regulus ran through the floo. “What happened?,” he whispered into her ears as he brought Narcissa into his arms. He had an inkling what had occurred as he rocked her back and forth, easing her out of her panic attack.

Still frightened by Lucius' threats, Narcissa only confessed, “I lost the baby again and he wanted to try again,” before breaking down once more. Unable to stand aside anymore, Regulus grabbed Narcissa’s face as he urged, “Let me help. I found a way to give you an heir. Please just don’t force me to stand by and watch you suffer any longer. I can’t lose you”. As Narcissa finally nodded in agreement, Regulus held her close to his chest while wiping her tears with his sleeves.

Chapter Text

Although Draco was eating well and taking the wolfsbane faithfully, the days leading up to the full moon his anxiety piled up, making him restless. The Slytherin couldn’t help it as it was one of the main symptoms of his condition. The week of the full moon werewolf instincts were heightened to prepare the body. Sleep deprived, Draco did more night time patrols, which usually involved peering out the living room windows for intruders that would never come as this house was hidden. Some nights Lupin joined the boy while others the older werewolf stayed in the family office working on the Order related assignments.

Tonight, the young pup stayed in his room, taking in Hermione’s scent in an effort to calm his nerves. Sharing rooms, Hermione realized Draco waited until she went to sleep to wander in the house. She didn’t mind as he always came back in an hour or two. However, with the full moon approaching, it took longer for Draco to come back to bed, worrying the young witch. The boy would flinch at every minor sound in their surroundings.

Yesterday, she had dropped a spoon at breakfast causing the werewolf to jump. He needed to relax or else she too would go mad just by watching him. Laying in bed side by side watching Draco play with her hair, Hermione knew exactly how she would help him. It had been a while since they were intimate. She had thought they would be more physical now that she lived under the same roof but perhaps the thought of Remus being not far from them made Draco hesitate.

With a smirk appearing on her lips, Hermione grabbed his hands, moving it away from her hair. As Draco peered up, she placed a light kiss on his fingers, grabbing his attention. Goose bumps appeared on his arms as he smelled his aroused witch. With his interest peaked, Draco watched as Hermione sucked on his index finger. Gulping, the young werewolf’s nose sharpened as he took a quick glance between her legs. Too alluring not to notice, she smelled wet down there. In fact, smelling the scent of the desire around her, Draco’s cock hardened, excited by the sight of Hermione bobbing down on his finger.

Releasing his hand, Hermione whispered into his ears as she palmed his length through his pants, “Draco, I’m hungry”.

Before the Slytherin could respond, she grabbed the nearest wand and silenced the room. Unwillingly to take no for an answer, Hermione was determined to help distract his weary mind tonight. Release her husband of all the anxiety that had been tormenting him this past week. As she pushed the werewolf down, Hermione sat on his lap, giving him a show for the kind of night that awaited him while she pressed down against his length. Leaning forward, the bright witch kissed Draco, slipping her tongue into mouth. As they nibbled on each other's lips, Draco moaned, feeling his body get hotter.

The young boy relaxed under the care of Hermione as she bit the skin of his neck, making him tilt his head with his mouth open before letting go. His eyebrows rose in interest, wondering what Hermione's next move was. Draco eased against the pillows underneath him while holding her hips. He watched with hooded lids as Hermione began to grind on his lap. Hermione whimpered, feeling stimulated as his clothed cock brushed up against her folds.

Losing herself in the sensation, she moved her hips in a circular motion, wetting the werewolf undernight her. With Draco’s hands brushing up her bare legs as he snuck his hand up her oversized night shirt, the witch bit her lower lip. She wanted him so badly. Ever since the night at the hospital bed, Draco was all that she thought about. After knowing what his huge and thick cock felt inside of her, Hermione was no longer satisfied touching herself. She needed him now.

Feeling the wetness between her legs grow, she moaned “Draco”, begging him to fuck her. When his name was called, Draco opened his eyes, surprising his wife at what she saw. His eyes were different and more animalistic. They were the eyes of a wolf. Although still gray, they had changed. The pupils were dilated with the whites in his eyes gone. She stared in wonder as they had a glow to them even in this semi dark room. A deep growl came from the back of Draco’s throat but Hermione wasn’t afraid. No, she was more turned on. The boy was now being driven by his pure wolf instinct, awakened from the witch’s arousement.

Without warning Hermione was flipped onto her back with Draco on top, standing on his knees. Ripping his clothes off of himself, she couldn't resist looking at his cock. “It couldn’t be?,” the witch thought to herself. It seemed Draco was bigger than he was last time. An effect of Lycanthropy she did not mind at all as she reached out to stroke it but before she could Draco leaned over and tore her nightshirt with his palms. “Draco! I just bought that,” Hermione complained but she was soon silenced as she watched her husband go lower. His fingers played with the string of her underwear. He teased her until Draco used his wolf-like crawls to rip the last of her clothes, exposing Hermione fully to him.

With Hermione bare under her werewolf, Draco slid both hands on her legs to spread them. His eyes got darkened while licking his lips with lust at how erotic her cunt was dripped with honey. Before she could protest, Draco dove in between her legs, taking a deep breath of her scent. She smelled delicious. With his nose touching her pubic hair, Hermione's heart raced, watching all this unfold. It was very lewd from her point of view having Draco explore her as his lips touched her folds.

Unable to help herself, Hermione squirmed underneath as the Slytherin kept her thighs open, keeping her in place. Enjoying her as if she was his meal, the werewolf offered his tongue, licking her natural wetness to satisfy his own appetite. Draco’s tongue caressed between her folds as Hermione arched her back. Taking his time, the young werewolf savored Hermione’s cunt, relishing the taste. With her hands gripping his black locks, the witch’s brain went into overdrive as they reached beyond what they already explored together. Her head collapsed against the pillow as her legs trembled around Draco’s head, wanting to wrap around his neck.

Draco slurped Hermione while his tongue probed relentlessly at her entrance. His tentative exploration of her body excited Hermione more, knowing he had never done this before. As Draco forced her legs to stay apart, she had no idea that she was so sensitive down there. Despite the pleasure he was giving her, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Hermione held his head still, urging Draco to keep going as she moved her hips up and down along his tongue before directing her husband exactly where she wanted.

Receiving the hint, Draco moved upward to her clit, sucking in a pulling motion as his nose rested on her pubic hair. The sucking sensation on her bundle of nerves send shivers down her spine. As Hermione rubbed herself more into his mouth, Draco moved to the sounds coming from his witch, figuring out what she liked best together.

Seeing Hermione reacted more to the gentle pulling and sucking of her needy clit, he moved his hand on to her waist to grab her better. She sped up, rubbing against Draco’s mouth in a hurried motion, close to her peak. “Right there. Don’t stop,” Hermione moaned, encouraging her werewolf more as she fell into pieces underneath Draco. She felt the beginning of an orgasm as she felt the build up of heat climb up.

Hermione almost panicked as this was different from all her other bursts of pleasure but with Draco here, she felt safe to let go. Hermione was then hit with the biggest relief she had ever felt as a flood of wetness came into Draco’s mouth as he drank her.

As Draco looked up, he laid his chin on her groin with a smirk painted across his face. Not finished yet, his eyes once again went dark as he stood on his knees. As Draco towered over a limp Hermione, she found herself drooling over his length that dripped precum. Indeed, it was larger and thicker than before, waiting for its release. The sight of his naked body, made Hermione ache for more. Before she could appreciate Draco’s toned muscles, he roughly flipped her so that her back faced him. While the Slyherin prince gently kissed her back, she shivered as he lifted her hips in the air, alerting her of the pillow he placed under her hips.

With his length, he teased the entrance of her hole as Hermione whimpered into her pillow. Laying down on her, his chest making contact with her back, Hermione felt his hot breath along her neck and ears. Draco pushed the head of his cock inside her slowly. The werewolf grinned as he slid right with ease in a tight hug. All the attention he gave to Hermione had made her body accept his length. He closed his eyes, enjoying how warm she was as he stretched her out.

“Draco, I want you,” Hermione begged as she moved her hips up.

When the werewolf received the confirmation she was enjoying it as he was, Draco held nothing back, focusing on chasing his own orgasm. Draco groaned, continuing his own chase as wet noises filled the air. He collapsed on top of her as Draco repeatedly penetrated her tight hole. Unable to get enough of his wife, his brain turned to mush as her warm dripping cunt was all he could think of. The only thing he was capable of was fucking Hermione as his hips had a mind of its own. His mind went blank as he felt Hermione come around his cock, orgasm after orgasm that he gave her.

Waves of pleasure raged inside Hermione as she moaned from ecstasy. Hermione’s body attempted to milk him but the Slytherin was not done with her. He raised his hips before dropping onto her ass. Draco buried himself deeper every time, thrusting into Hermione. The new position gave him deeper access. His length was repeatedly hitting the sweet spot that made his wife cry out in pleasure with the tip of his penis. The slapping of each other's skin was met with Hermione’s loud moaning, which only encouraged Draco to continue. Every sound coming from his witch only made him hungry for more.

The werewolf leaned over, whispering into her ears, “Hermione, I can’t stop. You feel so good,” as his witch moved back against his body, wanting more of his cock. “Can I fuck you all night?,” the snake asked but Hermione nodded her head with no hesitation.
She too was eager for his cock to satisfy her. Everything that had been pent up inside over the duration of the week was let loose in that moment for Draco. His anxiety melted away inside his wife’s pussy as he had her way with her late into the night. He filled her womb with his seed as his werewolf-like body bounced back for more each time. His endless stamina, when it was so close to the full moon, was a welcomed surprise for Hermione as Draco fucked her in every position.

A side effect of being with a werewolf that she thoroughly enjoyed. The tip of his cock brushed up against her spot of pleasure as it grew larger inside of her folds. Despite the fact she should have been exhausted, the atmosphere heavy with Draco’s pheromones made the young witch’s body starve for Draco, helping her keep up with him. Hermione’s desire knew no bounds as she found delight in her husband’s hard length as it touched every surface deep inside her. When Draco couldn’t help but growl into her neck, Hermione, who was now on her back, shivered as she held onto him. She felt so full from his seed and cock that was still thrusting deep into her.

All his bottled up energy from the week, he released into Hermione as she allowed Draco to free himself of his restlessness using her own body. Sensing the pure satisfaction from Hermione, he studied all her erotic faces she made while he had his way with her. He enjoyed every second of their coupling as Hermione clung to him, scratching down his back as he made her cunt his home.

With Hermione a puddle of contentment underneath him, Draco sensed the last of his many orgasms of the night form in his stomach. It was the erotic expressions Hermione made and her dripping wet folds that made it so easy for the werewolf to reach his peak. As Draco finished inside Hermione, he instinctively bit down on her shoulders, spilling her blood inside his mouth as his hips rode out his own orgasm, continuing to pump every drop of his seed inside his wife.

Hearing Draco growling into her ears, Hermione moaned as she too came again for one last time. Her legs trembled around his hips as she hooked them around him, wanting Draco’s cock to stay inside her. As Draco licked the blood from her bite mark, he fell on top of her, keeping himself inside Hermione. His eyes were half closed as Hermione wrapped her arms around him. The Slytherin prince slowly came back down from his werewolf instincts.

Still drowning in his mate’s essence, Draco kissed the bite mark before drinking from on her bleeding shoulder. Her blood tasted delicious. He felt a hand reach for his neck. As he peered up, Draco found Hermione’s lips on his. Settling down for the night, Draco rested his head on Hermione’s breast as she continued to hug him. While Hermione held her werewolf’s head to her chest, she played with his dark locks as they both drifted off to sleep.

~

Draco woke up in the early hours of the morning. The sun had not yet risen yet. Although he had only slept a few hours, it was the longest he had slept this past week. He cuddled up to Hermione willingly his body back to sleep but it was fruitless. Wide awake and while his mind was exhausted, Draco stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore how uncomfortably he felt in his own body. The urge to peel off his skin was strong. No matter how much time passed, his werewolf transformation never seemed to get any easier. His bones still ached, creaking and ready to expand into a werewolf.

On overdrive, his thoughts lingered on something else that weighed on his mind. Malfoy had been thinking about it nightly since he had come here, the family home of his mother. He had heard so much about this place and her favorite cousin. The Slytherin had so many questions for Regulus but the portrait refused to talk to anyone. Draco was no exception. He was no one to Regulus.

Finally giving up, Malfoy stood up as his knees and back cracked. Deciding to get ready for the day, the Slytherin tiptoed across the room, not wanting to wake Hermione. He wanted her to sleep in from the night they had together.

As Malfoy got dressed, he wore his ring and the watch that his mother had given him before leaving the room. He never took them off unless it was time for bed. This was the only piece Draco had left of Narcissa. With the fall of Hogwarts and his death announced in the newspapers, Draco was unable to go back to the Manor to bury his mother or obtain something of his mother to remember her by. He had been too busy trying to survive in the war that he now found himself in, to think about the loss of his mum. With everything going on, he didn’t allow himself to dwell on his mother’s death. Wearing both pieces of jewelry religiously was the boy’s way of allowing himself to remember Narcissa.

Now the boy understood his mother better. He understood why after all those times his mother kindly refused to let Draco touch anything that was previously Regulus’. The watch and ring was something Malfoy found himself unexpectedly possessive of, keeping them close to his heart. He was certain that if he was lucky enough to have children of his own he too would refuse to let his children touch what Narcissa gave him.

Outside his room, the hallways sat empty. The wooden floor under his feet creaked. The only light that lit his way were the candles that hung on the wall. The flame flickered as he passed them, dancing in the open air. His legs moved on their own. Draco didn’t know where he was headed, but when he saw the direction his stomach flipped, uneasy. The werewolf hadn't been back in that room since the first day he and Remus moved in.

As Malfoy approached the room, he slowly opened the door to ensure he wasn’t waking the room’s occupant. The sign on the door read as he passed it, “Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black”.

The slow creaking sound of the door filled the vacant room. As Draco peered around, he sat on the bed, wondering what his uncle was like in life. Glimpses of Regulus’ personality shined through as Draco analyzed the room that had never left the 70’s. The room had died along with Regulus. Malfoy wondered if it was true that they were very similar in appearance and circumstances. Was Regulus forced to take the Dark Mark like he was forced to take the curse of a werewolf? Was he too judged for the actions of his family and where he came from?

There was an underlying urge to get close to an uncle he had never met. A feeling Draco did not have for his other deceased uncle: Sirius. Despite the fact Sirius was alive at the same time as him, Draco never once wanted to meet that man but Regulus was different. The way Bellatrix talked of Sirius, Draco was certain they would not get along. Sirius would probably sneer at him or only see Lucius in him.

Observing the space, the room was dressed in the colors of Slytherin green and silver. Opposite of the older brother's room, which was a Gryffindor red. The Black family Crest was painted over the bed headboard, showing the pride of the owner’s bloodline. Under the crest was written the motto Toujours pur. French for Always Pure. Beside the bed, there was a picture on the wall of Regulus’ old quidditch team.

Draco’s eyebrow rose in surprise. Regulus had made the team despite his young age. He had known the Black heir dropped out of school early on. The boy would have thought his uncle wouldn’t have had the time to join the team in the short time he was there. “Regulus must have been talented,” Draco thought, seeing his uncle sit in the middle of the Quidditch team. Yet, the world would never know what potential it lost as the war took so many young witches and wizards before their prime. Judging from his uncle’s position in the picture, Regulus seemed to be the co-captain. Proof of his skill.

Like Regulus, Draco had to deny himself playing his favorite wizarding sport. Instead, he had Voldemort's mission to complete in 6th year. Peering at the photograph, he wondered if he gained his proficiency for the sport from his mother’s side of the family. Lucius was never fond of flying and neither of the other members of the Malfoy family. Such a violent and brutal sport was for barbarians, Lucius would say. The most the Malfoy's were ever involved in the sport was owning multiple teams across Europe for financial gain. It was only when Harry was invited to play his first year against school policy and after Narcissa convinced Lucius that Draco was finally allowed to participate in quidditch.

Regulus and him would have gotten along, Draco decided as thoughts of playing Qudditch with his uncle came to mind in another life. The room was smaller than Sirius’ but for some odd reason Draco liked his space better despite the size. It felt like home. He and his uncle shared the same likes, it seemed. Perhaps they even spoke the same language of reading eyes and reading silence.

On the shelves were academic books and different branches of magic from every corner of the world. The walls had drawings of maps of the stars and planets. It was quite different compared to Sirius' room. That room had pictures of motorcycles, muggle rock music, and half naked women on the walls that could not be torn down much to Hermione’s astonishment.

There weren't many stories of Sirius his mother shared, only that he did not betray the Potters nor kill all those muggles. It was partially his fault though because the Slytherin had never bothered to ask his mother of Sirius. He heard the hurt in her voice the one time he asked. Draco guessed Sirius must have left the family early in his Hogwarts years, causing a deep wound to the Black family members that stayed.

It was only through Remus did Draco’s interest peak with his banished uncle. It was the first time the young werewolf viewed Sirius through the eyes of someone who once loved him and was able to discuss Sirius’ better qualities. A striking difference compared to what Draco heard as a child. Through Remus, he listened to a few stories of their days of their teenage years. He felt the pain in Remus' heart and decided it was best not to ask unless Remus bought it up.

Suddenly Draco had the urge to look up, alerted by his werewolf instincts. Regulus Black, who was sleeping before, was staring right at him. The portrait’s gray eyes peered into his own eyes that he shared before Regulus’ eyesight darted down. Caught off guard, Malfoy sat straight before he noted how Regulus' eyes were on his ring and watch. Not knowing what to do, Draco stayed quiet, allowing his uncle to study him. The first day the Slytherin had come to the room, Regulus refused to look at him and Remus.

Instead, he gave his back to the two werewolves. This was the first time Malfoy was really able to look at his uncle. Back at the manor, his mother had no pictures of her cousin for it was a reminder he was gone.

Wanting a closer look, he walked forward to the portrait, memorizing the face of the person who had his mother’s heart. Her favorite cousin. The face that haunted his mother for so many years. The person that the remaining Black sisters grieved for to this day. Draco remembered how he had once caught Bellatrix glancing at a photograph of the Black brothers. It was before their training was to begin in the ballroom that day. Her back was turned to him as she faced the windows.

From where Malfoy stood, he was only able to quickly look at the picture before it went into her inner robes. The photograph was of Sirius and Regulus as children, no older than ten, though the former heir’s face was burned off. Draco watched in surprise, seeing his aunt show a moment of weakness. He didn’t think it was possible that her eyes could well up but Draco watched as Belltrix’s fingers brushed the side of Regulus’ cheek. After being caught, his aunt and him had never discussed what he saw that day.

Meeting with Regulus in portrait form, Draco was impacted, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion he did not know where it came from. This was a bazaar meeting as they indeed shared many features, so much so, that the only difference was their hair color. He was Regulus’ twin, if it wasn’t for his uncle’s black but brownish curly hair. Many of his peers did not know but Draco had curly hair like Regulus but he often used a spell to make it look like all the Malfoys before him, straight. Narcissa had wavy blonde hair while Lucius had silver straight locks. According to Lucius, hair like the Blacks was unruly and improper.

Up until Lucius went to Azkaban, Draco had kept it slicked back. A demand from his once considered father. During the previous school year, the Slytherin Prince allowed himself to have long messy locks, though he still kept it straight. After moving to his mother’s ancestral home, the boy allowed his curls to roam free.

With his much missed white hair gone, there was no difference between the portrait of Regulus and him, now that he had dyed his hair to match Regulus. It was as if he was watching a mirror from another lifetime as the portrait continued to peer at Draco. Perhaps like the portrait in front of him, Draco would share the same faith as his uncle too. Dead by the end of the war. That was how alike they were.

Wanting to fill in the silence, Draco tried to think of what to say to his uncle. The portrait noted Draco’s hesitation with an interest in his eyes as his head tilted while a smile almost broke out. “I didn’t realize my godfather died so young. We're almost the same age but I’m three years younger. You died at nineteen, if I remember from the tapestry”. A pause continued to fill the room. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to talk. Kreacher told me about your vow of silence. I just couldn’t sleep,” Draco explained as he sat back down on the bed.

Regulus was awestruck, sharing the space with the boy in front of him. He knew the moment he laid eyes on who he was. He was Draco, Narcissa’s son. His child. The infant his past self had never gotten to meet before he died. The real Regulus waited in anticipation for the boy before him. The portrait swallowed down a cry that wanted to come up. Emotional, as he reliving the silent moments he often had with Narcissa but with their Draco instead now.

It would have been nostalgic if Regulus hadn’t noted the sad expression written on Draco’s face. It was the same face of grief that he had hid from everyone around him when he was alive. The boy hid it very well, but Regulus knew from all his time with Narcissa of when she was upset that Narcissa often came looking for him for comfort. Now their son was unconsciously searching for relief of what was bothering him in the same person his mother went to. “It was strange how genetics worked,” thought Regulus.

Draco was so much like her that Regulus smiled bitterly because it felt as if Narcissa was here again. The portrait had missed her so much since she stopped coming here. Shedding a few tears of his own, it had been hard the first year after his death to ignore his cousin. She would come to his room, begging for any information of the real Regulus’ last few days. When she realized he took a vow of silence Narcissa cried, locking herself inside his room in front of his portrait for hours. The young witch each time refused to let anyone come in when it was her time to be here with him, apologizing over and over again to him.

He watched as Cissy cursed the world for taking him away from her. Whoever took Regulus from her would pay. No matter how long it took. With her heavy belly Narcissa got on her knees, promising him she’ll honor his sacrifice. She promised him no one will ever take his place inside her heart and as Draco’s ‘godfather’. That title belonged to him alone. A part of him died a second time if that was even possible as Regulus watched Cissy fall apart for she was truly alone for the first time in her life with his death and Bellatrix’s eventual sentencing. Slowly being cut off from the Blacks, Lucius got stricter with Narcissa coming back home. After their son’s birth, Cissy had never come back. The portrait assumed Lucius had finally forbidden her too.

Although he knew his death would pain Narcissa, Regulus knew it was for the best that he made his last dying sacrifice to her. Regulus had been the spare. The only thing he knew how to do in his short life. It was what he was trained to do. Be the spare. Make sacrifices for the House of Black. Protect the family name. Bring honor to the household. A spare, it was logically for him to be named the heir after Sirius left. That was his duty to fill in for his brother.

Deep down, he knew Sirius had wanted to leave with him, but Regulus couldn’t do that. Wallburga wouldn’t survive if she had lost both of her sons. Thus, he decided to pay for Sirius' freedom with his own, becoming the son his parents wanted for the family. He carried Sirius’ burden for him. Carry the image and title Sirius never wanted or become. Despite Sirius pleas, Regulus needed to stay behind for his cousin. Cissy, who he loved so much more than anyone could truly know.

He died for Narcissa and their unborn son. A child made from the family's blood magic. Their darkest secret that no one knew but them and Bellatrix. Once again, Regulus became a spare again in a way after Draco’s birth. A spare for Cissy after being Sirius’ for so many years. He was replaceable but not Narcisssa or their son.

As Regulus sat with Draco, his thoughts drifted to his past. To a time where he once prayed his death would give Narcissa more time in this cruel world. Prayed to Merlin to somehow protect her and her unborn son from being a casualty of the war. Back then in the first Wizarding war, he saw the storm coming for the Blacks but no one around him was doing a thing to sail them away from the fire brewing towards them all. The reputation of the Blacks would burn to the ground along with the thousands of years of family history gone because the elders of the family fell for the manipulation of a madman. Regulus knew his place in this world. Protect the honor and pride of the Blacks. That was his duty as the spare. Protect the family and his heir. Cissy and his son.

The real Regulus had debated for so many months whether to betray the Dark Lord or not, but his mind was set after Kreacher came back injured and with a breakthrough of what the man was up to. With the opportunity arriving and Voldemort disrespecting his house elf, his fate was decided. He would die being the first to go against the Dark Lord. He passed his heir status to the next male in the family, Draco. A hidden member of the family. Wanting to erase what would surely ruin the family’s reputation in the bloodbath that the war was to bring, Regulus had a plan.

To the public, his father had been too old to become a Death Eater so after his own death, the Blacks would have no reason to fully commit and had no known heirs to take Regulus’ spot in the Dark Lord’s army. Bellatrix married into the Lestrange family so any crimes committed would be on their family name not the Blacks. Seeing what the future held for the magical community, Regulus knew by the end of the first wizarding war that it would not produce favorable results for the sacred 28 families.

The Ministry of Magic would come after everyone who played a part in Voldemort’s campaigns and crimes. By removing himself through death, Regulus indirectly protected his family’s honor by keeping it clean. The House of Black would only become a tragic tale in the war. One of the many casualties. Regulus would be known as a promising wizard whose future was taken too soon. If the ministry ever decided to investigate him, they would find nothing for he was too young and died so early in the war.

The circumstances surrounding his death would be uncertain. Whispers of him drowning in the sea drifted to every part of the wizarding community. Perhaps the ministry would think, he died by suicide from the pressure the war and his family had brought on him.

Let the rumors run rampant to hide his family’s involvement. No one would know as Regulus Black had never officially participated in the inner circle despite carrying the dark mark that was forced upon him. He had only played a role behind the scenes due to his young age, away from the public’s eyes. The honor of the Blacks would be free of any blood through his death. Untainted by war. The dark mark he took would only be a rumor soon lost in time.

His death would forever be a mystery to the Pureblood community. He gave the Black wealth and his heir status to Narcissa’s unborn son, for the day she needed to come back home. Afterall, to the public he had never taken a wife or had an heir at the time of his death that would contest his will. The life raft he made would be for Cissy. Regulus hoped by then the family name would still be in high regard for their unborn son, Draco.

That was the price he was willing to pay for her future. He gave his title and rights to the Black fortune to Draco. Draco was the future of the House of Black. Regulus saw troubles in Narcissa’s marriage. Planning for a possible future where Cissy’s life was in danger or marriage was ending, he found a way out for Cissy for the day she found her courage.

He sacrificed his last moments of life for a mere chance to change the tides in the war and have a part in killing the Dark Lord. Regulus knew his death was nothing but a raindrop in the destruction of the Wizarding world, but it was worth it for his family. What Regulus did not know was that his rain drop would become a ripple effect, growing into strong waves. His sacrifice would be the trigger, producing a chain of events in the incoming second wizarding war. Events Narcissa was making in his memory.

Watching Draco sulk in his own thoughts and sadness, Regulus decided to break his silence. He found himself, asking the boy the same question he would ask Cissy when she was upset. “What’s wrong?,” he said, causing Draco to jump up at the sound of his voice.

After all, he owed it to Narcissa for saying nothing all those nights she came after he died. When the pressure he had in his life was too much to bear alone, he held onto her, taking in the comfort of her warmth. When his heart was torn, watching Sirius call someone else his real brother, Regulus had gone to her. Cissy had been there for the worst and best moments of his life like when Sirius was disowned and had torn up his letter without even opening it in front of him. It was time he paid her back by lending a hand to Draco.

Seeing the boy’s open jaw in stunned silence, Regulus went on, “You look so much like your mother. She was more than just my cousin, you know. We were very close”. Draco's eyes widened in shock, making Regulus smirk in response.

“You're talking? But I thought you took a vow”.

The portrait laughed, seeing the confusion on Draco’s face, but explained, “I did take a vow of silence, but for you I’ll break it”. The young boy thought for a moment trying to process this rare moment but he blurted out a string of questions that had pondered since coming here, “Why are you breaking it for me? And why did you take it the first time?”.

Regulus hummed, carefully crafting his words before he spoke, “Wasting no time I see. My godchild went straight for the difficult questions. I’m breaking my silence because you need a shoulder to lean on. Narcissa was my anchor for so many years and I want to be yours for one night”. The slytherin peered down with a defeated look on his face. Whatever was bothering him was causing great turmoil in his son, Regulus thought as he went on, “As for why I took my vow of silence, the other Regulus made me promise the day before he disappeared. It’s very rare for death portraits to be made by the person themselves unless they are planning ahead. He made me swear not to speak a word. We needed to protect Narcissa and you. I can only speak to my heir, you”.

Astounded, Draco replied, “me?” with growing confusion by the second.

“You are wearing my ring and my watch. Jewelry only offered to the heir”.

Draco nodded only half accepting the answer, “Where did you go? And what did you want to protect me and my mother from?”. Visibly frowning, Regulus sighed as he decided how much he was able to share. He still needed to keep the vow the real Regulus asked of him but seeing his son in person had made his resolve weaken. “I can’t answer just any question you have in mind. You need to ask me the correct question before I can tell you my story. Come back when you discover my secret. But as to why I protected you and your mother, it’s simple. I traded my life for yours and Cissy. And if that’s hard to understand with only half my story known, that is fine. Only know this Draco, I did what I did out of love”.

The portrait studied Draco, taking in everything. Afraid this might be just a dream and his son might disappear before his eyes, Regulus admitted, “I have waited for this moment for a long time. I had so many dreams for… our family,” purposely leaving it vague for the boy. Regulus did not want his son to know that when he talked of family it meant as a reference to Cissy and him only.

The young werewolf gave a small smile. “I think we would have gotten along. My mother told me everything there is to know about you. You practically grew up with me in spirit with all the stories she told me daily”. The boy went quiet at the mention of his mother, the portrait noted. Regulus could see something was wrong so he pushed. He had a hunch from his own mother’s portrait downstairs, who had roared with fear days earlier but was now quiet as a mouse. Although he had no access to information outside his room and had spoken to no one, the house was quiet enough to hear the halls. From the whispers, he knew Draco was a werewolf. Had he been kicked out by Lucius? That might explain why Draco was now living here with no sign of Narcissa nearby.

“How is your mother? She stopped coming to see me after your birth. I would love to catch up with her. Is she mad at me for never speaking?,” the portrait asked innocently but saw how his son’s expression broke.

Unable to look at his uncle, Draco hesitated, not wanting to give bad news to someone who also loved his mother equally as him. Deciding to break the news slowly, Draco answered, “She was never mad at you”. The past tense caused alarm for Regulus, who now stood straight, hanging on every word from the boy as he continued, “No, mother was always sad over your death. I think she understood why you left us and respected it but it hurt her nonetheless”. The Slytherin’s voice broke, dreading what he was about to say. “She wanted to come back, trust me, but Lucius forbade her from visiting the house… I don’t know how to tell you this but she never coming back…… She’s dead. She died not wanting to live a day without me. She died thinking I died too. That was the Dark Lord’s plan, my death but I was saved at the last moment by Remus”.

Finally crumbling down, a cry erupted from Draco’s throat as the guilt grew. “I killed her. I fucking killed her. It’s all my fault. I should have been protecting her but I failed”. Squeezing his eyes shut, Draco turned away from Regulus in shame.

Although Draco knew he didn’t kill his mother and there was no logic in it, survivor's guilt was eating at him every day. It was that confession that finally made Draco cry like a flood was released from its gates. The tears that wouldn’t come out when he received the news now flooded his eyes. He stopped himself from crying out loud by using both hands to cover his mouth while tears fell down like a river. Soon he started to hiccup while he was in mourning for his mother. He opened his mouth but was still unconsolable, “I’m alone. She was all I had left and now she’s gone. My mother took half of me with her”. Regulus was saddened watching Draco in front of his portrait crying.

Regulus tensed. The news of Cissy’s death hit him like a pile of rocks but most of all witnessing Draco break down was like watching Narcissa cry all over again over him. How cruel life was to repeat history as Draco was crying over her in front of his portrait. Narcissa’s cries echoed in his mind, “You were all I had. Please, come back to me”.

Watching Draco in this state was almost haunting for Regulus but he somehow found the strength to be the person his son was searching for. His son needed him. All these years Regulus had felt guilty for leaving Narcissa but now he could let go and face the world again. He had to let go so he could be brave for Draco. He would pick their son from the ground as she did when he was still alive. Regulus would be his shoulder to lean on now that Cissy was gone.

“Draco, look at me,” the portrait leaned closer, forcing the young boy to listen to him as he continued, “Hear these words. You didn’t kill your mother. It was a horrible accident but if you need someone to blame, let it be me. Let me carry all your burdens and sorrows for that was my purpose in life. I can carry it like I carried Cissy’s and Sirius’. I should have never died and left your mother alone. I should have been here to protect her from your father”.

At the mention of Lucius, Draco murmured, “He’s not my father. Don't refer to him as that” in a low voice. It was important for his uncle to know, Draco thought to himself as he fell deeper into his sorrows.

Nodding in agreement, Regulus cleared his throat causing Draco to glance up again, “Your mother’s death is my fault. Blame me until you can move on. Scream at me. Cry to me. Hit my portrait. Throw it to the floor. Burn it, if it stops you from blaming yourself. Come to me when you need aid. It’s the only thing I know how to do. It would be my honor to be there for you. You, who’s so much like Narcissa”.

The young werewolf said nothing, making Regulus feel he had crossed the line. For the first time in his portrait’s existence, he was nervous. As Draco looked up with his eyes red and puffy, the hiccupping in the middle of his crying made the Slytherin feel like a little child again. Without uttering a word, Draco walked over to Regulus before kneeling down. He finally broke as he was nothing more than a boy that missed his mother.

Although he wanted a simple hug from someone who also loved his mother like he did, Draco knew that was not possible. Regulus was only a portrait and every single person that had truly loved Narcissa was gone. The young werewolf was alone. With tears spilling from his eyes, Malfoy held the corner of Regulus’ portrait as he finally replied, “Hold my hand like my mother did for me”. Just as his son asked of him, Regulus placed his hand in the corner of the portrait to make contact with the boy's hand as he sobbed, releasing everything that was pent up inside of him. Touching skin to paint, the two mourned for Narcissa.

Chapter Text

“Remus… Draco and I have been talking. I want to join you two on the full moon. I’ve completed my personal lessons as an animagus so I’m certain I can do this,” said Hermione, who stood at the doorway of the family’s office with Draco. The young werewolf appeared worried at Remus’ response. He stood behind Hermione while holding her hand and Crookshanks in his other arm. Remus, who had his back turned, was preparing a bag with extra clothes and potions for Draco and himself in case anything went wrong. At the sound of Hermione’s voice, the old werewolf turned around to see the unexpected trio. It seemed even Crookshanks, who was comfortable inside the arms of Draco, was waiting for the final word.

Without any hesitation or consideration to her request, Lupin simply replied, “No,” as he went back to packing. “Wait, why? I think it’s time. I told you I wanted to become one. You can’t always be there on the full moon to protect him. It was a long difficult process, but I did it. Now I want to join the pack,” an disgruntled Hermione said with her arms crossed. Attempting to ease the atmosphere, Draco joined in to back Hermione up with a weaker but still tempting argument, “Crookshanks wants to join too. He won’t take this cat discrimination any longer. As an official member of our family, he wants to join our dog pack. Tell him Crookshanks”.

Remus took a deep sigh before he peered over to Draco. The professor couldn’t help but smile at the scene of the boy holding up the feline as it meowed at him. Crookshanks in return looked at the old werewolf almost as if he was talking to him too. “These children will be the end of me,” Remus thought to himself. Turning back at the task at hand, he told the three no once again, standing his ground. With his enhanced hearing, he heard the two children despite their attempt at whispering behind him. “Don’t worry, love. I got this. Trust a Slytherin to get what they want. Prepare to witness the greatness of our house. Sometimes your Gryffindor courage is a little too much”.

Hermione crossed her arms while rolling her eyes at her husband. As Draco walked over to Remus, he lifted the flat faced cat higher to the old werewolf’s face before replying with the most serious expression, “Crookshanks wants to challenge your word. He and Hermione have submitted their application to join our pack and it's your responsibility as pack leader to consider them. By saying no, you are displaying that you hold prejudices against cats. How can you say no to his handsome face when you have lived your entire life living in werewolf prejudice”.

Before Lupin could react, Crookshanks lifted his little paw to hit the professor directly on the forehead. Taken back, Remus laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the snake. This was a stark difference in how serious Draco was when they first got to know each other. The boy seemed at ease and comfortable in his surroundings.

Catching his breath again, Remus chuckled, “Well, you have certainly made yourself a good case, Draco” before turning to Hermione, “Tell me what is the real reason you suddenly want to join? I admit I did say when you become an animagus, you can join us one day, but also made it clear it was only when I say so, which I haven’t yet”.

With Lupin directness, the bright watch jumped as Draco once again spoke up, showing Remus his soul bonded tattoos on his arms, “We don’t need a reason. I am a newlywed that can’t live without my other half. I can’t go a night without her. With that in mind, from this day forward, I make it the law where I go, she goes. And as your favorite and only werewolf son it's your parental duty to make me happy. I almost got killed by Harry. Don’t you feel bad for me and want to give me everything I ever wanted?”.

Throwing his head back, the old werewolf laughed while holding his stomach. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The pup was using his death to make a winning case. “When did he become a softy for Draco,” Remus thought to himself as Hermione slapped her own forehead at Draco’s audacity. Shaking his head in disbelief, the old werewolf almost wanted to give into the request but explained, “Now, now Draco. Having a parent does not mean you get spoiled by them. I know that might be quite unusual for you but that is not how parenting works for the majority of families”.

Remus then peered at Hermione, talking to both as he went on, “Don’t lie to me. I sensed it in your voice as your heartbeats picked up when you two said the words, ‘We have no reason’. You know better than to lie to a man who's been a werewolf all his life. In fact, your heart beats rapidly as we speak, when I pointed out your lies”.

“Damn, I didn’t know you can sense lies with our werewolf abilities”. Intrigued, Malfoy peered at Remus while petting Crookshanks. He wondered how long it took to get to that level of proficiency with their hearing. Taking over the situation, Hermione asked with a slightly disappointed tone of how this was turning out for them, “Can you at least tell us a reason why you're denying our request?”. Taking time to think, the older werewolf tilted his head to assess the pair in front of him before responding, “Hermione, how can I let you join us when I sensed how upset you were the moment you came here. Running with werewolves is quite dangerous. Being a member of a pack requires a lot of trust and right now I can’t trust you until you tell me what's wrong”.

Grabbing Hermione's hand, Draco used his eyes to encourage her to tell Remus. There was a worried expression on the young pup’s face that had Remus suddenly worried for Hermione. Whatever was upsetting her it seemed Draco already knew. As the former professor waited for an explanation, Draco grabbed onto her hand tighter. The bright witch took a deep breath, suddenly nervous about what had been riddling her with guilt these past few days. She closed her eyes as some part of hoped it had all been a nightmare but it wasn’t. Hermione had no one to blame but herself as she prepared to tell the truth to Lupin. “I… I just don’t want to be alone in this house. Please let me join you. I can’t be alone with my thoughts right now”.

Concerned, Remus stepped forward as Hermione became teary eyed. He was more anxious by the second. Lupin didn’t think he had ever witnessed her cry before as Hermione slowly admitted, “It’s my parents… I wanted to keep them safe”. Her lack of explanation had the older werewolf assuming the worst. Had something happened to them? His heart dropped, wondering if the Grangers had died but his thoughts suddenly stayed on what she had said, ‘I wanted to keep them safe’. Those words rang in his mind as he saw how upset the young girl was becoming. “What did that mean exactly?,” Remus wondered to himself. “It’s okay, tell me what happened”.

With tears spilling from the corner of her eyes, Hermione admitted, “I casted the obliviate spell on both my parents. I erased my existence from my parent’s lives. They don’t remember they ever had a daughter. The second wizarding war started when you know who attacked Hogwarts. I had no choice. I had known it was something I would have to do since it became apparent that war was unavoidable”.

Draco handed Hermione Crookshanks, allowing her to hug her faithful feline. As Crookshanks purred in the deadly quiet room, she held him tighter for courage as she went on, “He would have come for my parents and would stop at nothing until he found me. As long as my parents remember me, they will always be in danger because of my connection with Harry… Protecting them from him is far more important to me than the risk of losing them forever to death or torture”.

The tears fell more as Draco stepped closer to give her a side hug while Remus gave an inaudible gasp. The more Hermione went on, the more devastated he was for her. “I considered hiding them but you know as well as me that people are disappearing in large numbers everyday. No one is safe under this new regime. With my parents being muggles, they don’t have any magic to protect themselves with”.

Clenching her eyes shut to avoid staring at Remus, she continued in a shaky voice, as the reality of what she did sunk in, “I also wiped their memory to protect the Wizarding World community. I know my parents better than anyone. If I had just told them I'd be gone for a while or disappeared out of thin air, they'd do everything in their power to find me. They would search to every corner of Europe, exposing magic for a chance to find me. And if muggles didn’t believe them, they'd be thrown in the psych ward or worse become suspects for the disappearance of their own daughter. It’s been so hard trying to keep them from knowing too much life as a witch. I’ve had difficulty trying to convince them every year to let me come back to Hogwarts. I was reaching their limits. It was the only way”. She wiped her tears in Crookshanks fur as she hid her face from the entire room.

Hermione paused, as she choked on the sudden influx of emotions she had ignored before. Draco wiped her tears with the tip of his thumbs as she explained further, “I also had to consider that I might not live to see the end of the war. The emotional trauma I would bring to my parents if I died, it would destroy them. They’ll blame themselves for letting me come to Hogwarts when it was my choice to be a part of this world. So I modified their memories to believe they never had a child and planted the idea to move to Australia”.

As it sank in what Hermione had admitted, Remus' heart shattered into pieces, listening to her, because of what the war had made feel like she had to do. The worst part was that on some level, she was right but it didn’t make it hurt any less. No, it pained him more. Hermione didn’t deserve this though. So many of his students were being forced to grow up far beyond their years. Forced to make unimaginable decisions. Her parent’s association with Hermione put a target on their backs. Voldemort would do something like that if given the chance.

Lupin had seen it first hand. So many of his former classmates had been targeted. Whole families like the McKinnons were wiped out. Others like Dorcus were personally killed by he who shall not be named. It was a real possibility that Voldemort would have used Hermione’s parents to force the Golden Trio to come to him or tortured the Grangers until information was given. There was nothing the mad man would do to obtain power.

It killed Remus, knowing the war was taking the innocence of the children he cared so deeply for. There was nothing he could do but watch as they sacrificed their childhood and trade it to be child soldiers. The old werewolf was saddened as he was brought back to the first wizarding war to a time where all his friends joined the Order. He had even become a spy for Dumbledore by joining Greyback’s pack right after graduation. His spy work was the reason why Sirius lost trust in him and switched his status of secret keeper.

Instead, Sirius gave it to Peter Pettigrew, which would cost them all. The war of his time had taken both the Potters, the Prewetts, the Longbottoms, and even the Blacks. Sirius went to Azkaban while Regulus’ death was labeled as accidental drowning but that seemed unlikely. If you knew the right rumors to listen to, it told that the Black heir was a victim of Voldemort. Hermione was in her right mind to send her parent’s away.

Now the incoming second wizarding war was taking a whole new generation with it. Death had taken Draco’s mother and in a sense the war also took Hermione’s parents from her. Remus didn't want to imagine who else would be gone by the time this was all over. “Hermione, you do know that to obliviate a person’s memory is irreversible. It's permanent. This memory charm is impossible to undo. To even attempt to recover memories is doing irreparable damage to the individual,” the old werewolf said, checking to see if Hermione fully knew what she had done.

Nodding her head, Hermione replied as she peered away from him, “I know. I knew the risk and the sacrifice my action would mean for my future and my parents but I was willing to take it for everyone’s safety. For me, my parents, Harry, and the Order…”. The bright witch blinked her tears away as she gained up with eyes full of promise. “After the war, I’ll find them and try to find a way to give back their memories. I owe it to them and myself to try”.

With a mournful expression, the former professor silently gasped. His stomach dropped, knowing he had to break her heart more than it already was but he didn’t hide the truth from Hermione. “Oh my dear, I’m so sorry… but their memories are gone. Your parents will not be who they once were. Their memories have ceased to exist. Your parents will… never remember you”. The silence in the room was deafening as Hermione took in what Remus had said. Crookshanks looked up at its owner as if was worried too, rubbing its head against her chest. While Hermione peered at Draco before turning back to Lupin, she finally let out a sob, releasing everything she had buried inside. Like a broken dam, this revelation hit Hermione after being in denial since coming here. Her mum and dad were gone. Worst of all, they weren’t dead. Instead, they just didn’t know who she was and never will.

Remus walked towards Hermione, putting his hand on her shoulder to offer her comfort. “Let it all out. You're one of the brightest and strongest witches I know. Most wizards and witches don’t have the stomach or heart to do what you did. Your actions were made out of good intentions”.

Hermione continued to weep that Remus gave a side hug, rubbing her arms up and down. Now understanding the situation, Remus replied, “You can accompany us tonight under one condition”. Wiping her tears away with her sleeve, Hermione nodded as she agreed automatically without hearing what it was. She was just thankful that be able to go as Remus explained, “You need to wait a few yards away from us until we fully transform. That’s a sight no one should see”.

~

Later that night, Hermione transformed into her animagus with Crookshanks trailing close behind her. Listening to Lupin, she waited a few yards away from the shrieking shack. Since 12 Grimmauld Place was in London, the professor took all precautions and took everyone back to Hogsmeade. They could have locked themselves in the basement but he took no chance of the smallest possibility of having two werewolves free in the city. It was for this reason that Hermione stood at the edge of the forest, waiting to join them. She found she could hear very well compared to her human ears. Small noises such as the leaves ruffling in the wind. A stream running in the distance.

The young witch was so focused on the sounds of the forest that she jumped as she heard two bloody hurdling screams as if someone was being tortured. It was then Hermione did not like having enhanced hearing as she took in the sounds of bones cracking, skin tearing up and blood splattering on the floor.

Frightened, chills shot up her spine, listening to Draco and Remus transform. Hermione instinctively winced as she closed her eyes and dug her nose into Crookshanks. It shouldn’t have been that horrifying after she had seen Remus in fourth year and was chased by his werewolf but the noises made the experience horrifying.

Perhaps it was because Remus had years of experience of being a werewolf that made it look less painful in fourth year than it sounded at the moment to Hermione. Remus had learned not to scream. Whereas Draco was still a mer pup with less than a year of lycanthropy. The pain the boy had experienced was nothing he had felt before in his life as his body tore apart to make way for the wolf. The slytherin’s cries were one of near death. Screams Hermione would always remember for how it made her body cold.

All the times she had seen Draco the day after the full moon, she traced all of his wounds when they spent nights inside the perfect’s bathroom. Sometimes Draco would ask Hermione to kiss all his injuries. It didn’t make it hurt less but it gave Draco something else to focus on other than his body aches. After the full moon, Draco was weakened each time he transformed back into a human. That was what made Remus and Draco so different. Remus' body had eventually learned to tolerate the pain while it seemed Draco was still vulnerable each month.

With the sudden silence, Hermione sensed it was safe to approach the Shrieking Shack. As the bright witch walked over, she traveled through the secret path under the whomping willow tree. Once at the bedroom door, a large bloody white wolf jumped towards Hermione in excitement. His tail wagged as its tongue stuck out. It seemed Draco was thrilled seeing Hermione’s animagus form that all his previous pain was long forgotten. He playfully jumped around her. Until tonight Draco had no idea what her form was. No matter how much he begged before Malfoy couldn’t get it out of the witch. He licked her face, unable to hide his emotions. Unable to help herself, Hermione joined in, chasing the young werewolf around the house as they left Remus behind.

Eventually the couple tired out. Laying on the floor, Hermione decided to clean the blood off of Draco’s fur while Crookshakes walked over to Remus. The strange feline meowed at the old werewolf, burrowing its eyes into Remus'. Almost as if it was asking the professor “Are you okay?”.

Lupin broke his trance before laying beside Crookshanks. The unexpected pair watched over the two newlyweds. Remus was quite still in disbelief at what he was seeing with his own eyes. He had spent so many years alone after the death of James and Sirius’ sentencing. The day James and Lily died, Remus had lost everyone all on the same day. Not only did he have to grieve for James and Lily, but Lupin for a time had to live with the fact Sirius had ‘betrayed’ James and killed Peter. The older werewolf was riddled with guilt at being in love with someone who was a murderer. A murderer who had taken the lives of their best friends.

Over the years, Remus made himself hate Sirius to move on. For years he mourned the pack he once had until one day the truth was revealed. It was Peter who had betrayed the group and framed Sirius. His wounds reopened but with Sirius back in his life, he trudged on. Before he could heal, Sirius soon after was killed by Bellatrix. It was as if the world was mocking him once again, taking his pack away a second time. Sirius had been returned to him only to be taken away again but this time to death.

Before his very eyes, the Marauders had rekindled like a fire and were flourishing. His inner werewolf couldn’t help but to be overjoyed with the rebirth of the pack. The mirror image of the Marauders: the next generation. Watching Hermione and Draco play together with Crookshanks accompanying him, reminded Remus of the times he had with James, Sirius, and Peter. Draco and Hermione running around was like watching himself and Sirius once again under the full moon. The old werewolf smiled bittersweetly at the scene as his thoughts drifted to what would have happened if he found the courage to ask Sirius out all those years ago. The question that had always haunted him. “Would they have been happy and made it?,” the professor asked himself after wondering if he would have truly forgiven Sirius for the prank. The prank that had almost made him turn into a monster.

No, he wouldn’t have but it was only natural to think of another lifetime where things were different. Remus remembered the day after Draco had woken up from accidentally killing Rita. The old werewolf had to watch Draco’s innocence wash away along with the blood they cleaned off their bodies in the river that morning. The scene affected him more than he wanted Draco to know. The boy would never know. It had been tough to watch his pup be broken and watch the eyes of a boy who hated himself.

Draco wasn't the same after that day. A few times, Remus saw Draco flitch at the mention of Rita in the newspaper or at school. Melancholy, Lupin watched his two kids realizing all the years he wasted living in the past but he couldn't help himself. Grief was never ending. It came in constant waves, overtaking him each time it drowned him. As he studied Draco and Hermione’s forms interacting with each other, Remus realized something, watching Hermione care for Draco. She made certain the Slytherin didn’t push himself. They’re bond was genuine. He had never had that with Sirius. Sirius had only accompanied him during the full moons for amusement, seeing his condition as a cool trick and to break more school rules. Not for what it was, a curse.

It was at that moment the old werewolf came to accept that Sirius and he were just infatuated with one another. They had never really been friends. James had been the connection and without him, the two were strangers. The few times he stayed at 12 Grimmauld Place when Sirius was alive, the house was filled with awkward tension. Lupin didn’t stay very long after that. Perhaps, he missed what Sirius represented: his youth and a time where he too had been carefree.

The old werewolf sighed, deciding he was done with reminiscing of the past. Watching his kids that had unexpectedly come into his life, he wanted to live in the present for them but Remus was also worried that history was repeating itself as he watched the familiar yet haunting sight. Almost as if the past was bleeding into the future. Crookshanks purred against his brown fur as they watched Hermione. Her animagus form was a copy of Sirius’ but was a smaller version. She was a shaggy brown haired dog. Only instead of Sirius’ gray eyes, her animagus had golden brown. With Crookshanks snuggling closer to him as if it sensed his mood, Lupin brushed those fears away. It would do no good to think about it now. All Remus wanted to do was to protect his new family. And that was what he would do.

Chapter Text

Still recovering after the full moon, Draco sat with his back leaning against the chair in the dining room. Hermione sat by his side, waiting for everyone to arrive. Despite how busy the day would become, Kreacher cleaned the house as best as he could while Remus, Draco, and Hermione prepared the house for their guests earlier that day. 12 Grimmauld Place would have its first meeting with the Order of the Phoenix since the destruction of Hogwarts.

Most of the portraits of the house had decided to stay silent as they usually did but Walburga nicely asked Draco to close the curtains. Walburga couldn’t promise she would be nice to those who would come. It was too much too soon which Draco understood as he still felt himself out of sorts officially attending a meeting. Everyone who was a current member of the Order was going to arrive in this historic old wizarding home soon.

The Slytherin had only met Bill, Arthur, and Moody before and these meetings were small in comparison. Mostly revolving around everything about Voldemort’s plans and inner circle. In the events prior to Hogwarts falling, Draco was certain he would have died or been forced to take the dark mark. Working for the Order was not a possibility he had thought for himself. The idea of officially joining for some reason made the boy nervous. Perhaps it ran in the family as even Regulus asked for his portrait curtains to be closed, out of shyness but made Draco promise to come back at night to tell him everything the meeting was about. Since the night Draco had cried for Narcissa, they two had grown very close. Regulus’ portrait had become more open, allowing the house residents to move him to the living room.

Draco found himself tense as he stood to greet everyone as they entered the kitchen. There were a few curious stares at the boy before Draco realized that he wasn’t among his sacred 28 Purebloods anymore. He didn’t have to practice his strict traditional upbringing but he still did, giving a slight nod as their guest entered. Draco could already imagine his mother’s disapproval look if he didn’t practice the manners she taught him. Still he felt like a fish out of water that he found himself following Remus as the man did all of the talking.

Despite his nerves, the boy felt as if it was his duty as the next man of the house after Remus to be standing next to him. He wanted to absorb every quality Lupin had as his own, spending time with the older wolf whenever possible. The boy had fully expected Remus to get annoyed at the situation but the professor took it in stride, having summer classes with both Draco and Hermione.

The summer so far hadn’t been as lonely as the Slytherin expected it to be. He thought the death of his mother would darken his days. It did, but life also moved on. Small splashes of happiness brightened his gloomy mood with Hermione but most of all it was the first in his life a male figure had been with him every day because they liked him. It was a simple thing but a feeling Malfoy had never experienced before. He was certain Lucius loved him in his own way but the man had never liked him. For most of the year, Lucius worked long hours, leaving Draco alone with his mother. It was why he had been so close to her. They were each other's rock in that cold manor. When Lucius did have free time, the head Malfoy used it to raise Draco into the perfect heir or else be punished.

Remus had noticed the new development that his pup was following him. Draco was unconsciously copying every mannerism that had come from the older werewolf. One night, he had even caught Draco trying on his cardigan sweaters in secret, making Lupin smile. It warmed his heart to see Draco and Hermione, enjoying their time in 12 Grimmauld Place. He wanted them to be the children that they were just a little while longer.

As the two werewolves greeted everyone, Hermione was saving Remus and Draco a seat while Kreacher began to serve food on each plate. The little elf expertly avoided the bright witch, refusing any help from her. The entire Order was almost here but the group were waiting on a few stragglers. As each witch and wizard took their seat, Kreacher had a deep scowl, seeing so many people in the house. There was distrust in his eyes as he watched their hands. Before the day had started, Kreacher took inventory of everything in the house. Before the night would end, he would ensure everything was still in its rightful place.

“Oh my! When they informed us the meeting was in this dreadful place, I wasn’t going to come back here, but that was before I heard you were here,” a voice that sounded so familiar made Draco turn to see who it was.

Through the kitchen door, someone who resembled his mother came in, making him freeze. If it wasn’t for the witch’s brown hair and tall height, Malfoy could have mistaken her for his mother. This could only mean one thing. The person standing before him was Andromeda. The banished Black sister that he had never met or heard about. Growing up, the topic surrounding Andromeda was a touchy subject that he learned never to bring up with Narcissa. The pair studied each other as she took in his appearance, as well. Her eyes darted the boy’s dark curls they both shared, the Black’s famous trait.

As Draco took another look, she also was a good mixture of Aunt Bellatrix. The only difference between Bellatrix and Andromeda was that she had kind eyes. Bellatrix had always had a scowl on her expression, the moment the Slytherin had met after escaping from Azkaban. Draco imagined that in her youth along with Narcissa and Bellatrix, the three black sisters were the envy of all Pureblood witches with the turning many wizards' heads in their direction.

Without hesitation before Malfoy could protest, Andromeda wrapped the boy in a tight embrace, catching him off guard. Such open affection had been rare for Draco under Lucius’ rule. “It’s so good to finally meet you Draco. I’m 17 years late, but better late than never”. The witch laughed at her own joke as Draco stayed silent, unable to decide what was the correct course to take. Should he talk to his aunt? Avoid her? Say hello? After all, she’s a stranger. The only aunt Draco had ever known was Aunt Bellatrix, who had tortured him during his training.

Seeing the hesitation from the boy, Andromeda decided to close the awkwardness with a second hug. “Come give me a hug. The first one wasn’t good enough. With one crazy aunt who has you on her hit list, by default I've become your favorite aunt”.

Draco couldn’t help but to chuckle as this second hug lasted longer. As his body eased her arms, the Slytherin pressed his nose into her neck, taking in her scent. He couldn’t help himself. With Andromeda appearing so much like his mother, the boy wondered if his aunt would smell like his mother's rose garden. Much to his disappointment, she didn’t smell like Narcissa but Draco lifted his arms and returned the embrace, before letting go. Draco was suddenly homesick despite Grimmauld Place being his new home.

As Andromeda stepped back, she was astonished at how much Draco resembled the Black side of the family. Unable to help herself, she brushed her fingers through his black curls, bringing her back to another time. The boy was Narcissa’s twin but with his dyed hair, there was some Regulus in her nephew. “How curious,” she thought to herself as Draco blushed and ears turned red at the attention he was receiving. Clearing his throat as Andromeda stepped away, Malfoy made a small joke. “That isn’t necessarily true. Aunt Bella was the only family I had for years yet I still burnt her face off. If I were you, I would reconsider wanting to be my favorite aunt”.

Andromeda laughed, flashing a smile that reminded Draco of his mother. It hurt to see his aunt happy. In the last year of Narcissa’s life with Voldemort living with them, neither of them smiled. “Without a doubt you’re of my kin. We just met and I adore you so much already,” she replied as she suddenly walked away to take a seat. Andromeda had tried to hide it from him but she was in mourning too.

The young werewolf saw the sadness and pain inside her eyes before she hid it away. The boy felt a presence beside him. As the Slytherin turned he met an older man who he hadn’t seen before. This wizard shook his hand, unafraid of touching him. So many of his house mates had kept their distance from him when he came back to school with Lycanthropy. “I’m Ted Tonks. Your uncle. It’s great to see another relative of my wife. You may have heard about me from your mother and Aunt Bellatrix. Although I’m certain it wasn’t in a kind light,” Ted winked at the boy before laughing in the same manner as Andromeda did.

Seeing how much brightness both of them emitted, Draco took in how well his aunt and uncle matched each other. “If it makes you feel better, Aunt Bella doesn’t like anyone so it was a given she wasn’t ever going to accept you. She barely tolerated me,” Draco joked to lighten the mood before continuing, “As for my mother, she never discussed anyone from her side of the family. Her world revived around me”. He tried to give a cheeky grin but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Ted nodded, patting the boy’s shoulder as he passed him. “I’m sorry for your loss, Draco. Andromeda never stopped thinking about your mother since she left the family all those years ago. She always hoped they would find their way back to each other”. He went to sit with his wife, giving the boy space which Draco appreciated. The young werewolf still had a difficult time talking about his mother to anyone except Regulus’ portrait for some odd reason.

Everyone who was a member of the Order with the exception of Harry finally arrived, gathering in the dining room. Every chair was filled and those who didn’t get a seat stood where they could, taking up any available space. Draco looked around the table. The entire Wealsey clan was here including Fleur. The werewolf noted that Ron and Ginny had strangely sat far from Hermione.

Ron eyed Hermione, almost like he wanted to say something but was still uncomfortable with this new reality of Draco being in her life. He gave a small chuckle as he glanced at the ring on Hermione’s finger. If only the redhead knew that he wasn’t going anywhere until death parted them. Malfoy fought the urge to lift Hermione’s hand to kiss it. He was still a bundle of nerves as various eyes took in his new appearance. Before the bite, he would have basked in the crowd’s attention but now preferred to hide from it.

Turning his attention back to the front of the room, Kingsley, Moody, and Lupin were at the head of the table, leading the meeting and conversation. As the meeting started, the room settled down as some snacked on the food left by Kreacher. Draco sat next to Remus, still wary of the crowd and new faces he was surrounded by. Hermione rubbed his thighs under the table, trying to ease down his anxiety with her hand. Thankful for her comfort, Draco took her hand, holding it on his lap before he placed a small kiss on her lips. He didn’t care who was watching as Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. The need to no longer hide their relationship was gone now that the wizarding world thought he was dead. There was a sort of freedom in people not knowing you were alive.

“Alright, everyone listen up. You better listen closely because I’m not repeating myself,” Alastor Moody shouted to the group. His mechanical eye rolled around in its eye sock, taking in every corner of the kitchen before it suddenly landed on a pair of individuals. He turned to Draco and Hermione, pointing them out with his oversized wand in a stern tone, Moody commanded, “You two love birds, put your hands on the table where I can see them! My right eye sees all. There won’t be any fooling around on my watch during this meeting! This isn’t the great hall”.

The pair quickly separated at the implication they were doing something more than holding hands under the table. Draco directed a scowl at Moody as his ears turned red, causing the rest of the table to lightly smile at the scene. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Hermione blushed but kept her straight face.

Ignoring the couple, Moody announced to the room, “After a deep investigation, Severus Snape as of today is our enemy and is no longer a member of the Order. Despite what Dumbledore has said, we cannot trust him. Severus has been leaking information to the other side. And because of that is indirectly responsible for the fall of Hogwarts and the lives lost. He has made his choice. Anyone caught speaking to him will be immediately declared an enemy”. Moody paused as he eyed the room. He waited for any objection from the people but when no one disagreed he continued with the announcements, “I also like to say that a new unforgivable curse has been added to the list by the United Nation Courts of Magic, the boiling blood curse”.

There was a sudden wave of worried whispers and questions among the crowd. Remus darted his eyes at the young werewolf before occupying himself with a stack of papers in front of him. Hearing his curse had been banned, Draco slouched in his seat while Hermione acted surprised as if it was the first time she had heard of such a curse. Molly, upon hearing of this and worried for everyone's well being, asked, “A new unforgivable? But a new curse hasn’t been added since the 1800’s. How are we supposed to protect ourselves from something so dangerous if it was added to the list? This person who created it has to be mad to get his spell banned. Who’s to say they won’t come for us?”.

Moody laughed out loud, scaring half the room and confusing the others. With a disapproving look, Molly placed her hands on her hips. She didn’t find this safety hazard funny. Madeye turned to Draco with a wicked smile while addressing the crowd’s worries, “We have nothing to be concerned about as this talented wizard is working on our side. I can assure you that it's the Death Eaters who will be running from us”.

Draco kept a poker face as he peered forward, trying to pretend that wasn't his spell but Moody had made it too obvious. There was only one person at this table who had experience with Dark Magic, Draco Malfoy. Excited for the addition of a new spell that seemed to boil the blood of its victim, Fred and George bombarded the young werewolf with questions, begging for a demonstration. Quickly taking control of her children, Molly lightly slapped the back of their heads to keep her twins' excitement down.

Once the room had quieted down again, Moody had stepped aside, making way for Kingsley to speak next. Clearing up his voice, Kingsley revealed, “Our next objective on our agenda is to discuss a group called ‘The Black Cat Society’. It seems like we have an ally hiding the shadows. So far, they have given us medical aid in areas that are suffering shortages and are giving us inside information on you know who. While we would take this with a grain of salt or as a trick, the information is too accurate to overlook. If anyone knows anything about this group, please bring this information to one of us three. We would ideally like to make a direct line to the Black Cat Society and work together”.

Bill raised his hand, before speaking, “Do we have any idea who they are or if we met them?”.

Remus spoke next, sighing about the limited information they had.“We know nothing about the Black Cat Society. We don’t know if it is a single person or a whole group. Only be aware they seem to be friendly and have connections to you know who’s inner circle”.

Nodding, the room took in the information that was limited but was bright news to hear. After the fall of the ministry and Hogwarts, it had been a while since the Order received any good news. Just the knowledge they had an ally, lifted the meek mood of the last few days. In the corner of the room, Andromeda brought attention to her as she cleared her throat. “Speaking of medical aid, St. Mungo needs to be relocated soon. A group of Death Eaters have burned it to the ground. They have also taken some of our patients along with our medical and potion supplies. Since the next school year for Hogwarts has been canceled, may I recommend using the school as a makeshift hospital? The wards are the strongest in Europe. We can re-gather our supplies and have our rebel base there. It would be great housing for displaced families and individuals”.

Moody slammed his large wand that was half his height against the floor, agreeing to all of Andromeda’s wishes. “Agreed, this war is only going to get bloodier. I have confirmation from my Aurors on the field that you know who has labor camps and rehabilitation centers for magical beings. The newspapers aren’t reporting them but I trust my men. We need to set up a base. Hogwarts is the best place for that as all wizards and witches know where it is. Hogwarts has taught the majority of magical users”.

Alarmed at how fast they all moved on, Molly interjected, “Wait! Patients from St. Mungos were kidnapped? This is the first I’m hearing about it”. There was a look of horror on the witch's face. Andromeda looked down with fear and guilt written in her eyes. She held onto Ted’s hand. It was a nurse’s job to take care of all their patients. There were times Andromeda had spent more time at the hospital than her own family. The image of her second home burning had engraved itself on her mind. It had hurt Andromeda and her colleagues at St Mungo to know that an entire floor went missing during the chaos of a Death Eater attack.

Seeing his distraught wife, Ted spoke up. “The entire fourth floor was kidnapped. It was the ward that housed Mungo’s long term residents. We don’t know the reason for the attacks but my team of Aurors have been trying to track down the missing and capture the Death Eaters responsible but we’ve reached a dead end”.

Moody pounded his staff wand against the floor to gain the crowd’s attention. As he spoke again, his right eye flickered to every person in the room, “Exactly my point. You haven't heard of the missing patients of St Mungos because the newspapers are too scared or working for who shall not be named”. Suddenly nervous, Remus fixed his cardigan as he prepared for his turn to interject, “Speaking of newspapers, we need an effective way to relay information to the masses. Mr. Lovegood has offered to work together with us. Fred and George, you'll be working closely with him to figure out how to do that. With three great minds, I know we can accomplish it. Lovegood is the only independent newspaper the wizarding world has at the moment”.

The Weasley twins fist bumped one another at the acknowledgement they received. The twins had received their very own assignment, however their excitement was ended with confusion. “Wait, where’s Rita?,” the twins asked in unison before Fred went on, “There’s no way she’ll miss publishing anything newsworthy especially if a whole hospital floor went missing”.

George nodded in agreement as he added, “If Dumbledore couldn’t stop that noisy busy body from publishing stories about Harry and Hermione during the games, you know who won’t stop Rita”. The old werewolf loosened his tie while sneaking a look at Draco and Hermione. That was exactly what he was worried about. He threaded carefully on how to answer this question.

Wanting to escape any suspicious eyes that could land on them, Draco filled his mouth with Kreacher’s chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake while Hermione had a stoic face. She nodded along with the twins, pretending she too was curious about what happened to the journalist. Draco leaned to Kreacher, who stood beside him, as he whispered in such a low voice that no one could hear, “These desserts are absolutely delicious. The quality is way above that of the Malfoy’s house elves. Why don’t you serve everyone a plate to show the greatness of the Black’s recipe”.

Overjoyed, Kreacher smiled as he agreed to the splendid idea. It was hard to turn down the opportunity to show how great the family he once served was. The little elf filled Draco’s and Hermione's plate with another serving of cake before going around the table to give a portion of dessert he had baked to everyone. Pleasantly surprised at the elf’s kindness, many of the Weasleys and Tonks accepted the food, losing focus on the topic at hand. Others waited anxiously for their plate, ignoring Moody, Remus, and Kinglsey.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Moody yelled at the young werewolf. His independent right eye had noticed the ruckus the boy had caused. “Don’t distract us, son! I won’t repeat myself. Remus has babied you children too much. Dessert can wait until afterwards!”.

Kreacher shot an angry glare at Moody who had yelled at the new members of his house. The elf skipped the man as he continued to serve food around the room. While Malfoy lowered his head, he was internally glad that Fred and George had seemingly moved on from their question. He hid his smirk behind his hand. Beside the boy, Remus and Hermione collectively breathe with relief as the topic of conversation was steering away from what had happened to Rita.

Moody grumbled, wanting to get back on track, “As for Rita, I don’t care a flying fuck about her. Good riddance! She was a pain to deal with. Whoever got her, did us all a favor with her disappearance”. Kingsley shot an unpleasant glance at Moody, who often had no filter on him, as Kingsley joined in, “Wherever she is, we hope Rita is doing well. But I admit, with her gone, it does make our lives’ easier. We don’t have Rita reporting lies and making mayhem”.

The retired Auror growled under his breath, believing he had said nothing wrong. Deciding it was best to take over, Kingsley continued, “Moving on, we have also sent Nymphadora and Charlie Weasley to Romania. They’ll be our eyes on the ground for any Death Eaters activities in the area. We believe we can use the dragons in our favor. It won’t be easy but Charlie has a good connection with the dragon caretakers. If Romania refuses to work with us, we need to protect the dragons from being used by he who shall not be named”. Kingsley turned to Arthur as he finished his thoughts, “I would also like to congratulate the Tonks and Weasley family. Dora and Charlie have recently eloped and gotten married”.

Ted Tonks and Andromeda held hands, while sharing a look, “While we should be upset Dora didn’t tell or invite her own parents, she does take after both of us. I did elope without my parent’s knowledge too,” said Andy as everyone clapped at the happy news.

Molly shared a smile with the Tonks, happy that one of her children found love and someone to share their life with. Kingsley waited for the cheers to settle down as he continued, “Bill and Fleur, I want you both to find a way to get into the camps. I trust you both to work on this. You have the experience and intelligence as Order members and curse breakers to find a way into the camps. If anyone can figure out how to break the wards it is you two”.

Nodding in agreement, Bill and Fleur were delighted with their assignments. It was just what they wanted.The Slytherin turned to Bill, studying the injuries the elder Weasley obtained by Greyback. Across his face was a deep scar that ran on the right side of his face from the forehead to his chin. His skin was bumpy as the skin failed to heal together smoothly. It surprised Malfoy that Bill hadn’t lost his eye. His own body tensed as it remembered Greyback’s claws running deep into him. Bill’s left limb that he had lost during the fall of Hogwarts was replaced by a metal one. It was indistinguishable from his other hand except it was made of copper.

As Draco discreetly sniffed the elder Weasley from a distance, there was an underlying scent of a werewolf on Bill but he still smelled very human to the boy. Despite trying to go unnoticed, Bill realized Draco was studying him, making the elder Weasley nod his head slightly. As he greeted the young werewolf, Bill did the same in return, suddenly curious as he familiarized himself with Draco’s smell. The elder Weasley was still getting used to his new but limited werewolf qualities.

Near Bill were his parents. It was only then Draco remembered Arthur was here too. The man had been quiet, keeping to himself the entire meeting. The head Wealsey had not said a word since coming. Draco could feel the anxiety radiating off Arthur. A stark contrast compared to his meetings with Bill and Arthur in Dumbledore’s office. His inner wolf sensed the emotional but hidden pain from the Weasley clan. Even Ron had kept his head down, not paying much to what was being said. This was strange coming from Arthur in the short time Draco got to know him. The man always took initiative to feed anyone his opinion on any subject brought to him. He was an involved member of the Order from what Draco had noted. Draco nudged Remus with a questioning look as he tilted his head at Arthur.

Immediately understood, Remus felt the meek atmosphere coming from the man. “Arthur, do you have any questions for us? You haven’t spoken yet. I know how hard it’s been for your family since Percy was taken”.

It was only when his name was called, did Arthur look up. Hermione stood straight at what she had heard while Draco immediately understood the reason for the meek mood surrounding the Weasleys. This was the first they had heard what happened to Percy. It also explained Ron’s standoffish behavior. Hermione gave a concerned look to Ron as he managed to smile back from across the room, trying to give the illusion he was alright.

Since the fall of the Ministry of Magic, Percy Weasley had gone missing, throwing the Wealsey parents in a worried state. It didn’t help that Percy hadn’t been on speaking terms with his family before he was taken. The unresolved differences with Percy and his family had made it harder for the Wealsey’s to cope. When the Death Eaters had invaded the Ministry, Percy was working at the time. Almost everyone who worked for the Ministry was accounted for except a small group. Among the dead was the Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, who visibly had been tortured by the crucio curse. The deceased prime minister was found hanging by his neck on the statue of the front lobby for all to see. Percy, along with a few others, could not be located and were declared missing on the day the ministry fell.

Underneath the table, Molly held Arthur’s hand, squeezing it to give him comfort as their children stayed quiet. “I have nothing to add to this meeting,” Arthur replied in a small voice as he tried to put on a brave face.

Ted turned to his new in-laws, “Don’t lose hope. In my years as an Auror, we have to trust our instincts when following leads. My gut tells me that we will find your boy”. Still uncertain, the head of the Weasley clan thanked Ted before turning to Moody. He wanted to move on from the topic of Percy as it still pained him and Molly. Understanding Arthur, Moody took the room’s attention once again as he began the most important question at hand. The reason they had all gathered. “Last objective on this list, we need to come up with a plan to safely bring Harry here. The boy is about to turn 17, losing the protection he has from Lily”.

~

Most of the members of the Order had left afterwards. Remus, Moody, and Kingsley had gone into the family office to discuss more things that required their further attention. While Hermione was in the kitchen with Ron, checking to see how he was doing, Draco stood alone in the living room. As he opened the curtains to Walburga’s portrait, he took note of his aunt, one of the last remaining people who had not gone home.

With Ted Tonks waiting at the front door, Andromeda peered around the place she once called home. These halls were once filled by her siblings. It was once surrounded by laughter at a simpler time in her life. The childhood home of her brothers only emitted sadness now. As the last remaining member of her generation, she stared at these empty rooms. She had lost Bellatrix long ago to madness and the rest of her family to death. These haunting rooms were filled with the ghosts of her past. Ghosts that had come crawling back, forcing the witch to come face to face at what she had left behind, her family.

Soon her eyes landed on her nephew, Draco. The boy was standing at the side, near her aunt’s portrait. She cocked her head to the side in curiosity. It was only then she realized how quiet the house had been. Walburga had behaved tonight. No screams were directed at any blood traitors or Hermione. Better yet, her aunt hadn’t screamed at Andromeda even as the two connected eyes. When Sirius took over the house, she hadn’t dared to come once in fear of being yelled at. It would only bring back bad memories but things seemed to have changed lately. It appeared Draco had gotten close to her infamous cruel and screaming portrait of Walburga.

With her eyes on Narcissa’s son, Andromeda couldn’t help but continue staring. Her feet were glued on the floor. The calls of her husband fell on deaf ears as she studied Draco. His dark curls and gray eyes were so familiar to her. It had made him unrecognized when she first entered the house. Andromeda had watched him from a distance through the newspapers over the years. She had painfully watched him grow into a young man only through public photographs. With Draco’s straight and white locks gone, he was all Black. The boy before her stood awkwardly, being the center of her attention yet he allowed her too. The blush that painted across his cheeks while his hands were in his pockets was a sight she had seen so many times before. His shy posture was reminiscent of someone she had lost long ago.

“How had she been so blind before,” she thought to herself as Draco allowed her to study him. Perhaps, the boy thought she was still deep in grief over his mother. She was in mourning but that was something about Draco she could not put her hand on. While her nephew was his mother’s son through and through, there was something gnawing at her heart. When she stared at Draco, her heart ached for Regulus too.

With his back to Walburga’s portrait, Andromeda’s eyes darted to her aunt. As the two connected eyes, the portrait nodded carefully, confirming her suspicions. Andromeda turned to peer at Regulus’ but his portrait was still behind its curtain, hiding from her view.

With a set of fresh eyes and no hesitation, Andromeda walked forward to wrap the boy in her arms as she said her goodbyes for the night but what surprised her more was Draco returned her affections. The room around them disappeared as they fought back their emotions. Feeding off her somber emotions, Draco placed his head on her shoulder. The young werewolf swallowed back the knot in his throat as he took in her motherly essence. He tightened his arms around his aunt in hopes it would make up for the fact he hadn’t hugged her mother all those months ago at the train station. The Slytherin thought he still had time with Narcissa. Did his mother feel his love wherever she was now as Draco and Andromeda weeped for all the family they had lost? He hoped she did.

As Andromeda hugged Draco, it felt as if she was hugging her sister and brother again. Her heart had known first where Draco came from before she did. With tears streaming down her face for her sister and brother, Andromeda pulled away to hold Draco’s face in her palms. He was what Andromeda had left of Narcissa and Regulus. The boy standing before her was their walking legacy. “How did they do it?,” she thought to herself but it did not matter to her. Blood magic or not, Andromeda was glad Draco was here as her eyes darted on every corner of his expression. He was Regulus’ son. With her family running through his veins, it appeared to her that she hadn’t lost all her family.

Thinking his aunt was crying for his mother, Draco wiped the tears that fell from the corner of her eyes. “She’s in a better place now,” her nephew replied, trying to comfort her as Andromeda continued to cry.

This made her laugh as it should be her comforting Draco, not the other way around. Although she was crying, these tears were filled with pride not sadness. Despite how cruel Lucius was known for, Draco had inherited Narcissa’s kindness. “I never thought a day would come where I would meet you, son of Black,” Andromeda whispered in a weary voice as she then placed a kiss on her nephew’s forehead.

With the confusion written on Draco’s face, that was all she needed to see to realize that Draco was still in the dark of his conception. Before he could question her, Andromeda said her farewell as she took her husband’s arm. He had waited so patiently at the door, allowing his wife to have a moment with her family. Draco watched in deep thought at the interaction as he watched his aunt and uncle finally leave.

Chapter Text

Flashback: Sometime Before the fall of Hogwarts

Narcissa had been splitting her time between two homes, the Malfoy Manor and the Black Manor, which the latter was located in France. Thanks to her string pulling and how easily men could be easily manipulated, the Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, transferred the entire Black wealth and fortune back to her son in secret and to her, at least temporarily until Draco was seventeen. It was essential that none of the Purebloods in their circle knew what she was doing. The false perception of blind loyalty was needed if she and Draco were to continue to survive with Voldemort living under their roof. It would be too dangerous if too many knew, which could lead to the possibility of attracting the Dark Lord’s unwanted attention.

If she succeeded, no one would be none the wiser of her plans to leave the life Narcissa had built for herself or the stones she had set for escaping. With the upcoming war and Draco’s curse, it was more important than ever to save her son than staying loyal to a cause she never believed in or stay loyal to a man she never loved, not once. This war had already taken someone that Narcissa loved from her, Regulus.

In the end, Reggie had sacrificed everything for her and their son to live without the repercussions of the failures of their parents. Even beyond the grave, he was still protecting them. He foresaw a future where they would come back and had set everything up for it. Reggie’s death would not be in vain. She would do whatever it took to save their child from the clutches of the dark side. Narcissa had come to that decision after the duel. It pained her that she could do nothing but stay at Draco’s bedside as he laid between life and death in the aftermath.

Draco was all that she had left of Regulus, her husband in everything by name. It was time for her to step up and make her Regulus proud. With Lucius disinheriting her son when he was bitten, Narcissa needed to know Draco would be taken care of if anything happened to her. The moment Draco was no longer a minor and property of the Malfoy’s, her son and her could finally leave Lucius together to start all over in her ancestral home. The years living under that wretched manor would be finally over.

Going back to 12 Grimmauld Place had been the safety net Regulus set up for them long ago. He made certain that there would always be a home that Narcissa and their son could go back to. When Draco was of age, the Black’s family ring and watch would need to be given to him according to Regulus’ will. By then, Grimmauld would only listen to Draco. Narcissa still was able to reside in the French Manor as it was the summer home shared by the family of the heir, which was only her and Draco.

So far, she had gotten away with occasionally coming to the manor in France by locking herself away in the Malfoy Manor. Narcissa hid her intentions by pretending grief was consuming her mind and reasoning. It wasn’t so difficult to fool Voldemort, Bellatrix, or the other Death Eaters with the Black’s natural and strong ability in Occlumency.

As she expected, Voldemort didn’t know what love was and seeing Narcissa being “depressed” over Draco was a foreign concept to him. The man overall had ignored Narcissa as she had been determined to be only a weeping mother with no importance to his future plans.
Pushed aside, everyone thought she would be dead soon along with Draco. Narcissa had only been needed for the sole reason that the manor only listened to her. By the magical wards, a Malfoy was needed to reside in the manor if it was to be the Dark Lord’s headquarters.

Playing the part of a woman devolving into madness, Narcissa refused to rise from bed, crying as if she had lost her will to live and had lost everything. She would make certain to scream Draco’s name as it echoed in the halls for all to hear. A mother’s scream resonated into the long night. It wasn’t odd to see Narcissa act like this. Bellatrix had ignored her.

To her, this was a normal occurrence as the walls of Azkaban skewed her sense of what was usual. While in prison, Bellatrix had been surrounded by insanity and blood curdling screams. Narcissa acting in this way was her normal. The rest of the Death Eaters had assumed the rumored Black madness had finally gotten to Narcissa. She had finally joined her sister Bellatrix in their delirium. The unstable sisters were what they were soon called among the whispers.

The dark reputation of the Black family had come in handy for Narcissa. So many believed in the notion of all who had blood as a Black went mad eventually. This family “trait” had already befallen Orion, Sirius, Bellatrix, and now Narcissa. But it did not matter to Voldemort as it was what you did with your insanity that mattered. Either it made the person a great asset or weakling. Orion had been a failure for the cause as the man was consumed by a broken heart after the loss of his favorite son, Regulus Black.

The former head of the Black family in his final days spent the majority of his time in bed, screaming in mania for his son, if the rumors were to be believed. The man had called out Regulus’ name over and over again until his final breath. To the inner circle, it seemed as if Narcissa was following Orion’s footsteps and dying of a broken heart. The part was played so well, Narcissa would often hear Voldemort tell his followers under his command, “Look at the foolishness of Lucius’ wife. She’s become weak from her love for a dirty blooded dog. She's as good as dead, wasting away in bed”.

With eyes away from her, Narcissa every morning would rise from bed before ordering Mippy to not allow anyone in her room. If they went looking for her, Mippy was to tell them that “Lady Malfoy has tired herself to sleep and is unwell”. They had to listen because even with Voldemort in the Manor, the house still listened to her.

With Lucius in Azkaban and Draco away at Hogwarts, she was the only Malfoy present for the manor’s magic. On top of that, the Manor elves were loyal to her, not Voldemort. If the house elves found any trouble brewing, they were to get her immediately without an explanation and transport her back into bed. It was a mutual relationship filled with respect and trust for both parties as Voldemort had even overstayed his welcome for the house elves as well.

Currently, Narcissa was at the Black estate. This was her new normal. Most days she received no sleep, juggling her life between the Black and Malfoy Manor. More accurately, she refused to as there were too few hours in the day for all she needed to do. So many of the house elves required her attention from the connections she made through her kittens.

Besides, the headaches and body pain from her sleepless nights was the least she can suffer through. Narcissa owed it to the boys in her life, Draco and Regulus. Draco, her poor baby, suffered greatly over the summer. The screams of her son’s call for “mummy” replayed in her mind as it ravaged her heart and soul over and over again. The cries of Draco being tortured by her own sister and Lord Voldemort were tattooed inside her broken spirit. Sometimes she swore she could still feel Draco inside her arms at night in pain, only to wake up and figure out it was only a nightmare.

Perhaps that is why she couldn’t sleep anymore, she thought to herself. Was she really losing her mind like her uncle Orion? Were her screams she did in the Malfoy Manor to uphold the image she wanted to project real? She pondered this thought longer. She felt like a failure as a mother. When she wasn’t managing her underground organization, The Black Cat Society, Narcissa often peered up at the starry sky to find the Regulus star constellation in shame.

Oftentimes like tonight, Narcissa would glance at the star asking the Regulus star, “If only I knew things would end this way, I would have gone with you that night but instead I let you walk out the door. Those tragic eyes you had before you kissed me goodbye for the last time still haunt every fiber of my soul. You died for Draco yet I failed to protect our son. The only thing you asked me but I failed”.

A teardrop found its way out from the corner of her eyes as she wiped it away. Narcissa looked up again, speaking to the star, “All this is for you, Reggie. I’ve finally found my courage and I promise I will use it to save our son, Draco”.

“Lady Black, Kreacher must speak to you. A guest has arrived,” said the little elf as he popped in beside her. They had been working together these past few months. The house elf knew where to find her each time. Sometimes the elf offered Narcissa on her sleepless night to watch over Draco for her and Regulus. In whatever way he could assist, Kreacher did.

Seeing the lady of his house peer out the window, the elf was smart enough to realize Lady Black was looking for the Regulus constellation before leaving the witch to her thoughts for a moment. Kreacher wasn’t particularly close to Narcissa as she grew up. Mainly due to the fact that the witch wasn’t from the main branch of Black family. But that had changed when Regulus left school and took over more duties as the heir. Slowly as Regulus spent more time at Grimmauld, the elf noticed the blooming relationship between the two.

When his little master was still alive, Kreacher realized that one of the only ways to make Regulus happy was to care for Narcissa. Now, the two connected over the death of Regulus as Narcissa was the only one that still mourned for his master as he did. When Narcissa came to him with her plan, it had not been a question. He fully accepted and wanted to help her behind in the name of Regulus Black for she had picked up the torch Regulus left behind. She continued the fight against the Dark Lord that Regulus had begun all those years ago.

Kreacher was thankful that Narcissa trusted him enough to help her. He would be in her debt and the son he had yet to meet because she had given him the chance to redeem himself for leaving Regulus. The small elf had never forgiven himself for allowing Regulus to die in his place and he had failed his master’s last dying request to destroy the locket.

As his Lady of the house looked behind her, breaking her gaze from the sky, Narcissa whispered, “Is that right, Kreacher? You may bring the guest in”. The sound of heels was heard coming into the office as she went to sit at her desk. Beside Narcissa, hung her portrait, who sat quietly as it listened in as it had been since the witch came back to the Black Manor. Narcissa had an idea why, whoever they were, had come to see her. Every person that seeked her, came for the same reason. She had started a spy network from the ground up. A spy network made of house elves. The moment Draco had gotten and survived the bite, Narcissa had gone right to work. Although it hurt her to leave Draco in his time of need, she knew he was in the care of Theo and Blaise, which brought her some comfort.

The idea of the Black Cat Society had come to her when Mippy, the Malfoy house elf, had given her Regulus’ house ring after Draco got bitten. The elf had given it to her thinking it would help her stop crying. It did but not in the way that neither she or the elf expected. After Regulus’ death, Narcissa held on tightly upon it. Prayed her sadness away to the ring as if Reggie was still in the room with her. It was the only thing she had left of him as Lucius did not allow her to stray too far from him. It was in the moment of seeing Mippy and the ring together that Narcissa knew what she had to do.

In the beginning, it is only Mippy, Kreacher, and her. The trio collected information at the very start of the Black Cat society. However, once Mippy got reacquainted with Dobby, her spy network grew like a forest fire. With Dobby’s help and persuasion, the entire Hogwarts house elves wanted to aid her. Dobby had no problems helping Lady Malfoy as he once was their house elf. He had watched Draco grow up from a baby to the boy he was today. Once Narcissa told Dobby of her plans in doing her part in taking down Voldemort, the elf joined without hesitation. Dobby was soon in charge of growing and recruiting more house elves for their cause.

Narcissa started to call her house elves who pledged their loyalty, her little kittens. A name inspired after Regulus’ animagus from. They were the perfect spies for Narcissa. Every magic caster overlooked the house elves. Since they often served their masters or events, no one paid particular attention to them. Their small body size was an added benefit that helped her kittens hide in the shadows of rooms, proving house elves were the best mythical creatures to work with.

Narcissa had an important job for all her elves. They were to go around Britain, whispering misleading information in order to redirect Voldemort's iron fist and collect information before reporting back to her. So far, she had found success in discovering Voldemort's plans and keeping an eye on Dumbledore. Narcissa had bigger goals than just building a network of spies with her little kittens. She wanted to create an army of her own for the voiceless that have been ignored by both sides.

Finally looking up from her desks, Narcissa’s eyes widened in surprise. Before her, stood someone she least expected from the social circle she once belonged to. The family, who since the beginning of time, have stayed neutral in wizarding politics. It was the Greengrass family. Lady Greengrass to be exact.

Narcissa had assumed she would never hear them again after their failed marriage contract fell through in the chaos of Lucius’ arrest and Draco’s public wizard duel with Greyback. “Lady Greengrass, it’s a pleasant surprise to see you here. It's been awfully long since we got together for tea. How can I help you today? I know you better than anyone you have come here as a last resort,” Narcissa smiled as she extended her arms, signaling Greengrass to sit down.

Lady Greengrass held on tightly to her purse as she nervously played with the handle of the bag. Narcissa noted how Greengrass was on the verge of tears but was holding it together. “I’m so sorry, Narcissa. I wouldn’t be here to disturbed you. I’ve heard from the whispers of the other wives how busy you are, but I’m out of options”. As Greengress finally sat down, Narcissa said nothing, allowing the witch before her to gather her thoughts.

While Lady Black served them a cup of tea, Greengrass continued as she nodded along to the witch. “I know our family hasn’t been close. To top it off, my husband disrespected your family by leaving the negotiating table for the marriage contract between our children without a word, but I don’t know where to turn--”.

Interrupting Greengrass, Narcissa waved off her concerns, “There’s no need to apologize. I can never blame or hold resentment for another sister who has no choice but to follow their husband. I was the same for many years. Look at what a world led by our power hungry husbands has brought us too. It has forced our children into precarious situations. By just coming here, you have put your life at risk and given Lord Greengrass a reason to get rid of you. Now tell me. How can I help you?”.

Stumbling over her words, Lady Greengrass gave a look of appreciation as she went on, “I’ve… I’ve heard from the other Pureblood housewives that you can help me”. Lady Narcissa stayed quiet to watch her body language, trying to assess if Greengrass could be trusted or was a risk. Not everyone could join the Black Cat Society because they wanted to. They needed to fully commit to the cause and make sacrifices for the underground network. If the work she was doing got leaked or worse went noticed by Voldemort, it would put her and Draco in danger along with all the house elves.

Seeing the silence in Lady Malfoy's eyes, Greengrass spoke up again, “I’m also so sorry for what happened to Draco. It will be something I could never forget for as long as I live but I speak for everyone when I say this. Witnessing Draco in the jaws of that monster, every pureblood house wife in that room was with you that day. It could have easily been our children. Us witches can’t stand back and do nothing like the first wizarding war anymore. We all thought in silence that we could be safe but we were wrong. This war is different, Narcissa. The Dark Lord doesn’t care about blood purity. It all means nothing. We’re all the same to him. Pureblood, half blood, and muggleborn. He’ll kill anyone for power and control. We want to help you fight”.

As Lady Black peered straight into Greengrass’ eye as if she was reading her soul and intentions, Narcissa leaned closer to eye the witch up and down. Finally after some thought, she spoke again, “If you want to help, you must have your house elves pledge your loyalty to me, the House of Black. It’s the only way the elves can safely collect information without my order being overpowered by their masters of where they come from. They will continue to work for you for appearances. As for how you can help, we wait. We have to grow in numbers and get stronger. I have plans, but we must stay patient”.

Hearing this, Lady Greengrass breathed in relief. She had been holding her breath the entire time, waiting for an answer. Repeatedly thanking her, Greengrass wiped her tears away as she failed to hold them in, but anxiety once again consumed her as she remembered something. Lady Greengrass nervously spoke up again, “Narcissa…”.

Lady Malfoy leaned over, holding her hand together as she waited for what else Greengrass needed. While a handkerchief was given to Greengrass from Kreacher, Greengrass found the courage to make the request. The reason why she was here. “I fear for my daughters, Daphne and Astoria… The Dark Lord has grown increasingly impatient with our family. It seems our neutrality all these years has finally caught up with us. He wants to make an example of us. Our daughters are to take the dark mark and be married off to his loyal followers. It’s his way to get my family involved in his cause. My husband thinks we can convince the Dark Lord to let him take our daughter's place. We are willing to take the Dark Mark and work under you, but we need you to hide our daughters”.

Without a second thought, Narcissa agreed. Thoughts of her own marriage to Lucius filled her mind. She had been just a girl herself. As an adult who looked back at her life, she would never wish that same fate upon another child. “Of course, I’ll help hide Daphne and Astoria. We can hide them in 12 Grimmauld Place’s attic. The wards are the best in the whole country. It beats Hogwarts and any of the other Black properties. Only Kreacher has access to the attic and the house belongs to me and Draco. No one will know where they disappeared to”.

After saying her goodbyes with Lady Greengrass and making arrangements to hide the Greengrass daughters, Narcissa called all her house elves to her office. She watched a handful of house elves pop in as they all waited for orders. Around her was a group of house elves from every corner of the wizarding community dressed in black cloaks.

Each one wore their black cat mask, giving them the appearance of little cat children. Meetings like these were a normal occurrence when managing the underground network and the house elves also aided Narcissa in going back and forth between both manors undetected. The group only met every few days as it was important to maintain an image with Voldemort.

As Narcissa turned to Dobby, she explained, “I have a very important job for you, Dobby. I need you to start spying on Minister Rufus Scrimgeour with a couple of your Hogwarts house elves friends. I’ve told Rufus about Dumbledore’s will. Once that man obtains all the items including the will itself, I need you to steal everything. I have intel from our other kittens that you know who will kill the minister soon and take control of the Ministry of Magic”.

Dobby ears went up in shock but nodded as he continued to listen. “We absolutely cannot let the Dark Lord see those items mentioned in the will or the will’s existence. I’m counting on you”. The elf nodded before quickly popping out of the room in a hurry.

Next, Narcissa turned to Kreacher, the elf who had taken care of the Black family for years even after they were all gone. He had looked over an empty house, never knowing if those walls would house anyone again. Entrusting Kreacher with this task had never been a question for Narcissa as he was the most loyal elf she had the privilege of knowing. “Please prepare the attic at 12 Grimmauld Place for two pureblood daughters. They are to be our special and very welcomed guests. No one can know they are there. I trust you with their care. Have some of the other house elves help you”.

Happy to hear the 12 Grimmauld Place will be filled again, Kreacher smiled widely as he received his orders. Before the Lady of his house could say anything else, Kreacher turned around, gathering a group of elves who also wanted to help him prepare for the arrival of the girls. The group Kreacher had gathered said their goodbyes to Narcissa as they left.

Walking over to the head elf of the Hogwarts kitchen, Narcissa gave the last of the orders. “I have to go back to the Manor. I’m putting you in charge of the Black Cat Society until I can come back. As always, continue to collect information and send the elves where you think we need them to be. Come get me if another important family wants to join us. You’ve been in charge of maintaining the castle since I was a school girl. I know you can do it”. Narcissa caressed the house elf’s ears, showing it kindness before it also left.

Tried, Narcissa took a deep breath from her long day. As she looked at the last house elf, she kneeled down to their eye level. “Mippy, after Dobby comes back with our items, I’ll have you drop them off with the Order of the Phoenix. For now, apparate me into Hogwarts Castle. I believe I have sometime before Bella comes to check on me. Come get me in exactly 3 hours and apparate me straight to bed”.

Mippy happily agreed. The little elf always enjoyed this part of the night as Narcissa did a backflip while she transformed into her animagus form. An animagus that resembled Regulus Black’s form. Transformed into a black cat, Narcissa made her way into Mippy’s arms. Slowly closing her eyes, she purred as Mippy caressed her head as they both headed to Hogwarts to see her son.

Chapter Text

In the middle of the room at the Dursley home, Alastor Moody waited for the Order members to arrive. It was agreed upon by all to transport Harry to 12 Grimmauld Place, the home with one of the strongest wards in Britain now that Hogwarts was destroyed. With Grimmauld Place, the current headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, it was the natural choice.

As Harry’s birthday was around the corner, it was more essential than ever to move the boy with the protections that Lily’s family provided disappearing soon. The blood wards shared with Dursley would be gone once Harry turned 17. Lily’s sacrifice for her only child the night she died had created a powerful magical ward that had kept Harry safe until now. It was why despite the Dursleys’ abusive behavior towards Harry, the boy still had to come every summer to renew the blood protection charm.

“Alright everyone, listen up,” Moody bellowed before turning to Harry, “Potter, you're underage which means you’ve still got the trace on you. A trace by the ministry of magic that is now under control by you know who. If you as much as sneeze right now, every death eater in the surrounding area and you know who will know”. Feeling every eye on him, Potter only nodded, acknowledging he understood the situation. Satisfied, Moody went on, “In other words, we have to use other means of transportation that the trace can’t detect like brooms, thestrals and more. We need to go in pairs. That way, if anyone’s out there waiting for us, which I reckon there will be, they won’t know which Harry is the real one”.

Confused, Harry froze as he took in what Moody had said. No one had yet informed him of the full plan. This was the first time anyone had mentioned anything to the boy. The Order knew he wouldn’t take it well but it was the only plan safe enough for Harry and a necessary one to make. War was no friend to anyone. Sacrifices were often asked for the greater good. “The real one?,” asked Harry, as an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.

Moody peered straight at Harry with an annoyed look that could pierce him, “I believe you're familiar with this particular brew”. Going into his jacket’s pocket, Moody pulled out a polyjuice potion to show to Potter.

Harry remembered the distinct smell as Moody opened the bottle, making a popping sound. “No. Absolutely not,” the boy protested as Hermione took a deep sigh. Displeased at how difficult Harry was making this, she crossed her arms while giving Draco a look, sending a message between them.

Catching the exchange, Ron decided to ignore it in an effort to bring peace to the situation. After all, Harry and Ron were fortunate enough that Hermione had still decided to help them. “I told you he wouldn’t take it well,” said Hermione while Harry appeared uncomfortably at seeing her coldness directed at him. Still, Harry couldn’t let it go as he fought back, “No! I’m just going to let everyone risk their lives for me”.

Sensing another fight brewing between his friends, Ron went to reason with Harry but was interrupted by someone he least expected. A person he didn’t know how to feel about. It had been a month since the fall of Hogwarts and countless Order’s meetings until today. Ron should have been comfortable with the idea of Draco Malfoy being a new face in their circle, but he couldn’t bring himself to befriend him. There were too many years of turmoil between their families. It confused him. Although Ron attempted to see what Hermione saw, he still despised Draco so the only thing he could do whenever the three of them were in the same room was to stay quiet. The Golden Trio’s friendship was on delicate ground as Hermione had picked Draco, who she barely knew over years of friendship they had. It was overwhelming for Ron.

“Shut it, Potter! I don’t want to hear it. Like that has ever stopped you for the last 6 years from dragging your friends into trouble. Unless I had my memory wiped, you practically made it a tradition to break every rule in the book and proved that Hogwarts indeed is not the safest place in the country. I’m willing to bet that everyone here has almost died for you at least once or more so throw your fake saint potter image to the side and let us all risk our lives again for the greater good,” Draco smirked as Harry stared at him down.

This was all too easy, Malfoy thought to himself as he continued, “Unless you actually want the Dark Lord to win. If that’s the case, please let us all know now so we can all go on with our lives”.

The Slytherin walked over from the wall that he was smoothly leaning on before as he made his way towards Potter. Draco was savoring every second of this. Old habits did die hard as the snake knew he shouldn’t be bullying the chosen one. The boy who was supposed to save them all, but he couldn’t help himself. He saw his chance to tease the boy and took it. How could Draco resist when Potter was practically begging to be picked on.

Furious, Harry snapped his head, falling for Malfoy’s trap at once, “You be quiet Malfoy! You don’t understand. This is different. This is all my friends becoming ME”.

The Slytherin made a dramatic and sarcastic gasp all while clutching onto his hoodie as if his heart had been stabbed. A man of the theatrics, Draco went directly behind Hermione to hug her while looking every Order member in the eye.“You hear that love, I don’t understand. I don’t understand what it’s like to get hurt for the chosen one. I guess dying on the bathroom floor meant nothing to Harry”. Gasps were heard around the room along with bursts of laughter from the Weasley twins.

Harry's eyes widened before his mouth immediately closed. He was so taken off guard that Draco had brought the bathroom incident in front of everyone. Seeing he finally had Harry’s full attention, Draco stopped joking before his expression went completely serious, “Look, chosen one. None of us fancy dying because of you. I should know. I died by your wand. It’s not a particular feeling I want to experience again and I’m willing to bet no one here wants to either. Plus, no one wants to experience being half blind as a bat and disgustingly hideous like you”.

As the initial shock went away, Harry spoke up angrily against the Slytherin, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you always picking on me?! And you wonder why Ron and I didn’t want to be your friend in 1st year. You make it so hard to trust you, Malfoy. You say shit like this. I should have finished the job”. Harry clamped his mouth shut as he noted the displeased expression on Remus’ and Hermione’s expression. He hadn’t expected to say that or meant it but it was difficult not to argue with Malfoy. Most of all, Harry was slightly surprised Hermione hadn’t given him an earful for what he said just now.

Draco’s wolf-like grin grew with his hands in his pocket. The snake walked to him as he eyed the boy up and down in preparation for the final blow to Harry's ego. “You know being killed by you is the best thing that's happened to me because now I can hang it over your head for the rest of your life. Imagine all the black mailing I could do. As for why I’m always picking on you. I have to bully you, Potter. I’m doing you a service. While everyone in this room kisses your ass, it’s my responsibility as a good neighbor to humble you and lower your already enormously large ego. Imagine how you would have turned out if I hadn't been picking on you. A thank you would be appreciated”.

The guilt for the words he said before were gone as Harry’s anger boiled over. “Go fuck yourself!”.

Draco gave a light chuckle as he licked his lips before peering back at Hermione. There was a mixture of amusement for what he was about to do, nor was he sorry for it. “I don’t need to, mate. I'm being well taken care of”. As Hermione rubbed her forehead in frustration, Harry and Ron made a disgusted face as they learned something they didn’t want to know about their best friend and their enemy.

“Draco!,” Hermione complained but there was no sign of true annoyance in her tone. Instead, she fought back a tiny smile that threatened to appear in her lips. She lightly pulled her snake from the head of his hoodie back, towards her like a dog being recollared into his leash.

Fred and George burst into a fit of laughter at Harry and Draco’s argument as Ron looked at his brothers as if they had betrayed them for laughing along with Draco. “What? Don’t look at us like that? Harry walked himself into that one. We know a good joke when we see it,” said Fred, regaining his composure. “Yeah, don’t get mad Ron. Just befriend the snake already, you’ll come to realize that he’s quite hilarious. Can’t go wrong with dark humor. Once you get over the fact Draco’s a Slytherin, he fits right in our group”, George added as he gave a thumbs up of approval at Draco for his ability to get under their little brother’s skin.

Ron angrily crossed his arms. The red head, who was neutral before, had decided to go back to hating Draco. Weasley couldn’t help but to feel like Malfoy fit a little too well with his brothers and the Order over all. It was childish to feel this way, but the change in their group dynamic is changing too fast for his comfort. On some level, Ron wished things stayed how they were before to a time that Hermione hadn’t fallen head over heels for a werewolf. Draco had not only taken Hermione from the Golden Trio but he was in the process of winning the approval of their social circle. Who was next, Harry? If that became a reality, Ron might just leave but to his relief Harry stepped towards Draco in an angry fury. It appeared as if his friend was going to snap again, but Remus quickly stood between the two boys.“Harry enough.”

The old werewolf glanced at Draco next, before he warned, “We talked before we came here. You know better”. Draco stood behind Hermione again to hide, hugging her tightly as he attempted to look at Remus with his best puppy eyes, “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Like Potter, I come from a broken home and I’m impulsive. I don’t think before I do things. If you don’t mind, I would like to ask for forgiveness and receive the immunity Potter has every time he does something bad”. In disbelief of Draco’s audacity, Remus’ eye twitched, unable to reply to the young werewolf. The young boy was so much like his mother’s side of the family with their humor.

Sighing, Remus turned to his best student, “Hermione, keep your dog on a tight leash for the rest of night. You two are a pair”. He was too tired tonight to deal with a room full of teenagers. Draco, still in a playful mood, whispered into Hermione's ears that no one but her could hear. “Mmm, I’m being leashed under your watch? Sounds like a good time for me”. The golden girl smirked as she lightly slapped his arm. Catching her smile, the Slytherin leaned in, kissing her cheek but a stern voice interrupted the lovebirds.

“Draco, Hermione, hands where I can see them. This isn’t the school yard!,” Mad-eye warned, causing Draco to straighten up. Moody was not a person to push boundaries with. His usual sass or charms wouldn’t work on the retired Auror, so the young werewolf looked forward. Draco had a sense the man was someone you wouldn't mess with under any circumstances. His hardened exterior and scarred riddled body made Moody intimidating. Moody turned back to Harry with narrowed eyes, “Everyone here is of age, Potter! They all agreed to take the risk,” effectively shutting down any counter argument once and for all but Harry stepped back away from the group.

Seeing the boy couldn’t be reasoned with, Moody nodded his head towards the snake, signaling to Draco to proceed with plan B. Others gave a curious look at the unfolding scene. Some, like Remus, shook their heads, wondering why things had to be so difficult. Fred and George, knowing what was about to happen, began to bet on whether Harry would fall for it again.

Without any hesitation, Draco gave a devious grin when he received permission to push Harry’s buttons further. Walking face to face to the chosen one, Draco motioned with his hands towards the boy as if he was shooting down Harry, “Not me. I never agreed to put my life on the line for you. I’m here to protect my beautiful witch from your unbelievable bad luck into getting yourself into trouble. I would have let the Death Eaters hunt you down like a good stag, during hunting season just like your father”.

Knowing he was close to triggering Harry, the snake bent down to whistle at Ron. Malfoy encouraged the red head to go after Harry as if he were a hunting dog chasing down a deer. Finally having enough of Draco’s teasing, Harry launched himself at the werewolf but was stopped by Ron who held Harry’s arms back. “Nip it, boys! Toddlers have more self control than you three are showing us at the moment,” Mad-eye shouted. In all the chaos as Ron continued to restrain his friend as Granger snuck behind Harry.

“Alright Granger, as discussed!,” bellowed the former Auror as Hermione plucked a couple of Harry’s hair for the polyjuice.

Shocked at the turn of events, Harry shouted, “Hermione!”. It was only after Hermione pulled off his hair did he realize Moody wanted Draco to rile him up. They had all been certain that he would fall right for Draco’s trap. Too baffled at what just happened, Harry was stunned into silence as Draco slid behind him. The snake whispered into his ears in a mocking tone, “Honestly Potter, you make it too easy”. With a look of betrayal, Harry turned to Ron, who had an apologetic expression as he shrugged his shoulders in guilt.

“Straight in here, if you please,” Moody replied as he stretched the bottle for Hermione to put Harry’s hair inside. As he swooshed the full polyjuice, Moody grinned excitedly at the next part of the mission. “For those of you who haven’t taken polyjuice potion before, fair warning. It tastes like goblin piss”. The intimidating man walked with a limp to the group, passing the potion bottle to every participant.

“Have enough experience with goblin piss, do you Mad-eye?,” asked Fred while scrunching his nose at the stench of the bottle. Displeased, Moody stared at the boy with a dagger in his eyes as he moved to the next person. “Just trying to defuse the tension,” Fred mumbled to his twin.

Next George, Fleur, Bill, and Ron took a sip of the potion. Each of their faces showed the disgust of the concoction as they tried to keep it down. The last one to drink the last drops of the potion was Draco but he had a cool expression. He was used to drinking awful potions 7 days a week each month since he had turned into a werewolf although the thought of consuming a piece of Harry disgusted him. The snake could only hope Harry washed his hair on a regular basis.

As he lifted the glass potion into the air, Draco announced to no one in particular, “I’ll take it for Hermione. I wouldn’t want my love to experience what it is like to be unsightly. That's not a trauma I don’t want her to be burdened with”. Harry only sighed as he finally learned not to fall for Draco’s tactics at least for today. He had been foolish to fall for it twice but not for a third time. The two former enemies shared a tense look as if they were a pair of cats and dogs but stayed neutral. Within a couple of seconds, everyone, who took a gulp, soon transformed into Harry and all signs of being their prior self were gone.

They all stare at each other in awe at how indistinguishable they were to the real Harry. The Weasley twins said together in unison, “Wow! We’re identical!”. As Remus came into the middle of the group, the old werewolf turned over a bag, dumping a pile of clothes onto the floor. Each person grabbed a simple t-shirt, zip up sweater, and jeans. Something that Harry would wear. The 6 other potters picked up the matching clothes and observed them. “Haven’t got anything a bit more sporty, have you?,” George asked as Fred added,“Yeah, I don’t really fancy this color”.

Having enough of being surrounded by children, Moody growled, “Well fancy what you got! You're not you. This is the way Harry dresses so shut it and strip. All of you!”.

“Alright! Alright!”, a nervous Ron murmured as he hurriedly stripped down, seeing how angered Mad-eye had become. Like Draco he couldn’t separate this Moody with Barty Crouch Jr. The fake Moody had really made an impression on both boys that fourth year of school.

“You too, Potter number one,” Remus directed, looking at the real Harry. His werewolf senses had made it easy to see where the real Harry was at. All anger the boy had before was forgotten as Harry covered his eyes in embarrassment. The boy felt slightly violated as he didn’t like seeing 6 versions of himself naked in a room for all to see. “Couldn’t they have worn his clothes before transforming into him?,” Harry wondered to himself as he reluctantly took his assigned clothes from Lupin’s hands.

“Bill, cover me! I’m naked,” Fleur whispered as she turned around, needing to strip down with a room full of people. Even though they were all Potters, she still felt like Fleur and wanted to hide behind Bill to save her dignity. As Bill covered Fleur with his body, he made a comment directed at the real Potter, wherever he was, “Harry, your eyesight is really awful. You should see an eye doctor”. The older Weasley peered around the room, trying to see where Harry was. His eyes landed on the boy who smelled just like the house.

On the other side of the room, Draco made a grossed out face, “Ugh, Hermione love, remind me to shower after we go back home. I suddenly feel so revolting being Potter”. The Slytherin peered down at his outfit. His body was stiff as if the very clothes were hurting him as he commented further, “Not to mention you have no sense of style. I thought the House of Potter was rich. Why the hell are you dressing like a poor man? Next time you go shopping, take me with you. You need all the help,” while Hermione gave Draco a look as if she was saying to play nice.

Once again Moody stood in the middle of the sea of Potters. “Alright then. You're all going in pairs. Each Potter will have a protector. Arthur, you're with Fred. Remus, you're with George. Fleur, you're with Kingsley. Bill, you’re flying alone. You're the only one that can fly solo and come back safe and sound. Draco, you're with your girlfriend. And Granger, babysit your werewolf. He's bound to find himself in trouble, eventually. Ron, stick close to me. I want to keep a close eye on you. I don’t need to teach you to know you're the weakest here”.

Ron internally groaned at the thought of being paired with the most intimidating person in the room. A person, who looked like the frightening professor Barty disguised himself as. Harry and Ron were sure the real Moody also liked to do questionable teaching methods like Barty had. Hermione shared a sympathetic look with Ron, putting her hand on his shoulders, “Don’t worry. It’s only for a short flight over London. Alastor is the best Order member you want to be with”.

“As for Harry,” continued Mad-eye but the room of Harrys turned to him, already getting into the role of the chosen one. Taken back, the retired Auror gazed around the room, trying to remember which one was the original Harry. “The real Harry, where the devil are you anyway?,” the man shouted as Harry raised his hand from the back of the crowd. He was hidden among the group. “You're with Hagrid,” Mad-eye finished as Hagrid approached Harry.

With his whole heart, Hagrid responded, “I brought you here 16 years ago, when you were no bigger than a bowtruckle. Seems only right that I should be the one to take you now”. Looking at his watch, Moody was irritated from being around too many children. The Auror tried to wrap up various conversations around the room as they had already wasted too much time being at the Dursleys home. He feared the longer they stayed, the more likely Death Eaters would start to come to this known location. Moody held on to his walking cran wand tightly as his knuckles turned white. “Yes! Yes! It’s all very touching. Let’s go kids!”.

~

At 12 Grimmauld Place, Molly and Ginny were waiting for the order to arrive with Harry. Both anxious, Ginny was keeping themselves busy with house chores the Muggle way while Molly had decided to cook a feast for everyone once they came back. Molly had ushered Kreacher out the kitchen much to the elf’s displeasure. Although Ginny was never one to do house chores especially for a house she didn’t live in, the young witch washed dishes while her mum cooked beside her. She was too nervous to sit around and do nothing.

Meanwhile Kreacher gave both Weasley witches a dirty look. He had not liked the idea of anyone else but him looking after his family’s house. His master, Regulus, had died for him. His last words to Kreacher were to take care of the Black house and the members of it. It was his duty to keep the building standing for his master’s son, when the day he would come back. For years, Kreacher was the only one that lived here after his family had perished and upkeep Grimmauld Place. No one had been there but Kreacher as Lady Walburga and Lord Orion passed away. This was his house and family.

Still grumbling, the little elf had just finished moving all of Hermione and Draco’s stuff into Regulus’ room. It had been decided that Harry would get Sirius’ old room. At the moment, Kreacher was feeding Hedwig, who arrived a day earlier before Harry. Harry’s owl was put in the same room as Draco’s owls, Britannic, Olympic, and Titan. The young werewolf had three extremely large eagle owls. The three owls were close sisters and inseparable. Thus, Draco had brought them all to Hogwarts with him since his first year. He was the only one who was allowed this privilege.

Although students were limited to one pet, Lucius made sure it was possible as he used his power and connections to bend the rules for his son. Britannic was the owl that flew and retrieved mail for him while the other two ruled the Owlery with an iron fist. The three birds, like its owner, basked in the attention other students gave them. They were the largest and most luxurious owls most had ever seen but Kreacher did not care for them.

Feeding the birds was the most hated part of the day. The elf not only had 3 owls but 4 owls to feed now. It always scared the house elf to feed a bird that was his equal to his height. As Kreacher finished caring for them, he didn’t trust any of the owls not to attack him. Hedwig being Harry’s didn’t make a difference for the elf. All owls were categorized as bad birds to Kreacher in his eyes.

When Kreacher got back down the stairs, he was reminded again that the Weasley girls were in HIS kitchen. The elf stared them down as he walked around them. With furrowed eyebrows, he secretly fixed two plates before taking them up in the attic. “Kreacher lives to serve the House of Black. Kreacher won’t forgive them for taking Kreacher's job,” he mumbled under his breath.

With a pep in his step, Crookshanks followed the house elf, having discovered who was up in the attic earlier in the month. The cat had found a secret hole in the wall and now had full access to go and leave the attic as he pleased. Much to Hermione’s worry every night, she wondered where her cat went but Draco assured his witch, “Wherever he goes every night, he’s completely safe, love. He comes back every morning”. Once Crookshanks discovered the Greengrass sisters, the feline adored the extra attention he received from the girls, thus sleeping upstairs every night.

As the doorbell of the house rang signaling someone was coming home, the Weasley girls ran out of the kitchen to see who had arrived first of the group. Arthur, Fred, George, and Remus were the first to burst through the door with wide grins. Thankful they had made it back to the Order’s headquarters, Molly kissed each one of her boys on the cheek. “Another successful mission, Arthur,” Remus celebrated as he patted the Head Weasley’s back.

Fleur and Kingsley came soon after. Fleur glanced around the room before standing next to Molly, who was sitting on the couch. She decided to wait for Bill with Molly. Sensing her future daughter in law was worried, Molly grabbed onto Fleur’s arm to comfort the witch. The blond french witch appreciated it, smiling back and holding Molly’s hand in her own. Neither witch had to wait long as Moody, Ron, and Bill had arrived. As Bill walked into the living room, Fleur wrapped her arms around him as a pleased Molly clapped her hands before welcoming Bill too. “Alright boys right to the kitchen. I’ve prepared dinner for everyone. Make room for the rest coming in. This hallway is too small for everyone to stand around,” Molly said, as she stepped back and led the group to the dining room.

The last to come was Hagrid, Harry, Draco, and Hermione. Harry looked slightly annoyed standing next to Draco. While Hagrid squeezed himself through the door as he was too large for the door frame, the three children behind him waited a bit longer until he could fit in to enter.

With a devilish snicker, Draco spat, “Hey, Potter. How does it feel now that you're the only unfortunate looking person in the Order? Luckily for the rest of us, the polyjuice has rubbed off but for you my friend, you have to live with your face for the rest of your life”. Draco laughed, wanting to trigger another reaction from Harry for old time’s sake. He wanted to see if Harry had learned his lesson of not blowing up since their encounter at the Dursleys.

“Mm geez, I don’t know but enough of me. How does it feel to be the poorest person out of the whole house? Not even a penny to your name. Didn’t your father disown you during Christmas?,” Harry took a stab at Draco where it hurt the most, his lack of money. Much to his delight, it worked as Draco’s mouth turned down into a frown. Triggered at the mention of Lucius, Draco snapped back, “Actually it feels great to be newly fatherless and have a new one. Something you wouldn’t know because you never had one to begin with and the one that almost adopted you is dea-”.

“That is enough from the both of you! Honestly, you two are more children than men. I only tolerated it back there to distract Harry,” Hermione said as she dragged her snake by the arm and headed to the kitchen without acknowledging Harry.

Ginny, seeing Hermione still cold toward Harry, went over to hug Harry before she placed a light kiss on his cheek. She understood where Hermione was coming from. If she had seen Harry die inside her own arm, she wasn’t sure if she would ever forgive Draco if the roles were reversed. Ginny also knew Harry didn’t know what the spell did and hadn't meant it. As she made sure Harry knew she had his back all the way, Ginny hoped the pair would eventually work out their differences. “Thanks Ginny. I don’t deserve your kindness,” Harry mumbled as he hugged her back.

Now that everyone was sitting down at the table for dinner, Molly, who was at the head of the table, served each plate as they were passed to her. As the room laughed and entered various discussions, Arthur noticed a very upset house elf in the doorway of the dining room. Kreacher scowled at Molly with his arms crossed. Intrigued, Arthur asked, “Darling, what did you do to Kreacher? He looks angry at you in particular”.

Shocked at her husband’s assumption that SHE had done something to the elf, the witch quickly defended herself, “Nothing! I’ve done nothing to him”. Only then, did everyone become quiet to look at the elf. Kreacher’s stare was filled with rage that it had started to scare off those around the room. In fact, Kreacher proceeded to spit on the floor where Molly stood. “Merlin mum! What did you do to Kreacher?,” asked Ron, trying to hide his smile from the situation. It wasn’t everyday that someone had his mum flustered.

Hermione sighed, knowing full well what happened for she too had made the same mistake when she first moved into Grimmauld. “Oh dear, we just got Kreacher to peacefully live with us without marking half of us as his enemies,” Remus commented as he began to dig into his food. As long as it wasn’t directed at him, Remus knew Kreacher meant no harm.

Knowing how to handle this situation as he had lived with house elves his entire life, Draco called over the small elf. “Kreacher, my most loyal and dearest friend. What’s wrong? What did the evil woman do to you?,” Draco questioned, humoring Kreacher's temper tantrum. Molly's mouth dropped in shock as she continued to pass around plates of food. “What had she done?,” Molly thought to herself. Not letting Molly off his sight, Kreacher walked to Draco’s side, tugging Draco’s shirt like a little child. As Draco lowered himself to let Kreacher whisper into his ear, he nodded his head in seriousness before announcing to the room, “Kreacher said you and Ginny have gravely offended him. He cannot forgive you for what you did to him”.

Molly spoke up, not believing this was really happening, “Me? For what?”.

There was an expression of disbelief as Kreacher tugged on Draco’s shirt again to whisper into his ears. This time though, Kreacher spent a long time whispering and expressing his anger to Malfoy. With a snicker, Draco peered up, “Kreacher said you and Ginny have greatly disrespected him and you have made it to the top of his enemy list. He hates stealers more than he hates muggleborns and blood traitors. And you, Molly Weasley, have committed robbery!”.

Some gasps were heard around the room. Others were curious at what Molly and Ginny had stolen. The Wealsey children with the exception of Ginny laughed at their mum’s misfortune. Draco went on, as he gained the room’s sole attention, “To serve the most noble and ancient house of Black is the greatest honor one can have. You two have taken both Kreacher’s honor and duties from him. If you clean and cook for this house again, he will trigger the blood wards and have the Order and Harry kicked to the streets. The wards will throw all but those who carry the blood of his house. And Kreacher also wants his spot back”.

Speechless, Molly stayed still as Arthur shook his head in disappointment at his wife in a teasing manner. Mad-eye spoke with conviction, “You heard the elf! Drop your spoon and move over. I order you, Molly Weasley, never to cook and clean for us again! This is the Order’s headquarters. We can’t afford to be on the elf’s bad side”.

“Yeah, mum. You can’t clean or make any one of us clean either,” Fred added as Bill and George chuckled along. Kreacher walked over to the head of the table before he angrily took the spoon from Molly’s hand. The sight of Molly being kicked from her place had the room in a fit of laughter. Once Molly sat down, a now happy Kreacher finished serving the table their plates. “There, there, Kreacher. The bad lady can’t hurt you, no more,” teased Draco.

Kreacher, still bitter, noticeably served Molly a smaller portion that Arthur gave a sympathetic look to his wife as he gave his chicken roast to her. While looking at everyone’s plates, Ginny also noticed her portion was smaller. She peered over to Hermione's plate in shock. It was the fullest out of everyone’s. Confused and still offended by the house elf’s accusations, Ginny asked out loud, “I’m sorry Hermione, but why is your plate fuller than everyone else’s? I thought Kreacher didn’t like Muggleborns. It’s even fuller than Draco’s and he’s the only Black relative in this room. What did you do to earn Kreacher’s loyalty?”.

With eyes full of amusement, Draco peered over to Hermione to see how she would answer this. “Me? Well it’s simple. I get a better portion because... I’m dating Draco,” the bright witch replied in a matter of fact tone but that was only half the answer. The other half of the reason was too embarrassing to say out loud.

Not satisfied, Ginny pushed on while showing how empty her plate was, “That’s it? You’re dating Draco Malfoy and therefore get better treatment. That doesn’t make sense at all. His mother is a Black. Doesn’t his ancestry triumph over being his girlfriend? You're getting better treatment over him and Draco was practically born with a golden spoon in his mouth”.

Chuckling to himself, Draco then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. “That’s not the entire reason why she’s getting better treatment than me. Kreacher wants Hermione’s health to stay in tip top shape for the day she carries my children and in turn gives Kreacher more House of Black children to serve. He even asked Hermione one night if she wanted to drink a fertility potion to better her odds. Walburga Black and my mother had struggled greatly to get pregnant so Kreacher knows a thing or two about pregnancy”.

Moody lifted his glass full of beer as he said, “Congratulations, Hermione on your future pregnancy. Repopulating the wizarding community is essential for future Aurors but I must ask you to delay your plans until after the war. This is no time for babies. We need talent like yours on the battlefield”. Gasping out loud, Hermione's face reddened as half the room chuckled and the other half, nodding their heads, fully satisfied with the answer for it was a very house elf way of thinking.

Before Hermione could tell off Draco for telling everyone why she had earned Kreacher’s loyalty, the doorbell once again rang, making the group quiet. Remus and Mad-Eyed gazed at each other on guard. Everyone, who knew this house's address and had access to come, were all in the room with them. It dawned on them all that no one should be ringing the doorbell. In the speed of light, Remus and Moody stood up before dashing to the door with their wands up. There was fear that it was an unwanted guest or worse an enemy. The front door slammed open as both men were ready to fight but there was no one outside. Instead of a person, there was a package on the floor.

As Remus picked up the box, he read the note on it. “Look over there,” Moody alerted as his mechanical eyeball recorded every detail of what he was seeing. The old werewolf peered up as he saw small children dressed in black cloaks and a black cat’s face mask, disappear into the shadows. “It seems as if we don’t need to find the Black Cat Society like we asked everyone to. They found us instead,” Moody replied as Remus opened the package. To the men’s surprise it was Dumbledore’s will and peculiar items along with it that they thought had been lost in the fall of the ministry.

Chapter Text

“Alright children, I’ve gathered you all here this morning to discuss the package we received last night,” Remus announced, standing in front of the room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all downstairs in the living room. The Golden Trio sat around the room while Draco leaned against the wall in the background. The Slytherin was curious what the deceased headmaster had left the trio, wanting to see the drama that would unfold with the mysterious package.

If there was one certainty he would bet on was that Dumbledore would leave someone disappointed. The old man had the habit of making things more complicated than it needed to be. The horcruxes themselves were proof enough. The headmaster had given Harry a mission with no clue or direction. “As you know, the Black Cat Society visited us. Although we don’t know how they found us or obtained these items, we are thankful that they seem to be on our side. The Black Cat Society has given us a package with Dumbledore’s belongings. Belongings that were willed to you all,” Remus began as his wand flew the document over to the golden trio to read it. The will opened once it got to its destination.

The will read:

Here lies the last will and testament of Albus Dumbledore. First to Ron Bilius Weasley, I leave my delumintor. A device of my own making in the hope that when things seem most dark, it will show the light. Second to Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard in the hope that she finds it entertaining and instructive. To Harry James Potter, I leave the snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill. Last but not least to Draco Lucius Malfoy, I leave you the sword of Gryffindor as a reminder that courage is not limited to one house but extends those who are brave enough to carry it.

After Remus finished reading Dumbledore’s will, the room fell in a stunned silence. Draco, who was surprised he was mentioned, stood straight with his mouth hung open. The Golden Trio blinked as the snake asked with a disbelief tone, “Me? I get the Gryffindor sword, a Slytherin? I knew Dumbledore was mad but that curse must have gotten to his head, didn’t it? I don’t want it. What the bloody hell am I supposed to do with it?”.

Refusing to allow Malfoy to put down the headmaster, Harry yelled as he turned to look at the snake, “You be careful what you say about Dumbledore! He was a good person. His death is a great loss to the Wizarding World”.

Unable to help himself, Draco bellowed a laugh from the pit of his stomach at the thought of Dumbledore being a good person. Out of breath, the young werewolf held his stomach. Once he gathered himself, the snake gave a glance of confusion at Harry. The boy was serious. Shocked at Harry’s inability to see people for who they really are, Draco replied, “His death a great loss? More like the best thing to happen to this Order and the wizarding world. May I recommend pulling your head out of Weasley's ass and taking a breath of fresh air once in a while”.

Malfoy began to walk towards Lupin as he added, “You know what, I changed my mind, Remus. I want the sword, after all. I can use it to pick my own ass as Harry likes to butt in everyone’s business. It will come in handy”.

Furious at Draco, any truce they had before between them was thrown out the window as Harry yelled back to defend himself, “I’ll be quiet, if I were you. I had it up to here with you. If you can’t stop barking, I’ll….I’ll”. But before Harry could finish that sentence, Hermione ended the fight once and for all. She tilted her head to mock in a sarcastic Sltytherin tone she had learned from Draco, “Or you’ll what? Kill Draco again? Please finish your sentence, Harry. I would like to know what you would do to him”.

A silence filled the room as Remus covered his eyes with one hand as he sighed. The four children in front of him had been dancing around each other in a false peace. This house had turned into a ticking time bomb since the group had come under one roof. “Perhaps it was better for them to fight? Everything must come to an end”, Lupin thought to himself. The fight the 4 teens had been avoiding finally detonated. Harry and Draco stared at each other in silence as they took in what Hermione had said out loud. Harry nervously played with his fingers suddenly remembering he still hadn't been able to get back to Granger's good graces.

At the moment, she was still unable to forgive Harry for all the pain he had caused her the last school year. He had lost all her trust and faith from the instance he ignored her reasoning that Draco was not a Death Eater. His doubts in Hermione had broken their friendship. Hermione, who always had his back. He had shown that didn’t have hers. His inability to pause and reflect led to his best friend seeing her boyfriend die inside her arms. He was filled with growing regret as he imagined what he would feel like if he had to see Ginny or Ron die in front of him. His memories of Draco bleeding on the bathroom floor haunted Harry more than he liked to admit. Harry didn’t blame Hermione for not wanting to repair their friendship.

It was difficult for Harry. The worst part about doing something wrong was the harsh reality that the person you’ve done wrong towards had no obligation to accept your apology, which is where Harry found himself at with Hermione. Everyone else had gone back to normal as the order adjusted to having Draco around except him while the guilt had only grown seeing how well Draco and Hermione suited each other. He had judged too harshly before.

Draco was welcomed by all since the snake brought a lot to the table as he was the only person with first hand experience with dark magic, combative skills, and Voldemort. His different perspective on the world gave insight to the order into the mentality of the other side. To Harry’s surprise, Draco mumbled a “sorry” to him first, making him feel worse.

Ron, who was still processing the will, finally came back into the conversation. He furrowed his eyebrows as he shouted, “You have to be kidding me! That sneaky snake over by the wall gets the Gryffindor sword. He’s the least worthy of it. Not to mention historically it doesn’t belong to anyone. It only shows itself to those worthy and in need”.

Standing up, Ron walked over the coffee table with all the items on top of it on display. As Ron grabbed his deluminator, he tested the item to see what it did. His upset expression grew as only the room’s lights flicked on and off. Once the red head verified it was only an invention to remove and return light, Ron lost it right there. “For once I think Dumbledore is full of shit! Good riddance he’s gone! He really gifted me a night light and you, Hermione, got a children’s bedtime book. Harry got a stupid snitch. What good is that? That old man thought little of us, didn’t he?”.

Ron opened up the deluminator once more. As he held it up in the air, he flickered the lights in a rage to show how useless his gift truly was before throwing it to the ground. Ron went on, “Dumbledore treated us like kids and refused to tell us anything but in return gave us the biggest responsibility of saving the world. A little more instructions or a simple hint would have been helpful. He knew he was going to die yet didn’t leave a secret message or note in our trunk. Tell me, how are we supposed to save the world with children’s toys? It’s almost offensive, really. Worst of all, he proceeded to slap us three in the face by giving that snake the Gryffindor Sword. The only thing that is at least useful in this pile of trash belongs not to Harry but to Draco?”.

This time Harry kept to himself as Ron showed how upset he was with Dumbledore too. Perhaps there was something to Draco’s and Ron’s complaints whether he wanted to acknowledge or not. He couldn’t deny that Ron was essentially right. Dumbledore hadn’t been very helpful to the Golden Trio throughout their years at Hogwarts when it counted the most.

Yes, the headmaster was there every time the Golden Trio faced death and came back from an adventure, but was it really necessary to go through all that? If Harry was honest with himself, Dumbledore ignoring him all of 5th year and leaving him to deal with Umbridge alone still bothered him on some level. He did learn how dangerous a ministry controlled world could be but Dumbledore had also indirectly taught Harry that no one would come and help him. A lesson he was still trying to unlearn.

As Ron cooled off, thoughts of doubts ran through Harry’s mind. How was he expected to kill Voldemort? He was just a kid. The horcrux hunt felt like an impossible task. Simply living his life was already a struggle. The moment his parents were taken, the entire wizarding community had decided his path. The world knew his name before he entered Hogwarts. They knew his parents when the only thing Harry knew about them were their names, James and Lily.

It felt as if everyone kept taking more from him every time. More. More. More. Every now and then, Harry thought about how Dumbledore only needed him when something came up but he pushed those thoughts away. Yet these thoughts were getting louder with time passing. There had been so many instances Dumbledore could have done more but it almost seemed like the old headmaster wanted Harry to get into trouble. Harry refused to acknowledge Dumbledore as a bad person because if he did, then it would mean the one and only adult he had growing up never really cared about him after all.

“Oh Ronald,” said Hermione in a soft and gentle voice. She only used his full name to catch his full attention or when it was important for Ron to listen to her. “I feel your frustration. I haven’t been seeing Dumbledore in a good light either. But as much as I would love to hate him, we can’t. He was a talented wizard of his time. Knowing Dumbledore, all these things mean something. We just have to figure out what he wanted us to know. He couldn’t tell us directly what our mission was with the Ministry and Voldemort watching him closely in his final days”.

“But… but… why couldn’t he be a little more straightforward with us? Dumbledore made it more difficult than it needed to be…” Ron mumbled as he picked up his deluminator, stuffing it inside his pocket. Displeased, he sat back down on the couch as he crossed his arms in frustration.

Hermione leaned forward, holding Ron’s hands into her own. “This time it’s different. We’re not alone. I told Remus about our mission over the summer. He and a few trusted people in the Order will help us throughout our journey to find all the Horcruxes”.

Wanting to calm the room, Remus spoke up next, “That’s right. I’m here for you all. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco, if I can in any way lessen your burden, I will do it. You won’t be alone on your mission. We will stay in contact”.

Harry snapped his head to Hermione. “You told Remus everything? How could you? I trusted you with Dumbledore’s mission. It’s supposed to stay secret. The more people you tell the more danger you're putting us”.

Feeling defensive, Hermione scoffed at how unreasonable Harry was being. “I’m endangering us? If anything, I’m protecting us, Harry. Unlike you who runs into fire like a suicidal maniac, someone out of the three of us has to use their head. Not everyone wants to die blindly following an old questionable man named Dumbledore, who told us nothing. I’ve looked everywhere at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Public Library of Magic, and here but there’s no research on Horcruxes at all! And you don’t even realize how strange that is. There’s always information of any kind on a topic but not about Horcruxes. It’s almost as if you know who went out of their way to erase any useful information when he made them. How can anyone stop him, if we don’t know about their existence?”.

She ran her fingers through her locks in frustration as she continued, “Ron was right. Dumbledore gave us nothing to go off of. He kept so many secrets from everyone. I know you don’t want to see him in a bad light but he manipulated Draco into almost killing him. He didn’t even tell Remus when he got hired that Draco was a werewolf. This war was just a game to him. We need Remus and the Order to help us more than ever”.

She waited for Harry to respond but he bit his lip before mumbling “But now that you told Remus and the order, it will put everyone at risk”. The bright witch laughed, hearing this. “Me endangering us all? I wouldn’t be speaking if I were you. Your very existence puts a target on our backs. Stop trying to do everything yourself and let us help you. Do you still not trust me after everything that went down at school? I had to sacrifice a lot for you yet you're still questioning my decisions for the group. I gave up so much and I’ll never see my—-”.

Before Hermione could finish her sentence, her voice broke. She peered down at her feet, collecting herself. Deciding she had enough, Hermione stepped back as she went back to her room she shared with Draco. Remus, knowing what this conversation was really about, followed the witch. Both he and Draco caught on to the underlining of the fight. She wasn’t angry at Harry questioning her. No. Hermione wasn’t the kind of person to be offended easily. In fact, she often let things go if it meant everyone got along even at her expense. This was about her parents.

Speechless, Ron and Harry watched as Remus followed Hermione out of the room. Confusion grew for the two boys. There was a sense the fight was something more than Hermione was letting on. They stared at each other, trying to decipher the meaning of her words. Clearly Hermione was upset but neither Harry or Ron didn’t know if they should check on her. The young werewolf scratched the back of his head at the realization he was left alone with the dimwit duo for the first time in his life. Draco coughed with hands in his pocket, trying to bring noise back into the room.

As the three fell in an awkward silence, Draco decided to go to sit near them. “She’s not really mad at you, Harry. Hermione’s just… going through a lot right now. When she’s ready to talk about it, she will”. As the snake connected eyes with the two, he noted the worried expression on their faces. “But don’t worry, I’m taking care of her,” he added, wondering if this would ease their concerns. “When did he start being friendly with these two?,” Draco thought to himself as Ron and Harry stared at him with blank stares. The young werewolf wondered if anything went on in their brains.

Ron’s and Harry’s eyes widened as they noted Draco using Harry’s first name. In all the years of knowing the snake, Draco had refused to use Harry’s first name, using every alternate disrespectful way to call Harry instead. The two realized Draco was being sincere towards them, trying to befriend them. Could they really put the past behind them if Draco Malfoy was trying to turn a new leaf?

When the pair of boys stayed silent, not knowing how to take this new truce, Draco spoke again before making his way to leave, “Give Hermione some time to cool off. As for me, I’m truly not mad at you for killing me. If we’re being honest here, I’ve been asking for it since the first year. I haven’t been the nicest person. It was bound to happen with how hotheaded the three of us are when we’re together. I can’t promise anything, but I will talk to her again but it’s her decision at the end of the day on what she decides to do”. The Slytherin reached the door, leaving the boys alone in their thoughts.

~

Later that day, Harry went to the tapestry room to see someone he missed, Sirius. After the fight in the living room surrounding Dumbledore, it left Harry wondering who in his life he truly had. As he reminisced about the past, Harry's thoughts drifted to his godfather. He couldn’t help but wonder, “how different his life would have turned out if he got to live with Sirius?”. Perhaps, it was wrong to feel this but he was slightly jealous of Draco. Having lycanthropy in common and understanding each other on that level, Lupin and Draco grew close. It felt unfair watching Remus taking Draco under his wing. He wanted those moments with Sirius. He watched the two werewolves and imagined it was Sirius and him instead.

After coming to 12 Grimmauld Place and staying in Sirius’ room, Harry thought more about him. Sometimes Harry felt stupid. He barely knew his godfather yet it pained him. He lost something that he never had a chance to have. Was it never meant to be? Lost in his thoughts, Harry traced Sirius Orion Black’s full name as if he had a quill on the tip of his finger. As he continued to trace the family tree with his pointer finger, he went to the next name, Regulus Arcturus Black. At that name, the boy paused in his tracks. It couldn’t be. Was the answer to who R.A.B here the whole time?

Harry roared at the top of his lungs, “Hermione! Ron! Come! I think I found something! Remus! Draco!”.

Loud footsteps could be heard, running down the stairs as if a quidditch team was headed towards the field. Trying to barge through the door at the same time, the group was stuck before going in one by one. Once inside the Tapestry room, Harry glanced directly at Hermione, “R.A.B!”.

With a puzzled face and no context, she asked, “R.A.B?”.

With no words, Harry confirmed by pointing to Regulus’ name on the wall. Suddenly, it all clicked to Hermione before she exclaimed, “How could I be so incredibly stupid! R.A.B! The answer was right underneath us. I’ve been here the entire summer. Harry, do you know what this means!”.

Feeling lost, Draco asked but went unnoticed, “Hold on, someone please explain the significance of Regulus Arcturus Black”. With excitement, Ron ran to the spot to the wall to see for himself as he asked, “You don’t think he knew the secret before we all did, do you?”. Frustrated, Draco crossed his arms while he raised his voice, “Can someone please explain!”. Remus went right behind Draco, placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Draco uses your words, barking doesn’t always work. But yes, please explain”.

Facing the two werewolves again, Hermione explained, “It’s the locket. Remember I told you both about the locket being a horcrux but it turned out to be fake? Well, inside the locket was a letter. Someone else had found the real horcrux and intended to destroy it. This individual knew the secret that you know who was immortal. The note that came with the lock was signed by R.A.B”.

Once the two werewolves processed this information, Remus spoke, “That is an interesting theory but I’m having trouble seeing the Regulus that I grew up with, betray the Dark Lord. His family was deeply involved with you know who and Regulus was never the type to go against his family. Regulus' involvement as a Death Eater was only ever rumored and never proven”.

In deep thought, Remus stared out into the distance while tapping his foot, “Then again, he did die mysteriously. He went missing for weeks before his body finally washed up at a beach later on. It was all everyone spoke and reported about for a whole year. The Blacks were the most famous and arguably respected by many so it came to a shock that the bloodline was ending with no heirs or no successors. Even if you hated the Blacks, it was tragic to lose an ancient family with so much history”.

Hearing this, Harry jumped forward with excitement, “The fake locket! It was in a cave. I almost drowned until Dumbledore saved me. If Regulus drowned mysteriously, he could be our R.A.B!”.

Ron turned to Lupin, wanting to know more about why he was questioning if it was Regulus. “Was Regulus a horrible person? Is that why you don’t see R.A.B being him?”.

The older werewolf shook his head, “Absolutely not. He was reserved but kind, unlike many Purebloods of that time. From the outside, he seemed to honor Pureblood culture and traditions. Gray would be a better word for him”. Remus peered up, trying to recollect any memories of the boy from their school days but it was so long ago as he explained further, “Regulus didn’t have any known friends, besides Narcissa Malfoy from what I saw. After Narcissa left Hogwarts, he mostly kept to himself actually. I think he found solace in staying in the shadows. Whereas, Sirius adored being the center of attention. I think he loved his family too much to betray them by going against you know who”.

It was then that Draco chimed in, “You're wrong, Remus. He loved his family so much he WOULD die for the house. It's exactly why it IS him. His death has haunted my mother for years. I never shared this because it was a touchy subject for my mother but she was the last person to see him before he went missing. Regulus had something important to do but my mother never asked him what. And she couldn’t go with him since she was pregnant with me at the time. The last thing he told my mum was it was all for me. My mother never forgave herself for not questioning him further. She blamed herself every day after”.

Draco paused, as he crossed his arms. Every conversation he had with Regulus’ portrait raced through his mind as he admitted out loud, “I’ve been speaking to his portrait recently. He said he died for me but I didn’t understand at the time. This must be all connected. It’s too much of a coincidence if it wasn’t”.

Draco walked towards the wallpaper to his Godfather’s name, touching it with his fingers. Regulus was the person his mother had always grieved for his entire life. The Slytherin had seen how much it truly hurt his mum, not knowing what happened but this was their chance. Draco would find out for Narcissa. She would have wanted to and pursued any leads, if she were still alive. He knew better than any other about the kind of pressure his godfather was in as the heir to his house with a family that had ties to the Dark Lord. They were one of the same. Their pain mirrored each other’s.

“Remus, it’s him. I’m a Pureblood from an ancient house too. I know how to think like one. I’m familiar with the kind of pressure he was under when he was alive. What if he died for the family name? When the first wizarding war was over, very few houses came out with their reputations still intact. What if he died to stop the family from getting involved further to the dark side?”.

The young werewolf turned around, speaking to the group in a serious tone. “This kind of thing is what I’ve been taught to do since I was a child. Sacrifice my life to keep the name honorable and pure. Sacrifice without hesitation for the next in line. If he was a Death Eater, it would explain how he knew about the Horcruxes but him being the Black heir, responsible for his house, gave him the push to betray the Dark Lord”.

The group went deep into thought before a bright idea came to Remus. The old werewolf glanced up, “There’s only one way to find out. We have to call Kreacher. He’s the only one still alive when these events occurred in this house”.

With the group thinking Harry was the heir of the house, the boy called Kreacher over. He wanted to show the elf the fake locket, in hopes he knew something of the deceased heir of the House of Black. But when Harry harshly called on Kreacher, the elf scowled at him, suddenly remembering Sirius’ treatment of him. Harry launched forward, shoving the locket in Kreacher’s face before he asked, “Kreacher, what can you tell me about it? Did Regulus get the real one and where is it? I know you know. Don't deny it!”.

He ambushed the elf with questions. With a face full of disgust, Kreacher spat on the floor near Harry’s feet before responding to the boy who was so much like Sirius, his least favorite family member. Like it was muscle memory, the house elf went behind Draco’s leg as if the Slytherin would protect him like Regulus so many years ago. “Kreacher, no longer answers to you. You are no master to Kreacher. Like Sirius, you are rude,” the house elf hissed, deepening the distance between the two.

Unlike everyone else, Remus' eyebrows immediately went up, catching on to what Kreacher said, “Kreacher no longer answers to you?”. The professor made a mental note to investigate why that was. Who did Kreacher answer to if not Harry? The order’s headquarters was here and it was too important to ignore that statement the elf had made.

As the others moved on, Draco shook his head disapprovingly. He patted Kreacher’s head as he teased, “Unbelievable Potter. Why are you so mean towards my loyal, sweet, and gentle house elf? What did he ever do to you?”. Harry sighed. He no longer had the energy to fight with the snake anymore. While Hermione lowered herself, she held onto the house elf’s hand, “Please Kreacher, tell us everything you may know. We need to know what happened to it. It’s essential that we confirm it has been destroyed. We’re here to finish what Regulus started”. Seeing the sincerity in Hermione’s eyes, the elf decided it was time to reveal his master’s story. While the elf began to tell the story, in the background Ron walked around the room with a wandering eye.

According to Kreacher, Regulus Black had been forced to take the Dark Mark. The elders of the family had already chosen which side the house of black would stand on before Regulus could make that choice. The heir had been smart for his age, the top of his class. Quickly after he had taken the Dark Mark, Regulus had figured there was something the Dark Lord was keeping from them by listening in on Voldemort’s meeting with other top and trusted members of his inner circle.

Regulus had become obsessed with Voldemort, cutting up every newspaper mentioning the Dark Lord and taping them on the wall. He researched everything there was to know about the strange man and his true lineage that he was actually a half blood named Tom Riddle. Wanting to keep his family safe, Regulus sat on this information of the Dark Lord’s true family heritage.

One fateful day, the time to take action came. Voldemort had visited the House of Black, asking to use the family’s house elf and the house of black family locket. Clever, Regulus ordered his elf to come back to him afterwards to find out what the Dark Lord was up to. This had been Kreacher's saving grace. It was here that Regulus had discovered the truth of Voldemort’s true intention. For so long Regulus questioned what the man had wanted, as he watched the Dark Lord gain power in the name of blood purity despite being a half blood. The man was striving and succeeding in becoming immortal. The secret to his immortality was Horcruxes.

Wanting to betray Voldemort, Regulus found the courage after watching Kreacher almost die. The Dark Lord had thrown the elf away too easily. No one was safe as long as Voldemort was around. The man was blinded by desire for power, holding no hesitation in pursuit of it. The heir made arrangements for his death, to save the family name from being associated with a man like that. If the heir died early in the war, the name would be free of shame after this was all done. Regulus left everything to Narcissa and Draco in case they needed somewhere to go in the future. If Gringotts allowed it, Draco would be the heir to the Black fortune.

In his last moments, Regulus ordered Kreacher to take him to the same cave. As Regulus ordered his elf to switch the locket and destroy the real one after this was all said and done, he said his last goodbyes to his dearest elf. He made Kreacher promise to tell no one what he did for the House of Black’s protection. If the Dark Lord were to ever find out what happened, he would come after the remaining members of the family. While Regulus drank the torture potion in place of Kreacher, Kreacher was ordered ensure he finished it all.

As he pleaded for Kreacher to stop, Regulus screamed for help, until his voice gave out, sounding hoarse once it broke. He screamed for his loved ones that would never come, Narcissa and Bellatrix. Every cup of poison changed Kreacher. Having a direct hand in killing the boy he had a hand in raising, broke the elf. Watching his half-dead master beg for water, Kreacher attempted to relieve some of Regulus' pain before the heir would pass away. Fate would have other plans as the elf soon learned one could not retrieve water.

With a heavy heart, Kreacher peered back before finally walking away. The image of his boy dragging himself to the water for a drink imprinted on the elf’s mind. Regulus would drown to death as the inferi dragged him deeper into the waters. What pained Kreacher more was he was never able to complete Regulus’ last request. His master’s death had been all for nothing as the locket was indestructible. No matter how hard he tried, it stayed intact, making the elf go almost insane with each failure.

The room descended into silence hearing the story of Regulus' last days. Hermione, horrified at Regulus’ tragic life, went over to hug a crying uncontrollable Kreacher in an instant. They both shared the pain of having to watch your loved one die in front of you. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Regulus, being alone in this world with such a secret and not knowing what to do. There had to have been a tremendous amount of pressure on the former heir’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry Kreacher. I promise we’re going to kill the man who made Regulus suffer and figure out how to destroy the locket. We won’t let his sacrifice go to waste,” Draco comforted the elf as he rubbed Kreacher's back while Hermione hugged him.

Ron, who had only been half listening, asked in a surprised tone, “Hermione, you’re married to Malfoy? It says so here. Your picture is on the Black family tapestry but your name instead is Cassie Jean Black”. The room turned to peer at the red head. Especially Harry, who didn’t want to believe it. He made his way over to see for himself as Ron explained, “I only noticed because Narcissa Malfoy’s name and death date is a bit discolored than the rest. You're right next to Draco with a different name. That has to be you”.

As both the boys glanced at Hermione, waiting for an explanation, none came from the witch. With a guilty expression, Hermione stayed silent. She knew everyone would find out eventually but as time passed she didn’t know how to announce her marriage. The young couple were enjoying this false peace of their honeymoon. Once the news of their marriage got out, reality would come for them. It would be undeniable that they were in the middle of a war. They had just wanted to feel like a normal couple for a little while but it seemed it had exploded on her and Draco.

Hermione had hoped she had more time as the boys seemed to be warming up to the idea of Draco being around but any potential progress the boys had with Draco went out the window. Should she have told them? Seeing the stunned face of Hermione, Ron spoke again, “So I guess dating a Malfoy wasn’t enough for the Golden Girl. You had to skip straight to marriage. Even in your social life, you have to be an overachiever”.

It had meant to come out in a teasing manner but it stung instead. On some level, Ron was hurt that he hadn’t been trusted to be told this. The fight was between Hermione and Harry, not exactly him. But to Hermione’s relief, Draco stood in front of her to defend her. The Slytherin became visibly angry as Ron raised his voice in reaction to the snake. “Don’t you dare speak to my wife like that. It’s only okay when you and Harry shout at me. If I see you use that same tone you use on me with her again, we’re going to have problems. I won’t let Hermione be disrespected by you and Harry”.

As Ron backed away, Draco's eyes changed into their werewolf form. Hermione grabbed his elbow to get his attention but Draco was deep in his fury. The young werewolf growled while showing his sharpened fangs. With his chest puffed up, Draco suddenly appeared to be taller than before. Hermione peered at Remus for help, causing the professor to try to calm Draco. He sensed Draco’s inner werewolf was in protective mode over his mate so Lupin went to force Draco out the room. Not wanting to back down, Draco gripped the door knob but Remus was stronger as he dragged the snake out the room.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione calmed the two remaining boys, “Don’t get scared. Draco can’t help it. He got triggered when he sensed I was scared. He must have felt my fear of facing you both”. Uncomfortable at what he just witnessed, Ron accepted the answer as he apologized to Hermione for letting his anger out too. He felt at fault that Draco’s inner werewolf had slipped out.

Breaking the pause between the two friends, Harry came forward, still hurt. “Why, Hermione? I’m not mad or judging your choice. I just want to know what made you make this decision. We’re not talking after what I did to Draco but isn’t this something you should have told us?”. Ron nodded along, wanting to know the answer as well. Their friendship was changing fast. It felt as if the three of them were growing into different people. Too different for their friendship to fit together anymore. Hermione, alone, was such a different person compared to last year. Hermione from 5th year wouldn’t have made such an impulsive decision. Who got married at 17? Ron and Harry were slightly worried.

Hugging herself for comfort, Hermione admitted, “I saw Draco die. It changed me more than you both realize. When I saw his life leave his body… it’s something a person can never unsee. It stays with you”.

Harry froze as his face broke. It pained him to know he was the reason for Hermione’s pain. The bright witch peered up, staring directly at him, as she continued, “We're also at war, Harry. It’s only going to get uglier from here on then. Death Eaters are after people like me, muggleborns. We can die today, tomorrow, or even weeks from now. I don’t know what’s going to happen. And truth be told, I’m afraid that Draco and I won’t see the end of war. I’m the Golden Girl associated with the chosen one. Tom won’t hesitate to kill me. If it gets out that Draco is alive, everyone will come for him too. So we decided to live in the moment and spent the time we may have left together. We got married so that if one of us dies or both, we want the other to know how much we loved each other”.

Again, silence filled the room between the Golden Trio. Trying to lighten the dark mood around him, Ron teased while pointing to the semi broken door frame, “At least, me and Harry know you're the safest person in the Order. The Death Eaters won’t be able to get their hands on you with your werewolf around”. He smiled awkwardly, not wanting to acknowledge how right Hermione was in thinking that any of them could die. Their mortality was staring them in the face as they came to the realization of how fragile they truly were. Many of the previous generation had died during the first war. Regulus had died at the young age of 19. How would any of their classmates survive the war? It was a thought none of them wanted to acknowledge. Hermione sadly smiled towards them both as a fear of the future engulfed the room.

Remembering Kreacher was still in the room and wanting to push away the sadness around them, Hermione asked the elf, “Kreacher, do you know where the real locket is?”.

Harry and Ron stood straight, wanting a change in conversation from the dark one the trio just had. The house elf nodded. Kreacher already knew where it was as he was a member of the Black Cat Society. It was every house elves’ job to spy and learn intelligence for Lady Malfoy. “Kreacher failed to destroy the locket. It was in Kreacher’s room but when Sirius died, the house wards went down, letting robbers come inside. The wards were weakened until the son of black came back to claim his seat. But it was too late then, Kreacher failed to keep the robbers from stealing from House of Black. Umbridge has the real locket now. She bought it from those dirty stealers,” Kreacher explained as he looked at Draco’s picture on the wall. The elf’s hands trembled with his eyes welling up in tears.

Confusion went through the trio as they didn’t know how to interpret Kreacher’s actions or mood. Hermione comforted the elf, thinking he was upset at losing the locket that Regulus had died for. Harry made a comment out loud while looking at Ron, “Well that explains why Kreacher doesn’t like your mum and Ginny. He has bad experiences with robbers”.

Chapter Text

After last night’s fight between Hermione and Draco with Harry and Ron, Remus forced the group to be in the same room in the hopes they would make up, which is how the four found themselves in the living room. He lectured them about the importance of communication if all of them were to go on the Horcrux hunt. This was their chance in proving they could all stay in the same room, before finalizing the plans with Moody and Kingsley about the Horcrux hunt.

If they couldn’t prove they could play nice, then an adult from the order would come and babysit them. When Ron initially heard about a potential babysitter joining the group of four he immediately cleaned up his act and was on his best behavior. The boy went around befriending the Slytherin like there was no centuries long feud between the Weasleys and the Malfoys. Ron even nudged Harry to make a welcoming face with Draco in the room but both Hermione and Draco rolled their eyes, knowing full well what the dimwits duo’s intentionals were.

What the children didn’t know was Remus had no problem with the group going on the run for the Horcrux hunt nor didn’t he have any power on who went along. The old werewolf just liked to trick them into being well behaved children while they all lived under the same roof. Remus figured, best case scenario, the Golden Trio would all put their differences aside and go back to how things were before, but the older werewolf knew better than to hold onto hope. It was going to be a while before seeing the Golden Trio make up.

In the corner of the living room, Harry and Ron played wizard’s chess while the newlyweds were reading a book on the couch. Ron had been staying at 12 Grimmauld Place with Harry to save him from the awkward atmosphere around Hermione and Draco. Snacks and drinks were laid out on the coffee table personally served by Kreacher. Kreacher these days gave Draco special treatment thus everything on the tray was all of the young werewolf’s favorite food.

Walburga and Regulus' portraits both watched from afar. They had recently moved to the main room, since they were getting better being around other people, including the Weasley boy. Walburga was no longer shouting at everyone who wasn’t a Pureblood and Regulus was slowly coming out of his shell. Although the boy was still very much quiet, Regulus still didn’t speak to others besides Draco and Hermione. To the rest of the household, they only heard mouse-like squeaks from the former heir.

The doorbell rang, notifying the children Remus had come back from his day at Gringotts. Since all floos were being watched by Voldemort’s regime, the older werewolf had to apparate as close to the bank as possible and walk the rest of the way without being seen. As Lupin walked into the living room, he hung his raincoat on the coat hanger before signaling the children there was to be another family meeting.

Ron and Harry stopped their game to join Draco and Hermione on the couch. Once everyone settled in their seats, Remus announced, “As you know, I went to Gringotts to do some digging after Kreacher told you, Harry, you weren’t his master. I found it too strange to ignore the house elf. So I come bearing bad and good news”.

The room seemed to go quiet as the four took in Remus’ words while exchanging glances with each other. Seeing no response, the professor continued, “Bad news, Harry you’re no longer the heir to the Black fortune nor the Potters. Both estates are under state property. I suspect it is due to the ministry being controlled under the new regime. It would be very wise to monitor your spending during your Horcruxes hunt. I have no doubt they're watching your vault for your movements”.

In the background, ignored by the room’s occupants, Regulus slowly inched closer to the edge of the portrait to listen to the conversation while Walburga snickered at her son. When he caught Walburga peering at him with knowing eyes, Regulus motioned at his own mother to stop.

Outraged, the Golden Girl spoke up first, “They can’t do that! It’s Harry’s money left by his parents. No ounce of respect for Lily and James”. She crossed her arms as she huffed in anger. After the witch collected her emotions as Draco rubbed her back, she asked the question on everyone’s minds. “What's the good news then? Please let it be better”.

“Well, he who must not be named controls everything now, so yes the ministry can do that. However, although the house belongs to the state, it still answers to us. The wards here are different. It's charmed with dark and blood magic. Thanks to Draco being in this house and being the closest male relative, it restores and strengthens itself constantly. The state can’t take this house since the wards will continue to hide itself as long as Draco is alive”.

Walburga cackled out so loudly, causing the children to jump while Regulus nervously looked away. As Draco turned to the two portraits with a glare to stay quiet, Remus decided to go on the ‘ignore the two portraits’ route. This meeting was too essential to pause for the older werewolf.

With Harry upset, he exclaimed, “That’s not fair! This house should be mine. It’s the last and only thing I have from Sirius. Sirius willed it to me. Shouldn’t the house recognize me instead? I was his godson afterall”.

In the corner of Hermione’s eyes, she noted the way Walburga gave Harry a deep scowl but ignored the portrait, wanting to hear what Remus had to say. This was an interesting turn of events for Hermione. The bright witch hadn’t realized how complex blood and warding magic was. Even the law couldn’t fully control this type of magic. It made her wonder what aspects of magic hadn’t been fully explored to their limits.

Remus, scrunched his eyebrows, trying to find a way to explain the complexities of wills, “If we’re being technical here, it was never Sirius’ to give away. It was Regulus’ right. Sirius was disowned and disinherited by his parents. If we follow Inheritance and Estate laws, after Regulus’ death, the house would have stayed in limbo on the off chance that Walburga gave birth to the next heir. Walburga never had more children with Orion after Regulus. After she died, the Black estate would have gone to the next closest male relative. Therefore, the moment Draco was born, the house immediately went to him, as his mother is a Black. We have to remember Draco has only been disowned by the Malfoy estate. And there are no more male relatives alive anymore to challenge Draco. Perhaps, Sirius could have challenged him but he was on the run when he died. Plus, Sirius had no rights as a criminal so he’s out of the running in general”.

The Golden Trio nodded with Harry reluctantly accepting the answer. The laws surrounding wills were confusing but it made sense why the house responded to Draco. As she peered around the room, Hermione noticed Regulus intensely staring at Draco but more at his family heirloom, the House of Black’s family watch for heirs.

Draco nudged Potter, in a low voice he whispered into his ears, “I can talk to Regulus’ portrait if you want. I’ve been talking to my godfather nightly. Maybe there’s something of Sirius’ in the family attic. It’s been locked but maybe there’s something of his there. You can take what you want from Sirius”.

A pause lingered between them for a second before Harry replied, “Thanks, I’ll like that”.

Interrupting the moment, Ron commented out loud, “Merlin, that can happen! Let me get this straight. Draco owns the house magically but the state owns it legally. So technically we’re breaking into state property but not at the same time”.

“That is why children, I never wanted a desk job at the ministry or Gringotts. Once you get into legal work, everything is messy and runs on small technicalities. A teacher's life was always for me,” Remus responded with a small smile.

Unable to help himself, Draco turned to the red head while smirking, “If we’re being even more technical, the ministry is gone now. The laws of man and magic no longer hold. All crime is legal now, Ronald. Why don’t we both rob a Pureblood household? I know a few families that deserve to be stripped of their assets. That would fix our money problem. Wouldn’t it?”.

Stunned at the suggestion, Ron studied Draco’s face. The boy was almost flabbergasted at the snake for even recommending them to commit a crime. Was he serious? Before Ron realized it himself, the corner of his lips lifted slightly but all thoughts of agreement were stopped as Hermione lightly smacked the back of Draco and Ron’s head. “We will be law abiding citizens even in an anarchical society. Don't get any ideas”.

Draco, being hopeful, had to ask Remus, “Wait, since we’re talking technicalities. If the house recognizes me, then do you think Gringotts will recognize me as the heir of the black fortune?”.

Looking at him with a sad frown, Remus responded, “Unfortunately, the vault belongs to the state just as Harry’s. It’s tricky paperwork. You’ve been declared dead. There are no male Black relatives alive in the eyes of Gringotts. You can’t claim it even if you wanted to, but once war is over, I promise I will come with you to Gringotts to challenge the estate. It will be admittedly easier for you to get the Black fortune as a direct blood descendant, than Harry. Sirius’ Will holds no power against his disinheritance”.

Before Draco could respond, Walburga bursted into laughter, scaring the room. “Sirius! The last Black alive! Ha!”. No longer amused at the former House of Black Lady, Remus folded his arms, thinking Walburga was mocking her own son, “What’s so funny? Is there something you would like to share with the class, Walburga Black?”.

“Oh nothing, don’t mind me. I’m just a mere portrait on the wall”. She cackled to herself all while Regulus gave a look of disapproval but it also appeared that Regulus wanted to run from the room. The room’s conversation was getting too close for comfort. Regulus’ eyes switched between Walburga and Draco before he looked away. “I would advise you to stop laughing at Sirius, your son, unless you want to be curtained off and silenced,” Remus threatened.

“Oh snippy, are we? Did I touch a nerve?,” Walburga snapped back with a knowing smirk as if she had more to say. Remus was only able to stay quiet for she was right. Walburga had pushed his buttons this time. Taking a step back, he was deciding whether to argue back as he tried to recollect himself. The old werewolf stayed silent so as to not give the portrait any more satisfaction than she had at the moment. Walburga, seeing the older werewolf was not going to acknowledge her, pushed forward, “You were once a handsome boy in your youth and still are actually. The boy that led my son astray from my household or was that James?”.

The room went deadly silent. It felt as if the four children were hearing a conversation they shouldn’t be but Walburga’s portrait did not care. As they shuffled in their seats they eyed Remus to see if he was okay while Regulus gave his own mother another warning. With an agenda of her own, Walburga pressed on.

Triggered at the mention of his old friends, Remus spat out, “Get Sirius’ and James’ names out of your mouth,” with no more tolerance for the dreadful portrait. With the intention of closing her curtains for the rest of the day, Lupin began to walk to her with an annoyed look.

“Ignore her. She’s just a painting,” Harry anxiously said, worried that Walburga would start the non stop screaming. She had barely begun to accept the household, Harry wasn’t sure if he could go on another day if she went back to her old ways. But Harry couldn’t deny that there was some curiosity about his father’s school days and best friends now that she had mentioned him.

“I can see why my son, Sirius, loved you”.

Remus' eyes widened. This caught the older werewolf’s full attention as he stopped at his tracks. In the middle of the room, staring straight at Walburga, Lupin asked in a cautious voice, “You knew about Sirius?”, forgetting who was in the room with him. There was a pause between the two individuals as Remus took a step back in disbelief. He wondered how she knew. He and Sirius were extremely careful to keep that part of themselves hidden from the rest of the world. When they were just youngsters, it was hard to accept that part of themselves. Remus never managed to confess his feelings for Sirius as the former heir avoided that subject altogether. Concluding it was for the best to protect what was left of their friendship towards the end, Lupin had brushed his feelings aside too.

Walburga snorted at the older werewolf, “Of course I did. I’m his mother, after all. Did you think I did not know my son’s preference for the male anatomy? I even knew who you were to my son or what you could have been if Sirius wasn’t a coward. He always had the habit of running from his issues instead of facing them head on”.

“He wasn't a cowar—”, Remus tried to defend his deceased friend but was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

Seeing the older werewolf struggling, Walburga, loved every second of the drama she had stirred. She emphasized each word with a teasing smile, “He was impulsive. That was what he was. Sirius jumped into danger first without thinking of the consequences. He only thought of himself and not how his actions affected others. He wasn’t the first in the Black family to prefer rolling in the sheets with a man and he won’t be the last. If only my son did not abandon his duties as the heir of the Blacks, you could have been his male lover on the side. All he needed to do was marry a Pureblood witch and give the family an heir and a spare but he failed at that. He gave up. He wanted an easy life. My son did not fight for what he wanted”.

Remus didn’t know how to respond to that. It was almost hard to fight back against anything she was saying because they both knew very well what she said was true. Sirius was impulsive when he was alive. It was one of the reasons Lupin had a falling out with him. Sirius did not think twice before going forward with the famous prank of his school days. But out of loyalty for the man used to love, he unconvincingly said, “Sirius would have never done that. He didn’t believe in your family’s Pureblood superiority”.

With a mischievous attitude, Walburga asked, “Did he or was he feeling rebellious instead? Was he just a son who just wanted to throw a fit with his family? Did he fight for the rights of werewolves? Did he speak up for your rights, when he was in the Order? He fought for Dumbledore but look where that landed him. In the ground. He was left to rot in a prison by that old man”.

As these words sunk in, Remus put his hands inside his pants pocket. The truth of what she said trickled into him as his mind betrayed itself, remembering the full details of the Snape incident. Old feelings made their way into his heart, as Lupin closed his eyes to the thought of Sirius. His old friend, who once used him like a tool to hurt Snape at the expense of his own wellbeing.

Seeing the man before her was in the middle of a turmoil, once again Walburga made her point across, “If he was determined to have the moral ground above his family, why did Sirius not take up the mantle and change things from within in this house?”.

She waited for an answer from anyone of the five. When silence was met, she pushed, “It was because he didn’t want to. No, he wanted quick satisfaction in life. My son spent years in Azkaban when he could have escaped at any time and showed the ministry his memories to prove his innocence but no. He gave up. He didn’t want to struggle. Instead he went and got adopted into the Potter family, who doted on him. Sirius left Regulus alone as his little brother struggled to put the family on a different path. Sirius is partially at fault for the death of his younger brother. His failure to take the family seat caused a series of unfortunate events and left our house in shambles. He burdened Regulus with the ramifications, while Sirius got to live a carefree life with the Potters, paid with his little brother’s life. My boys thought I didn’t see the wrench in their relationship but I did. I saw everything”.

Walburga paused, ensuring Lupin peered up at her as she said these words, “The best things in life aren’t easy to obtain, dear. You must fight for them. When he escaped and stayed here, Sirius cried for you, Remus. Yet, he did nothing to reach out to you. You two may have been separated by war and lost time together but you could have lived a few short months together in love, if my son wasn’t a weakling. My son gave up. He didn’t fight for you. He was nothing but a coward”.

Nodding to the witch, Lupin answered back, “You’re right. He was a coward”. His voice cracked as he said this out loud. Remus always knew deep down Sirius was afraid despite his confident exterior but to say it out loud was still difficult for the werewolf.

The children turned to look at each other in surprise when Remus had agreed. They hadn’t expected that. In particular, Harry struggled not to say anything back as he bit down his lips. But hearing the sadness in Lupin’s voice, Harry leaned back into the couch while finally allowing himself to see how others perceived his godfather. For once Harry decided to see the perspective of someone different than him.

As Remus gathered himself again, he raised his chin high, “You're mistaken about one thing. I wouldn't have accepted his feelings, if he had confessed after his escape. I deserved better but I would have gotten the closure I always wanted”.

The portrait stared directly into Remus’ eyes. The witch found something in those eyes of his, new respect for the older werewolf. “Good, someone filled with talent like you shouldn’t waste any more energy dwelling on the past, especially on my son. Don’t let Sirius hold you back any longer. Move on”.

Lupin nodded at the portrait in a sudden wave of mutual respect as no one would have spoken to him like that but it was something he needed to hear. For too long because of his condition, lycanthropy, everyone had always walked around eggshells near him. Although he knew his loved ones only meant well, it bothered Remus to be treated as if he was fragile. It troubled him that everyone treated him like he was going to crumble any second. Walburga’s tough love was unexpectedly appreciated. Lupin turned around to face his kids. “Okay, I think that’s enough for one night,” he said, motioning everyone to the door. As ordered, all the children got on their feet only to be stopped again.

Walburga was still not done. No, she had only just begun to stir the pot. This was the most entertainment she had since her creation. Still feeling playful, the portrait sang in joyful tune, “Many forget us, portraits. Especially those of us, who are quiet. If we’re loud, they ignore us but we’re always there. They may silence us, but we still have eyes. We blend into the walls. We watch. A person shows their true self when they think no one is there but these walls have seen many things. The walls have ears. This house has many secrets, written on the walls, if you choose to open your eyes. We observe and take in what is around us. We learn and wait for the perfect time to reveal the secrets we have learned”.

Walburga, with a warm smile, turned to Draco, “My love, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet?”.

“Mother!,” Regulus attempted to stop Walburga but his actions had only encouraged her while the room stopped at the sound of his voice. It was the first time he spoke loudly, surprising everyone, including Remus, who remembered him vaguely from his school days. Both Harry and Ron had yet to hear what his voice sounded until now. The two were especially intrigued. Whatever Walburga wanted to say, the room wanted to know more than ever. What Regulus was trying to hide that made the silent portrait shout at his own mother?

The actions of the former heir had one witch eager to speak as Hermione joined in the conversation. “You're quite talkative tonight,” she said to Walburga but then she switched to Regulus, “And you've been watching Draco all night”. The golden girl raised her eyebrows in suspicion while folding her arms as she tried to probe for answers.

Lupin sighed as he directed everyone to sit on the couch in front of the two portraits. The old werewolf realized they wouldn’t be leaving this room anytime soon. It wasn’t all bad though for one particular person. Ron had found amusement in listening to the gossip around him as he reached over for snacks to munch on.

Not pleased at how the portraits were hiding something from him, Draco crossed his arm, copying Hermione. “What do you mean?,” Draco asked as his eyes flickered to his godfather. The portrait was rubbing his head at the trouble his mother caused.

As Walburga waved off her son, she smiled again at Draco, “Aren’t you curious why you were able to connect your name to Regulus on the Tapestry, love?”.

“I asked Kreacher to glamorize the wall. I made it so that I was adopted by him”.

“Let’s use our minds tonight, sweetheart. That's not how tapestries work. You can’t be removed nor can you be added to the wall, unless it’s through marriage of course. One can’t just rewrite the tree how they see fit. It’s unchangeable. The tapestry shows only those who share the same blood and how that person is connected in the scope of our entire bloodline. Why do you think we have no choice but to blast people off the wall? We can not simply remove relatives from existence, who have disappointed the family. Their name will always be shown. No matter how hard we try, they are there. You shouldn’t have been able to directly connect your name to my youngest son. Adoptions don’t show on the wall as they don’t share our blood. Think, my beloved child. You can connect the dots. I know you can,” said Walburga in a grandmotherly tone. It was so loving that it caught Draco off guard. She previously had only spoken in neutral tone with the boy, so this change in behavior wasn’t adding up to the Slytherin. The young werewolf turned to Hermione for answers but she was also lost. The only look she had on her face was a puzzled expression as she narrowed down all the possible answers. The boys, Harry and Ron, on the other hand had a blank expression, confirming what Draco thought of them whenever the boys were together, the dimwit duo.

“Ummm, elf magic?,” answered Draco wholeheartedly as he scrunched his face. To the young werewolf, elf magic was his default for anything that didn’t follow the rules of magic for a wizard. It made some sense as he remembered Kreacher had been helping him a lot since he arrived. Kreacher made sure to refer to him as Regulus' real son but Draco had never tried to correct the house elf for it appeared as if Kreacher wanted to live in his own reality. If that was Kreacher’s truth, who was he to deny that from the little house elf?

“That's a good answer, my boy, but that's not it,” responded Walburga with an even wider grin. “It’s okay. I’ll tell you anyway”. She leaned in, against the frame of the portrait, signaling to everyone on the couch to listen closely. “I knew the moment I laid my eyes on you, who you were to the Black Family. I would have figured it out sooner if you would have came to me at any point in the past. If Lucius did not deny this family a relationship with you, I would have found a way to bring your mother and you back home. I know without a doubt my son and two nieces had a role in how you came to be. It’s why I couldn’t stop staring at you that night we talked. Your face told me everything I needed to know. I don’t know what they did, but they managed to fool Lucius Malfoy. They certainly pulled one over me and Orion as well”.

Walburga looked over to her youngest son with so much pride in her eyes. Regulus, who outwitted her and his father. It didn’t upset her that he decided not to tell them. At the end of the day, what all mothers really wanted was for their own children to be better than them. She was glad Regulus went against her word, because it meant not all was lost for the family yet. Thanks to whatever dark blood magic Regulus did, they still lived on within Draco.

“You, my love, are my grandson by blood. You are the son of Regulus and Narcissa Black, born not from a Malfoy obligation but born from the love of two Blacks,” Walburga announced to the whole group.

Feeling wary, Draco was cagey towards his apparent grandmother, “My father is Lucius. The Malfoy Manor wards wouldn’t have accepted me if Malfoy blood didn’t run through these veins,” but his voice faltered as he spoke these words. The snake couldn’t deny how much he did look like his uncle. His mother, whenever possible, always made sure to tell him how alike he was to Regulus. These actions in hindsight seemed suspicious to him now. When the Slytherin Prince turned to his godfather to see if he would put an end to this nonsense, to his shock Regulus was avoiding his stare.

Draco leaned back to the couch, as an influx of memories of his childhood came to him. Doubts filled his mind as he raced through all his thoughts. He found he couldn’t deny Walburga’s claim with certainty. The Malfoy Manor did not have a tapestry but the young werewolf recalled in a book about how tapestry worked. It was how Lady Back had said it. Tapestries do not lie. It was how wizarding families of ancient blood documented who were in their family trees, before the creation of the ministry. His breath formed a knot in his throat as he remembered about the centaur’s prophecy in the forbidden forest. They had called him the son of Black. At the time, the boy had waved off the statement, thinking the centaur had meant he was the son of Narcissa BLACK. But if what his possible grandmother said was right, this meant he was the son of Regulus Black.

“No, she’s telling the truth. Walburga was laughing to herself when we referred to Sirius as the last Black. She laughed when we were discussing the inheritance surrounding the house and vaults. She’s not lying,” Hermione shook her head as she looked back at the portraits. Although she didn’t understand how Draco was Regulus’ son, both the portraits' actions as she watched them all night long and it appeared what they were saying was the truth.

“Explain, what is Walburga talking about?,” Draco peered at Regulus as he spoke in a wary tone.

Regulus shook his head, unsure what to do. He had made a promise to the real Regulus but with unforeseen forces, the portrait thought he may be forced to tell his creator’s truth. “I told you before. I will only speak the truth, if you ask me the correct question. I promised the real Regulus Black. I only know what the real Regulus knew at the time of my creation. Everything I know after is because either I watched it happen or he told me. He strictly instructed me not to tell until the time was right. What I can tell you as a portrait is that when I came to be, I was in love with your mother, Narcissa. She is the reason for my existence. The reason why I fought. The reason I did what I did. Even now, my portrait’s thoughts revolve around her. I wait for her, day after day, until we can be reunited again. Those were the thoughts in my creator's mind as I came to be that are etched into this portrait. It is a sign of how much the real Regulus adored your mother”.

“Great another riddle. Why can’t these things be easy,” said Harry as he threw his hands up in frustration.

Regulus sighed, seeing the disappointment on the room's faces. When Regulus glanced at Draco, the portrait knew he couldn’t end it like this so he thought for a moment, trying to figure out a way around the promise. When a thought came, he leaned closer to the Slytherin Prince, “I’ll give you a clue. The watch your wearing once belonged to the real me. I told your mother before your birth to give you that watch when the time was right. The family heirloom opens up and it holds the answers you're looking for but you must figure out how to open it”. Regulus smiled as he sat back once more. His creator had only told him not to reveal the secret. He didn’t mention anything about revealing the importance of the watch. “The real Regulus should have been specific with his instructions,” the portrait thought to himself.

The tone of the room changed when the only two raised in the muggle world realized that the portrait hadn’t denied Walburga’s allegation. Their expressions did not go unnoticed by the others, especially the young werewolf, who was the center of this new discovery. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, visibly uncomfortable when they slowly remembered Narcissa and Regulus were first cousins. They tried their hardest to be polite by saying absolutely nothing about it. It was already enough that Draco had to deal with the truth of how he came to be but the two did not want to load Draco with another life altering truth that he was born from incest, which was not normal in the muggle world.

Immediately feeling their judgment, the young werewolf instantly felt defensive on behalf of his mother, who practically raised him as a single mother and his newly discovered father. Furrowing his eyebrows, Draco replied unconvincingly to everyone, “What? It’s perfectly normal among Purebloods to keep it in the family. We… sometimes marry one another. It’s fine. Really. My mother was in her right to have my uncle and conceive me, if what Walburga says is true”. He stared down at the Golden Trio, daring them to say something. Regulus laughed out loud with pride in his eyes, surprising the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Walburga was drinking a cup of tea from inside of her portrait as she found enjoyment at the chaos she created.

Harry fell back into habit as he snapped at the young werewolf, “You don’t see Ginny getting hitched to one of her older brothers” before falling silent. “Why was fighting with the snake so hard not to do?,” the boy thought to himself as mortification simmered at what he had said.

But to the confusion of Hermione and Harry, Ron started to squirm on his half of the couch. The red head rubbed the back of his neck with reluctance and closed his eyes as he agreed with Draco. “Sorry Harry, but Draco’s kind of right here. It’s normal among the older generation. If you go far enough in any Pureblood family tree, even mine, you can see we, Purebloods, had the habit of marrying members of the same family. In the branches of any family tree, you’ll discover all Purebloods are close relatives in a sense. We’re not separate trees in a meadow but trees in a forest with our branches crossing at every turn. You can’t tell where one branch begins and one ends. Technically the three of us are distant relatives as there’s not many options of marriage partners in the Pureblood community. My family now might be more modern than Draco’s but if one of my siblings wanted to marry a cousin, my parents wouldn’t mind it. I don’t know why most wizarding families stopped but I’m not surprised the Blacks continued the practice. Out of all the sacred 28, they were the most traditional and kept true to the old ways of magic. Some even say it’s why their magic was stronger compared to everyone else’s but that’s just a rumor”.

Harry and Hermione’s mouth both dropped to the floor, unable to hide the culture shock happening in the living room. It was instances like this one when the two remembered Ron was technically the odd one out in their group of three. In their trio, it slipped Hermione’s and Harry’s mind that Ron was technically a Pureblood like Draco. It was easy to forget as Ron’s family was more modernized. His family's open views was the whole reason why they didn’t feel Ron was an outsider.

Seeing their shocked expression, Ron defended himself with his guard now up, “What! All I’m saying is that it's not that strange. You won’t be seeing me making googly eyes at my ugly sister in this lifetime. You can have her, Harry”. Like Draco, he felt the judgment of his friends and he did not like it. The redhead held his hands up in the hopes that it would be the last time he ever was on Draco’s side. He made a mental note not to make a habit of befriending his family’s rival.

Lupin couldn't help but laugh at the scene unfolding in front of him as Harry squirmed at the mention of Ginny. The older werewolf turned to look at Hermione to see how she was taking in this new information. The golden girl was stuck in a trance. “Perhaps the witch was reflecting on this new cultural discovery and what it meant for her future with Draco,” Remus thought to himself. It brought him back to his school days when he and Lily were judgemental of James' family. James and Sirius had both tried so hard to defend the Potter family despite the fact that James' generation would be shifting to a more modern way with how strongly the boy felt for Lily. Sirius was more passionate in defending James’ family than the Potter’s themselves because his family, unlike James, still strongly practiced the old ways of magic.

It was well known among other purebloods but not outsiders that Sirius' parents were first cousins. When Remus and Lily had asked Sirius why he was so bothered about it more than James, it was in that instance they discovered more about the Black Family. Both he and Lily had almost fallen out of their seats in the Great Hall. “Oh how time flies by,” Remus thought to himself, still reminiscing.

Now an adult, Remus had learned how different Pureblood families grew up culturally as he had more knowledge of magic over the years. It wasn’t until after he graduated Hogwarts did Lupin realize the common folks magic learned in school was drastically different from the magic Purebloods learned behind closed doors. It was one of the biggest reasons why Purebloods were so closed off from Muggleborns and half-bloods. They wanted to protect their family magic from leaking out into the wizarding world. Remus didn’t agree with the practice of the old ways even as an older man but he had learned to respect the cultural differences inside Pureblood circles.

Taking a deep breath as the only person in the room that was traditionally a Pureblood, Draco saw it was his responsibility to educate Harry and Hermione. “Most wizarding families adopted the muggle way once our two communities started intermingling. That’s why the practice of marrying within the family stopped but it’s perfectly NORMAL for my mother! I approve of my uncle having his way with my mum”.

The boy shot everyone a glare afterwards with the exception of Ron. Draco didn’t know himself how he felt about this new discovery but he did know one thing. He was going to protect his mother’s choices in life and in death for the rest of his life. Once the tension between the four children died down, Harry slowly turned to Draco with a mischievous grin, “Don’t you mean father now? Regulus is your dad, not uncle, if what Walburga said is true”.

Not taking the bait, Draco only glared at Harry before ignoring him completely, as he continued. “Now that that’s settled. Let’s move on to more important things. We need to figure out how to open my watch”.

The Slytherin looked at Remus, who had been listening with amusement the entire time. “Remus, please open my watch,” the boy asked while handing over the watch. He was too tired to think after the new turn of events. His mind was still trying to process the potential new information of his family. It didn’t make sense. The best thing to do was to ask his father-like figure to figure it out. “Good idea Draco! Remus helped us fix the cabinet and created the marauder's map”. Hermione squeezed his hand at the stroke of genius Draco had, not knowing the boy handed it over from pure laziness.

Lupin grabbed the watch to study it closely. He analyzed every crook and cranny of the family heirloom. The older werewolf spent a while with the watch. He almost handed it back, giving up before he noticed a needle-sized hole. The hole was hiding in the number 6 and it blended in so well in the circle of the number. Remus almost hadn’t seen it.

Finally handing the watch back to Draco, Remus spoke to the room outloud, “Well if I had to guess, we need Draco’s blood to open it. There's a hole I believe that will open its secret once exposed to his blood. The Blacks were well known for not only their proficiency at the Dark Arts but they alone created the branch of blood magic. A still heavily guarded skill. The day the Blacks died out, many scholars thought the way of blood magic had died with the family. Many of the items collected by the state refused to open unless it was exposed to the heir’s blood but Regulus had died. Sirius tried to open his family's secrets but the magic did not acknowledge him. It was like the family magic knew he was disowned”.

“The family’s magic must have felt Draco’s presence when it rejected Sirius! Amazing, how different the family magic is from the magic of the common folks. I can’t even think of anything in the wizarding world that works similarly,” Hermione replied, more for herself as she found the scholarly side of the magic highly fascinating. Her mind opened up to the possibility there were branches of magic within the wizarding community itself she had never been exposed to. Slowly, Hermione herself started to understand the reason behind Purebloods practicing incest, but she wasn’t going to admit that out loud. It was to protect their specific type of family magic but she still agreed with Harry. It was an odd practice to continue.

“Indeed, it is. I, myself, cannot imagine what blood magic looks like. Many high profiled wizards, who work in inventing new spells, would be pleased to have a chance to observe. The five of us are about to witness magic no one else in centuries has seen, outside the Black Family”. Remus then turned to face the boy, “It’s right there, Draco. Go on, try it”.

Everyone in the room leaned close to the young werewolf to see what was in the watch. As Draco bit down on his finger with his fangs, he carefully squeezed one drop of blood into the number 6. Before their eyes, the watch glowed red before the front of the clock opened. Inside the compartment was a tiny crimson red leather book with the family crest and name. When Draco went to touch it, his eyes widened in fascination holding it between his fingers. Before the room could react, the book grew inside his hand to the size of his forearm. It was heavy that Draco needed both hands to carry it as it slammed against the coffee table. “I can’t believe my eyes. Regulus gave me the House of Black’s spell book for blood magic. Everything my family has learned is right here”.

As he flipped through the book’s table of contents, the first section caught the boy’s full attention. It was titled, “The story of Regulus Arcturus Black and Narcissa Black”. Draco opened the first pages but to his surprise the entire book was blank. With his fingers tips, he touched its blank pages. As if his instincts kicked in, the Slytherin knew from how he had opened the watch that he needed to give the book his own blood, as well. Dropping more of his blood onto the pages, the blood bled into the book as it disappeared within the pages. The drops made the book glow brighter as it accepted it. Red ink of blood began to form moving pictures on each page.

“This is an incredible piece of magic, Draco! The book reminds me of the invention of the black and white television in the muggle world. The first chapter is like a silent movie of all of your mother’s and Regulus’ memories. The book must be showing us their love story,” Hermione observed over Draco’s shoulders. She clapped her hands together in excitement, witnessing this advance magic.

No one dared to touch the book, fearing what would happen if someone not the blood of Draco were to touch it. “It's too bad we can’t hear anything,” commented Harry with Ron leaning on the chosen one to see better.

Hermione pointed to the book, “Look closer. There’s words to go along with the moving images”.

With a bitter sweet smile, Remus told the group, “In the short time your father attended Hogwarts, Regulus was years ahead of his time. Some of his house mates would boast how much of a prodigy he was. Of course, I didn’t know him personally, but I did see how Regulus always had study groups with students from years above him in the library before he left school”. Remus motioned Draco to show him more pages as he continued to compliment the book, “This is genius, actually. It’s more convenient than a vial of tears. Just one drop of blood and we can see the memories of that person’s whole life. We don’t have to worry about finding a pensive to watch Regulus’ memory”.

As Draco held up the book for all to see on the coffee table, even the portraits were watching from afar. Ink began to form pictures, highlighting important memories of Regulus’ life. It was flickers of various memories across its pages.

~~~~

In the ancestral home of the Blacks, the five Black siblings ran throughout the halls. It was a rare occasion with all the cousins under one roof, playing hide and seek. The ages ranged from 13 to 5 with Andromeda being the oldest among them and Regulus being the youngest. With Sirius as the seeker on this day, he counted to a hundred while facing the corner of the room. The rest rushed to find a spot to hide. Narcissa ran to the family’s office to hide under Orion’s desk.

To her surprise, Regulus had also chosen this spot. With no time to as Sirius roamed down the hall, a little Reggie grabbed Cissy’s hand to join him. The two were enclosed in the tight space as Narcissa focused her attention on him. Reggie, focused on the game ahead, did not notice he was still holding her hand until he slowly turned to face her. They both smiled with a look they neither could break. The sounds of Sirius’ footsteps outside their door disappeared into the background as Narcissa leaned over, placing a light peck on Regulus’ nose.

Instead of moving away, Regulus blushed as he accepted it. Finding some courage, he returned it by brushing his lips against hers. As they moved away from each other, the two jumped, separating from one another as Sirius slammed open the office’s door.
~
A year later, it was Christmas time in Grimmauld Place. Orion and Walburga are hosting dinner for the family. With all in attendance from uncle Cygnus, aunt Druella and even uncle alphard who never came to these events, Grandfather Pollux sat at the head of the table with his hands together. The head of household was pleased to see the entire family had made time today. At the end of the table sat the youngest of the family. Regulus and Narcissa sat side by side as they giggled to each other.
~

Andromeda was the first of her generation to be blasted off the tapestry room. Regulus and Sirius were asleep in their own rooms when a shout past midnight woke the household. Orion stomped across the house. A family emergency was called as all the male family members came through the floo network in an instance. Pollux, Cygnus, Alphard, and Orion walked to the private office. Reggie could only watch from the top of the stairs as Walburga, who was still in her sleeping gown, rushed through the Fire Floo to check on Druella. Sirius, who was only a tween, was brought to the meeting as he was the future of the house. Fury vibrated across the house from Andromeda's own father, Cygnus. Alphard calmed down his own brother as the door closed behind everyone.

After an hour of waiting, Regulus watched as Sirius slammed open the door before running back to his room. One by one, the little boy saw as each male member left but his father. Following close behind him, Orion walked into the tapestry’s room to blast Andromeda from the family’s wall. Still going unnoticed, Regulus spied on his own father from the crack of the door. Careful not to make any noise, he watched Orion as his father with his bare hands slammed a chair against the wooden floors. If the family wanted to hold their place among the sacred 28, Andromeda needed to go yet a pain spread that would never heal. Just before Orion left the room, he touched Andromeda’s name one last time

~

The following year Orion and Sirius would be the next to have trouble. Fights were a constant occurrence as Orion struggled to have Sirius stay in line. Regulus sat alone in his room, listening to one of the daily arguments. He stared at the ceiling wondering what this fight was about when Narcissa and her family had come to visit. Entering his room as if it was her own, Narcissa lifted his bed sheets. Together they hid from the screams as she went to hold his hand. Lighting up the space between them with a Lumos spell, Narcissa encouraged the two to practice their magic as a distraction just as Regulus did so many times for her, when her own family fought.

Regulus grabbed her free hand, holding it inside the warmth of his. He leaned closer to her ears as he whispered to Cissy to close her eyes. With a leap of faith, Reggie kissed her. Their second since their first so many years ago. When he let go of her hand, he urged her to open her eyes again to see what was placed inside her hands. A red aster flower bloomed as it sat perfectly inside the young girl's cupped in her hand. The flower, known for undying love and devotion.
~

In a field full of flowers, behind the property of the France Manor of the Blacks, the two families were vacationing in their summer home. Regulus, now 13, held Narcissa’s hand, as he led them away from any prying eyes. With a lake away from the family home, they stripped to their undergarments before jumping off the docks. They dove feet first. The two cousins splashed one another as Narcissa playfully ducked Regulus’ head under the water. As she pulled his head up, Narcissa cupped his face within her hands. They laughed together only to be caught in another gaze that could not be broken. Regulus' cheeks reddened as he peered down at her lips. Noticing Reggie’s stare, Cissy realized his hesitation to act on his own feelings. Her thumb caressed his cheeks as she closed the distance between them.

~

Taking Narcissa by the hand, Regulus and Narcissa snuck out from the Slytherin’s pit as they hid behind every corner of the hallways. The two ran hand and hand across the Hogwarts castle to get to their destination, the Greenhouse. As they hid among the many plants, the two shared another secret kiss, away from the prying eyes.

~
Witnessing what would be the biggest fight between his mother and Sirius, Regulus was unable to move as he watched his own mother get physical with Sirius from the top of the staircase. The day that had changed the family forever. The fight that would break the last of the household after Andromeda. To the surprise of Regulus, he gasped as Walburga slapped Sirius. Walburga appeared shocked at her actions as well. Their arguments had been nothing but verbal up until that point. As his mother attempted to apologize, it was too late. Sirius darted to the floo network, making the witch angry once more. Regulus watched his mother blast Sirius off the tapestry.

After realizing what she had done in the heat of the moment, Walburga broke down in angry tears. Sirius and her had always been too alike, impulsive and stubborn. It was part of the reason why neither could get along. The witch crumbled to her knees, crippled, unable to process the fact that she had thrown out her first born son.

At the heartbreaking sight, Regulus walked into the room to put a hand on her shoulder. The two had never been that close but at this moment their tears were one of the same. As he bent down to comfort her, Walburga cupped his cheeks while whispering in a hoarse voice that the boy was now the heir.
~
At sixteen, Narcissa was dressed in a luxurious wedding gown. Her wedding with Lucius was just a few hours away but instead of a joyous occasion, her face was a blank canvas, void of any emotion. Only behind the closed doors of her bedroom, did she allow herself to accept what was happening. Unconsolable, Narcissa stayed in the false safety of her childhood bedroom. Bellatrix, her only sister left, could not get Cissy to stop crying until a serious Regulus walked in. The heir lightly tapped on Bellatrix’s back, asking for a moment alone. He too had locked away the emotions of the day. He needed to be strong for Cissy.

After Bellatrix left, Regulus hugged Cissy from behind, placing his head on her shoulder as they took in each other’s warmth for one last time. The reality that she would no longer be a part of this family set in as Regulus kissed her neck. He memorized this moment of her in a white ivory dress while he was in robes. “In another lifetime, this could have been them,” Regulus thought in the dead silence of the room.

As Narcissa turned to peer at him, it only took a comment of how beautiful she looked for her to fall apart in his arms. It was not until she calmed down that Narcissa stole a kiss, wanting time to pause for them. This would be their last moment of intimacy. Regulus didn’t stop her either as he went in for a deeper kiss. Like her, the heir believed this was to be their last. Their paths were taking them in different directions.

~

From a distance, Regulus watched with envy as Narcissa and Lucius said their wedding vows in front of the Pureblood community. An extravagant event for a Malfoy bride. Regulus glanced at his feet as his closed fists trembled when the priest asked out loud if anyone rejected this union.
~
Just hours after Narcissa became a married woman, Regulus roamed around the Malfoy Manor. He joined the men on their side of the manor that was closed off to the women. In a bleak mood, Regulus kept his distance from others despite his father pushing him to meet his future colleagues. As he reluctantly introduced himself to important figures of the ministry, Regulus noticed Lucius, the man of the hour, was nowhere to be seen.

His stomach flipped as the thought of Lucius was with Narcissa. “Had they gone to have they’re wedding night already, but it was still early in the evening?,” Regulus thought in a panic. His eyes searched the room as the feeling of leaving the party intensified but his heart sank further at what he found instead. His eyesight landed on Lucius, who had hands up a woman’s dress. The Malfoy heir whispered into the woman’s neck as Regulus left outraged.

~
Narcissa laid alone in her bed that she now shared with Lucius. Her own mother, Druella, had come in to check if the marriage had been consummated. As Druella left the room, leaving Narcissa to be lost in her own thoughts, she went back down to cry herself to sleep when she heard someone aparate into her room.

With her back to the door, Narcissa told who she thought was Lucius to go away, but the person in the room ignored her. Instead, this figure joined her under the bed sheets, causing her to freeze. With anger simmering, Narcissa turned around to shout at Lucius only to see it was Regulus. Surprised, she gasped and like a moth to a flame, the new bride pounced on the boy with tears streaming down her face as he hugged her back.

~
The day after Narcissa’ wedding, Regulus went back to school to pack his bags. He was dropping out to officially claim his seat as Orion’s heir. Orion and Pollux were overjoyed to accept Regulus’ wishes, seeing he would be an easier heir to teach the inner goings of the family than Sirius.

Pollux, in particular, wanted to start Regulus training for he was nearing the end of his life. Before he left his dorms, Regulus peered back, taking in the last time he would ever be in Slytherin’s dorms. As the heir walked down the halls, in the distance stood Sirius, who was in the center of the gathering crowd, enjoying his youth. The distance between the brothers increased from on then with no hopes of reconciliation as Regulus turned a corner in the halls.

~
While Narcissa sent Mippy away for errands, she and Regulus had tea in the Malfoy Garden. The two lovebirds sat on top of a blanket under a willow huge tree behind the Manor. With Regulus’ head on top of her lap and eyes closed, Narcissa intimately brushed his black hair with her fingers. The evening was calm, a rarity. The two were in no rush as Lucius was away for business for the week. As the sun set in the distance, Regulus opened his eyes to stare at his lover. With an unwavering gaze, Narcissa stopped brushing his hair and instead leaned in for a kiss.

~
A pregnant Narcissa laid inside the bathtub bleeding out. As she hugged herself, the young witch shook uncontrollably while shouting at the Malfoy house elves to leave her alone. She was alone for hours when she couldn't take it anymore. In a moment of desperation, she called on Kreacher to bring her Reggie. Regulus, within a heartbeat, entered the Malfoy property to run to Cissy. When he opened the door to her private bedroom that she no longer used with Lucius, the black heir approached Cissy. He comforted her as he held her inside his arms while Narcissa wept at the loss of her baby. The image showed dozens of miscarriages in the span of 4 years and every time Regulus would be there to be with her as Lucius nowhere to be seen.
~

Bellatrix yelled out loud with her hands in the air the words to complete the blood ritual. With Narcissa and Regulus on the star pentagram blood painted floor, the trio were surrounded by a sea of candles while the couple laid in a pool of blood. Regulus screamed in pain as the blood ritual took everything from him while an unconscious Narcissa laid beside him. As shadows enveloped the couple, a ball of light hovered above them with an image of a baby inside of it. When the ritual finally took all of Regulus' magic and blood, the ball of light shot into Narcissa’s belly.
~

Narcissa was further along her pregnancy than any of her previous ones and with an heir on the way, Lucius no longer required her to stay at the Malfoy Manor. She had in his eyes fulfilled her duties as Lady Malfoy. Because this was a delicate time for Narcissa, Lucius allowed her to see her family, even letting her stay temporarily at the Grimmauld house as a way to keep her stress down for the safety of the baby. After birth, she was expected back at the Malfoy Manor. Alone in a room, Regulus walked behind Narcissa, holding her belly as he whispered into her ears that caused her to smile. A smile Draco had never seen before on his mother.

~
7 months into her pregnancy, Narcissa no longer slept in the guest room. She had moved her things inside Regulus’ room as Walburga was not home most of the time. Orion had been getting sicker lately and Pollux was on his deathbed. Due to this, Walburga temporarily moved into the French property to take care of Pollux in his final days or was in the hospital with Orion. This gave the couple Grimmauld Place to themselves.

Often, Narcissa and Regulus slept in well into the afternoon. With the two in bed, Regulus went to Cissy’s belly to lay with their unborn child. He kissed it, rubbing the belly intimately. When his lips separate from Narcissa’s stomach to speak to their unborn baby. “I can’t wait to meet you, Draco. Do you like your name? I picked it out myself. You won’t know me as your father but I promise you, I will never leave your side,” the Black heir whispered to their baby as he then placed a peck on Narcissa’s pregnant belly.

~~~~

Lupin with a flick of a wand closed the book. These memories were highly private to Draco’s mother. They were a mixture of the tragedy of Narcissa's life but also the most precious moments she had with Regulus. Draco swallowed back tears, seeing the expression of adoration he had never seen on his mother. The relationship between her and Lucius was cold. They tolerated each other whereas it was clear that Narcissa and Regulus were lovers. Regulus had been her happiness before Draco had come into her life.

Out of respect for Narcissa, whose death was still very recent, Remus closed the book to protect the double life she had lived with Regulus. As the old werewolf peered up at the Slytherin to see how he was doing with the revelations of his family, Draco had a stiff expression but his eyes told a different story. There were still so many memories to watch inside the book yet the snake felt in his gut he wouldn’t open this spell book anymore. It was a reminder of what his life could have been like, a happy family under one roof.

Silence filled the space between the five of them while the portraits said nothing, waiting for what was going to happen next. No one was more anxious than Regulus himself, who peered down at the floor. He hoped so strongly Draco wouldn’t be furious at what he and his mother had kept from him. Would it change how Draco saw himself? The former heir glanced at Draco, who had been quiet the whole time. “How did he feel about Regulus being his father, as well?,” the portrait wondered.

The room waited for the boy to respond while Walburga had a pensive expression as she looked out at the distance. “How had she not seen them under her roof?,” she wondered. Her son and niece had managed to live a secret life together under her nose. As Lupin went to squeeze Draco’s shoulders, Ron spoke up, breaking the tension in the room. “Wait, I don’t understand. How is Draco still a Malfoy?”. Harry elbowed the redhead, motioning to his friend it was not the time to ask.

“I’ve always wanted to know what was in my watch. The real Regulus never told me what was in it. Only that it was important. Then he went out one day and never came back,” Regulus replied, but he stared off into the distance. Seeing that Regulus was occupied in his own thoughts, Hermione leaned in to whisper to Draco, “Are you okay?,” as she took his hand into her own to squeeze it gently.

Draco, who had been in deep thought, looked up at the question. The words ‘I will only speak the truth, if you ask me the correct question’ went through his mind. What did his father, Regulus, want him to ask, Draco wondered? He went through the memories of his parents over and over again. None of them seemed strange. It was just memories of his parent’s love story. All except one that left him wondering what he had just witnessed. The image of Bellatrix hovering over his mother and father’s body stood out. Draco had never seen that before despite most Purebloods being deeply involved in the Dark Arts. What was that? With the same calming voice Narcissa used to speak to Regulus with, Draco asked his dead father, “What was that blood ritual you performed with my mother?”.

Coming back to the present, Regulus had a gloomy expression on his face but finally answered what he had been waiting to be asked for years, “Your mother was struggling to conceive a Malfoy heir for Lucius. I just couldn’t watch her lose another baby, so I went deep into the family library and found an ancient blood ritual. It was originally created to legitimize bastards and welcome them into our blood. Our family are highly skilled in Blood Magic and we like to keep our family circle closed to protect it from getting into the wrong hands. It’s why we practice incest. It prevents outsiders from stealing our magic”.

Regulus peered up to ensure Draco was listening. The boy didn’t appear to be struggling with this family secret so the portrait went on, “The ritual gives a newborn three parents, but I had to adjust the spell to fit the situation we were in. We had to perform the spell on an unborn child which required all of my magic and blood. You had been already conceived by Lucius and Narcissa at that point but you needed my magic and blood to help sustain your life. My blood filled in the missing gaps of your creation where Lucius’ seed failed. You are of my flesh and blood as well”.

Before anyone in the room could respond, Walburga laughed with her hands on her stomach, “Ha! My son has accomplished what very few could only dream of! The perfect crime! Bloodline theft! He snuck his blood into the Malfoy bloodline, stealing their heir as his own. If he had wanted to, our family could have accessed the Malfoy's vaults and Manor!”.

Lupin and Regulus glanced at Walburga with a look of disapproval. While the older werewolf took a deep breath, Regulus asked his mother with his eyes to be quiet. When the two turned to see how Draco was holding up, they found the boy holding the book close to his chest, treating it with the utmost care.

Giving Draco a moment to himself, Remus continued the conversation to divert the room’s attention, “I didn’t know that type of magic existed. To think, Draco was created with three parents”. Ron grabbed more snacks from the coffee table as he replied, “I feel almost stupid we didn’t see it before. You're a replica of Regulus Black. You only really have the Malfoy white blond hair”.

Unable to help herself, Walburga didn’t stay quiet for long. She bellowed out while smiling at Draco with a new look of affection and warmth, “Thank Merlin for that! Draco takes after our side of the family. All my grandson’s greatness came from the Blacks”. Giddy with elation, she chuckled under her breath, “The only thing the Malfoy’s were good at is recognizing an opportunity and seizing it for themselves. Those thieves got what was coming to them. There’s no sign of life in those empty heads of theirs”. Harry and Ron look at each other, struggling to hold in their laughter at the criticism the new grandmother was giving, but Remus mouthed them to stop.

“He takes after my Cissy. He’s all her. The perfect parts of his mother were passed to him. All I did was give my magic and flesh,” Regulus complimented with pride in his eyes.

Draco couldn’t help but peered down in embarrassment as his ears reddened. Lucius had never complimented him like his new father was at the moment. In fact, Lucius did the exact opposite. The Head Malfoy reminded Draco on what needed improvements and his shortcomings daily. Any trait he viewed less than was attributed to Narcissa. “He’s even blushing like my Cissy would,” the portrait pointed out as Draco smiled in embarrassment at how his father spoke so highly of him and his mother.

While the group watched a shy Draco, a question for Walburga came to mind for Hermione. It was something she had observed from how the portrait spoke so poorly about Lucius. It didn’t make sense to the bright witch. On paper, Lucius was a Pureblood with the same morals as the Blacks.The two families had arranged a marriage between Narcissa and Lucius, tying them together yet the hatred for the Malfoys could be felt from Walburga.

Due to ideological differences, it made sense why the Weasley’s and Malfoy’s despised each other, but where had Walburag’s attitude come from? “You have personal vendetta against Lucius. Don’t you? What did he do that you speak ill of him even after death?,” Hermione asked out loud as she turned to the former Lady of the house of Black.

With eyebrows raised, Regulus turned to his son with eyes of approval, “You married a bright witch, I see”.

“Do you want to know, my beloved child? Lucius is still your father after all,” Walburga turned to her grandson, before asking with a look of hesitation. She might have hated Lucius with all her soul but the portrait still took into consideration that the man was still her only grandchild’s other father. If the boy did not want to know, she would learn to put aside their two families’ differences for Draco.

But to the room’s astonishment, Draco placed the book onto the coffee table. He nodded in agreement, “Yes, I have to know. The Blacks are also my family. I’ve been denied from my mother’s side of the family for too long. I never bothered to ask my mother because I didn’t want to cause trouble at the manor. Whatever Lucius must have done, also applies to me. I am Regulus’ son, as well. If Lucius did something, I need to know”.

With his curiosity piqued, Regulus paid close attention to his mother. He had never seen such a serious expression before as she took a deep breath. Walburga grabbed her chest while she prepared to tell the secret she had been hiding for so many years. The group, especially Ron and Harry, who were engrossed in the family feud, was all ears and happy the attention was not them for once.

“My heart”, she began as she peered at Draco directly. “Lucius was the reason for the Black’s downfall. He is the reason you have no family”. A silent gasp came from Regulus as he was stunned. This was his first time he was hearing this. Why hadn’t he been told this but then he remembered that he had been inside Regulus' bedroom his entire existence. Whatever his mother had to say, he had a feeling it was going to change how he saw the past.

Hermione went to hold Draco's hand again while everyone shifted uncomfortably as they continued to listen. Like Draco and Regulus, they were unprepared to hear the worst from the tone of the portrait. Walburga continued as she closed her eyes to remember every detail of that day. “When Walburga was on her deathbed, dying from old age, I was hanging in her room, forgotten by all but her. The real Walburga often spent her days talking to me. She was lonely as she was the last survivor of the family. Towards the end, she sent letters to Narcissa and Andromeda. The real me wanted family by her side as she went but no one came”.

Draco looked down at his lap, responding back to his grandmother. “Lucius must have stopped my mother. She would have gone if she knew. Lucius kept us locked up in the manor practically”.

With a darkened expression, Walburga nodded in confirmation, “Lucius came in place of your mother but before he entered the room fully, Walburga used the last of her magic to hide me from view. I became one with the wall. I knew then she did not want me to speak a word but instead take in what was happening. As Walburga lay dying, Lucius made a confession to her. A confession that took her final breath. A confession that has fueled my anger to this day”.
On the edge of anticipation, Hermione asked with care, “What did he say?”. The group’s eyes were glued to the Walburga, afraid of what the portrait would reveal. Too much had already been revealed tonight.

Walburga clenched her eyes shut as she relived her life. “When he was a young man, Lucius was wanted by all the Pureblood witches and wives. He had his way with each one. The bachelor of the hour. All dove for the chance to be in his bed. A few had no choice but to sleep with him as their husbands wanted to be in his good graces. One could not deny his connections within the ministry. Lucius practically had everyone in his pocket but one. You mother and our family. Narcissa was considered the most beautiful of all the Black sisters yet she had turned him down. I know now that Cissy’s heart belonged to your father, Reggie but at the time I did not know why she had turned him down”.

The portrait opened her eyes again which were filled with sorrows. Her voice shook slightly as she went on, “In an obsession to get your mother, Lucius took us down one by one, forcing Pollux to agree to a marriage between Cissy and him in the chaos”. Draco’s face was unreadable, making the grandmother want to stop the story here, but the boy nodded, urging the witch to continue. He wanted to know it all.

“Please, I don’t want to be kept in the dark anymore,” the young werewolf begged.

With his pleas, Walburga revealed all that she knew. “Lucius confessed to me that he had stopped Andromeda's and Narcissa’s letters from reaching them. He wanted me to die alone. Stop the remaining members from reconnecting. He wanted to tell me in person that he destroyed the Black Bloodline. It started with the oldest. Andromeda and him were closer in age. They went to school together. With Andromeda being a year below him, Lucius asked her on a date but he never showed on purpose. He was the one who orchestrated a meeting between her and Ted Tonks. Slytherins never stray from the pit yet how did my niece meet that muggleborn boy?”.

She asked out loud to the room, who was at a loss. Intermingling between the houses was rare even in their time. “I tell you. Lucius compelled Ted to go to the Three Broomsticks. He woke up confused but Ted, having been from the house of kindness, noticed how alone Andromeda was. He sat at her table and that was how they had met. They grew close and kept the relationship a secret, knowing the harm it could do to her reputation. But Lucius, when the time was right, exposed her indiscretions to the sacred 28. He had made sure that she was caught in a compromised position with Ted. Orion had no choice but to blast her off the wall to save our face”.

“Lucius confessed to me that he whispered in the Dark Lord’s ears that it was necessary to have a male representative from our family. They already had Bellatrix but he had convinced everyone they needed Regulus. We had to answer the call as we were already in delicate waters with Andromeda and Sirius running away. As one of the top Death eaters, he had it so that my son, a new recruit, received the most dangerous missions. In the end, Regulus never came back from one of Voldemort’s errands. I do not know what happened but he was found months later, drowned”.

The children peered at each other, knowing what really happened to Regulus. It seemed Walburga, being stuck in the hallway, didn't receive the truth of her youngest son’s death. With one look everyone had decided not to tell her. The witch was already heartbroken. No one wanted to be the one to add salt to the portrait’s wound, who was near tears at telling her story. It was already upsetting to see Kreacher break down when they had asked him for his version of events. The elf had been unconsolable until Hermione got Kreacher to calm down. The portrait of Regulus bit his lower lip as he peered away from the pain on his mother’s face.

Still not done, Walburga went on, “Lucius confessed to me that my husband did not die of a broken heart. The mysterious illness Orion had was Lucius’ doing. They had met up at the Gentleman’s club after the announcement of his marriage to Narcissa where Lucius poured poison in my husband's drink. When Regulus died, he met with Orion again to say his condolences only to give the final dose of poison. He left before anyone could catch him. We all thought Orion died from the devastation of Regulus’ death”.

“He confessed to me that he was also responsible for Cygnus’ and Druella’s disappearance after Draco was born. It was his way of escaping the consequences for breaking the agreement he had broken when our two families betrothed their Narcissa to him. We never knew what happened to them until that day. A date of death suddenly appearing in the tapestry room was all we had of them”.

She breathed heavily with eyes full of fury with each revelation. “Uncle Alphard had died of an apparent suicide but he would never do that. Lucius took credit for it years later. That no good man confessed he had an involvement with Bellatrix’s arranged marriage too. He took part in driving her to madness. Took everything away from Bella. With Regulus gone, the only person she would have listened to, Bellatrix was a loose canon. Alone in the Black family, as Narcissa was given to Lucius by then, there was no one there who could have stopped her in her pursuit of power. Lucius gave Moody an anonymous tip that would lead to Bellatrix’s arrest in the end”.

The group went pale, hearing one tragedy after another. Lucius had expertly picked off each member one by one, hunting them like deer. Just when they thought that was it, Walburga had more to say. It felt as if the bad news would never end. Walburga had been waiting for the day someone would listen to her. So many individuals had passed her in these halls and saw nothing but a screaming portrait. Her words went unnoticed in the past until now.

“Lucius confessed that he was the one who whispered in the Prime Minister’s ears to sentence Sirius to life in Azkaban without a trial. He had the power and influence to do it”. This time it was Lupin that wanted to get furious, hearing what Lucius had done, but the older werewolf collected himself for Draco’s sake and the other children in the room. That was a side he didn’t want them to witness.

Walburga continued to spill like a broken water faucet unable to stop. “With the family in crisis, Pollux, who repeatedly told your father no for Narcissa’s hand in marriage before, was forced to accept his proposal. Lucius had isolated your mother from the family. We never saw her again after you were born, except for Bellatrix for a time when she was free. He kept the family apart. Your father denied you of your Black heritage. He kept me isolated, ensuring the remaining Blacks never met in case we would resolve our differences. Lucius did this all to get your mother and have her suffer in life because men don't really want a dutiful wife. They want a prized exotic bird to conquer, to abuse, and to destroy their spirit. They like the chase. They hear no as encouragement. The word no is a challenge to men. Men simply want what doesn’t belong to them”.

Displeased, Walburga shook her head. What she was about to reveal was difficult but once a silver truth spilled out, it burst open like a damaged dam. “Lucius played a huge role in the downfall of our family, Draco. He came to me thinking he committed the perfect crime and had gotten away with it. With everyone gone, I would stayed hidden on the wall. Lucius’ secret would have died with the real Walburga but luckily for me, Sirius came in with the intention of taking over my bedroom. I screamed for him to notice me but of course we had never gotten along in life. After my discovery, Sirius had silenced me but at least he had placed me at the entrance. I waited for years for the right person to come along. And I know that time is now”.

Draco was shocked at Lucius’ actions but in a bizarre way he also wasn’t surprised. The young werewolf thought back to his and his mum’s treatment under Lucius’ ruling in the manor. It didn’t seem out of character for Lucius. He had ruled the house with an authoritarian fist. It was in the realm of possibility for Lucius to take down every single member of the Blacks. The more Draco thought about the treatment of his own mother, he felt his blood boiling out of fury.

With Regulus in front of him, the Slytherin couldn’t help but to wonder what his life would have been like with the Blacks. In a distant life, if his mother had been able to raise him with Regulus as his only father, how different would he be? Raised by two loving parents instead of one and the other abusive. It gave Draco a lot to think about.

Ron broke the silence to ease the tension in the room. “Bloody hell, remind me to never do anything I wouldn’t want anyone to know in front of portraits. They’re dangerous”.

The group laughed in a mix of discomfort but appreciation as it was a break from unfortunate events they needed to hear. With the group smiling but tense, Harry glanced over to Draco with a look of sympathy. The chosen one in that moment realized his school bully had had a tough childhood too. They were more alike than Harry wanted to admit. Like him, Draco was denied knowing the other half of his family. Harry with the Potters and Draco with the Blacks. It was also Harry’s first time hearing of Draco's abusive household. An experience he was familiar with and wouldn’t wish on anyone. Their parallel lives were eerily for Harry. The two boys shared the same pain and were now orphaned with the loss of both parents.

“Welcome to the club, Draco. It’s an exclusive club with very few members,” Harry teased with a somber smile. He decided to joke, wanting to uplift the snake. For Harry, the only way to make an uncomfortable situation better was to make a dark joke about your dead parents. It had been Harry’s way to make other people feel better about his misfortunes. Crossing his arms, Draco raised his eyebrows at Harry, playing along to see what the boy had to say, “What’s the qualifications for this so-called exclusive club?”.

“Easy, your dad must be killed by Tom Riddle. Welcome fellow member”.

A silence dragged out as Draco took in Harry’s words with a serious face. For a moment, Potter had thought he miscalculated until Draco rolled his eyes at the Gryffindor’s stupidity. The snake turned his head to hide his smirk. The young werewolf was appreciative of Harry not looking at him with pity. Instead, the chosen one was treating the situation as if it was not a big deal, which was what the Slytherin needed right now until he could process everything later.

“Congrats Harry, it seems now I have no choice but to help you on your quest to kill the Dark Lord. I have to continue my father’s mission. I can’t leave what he did, incomplete,” Draco responded as the two school rivals laughed with some hesitation. It was a strange feeling to know they had found a temporary middle ground. Hermione smiled at the scene before her as a huge weight lifted off her. She had been worried about the horcrux hunt all week, wondering what the group were all going to do if no one could be civil with each other.

Turning to peered at Regulus, Draco asked the first thing that came to mind. He had to know to get rid of the dark whispers at the back of his mind. It didn’t matter if there were people around to hear him. “Did you only conceive me because you knew what Lucius had done? Did you only have me to save the Black bloodline?”. Seeing how highly Regulus spoke about his own mother, he knew this father wouldn’t have had him out of revenge, but his insecurities got the best of him.

“No, the real me did not know. It was pure coincidence that I saved our bloodline. That had never been the plan. The true reason was that your mother was running out of time to give Lucius an heir. Your other father was running out of patience, hurting your mother more and more as time passed. I wanted to save your mother before anything happened to her. I didn’t want to live in a world where she didn’t exist. I saw an opportunity to stop her suffering and took it”.

Draco stared at his father’s eyes and knew he was telling the truth. He thought back to Theo’s own mother. One day she had been home with Theo and the next she disappeared without trace. In fact, Nott Senior had eerily erased any mentions of her from the wizarding world as if she hadn’t existed. The only proof she was ever real was Theo himself. Theo was proof a mother had existed in the House of Nott. It was an open secret in the Pureblood community that Nott Senior had done something to his own wife and had gotten away with it due to archaic laws set in place.

“Regulus' fears of losing my mother were indeed valid. That could have been my mother,” thought Draco to himself. If Regulus hadn’t gotten involved with his mother’s attempts in conceiving a Malfoy heir, he wouldn’t have been born and mother would have been killed by the sounds of it.

Regulus continued, seeing he still had his son’s full attention, “We always wanted to have children together that came from us both. In another lifetime, the Malfoy house would have been filled with our children. You could have had what we had growing up, a house filled with siblings. You would only know me as your Godfather but I was okay with you never knowing who I truly was to you as another man raised you. Things didn’t work out in the end. I sensed my end was near and the thought of leaving Cissy alone was unbearable so I found a way to give her my child. You were born not to continue the Black bloodline but to give my Cissy a part of myself. I made you, Draco, so that she would never be alone in life. And you did just that. You took care of your mother when I couldn't. You were not an obligation but created from our love”.

Draco nodded as he peered down at his feet to hide his emotions. He was still not used to seeing someone being so open with their thoughts or feelings. Diverting the room’s attention, Lupin stood from the couch as he clapped his palms together to motion it was finally time for bed, “Come on children, it’s getting late. We have a wedding to attend tomorrow”. While the group made their way towards the door, Remus squeezed Draco's shoulder as the snake made his way back to his room.

Chapter Text

It had been almost three years since Sirius had escaped from Azkaban, but only one year since he had come back to his childhood home, 12 Grimmauld Place. After Harry and Hermione had saved him, Sirius went into hiding in undisclosed locations. On his run as Padfoot, he had enjoyed his new found freedom, sleeping under the stars and moon. Sirius was free to go anywhere to his heart’s desire. It was a drastic change compared to his four walls and small window at Azkaban. A place that no longer held him prisoner.

His physical self and his soul were free from the shackles of false imprisonment but there were some limitations as an escaped convict. Sirius had to avoid entering villages and cities as his wanted posters were splashed in both the muggle and wizarding world. Despite the downsides, he could live with being on the run. Any place was better than Azkaban.

If Sirius was unable to find shelter for the night or enter public spaces, it was no issue as Sirius was able to go as Padfoot, his animagus form. He spent more days playing the role of a stray dog, which he preferred. Days were filled with lounging in the sun and head scratches from strangers. There were no responsibilities when the world thought you were only a dog. It wasn’t until the Order had asked him to be an reinstated member, did he come back as himself. The idea of gathering around with what was left of the original members of the Order was thrilling to Sirius. The added bonus of bringing down Voldemort once and for all, made Sirius feel as if he was finally getting the time he had lost in Azkaban back.

The former heir was eager that he allowed the Order to use his ancestral home as its headquarters. It wasn’t until he arrived that the banished heir realized what it meant to have the Order in his family’s home. There was lots of work to be done as it has been abandoned for many years. The blood wards at Grimmauld worked differently than regular wizarding wards. Someone of Black Blood had to be inside the home at all times to let outsiders occupy the space until the true heir came back home to reinstate and strengthen the wards.

In other words, this meant that Sirius had to leave behind his life of freedom and be imprisoned once more but this time at 12 Grimmauld Place. The site of his abusive upbringing. There was little to no choice as the house would rid itself of any individual that was not a household member. Sirius was not officially the head of household. Regulus had died without naming an heir of his own. Only the official heir could change the wards to invite others in. It slightly annoyed Sirius that he had essentially switched cells from Azkaban to his ancestral home.

Even if the blood wards didn’t require the banished heir to stay home at times, Sirius couldn’t go outside even if he wanted to. With Padfoot no longer hiding in the forests of the countryside, there was an increased chance of others recognizing him. He was in the city of London surrounded by many eyes as he was still wanted by the muggle and auror authorities.

This resulted in Sirius feeling useless as an Order member. Demoted to housekeeper in his own mind, there was only so much one could do inside for long extended periods of time. Sirius was a sociable individual. It was necessary for his survival to interact with others and to be in the middle of chaos and action. Otherwise when Sirius was alone, thoughts of his time in Azkaban trickled back in.

On one of his many nights stuck at 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius decided to switch bedrooms and rearrange furniture around the house as a way to relieve boredom. Although he liked sleeping in his old childhood bedroom and it brought him back to his school days, he wanted to claim the master bedroom as his. The master bedroom that he and his younger brother were never allowed to enter along with the office. With his entire family dead, there was no one to stop him. “I should have done this the day I came back,” Sirius said to himself but he was in for a surprise when he entered the room. A voice he hadn’t heard in years but appeared from beyond the grave, his mother. He knew most of the members of his family had commissioned a portrait of themselves but Sirius thought his mother’s painting had gotten lost after the house lay abandoned.

Walburga, hearing someone had come in, screamed until her portrait fell onto the floor from the vibration. Sirius stopped in his tracks. It was as if his mother had appeared just to haunt him. This reunion might have been worse than Azkaban, Sirius thought to himself.

Padfoot fell to the floor from the pure horror of being nearly frightened to death. Her screams shook his soul to his core. Scrambling to his two feet, Sirius placed a silencio spell on Walburga. As he went to pick up the portrait of his mother, who still continued to scream despite the spell, Sirius yelled while he shook the frame like a snow globe, “Shut up! You old hag!”.

Walburga held on to the edges of the portrait for dear life, unwilling to allow Sirius to deter her. She shouted back at Sirius in what appeared to be madness to her son. Sirius was glad he wasn’t able to hear her ramblings as he carried her out the room suddenly determined to get rid of her. Sirius stomped out as he left her in the hallway. He slammed open the door to the family office, which was located in a secluded area away from the most shared living spaces of the home.

As he went to his father’s old office desk, Sirius opened every drawer for a wand and emptied the contents to the floor. Because Sirius was imprisoned, he didn’t have a wand. It was almost healing for Sirius destroying the office of his father and Regulus. To tear down everything his family held dear, gave him satisfaction.

If he wanted to ignite his mother’s portrait, Sirius would need his father’s wand to produce a difficult spell like that. He knew it was somewhere here. There were a few hanging around this dusty old home but those didn’t feel right. Those wands didn’t want to listen to Sirius but he had an inkling Orion's wand would though. He had been able to use it a handful of times as a child before he had received his own during his youth.

He searched all around the room. Like the master bedroom, it was Sirius’ first time in the office. Since he had arrived, there were certain rooms of his home that he avoided. Rooms that brought up dark moments of his time here.

“What do you think you’re doing,?” a sudden voice caught Sirius off guard.

As the banished heir turned around, clutching his shirt from fright, he realized the voice was Alphard Black’s portrait. A smile appeared on Sirius' face, seeing the once alive man. Uncle Alphard had always been his favorite family member. Although he was glad to see his uncle, Sirius’ eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Alphard wasn't supposed to be in the office. He had never been in line to inherit the head of household. The family office had always been for the heirs. According to the pureblood traditions of his house, his father, Orion, was to be on the wall during the time Regulus ran the household. This was done so that the former predecessor could advise the successor even in death. With Sirius the only remaining male member of the House of Black, it technically should be Regulus on the wall but the thought of that displeased Sirius.

Shaking these thoughts away, Sirius had more important matters to deal with as he answered the question out loud, “Taking care of my mother once and for all. That old hag is driving me up the wall with her screaming so much that I had to silence her. That lady scared me half to death. Even in portrait form she’s incoherent with all her delusions of her last days”. Sirius rolled his eyes as he continued to search for a wand while Alphard’s eyebrows went up in a look of interest. He leaned forward, wanting to learn more of this interaction Sirius had. “What did she say exactly?,” the portrait asked.

Throwing his head back, Sirius mocked his mother, “Ramblings of our supposed enemies. Someone killed our father. Oh so she says. That old fart died of old age. I swear father should have put her in an insane asylum years ago. All mother did was cause misery in our household”.

Alphard, with a look of perplexity, questioned his nephew again, “And you’re not going to look into what Walburga said?”.

Sirius quickly shook his head no as he ignored his uncle. Still the portrait urged on, trying to reason with Sirius, “There were a lot of wizards in the shadows that prayed for the downfall of the House of Black. What if your mother is right?”.

“Yes, yes. Enemies. Blah blah. Downfall. That’s what happens when you side with you know who. The family has no one to blame but themselves for aligning themselves with a mad man,” an annoyed Sirius interjected. He began to look into hidden compartments underneath the desk after opening every drawer with no luck. The banished heir yawned, not caring at the sense of urgency in his uncle’s voice.

“You're not in the slightest curious about her accusations?,” Alphard asked as he folded his arms, still worried over what his sister wanted to say. He knew all too well of the hidden dangers that threatened the family. Sirius had been too young when he left the family to learn many of the secrets of this household. Ignoring Alphard, Sirius jumped up in delight as he finally pulled out his father’s wand. A wide grin appeared on his face from ear to ear.

Alarm bells rang in Alphard’s mind. He knew that expression all too well. He had seen it too many times right before a prank or fight was about to be played out. It was the same face Sirius had when he fled when trouble had been brewed. His nephew was up to no good. “Wha— What do you plan to do with that wand? It belonged to Orion!,” he shouted from across the room, feeling helpless. If he was still alive, Alphard would have yanked that wand from Sirius’ hands. “I’m burning my mother's portrait. Shutting her up once and for all,” answered Sirius with an innocent smile as he answered honestly to the only family member he had still spoken to after he went to live with the Potter’s.

Growing up, Uncle Alphard and Sirius had always understood each other on a deeper level more than any other in the family. They had shared the same rebellious spirit. Before his uncle’s untimely death around the time Sirius was 17, he considered Alphard his only family. When he passed away, it had disappointed Sirius on some level that his uncle had divided his inheritance equally among all his nieces and nephews. He thought they had been closer than that to the point he expected to receive uncle Alphard’s full inheritance. They had both been the black sheep of the family. Were they not? It reminded Sirius that despite his uncle’s differences within their family, the man still stood by House of Black. That was a thought Sirius did not want to dwell on. He had left his family. His uncle’s will confused him. What did Alphard see in the Black family that Sirius did not?

On the other hand, Sirius understood why his uncle had divided his assets equally among the family. He had been a good man in life, seeing every niece and nephew of the family as own blood. That was the type of man his uncle was. Not the pettiness that rotted some of the relationships within the family. Uncle Alphard had split his inheritance into two trust funds. One was for the descendants of the House of Black, specifically naming Regulus, Bellatrix, and Narcissa. The second trust fund was to be donated for charity, but within that particular trust was an article stating this so-called charity was for the poor and unfortunate members of society: his disowned niece and nephew. Uncle Alphard had a sense of humor that matched Sirius’. It caused the banished heir to laugh as he read that the poor and the unfortunate were him and Andromeda.

What Sirius hadn’t known was that Alphard's original will named Sirius as the individual that would receive all his assets but after his cousin and his father, Pollux, were bedridden, Alphard did not want to be blasted off the tapestry for the sake of Regulus. If he was chased out of the family for helping Sirius, a blood traitor, then Alphard wouldn’t have been able to stay close to Regulus in his time of need.

Uncle Alphard had wanted to give the new heir guidance. He couldn’t assist if Walburga had found out that Sirius was to inherit all his wealth. From afar, he had watched as the boy struggled to save what was left of the House of Black. In the end, his updated will did not matter. Like the rest of his family, Alphard had died under mysterious circumstances: a suicide that seems out of character for the man. He passed unexpectedly without being able to guide either one of his nephews in the absence of Orion and Pollux.

“You mustn’t do that! You’ll disintegrate your mother’s memory. It takes a lot of magic and skill to create a portrait!,” screamed Alphard, trying to stop his hotheaded nephew.

Not caring about the consequences of his actions, Sirius walked over to his uncle's portrait to stand in front of it. With his arms crossed, he said “And? I think you’re forgetting I don’t care. I really don't have sympathy for her or the rest of the family. Why must I hear her nonsense even after her death?”.

With a panicked look, Alphard tried to reason, “Don’t do it! Sirius, please listen. Just this once!”. The portrait put his hand over his heart as he explained, “Regulus would be upset if you burn her. Let your younger brother rest in peace. He put so much care into this house just for you to go around lighting stuff on fire. Please think about your actions for once”.

Flabbergasted at the mention of Regulus' name coming from his favorite uncle, Sirius had a look of annoyance. Why would Uncle Alphard be so concerned about Regulus’ feelings? Regulus had only ever cared about himself and no one else, the banished heir thought. Snapping back in anger, a betrayed Sirius said, “Of course that coward would be upset. Mummy’s precious little boy. Always hiding behind his mother’s skirt”.

Having enough of this interaction, Sirius went towards the door. This conversation was over. He clenched his jaws and pursed his lips on the way out while Sirius huffed in jealousy that Regulus had seemingly taken his uncle Alphard's interest before his death. Wasn’t it enough that Regulus could do no wrong in this god forsaken family? Did Regulus really need to take the position of being their uncle’s favorite? It angered Sirius how Regulus had been the golden child of the family. The coddled brat, who got everything he ever wanted. Regulus didn’t know the word “no” in his vocabulary as their parents gave his little brother everything he wanted, Sirius thought to himself.

All everyone ever spoke about was how perfect Regulus was in terms of looks, grades, manners, and even quidditch. When he was younger, Sirius had been reminded everyday in this dreadful house how he needed to be more like his younger brother. He was consistently reminded how he needed to grow up and clean up his act. Sirius could still hear the lectures from his parents surrounding his daily school pranks. Pranks that were not going to take him anywhere in life, according to them. It was one of the many arguments he always had with Walburga that it was time to stop acting like a child and act accordingly as a Pureblood.

As Alphard saw Sirius leaving the office, he knew he had to do something to bring some sense into his nephew. The portrait had decided to do the one thing the real uncle Alphard had never done towards Sirius, raise his voice. Alphard’s voice boomed across the room with his face red and veins popping out. “FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU LISTEN TO ONE OF YOUR ELDERS!”.

He was apologetic, knowing how much it would hurt Sirius to be yelled at from him but his time with his nephew was limited. Who knew when would be the next time Sirius was in this office again. Alphard’s face almost reverted back into his old self while watching Sirius freeze like a deer in headlights, but he continued to show his anger, not backing out. It was time for someone to put a stop at his nephew’s behavior. Taking advantage of Sirius’ silence, Alphard lectured him, “Put some respect on your family’s name. Everything that you are and came to be was provided for you and your brother by your ancestors”.

Hearing those words, the banished heir snapped back to his old cocky self. He laughed in disbelief, “Ah! Thinking of becoming a comedian, I see. I’ll have you know that I made it this far all by myself. I never needed anybody's help. I left the family to be my own man, to decide my own path”.

An expression of pity and sadness grew on the portrait’s face. Uncle Alphard shook his head, realizing Sirius had not changed one bit since his banishment all those ago. “You are blinded by your privilege. Even banished from this family, you still benefited from the Black name. If it wasn’t for your family dynasty, the ministry would have given you the kiss of death in an instant. The family name that you hate so dearly was the reason they gave a sentencing of life in Azkaban. You stand here today while everyone else is dead because of your family name. You complain of being less fortunate but you have more rights than the average wizard and woman. Your sisters would have been grateful to be afforded the second chances you were given every time you went out of line, growing up as a child. The only difference between you and the rest of my nieces was that you were born a man. Regulus, the forgotten spare, only fault was that he wasn't the first born male. You were the future of the family but gave it up”.

Having none of it, Sirius fought back. His uncle was wrong. He had gotten where he was all on his own. Sirius left to be a free wizard, not bound by duty. He alone was the decider of his fate. “Regulus this! Regulus that! It’s all everyone ever talked about! I know he was better than me in every way. You all reminded me every chance you got. I didn’t ask to be born first! I didn’t ask my parents to give me all their attention in a poor attempt to fix me while Reggie was ignored the first half of his life. How is it my fault that no one paid attention to him until I ran away?,” Sirius bellowed. He had yelled so hard the windows of the office shook.

Alphard saw how furious Sirius was, acting like someone he knew. Having had enough of this behavior oozing out of his nephew, the portrait shouted back, “I’m not asking you to apologize to your dead brother but reflect on your past! It takes many generations to build a great house, and only one fool to destroy it. History will remember you as the heir that ran away from his responsibilities. Do you not know how your actions affected the family?”.

He paused, before taking a deep breath as he continued, “Regulus carried a great burden after you left and yet you want to disgrace his name. I have a rude awakening for you, my boy. The future will remember your brother as the boy who sacrificed himself, for that is the true duty as the spare. He took the mantle despite his birth order. While you left this family in its darkest days, he tried to lead us out of it. I saw in his final days as he struggled to hold this house together. He stayed and fought for the future of this family while you were with your new family. Regulus suffered greatly and I will not allow you to tarnish his name”.

The banished heir was about to further criticize his brother, challenging what his uncle had said but to his astonishment Uncle Alphard cut him before he could. It confused Sirius even more about where this attitude was coming from. “When you left this family, you crippled it. I need you to reflect. If you never accept the dark parts of your soul, you’ll never be able to live in the light. You’ll be too preoccupied, denying the darkness to enjoy what life has for you”.

“There’s no need for that. I did no wrong and I’m glad our bloodline will die with me. There is no future for the Blacks,” said Sirius with a gloomy look as he bitterly remembered his time in Azkaban. He had been mutilated and tortured in that prison. He had no future.

The portrait shook his head at his nephew. The boy before him still wasn’t getting it. Sirius was refusing to listen to a word he was saying. Still, Alphard continued to try, “Does it not bother you that you willingly fed us to the wolves for the price of your happiness? Your grudge will be the end of you, if you insist on dwelling in your rage. You have no idea of the series of the events that passed after you left, especially that of your brother”.

“I thought you were different from my parents but you're all just the same,” Sirius peered up at his uncle disappointed before making his way out.

“For once will you not run away, child. There’s turmoil inside of you. As you pretend to hate where you came from, living in this empty house kills you, doesn’t it? If you hate it here so much, you could room with the Lupin boy and abandon the Order like you did to us, but deep down you want to stay here. You want to stop living life on the run. You want a place you once called home. A place you still want to be home. I see the way you still look for your family in this empty house. The last time you were here you were a boy and these walls were full of family. Must have been a shocking sight when you came back as an escaped convict. Admit it. You miss Regulus. His name haunts you. Your family haunts you”.

The portrait raised his eyebrow at Sirius daring him to speak and the boy did. “You're so full of it. I don’t care about my family,” Sirius said, lying to himself, as he darted his eyes to the floor. Although he wanted to leave, his feet weren't moving. It was as if the banished heir wanted to know what Uncle Alphard had to say.

“There’s guilt festering in your heart,” the portrait replied as a statement, titling his head to get Sirius to look into his eyes. His nephew avoided it as the conversation was getting too difficult for him as Alphard went on, “What do you feel guilty for? Isn’t this what you wanted? Freedom. You fought for what you believed in. You aligned yourself with the Order, and helped vanquish the Dark Lord. You're making plans to adopt your godson as we speak. Yet, you're not happy. What’s holding you back?”.

There was an expression of mockery on the portrait’s face. A pause filled the room as Sirius decided to stay quiet, but it wasn’t from the guilt. No, he was silent due to the rage of his uncle’s words. It took everything for Sirius not to shout back as this portrait had been his favorite uncle. He respected the man enough not to treat the portrait like he had fought with his mother in life.

Uncle Alphard laughed, watching Sirius body language, “Exactly like your mother. Hot headed. It’s why you two didn’t get along. The real reason you both hated each other. You were forced to look in the mirror with Walburga”.

In an attempt to prove his uncle wrong that he was nothing like his mother, Sirius had decided to play along with whatever the portrait was attempting to do. The former heir wanted to prove him wrong by continuing the conversation. At this point, Sirius would have already walked away or taken control of the situation. “Why would I feel guilty for a family that hurt me?”.

“Because this house was only strong when we stood together. We were weak when we fought amongst ourselves”. To Alphard’s relief it appeared as if he was finally getting through to Sirius as a flicker of emotion appeared on his nephew. “I think it causes you great pain to know you made a bitter sacrifice against your own blood. The day you ran away, you handed our enemies a reason to see us as weak. You threw all your privileges away without thinking what it truly meant. The privilege of that of a man with no consideration for the other members of this family,” the portrait commented as Sirius' face squirmed in confusion.

His nephew shouted back in revolt, “You're wrong! At least I did something! You died a childless lonely man that hid in the shadow of my father. I was the only one brave enough to leave this household unlike you”.

Uncle Alphard sighed, “I can see you’re still a child. Still not listening to a word I have to say. You may have grown into a man but your imprisonment has closed your mind to all. I can’t not blame you though. You did what was needed to survive in that wretched place”.

“Tell me then! Stop speaking in riddles,” Sirius screamed, having had enough. He was running out of patience for his uncle.

Alphard narrowed his eyes like he was contemplating it. He had wanted to ease telling his nephew of the truth but perhaps the portrait needed to be blunt to get through to Sirius. After much thought, Alphard agreed, “Then do not regret it when I say what I want to discuss with you”. Astounded, Sirius flinched not expecting his uncle to give in easily but the former heir nodded in agreement.

“You must accept your part in the downfall of your family if you want to move on. What is done is done. You indirectly added gas to the flames. Did you think our family destroyed ourselves?”. The portrait paused while giving Sirius a look.

When his nephew hesitantly nodded, Alphard went on, “All the other Pureblood families that were involved with the Dark Lord are still here. Except us. Many were never sent to Azkaban. Others hid among the ministry. I saw your brother in his last days. There was a look of defeat on him. Someone among the sacred 28 lit the match and closed the door on us. If my sister, your mother, is trying to tell you something, listen. The day your mother died I heard the door open. Someone came to see her. I could not tell you who as I’m in the secluded area of the house. In those days no one bothered to see Walburga but that day, a person came. And then she died. Someone was after us”.

“You’re just like father, speaking nonsense but why am I surprised? The Blacks are all mad. It’s bound to happen to us all. Even me,” Sirius said, unconvinced of his uncle’s so-called theory of someone in the shadows targeting the family.

“We may be mad but everything we do is for the family, just like Regulus. It’s why we lasted this long until now. We weren’t called the most noble and ancient House of Black for no reason. Your brother lived for Narcissa. I suspect he was up to something when he was alive”.

Sirius scoffed while rolling his eyes, “Now you’re spitting out lies. That little brother of mine was a coward. He only did what others told him to and it killed him. My brother met his end because he was a traitor to the wizarding world. He fought for you know who. He believed in that psychopath’s ideas”.

Alphard challenged back, “Did he? Did Regulus believe in what Voldemort stood for? Did he take the dark mark willingly? With Orion and Pollux both sick in the last few years of their lives, Regulus was forced to keep what was left of this family together, who were already deep in the war and had chosen its side before he could lead it. He saw that this war would be the end of this family. This ancestral home was a burning ship. As the new head of household, he did what he could to save those left behind before going down with it”.

“Are you saying he didn’t want to take the mark?,” asked Sirius with his mouth hanging. He was beginning to doubt everything he had ever known. A reality that he did not like was becoming too real. Regulus was an evil person. “Wasn’t he?,” Sirius thought to himself.

“Your brother took the mark to protect the woman of this family, the sisters that were left behind. Your sisters who are seen as property, who’s only path was marriage and bearing children. He left school to watch over Bellatrix and Narcissa but especially Narcissa. You don’t know your brother as well as you think you do. Perhaps it’s time to accept that you hate a version of Regulus that you made to be real in your mind”.

“He’s… he’s a death eater…” said Sirius in a shaky voice as he turned his head away, in an attempt to recollect himself.

Alphard continued to push after seeing he had Sirius where he wanted. “It is because of your younger brother that you were able to leave. The Potter’s shouldn’t have been able to adopt you. Children are owned by their fathers. They are property under wizarding law. Orion should have taken you back from them with his pride on the line yet he didn’t. Have you truly never questioned this?”. A sinking feeling settled in the banished heir’s stomach as he shook his head no. The words his uncle said, Sirius did not want to be true. “Regulus paid for your freedom with his. When he stepped in as heir and became what that Pullox and Orion desperately wanted, it was only then that you were really free of this family”.

After the portrait was done, Sirius didn’t know what to say, but his facial expression had exposed him to how he really felt inside. The corner of his lips were lowered while a hurt expression in his eyes was emphasized by his slanted eyebrows. From the wall, Uncle Alphard watched as Sirius struggled to swallow the truth of it all. He interrupted his nephew’s thoughts to give some sort of comfort. “Don’t look so depressed. It wasn’t all bad for Regulus in this house. He had Narcissa”. Alphard tried to console Sirius, but his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Sirius had a look as if someone had dropped a bucket of water on him. “Merlin, did the boy really not know anything about his brother?,” Alphard thought to himself.

The portrait shook its head in disappointment, catching the attention of Sirius again. The only thing Sirius could do was wait for what else his uncle had to say. With each truth revealed, it was coming at him like punches to the gut. It was suddenly hard to swallow. “Regulus and Narcissa were in love. Although I only saw how deeply involved they were when I died and my portrait watched them alone. He had such a devotion for Narcissa that he died for her and her unborn son that wasn’t his. I believe that with my whole being. He died to protect what was left of us. Only in death was your brother truly free from his duty and the dark mark”.

The portrait leaned forward, forcing his nephew to take in these words as he said them. He wanted to ensure Sirius wouldn’t run away once more as he went on, “You’ve shared a roof with other Death Eaters in Azkaban. You know that no one can take the dark mark and leave unscathed. Only in his own death was the House of Black free from taking part in Voldemort’s war. Regulus knew that as the head of the family, he couldn’t be confirmed as one of them. Bellatrix, now a LeStrange. Narcissa, a Malfoy. Andromeda, a Tonks. You, a banished member of the Blacks. He was the face of the Blacks. Because of your brother, our family’s deep involvement in the war is only that, a rumor. He wanted to protect our name for the others to come back to if they wanted. A name you still carry and benefit from today”.

“You're wrong…. Our name isn’t worth protecting…” Sirius said hesitantly as he placed his hands in his pocket. They trembled from the nerves. It felt as if the world was crashing in on Sirius as he took a deep breath.

“Don’t listen then. Be stubborn like your mother but know this, your brother died for this family and for you. He died for Cissy. If you truly believe our name isn’t worth saving, that is fine but don’t you think the people inside our home were worth saving?”.

With an incoming headache, Sirius whispered, placing his hands over his eyes, “Don’t compare me to my mother”. Missing the point of the conversation, he focused on his mother. There was a pounding sensation on his head. He wanted to dash from the family office but his body froze. Even lifting a foot had become difficult for Sirius. “What had his uncle done to him?,” he thought.

A look of sadness leaked out of the portrait. His nephew was still not getting it. Alphard, to Sirius' surprise, started to turn around. With his back facing towards the banished heir, the portrait was done trying but it was this action that finally snapped Sirius into reality. The image of the only family member, who always attempted to understand him, was giving up on him. Was he in the wrong? Sirius was in denial before not wanting to accept any responsibility. It was easier to run away than to deal with his issues rather than dealing with the emotional pain of his past. Emotions that haunted him at night. No matter how hard the banished heir tried, his past had found him. Sirius closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to find that same bravery that led him running away to the Potter’s.

“Why couldn’t Reggie and Cissy be together? My parents were cousins. If Narcissa loved Regulus, why hasn’t she come back?,” Sirius carefully asked, watching the back of his uncle’s head.

After slowly turning around, the portrait replied mournfully, “It was right after you left. I was in this house when Bellatrix and Narcissa’s fate was decided. I wasn’t allowed in the meeting of the heirs between Pollux, Orion, and Regulus. I’m only the second brother, so I had to wait in the living room. I don’t know what happened in that room but your cousins were married off immediately. I only realized at the wedding how heartbroken Regulus was when he watched Narcissa leave the family. That was when I knew the extent of his feelings.That boy always knew how to hide his emotions. As for why Cissy hasn’t come back, it is because Lucius will not let her go. She belongs to him now. The only way for her to return is by casket but even then her cold body would belong to the Malfoy’s. How could Narcissa leave if Draco legally belongs to the Malfoy family, as well? Not everyone had the privilege to leave their family like you did, Sirius”.

It was only right there after hearing his uncle’s observations of the family that Sirius felt guilt for his actions. He had been born with the freedom to go as he pleased. Born with the luxury of making mistakes. The banished heir cursed at his inability to see how his actions might have affected others inside the House of Black. He helped move waves that drowned the once great ancestral home of his childhood. What made it worse was that there was a small part of him that still didn’t regret running to the Potters. “Has he always been such a terrible person? What other cruelties had he done to others?,” Sirius thought to himself.

As he peered at his reflection in the window, Sirius didn’t recognize the man that was staring back at him. The man that had been the root of so many other’s pain. Was the fall of his house worth his fleeting moment of happiness he had obtained with the Potter’s? James meant so much to him. Flemont and Euphemia had treated him like their own son. Sirius had become a Potter overnight. How could he ever regret leaving the family? It had brought him to the Potters.

Feeling confused, Sirius went to sit on the chair that sat opposite of the desk. He dwelled on the new revelations while thinking about how everyone he once loved at one point was gone. He was the last remaining person. Sirius allowed himself to remember his siblings, who he once loved so dearly, before the war tore the family apart. Thoughts of them playing in the gardens, replayed in his mind. He hadn’t thought of them in years until now. The banished heir realized how much he missed the golden era of the family as he peered around the decaying house. Time had changed 12 Grimmauld Place and the occupants that onced lived inside it.

“I didn’t mean for my actions to affect them…..” Sirius whispered, at a loss of words. He continued to sit quietly in the chair until he finally said his truth. “I won’t apologize for any of my actions. I did no wrong standing up for what I believe in. I wasn’t wrong in wanting more out of my life than what my parents wanted for me”. He glanced into his uncle's eyes with slight anger. “Why didn't you tell me all this when you were alive? You should have told me you were disappointed in me”.

Alphard, in a nurturing tone that flushed Sirius worries away, answered, “I’m not disappointed in you. If I would have had any children in my life, I would have liked them to be like you. You are fiercely loyal to your loved ones and wear your heart on your sleeves but I’m only worried that you’ll get yourself into trouble. You have a habit of running into danger without a plan. I’m sad that you didn’t realize the consequences of your actions because I knew that when you found out the truth, you would carry the guilt”.

Keeping to himself, Sirius thought back to the past. All the times he and his siblings played as children. He wished to be a child again to a time where everyone was still here and happy. The banished heir chuckled to himself at the disbelief that he even found himself missing his dreadful parents. They had once loved him in their own way before his rebellious teenage phase. He wondered how the family and him would have gotten along if they lived long enough to see adult Sirius. After all, no one was a teenager forever. He had grown up but this house seemed so empty. It was once full of his blood family.

Seeing Sirius was lost in the past, Alphard spoke again, guiding Sirius back to him, “I was proud of you when you left the family. I never told your father that. You did what I always wanted to do, be free. I loved the comfort of my place within this family: the privilege. What you did was impressive”.

“Why are you lecturing me if you're proud of me?,” Sirius asked, confused all over again.

“To free you of the hatred in your heart. Don’t let the darkness of Azkaban consume your soul. You may be free but your mind never left that place. The ghosts of your past are haunting you, stopping you from getting close to anyone. You're afraid of losing someone you love again. You need to understand your role in all this to truly accept it and move on. The family you hated is gone but you are still their first born. Some part of you is crying for them”.

“Surely, I had no role in my family’s downfall. I was replaceable. You just told me Regulus took on my place,” Sirius responded with uncertainty. Although he tried to deny his part in his family’s downfall, it was no use. The walls were closing in on the banished heir, forcing Sirius to face his demons. Deep inside him, he had always known the truth but it was only now did Sirius open himself up, allowing his past to bubble up to the surface.

“Of course you did. You fought for the Order, the other side. Did you not? You were too busy getting into fights with your parents to realize the complexity of the situation. The world isn’t as clear cut as you want it to be, Sirius. The family that you claim to be evil was just a house of broken adults, who had both good and bad in them, just like yourself now”.

“Do you think Reggie will speak to me? I haven’t gone in to see his portrait since I arrived,” Sirius asked carefully, as he peered at his feet, full of guilt. He had yet to see his younger brother after coming back home at the beginning of the year. After the conversation he had with his uncle, Sirius wanted to know his brother’s story. His brother's truth. But how could he go see Regulus after all these years, when all he had done was curse at his brother’s name. Sirius clenched his eyes shut, realizing he didn’t have a single good memory with Regulus. Sirius had always made certain to avoid his own brother at school just for the sole reason he was a Slytherin as he never wanted to be seen with Reggie. The rare times Regulus did approach his big brother, he was met with a cold stare. Sirius had been too busy with his sets of friends to notice Regulus. As an adult, it seemed silly to Sirius not to allow Regulus be seen with him around Hogwarts.

“If what my uncle says is right that I never knew the real Regulus. He was never the villain I made him to be but just someone with his own struggles like me?,” Sirius thought to himself.

To Sirius' disappointment, Uncle Alphard interrupted his thoughts as he shook his head. “No, I don’t expect Reggie to speak to you. You’ve lived a life of freedom that should have been the spare’s. I was allowed to not marry or have kids because of my birth order. The life of a spare was taken from him as he took on your responsibility as his own”.

Somber, Sirius leaned on the chair. It felt as if the walls were caving in on him, feeding on his regrets. Sirius’ fists clenched in anger that his brother never told him about Narcissa or his struggles, but he remembered he hadn’t made himself available to Reggie either. When was Regulus going to open up to him when Sirius ignored him at school and home? Sirius sighed inside the chair, “If I only had opened that letter I burned, things could have been different. Would that have changed anything?”. He wondered what was in the letter Regulus gave to him. His younger brother had given it to him after he had run away from home. At the time, Sirius assumed it was from his parents but now he wasn’t sure.

“Your brother loved you. You might have felt betrayed when he refused to come with you to the Potters, but he is his own person. He is allowed to live his life that he chose for himself just as you did. We may never know his reasons, but they were his own,” Alphard tried to comfort Sirius but the banished heir could do nothing but let the tears escape his eyes. The first tears he had ever had for his younger brother. His blood turned cold when it hit him. Sirius hadn’t cried for Reggie when he read about his brother's death in the newspaper. He was too disoriented from the pure shock of being blamed for James and Lily’s death and being sent to Azkaban without a trial.

At that time, Sirius had blamed all his misfortunes on Voldemort and his followers. Therefore, he indirectly associated Regulus with these feelings. Shame filled his heart at the thought he didn’t care that Regulus had died for it was one less Death Eater in this world. He sniffed between thoughts. His throat closed up as tears welled up in his eyes as he mourned the death of his brother 17 years later.

“What is done is done. There’s no point in dwelling on the past anymore. This family is gone. This house died with your brother. But if it gives you comfort, your brother’s portrait is refusing to speak to anyone, not just you. He won’t even speak to Narcissa. He took a vow of silence to protect us from whatever he did”.

Now perplexed, Sirius wiped his tears to look at the portrait, “What do you mean?”.

“It goes back to what I told you. He protected this family. I saw enough while I hung on these walls. His death wasn’t a surprise to him. Regulus was planning for his end. He created a self portrait. Moved it to his room. They spoke to each other, planning for the future. He even moved me into his office to watch over it. I saw him as he made arrangements for his death and those he would leave behind. He forbade me and all the portraits in the house from speaking to strangers. Only speak to family when the time is right, he said. Your brother wanted to protect Narcissa and Draco”.

“From what?,” he asked. The banished heir sat up straighter in his chair. He needed to know more about Regulus' final days. He wanted to truly understand the sacrifices of his baby brother.

“From getting involved with the Dark Lord? I can only guess. On his final days, he refused to answer me anymore and never came back”.

Contemplating, Sirius began to wonder if his brother was indeed important enough for Voldemort to kill. And if he was killed by Voldemort, had his brother been in pain when it happened? How scared was Reggie when he faced his own death? That brother of his was always frightened of thunderstorms and the dark so much so that as a child Regulus would come knocking on his door and ask to sleep inside his room before Sirius kicked him out. Dwelling on the past, Sirius could only hope it was a quick death. One of no suffering or pain.

“I suspect he moved me because he always hoped you would come back home. He wanted everyone to come back to be family again, even for you and Andy. My purpose he told me was to protect the office in his absence. Regulus put me here as the middle ground between the family and you. He couldn’t trust Orion’s and Walburga’s portraits to behave. It was inevitable the three of you would fight”.

Not a single word left Sirius' mouth at this revelation. The once rebellious teen, who had something to say every minute of the day, had no words. The fearsome rebel, who wasn’t afraid to speak his truth and mind. The once young man, who could not be contained in one place or be held down by rules, was now speechless. He was stunned into silence for the first time in the man’s life.

Alphard, watching Sirius, continued, “It’s almost as if he knew you would try and burn your mother’s portrait”. The portrait's eyes had a glint of laughter in them as he peered over to the wand that was still in Sirius's hands. A crack escaped the portrait’s smile, lighting the dark mood surrounding Sirius. With the opposite hand, Sirius grabbed his neck in guilt, before putting the wand down. “Do this family a favor, nephew. Don’t go destroying the house Regulus cherished so deeply. It may mean nothing to you but this house and family was everything to him”.

Agreeing, Sirius stood up to leave the office but as he went to touch the doorknob with his finger tips, his uncle had one more thing to tell his nephew. “Sirius, your brother always believed you would come back home. It wasn’t the way we all imagined it but you came back. Welcome home, child”. Sirius swallowed back tears as he closed the door behind him.

The banished heir picked his mother’s portrait up from the floor, he walked down the stairs to hang her by the entrance. He decided on that spot, remembering how Regulus always made sure to welcome everyone who walked inside their childhood home. This spot was perfect for their mother, since Regulus, a mummy's boy, would have been thrilled to be welcomed home by their mother. When he hung the portrait of Walburga up, Sirius asked his mother what she wanted to say before, but to no surprise to him, she turned around. His mother was refusing to speak to him. Biting down on his lip in disappointment, Sirius mumbled to himself, “I deserve that,” walking away with his mood down.

Without realizing it, he had taken himself straight to Regulus’ bedroom door before his mind could decide what to do next. Sirius stretched his hand out, touching the sign, “Do Not Enter Without the Expressed Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black”. It should have been easy to walk in, but it wasn't. He was more fearful now than his entire life.“Where was the bravery he loved to gloat about? The bravery that set him apart from his entire family. The bravery that made him the first gryffindor of Blacks?”.

Sirius’ hands trembled in fear as he tried to swallow his anxiety away but in the end, Sirius sat on the hallway floor on the opposite wall of his baby brother’s door. Still trying to find his courage, he let his mind wander for a bit but one question nailed itself onto his heart, “Would he even be happy to see me?”.

Before Sirius could answer his own question, the entrance’s door slammed open. His ears peaked as Ted Tonks ran up the stairs. As Ted arrived at the top of the stairs, he laid his hands on his knees while attempting to catch his breath. When his friend saw where Sirius was, he gave Sirius a curious look but shook it away. There was a matter that needed their immediate attention. “Harry’s in trouble. The kids walked into a trap. Voldemort and his followers are after them”, Ted explained, with urgency in his tone.

Panicked, Sirius got on his two feet in a flash. “Not again. I won’t fail my godson like I failed James and Lily. I won’t fail Harry like I did my other family,” Sirius thought to himself. “Where is he?” Sirius shouted as the two men ran down the stairs. There was no time to lose.

“The Department of Mysteries. Quickly, my daughter has already opened the floo. She’s waiting for us”.

Chapter Text

With the end of summer fast approaching, a wedding was exactly what was needed to celebrate a summer’s end and forget about the fight between everyone. All the Grimmauld residents would be heading over to the Burrow for the event. Bill and Fleur had decided to get married there as a precaution since times had gotten dangerous with the fall of the Ministry of Magic in Britain. With the eyes on the Weasley family, the idea of having a traditional wedding at a church and banquet hall was scratched off.

Instead, the ceremony and after party will be at the Wealsey’s home inside a marquee tent. The Weasley clan were not going to allow an incoming war to stop them from having the wedding. With the date set, the group put on their best outfit before heading out to the burrow. The tension in the household was still high, but it had gotten slightly civil after the revelations revealed in the living room. Everyone, especially Remus, needed a break from their normal routine. They tried their best not to go out much and had been stuffed inside the house for most of the summer.

Just before they were set to leave for the wedding, Harry and Ron went to say goodbye to Hedwig. “I’m sorry, Hedwig. You can’t come. You’ll have to stay here. I promise that Kreacher will do his best to feed you and let you out of this room”. Harry’s owl turned its head away almost as if it was having a fit as its owner continued, “It won’t be all bad. You have three owl friends to hang out with while you wait for me to come back”. Still not having none of it, Hedwig peered at Harry, almost pleading to go with him on his secret mission. Hedwig felt as if he did not want to make three new friends. Harry was all the friends the owl needed. Like its owner, Hedwig was pushed around by the other owls at school. The bird struggled to get along with others as the other birds enjoyed picking on him.

Ron scoffed, as he scratched Hedwig’s head, “I still can’t believe how much of a spoiled brat Malfoy is. Three ridiculous giant birds. You cannot convince me Draco has that many letters to own three eagle owls that are as expensive as a single wizarding home. What a pretentious snob! He couldn't give them normal bird names. What kind of names are Britannic, Titan, and Olympic anyways?”.

At the mention of their names, Draco’s three birds, who were sisters, stared immediately at the redhead, giving a threatening bird call. “Hoot”, called out, Britannic. The giant owl tufted its feathers in a fierce manner, making itself look bigger than it already was. She opened her wings widely before giving another bone chilling, “Hoot”. Its beak appeared strong enough to peck out a person’s eyeball or tear off a finger.

Olympic and Titan, the twins hatched side by side, went over to aid their youngest sister in threatening the Weasley boy. The trio sisters refused to allow a boy living in poverty, speak ill of their beloved owner even if their Draco was penniless himself too. Olympic and Titan stood behind Britannic, ensuring Ron would never forget them. If it was a war Ron wanted, the three sisters would give it to the boy with Britannic leading the battle.

Hiding his fingers, Ron whimpered in fear as he hid behind Harry for protection. What Ron did not foresee was the twin sisters flying above his head to aim bird poop like fighter planes dropping missiles. With Britannic taking charge, Titan, an injured bird who was unable to fly due to an icy accident on her first flight, pecked at Ron’s ankles. Jumping up and down in place to avoid them, Harry panicked at the sight before pushing Ron away. “Run Ron! Run! You’ll ruin our outfits!”. The redhead, after seeing the fear in Harry’s face, ran out of the room as he tried to protect his wedding outfit from Draco's monster sized birds. Seeing the battle was won, the three owls went back to their comfy stool satisfied that Ron would remember Britannic for years to come.

Kreacher in that moment walked by the room as he muttered under his breath, “Bloody Birds. All birds are bad birds. Kreacher loves his master so Kreacher will do it, but he won't like it. Hedwig, Britannic, Titan, and Olympic are enemies of Kreacher”.

Harry and Hedwig turned to stare at each other, as Harry replied, “See you’re in great hands,” but both were still shaken up from the bird mafia attack. Hedwig spread his wings open, confused why he was categorized as a bad bird along with Draco’s three sister owls. Before Harry could apologize to Hedwig again, Remus called everyone downstairs to go.

~

Waiting in the living room, Ron and Harry sat on the couch, pretending they hadn’t provoked and been attacked by Draco’s owls. Harry plucked feathers off of Ron’s outfit, as the redhead tried to recollect himself. “Okay children, we’re having another family meeting before we travel to the Weasley’s,” Remus announced, as he waited for all his 4 kids to find a spot in the room.

Harry was wearing a navy blue tux, while Ron was wearing deep violet robes. Hermione came in with a knee length stormy gray dress with a deep v neck. It was tight in the waist that complimented her small mid section yet was flowy on the bottom. From a distance her dress was a velvet material, but on closer inspection one could see the embroidered sparkly floral sewn into it.

“Do you wear anything that’s not all black?,” Harry commented as Draco was the last to arrive. Since Harry had been living here, he noticed how all of Draco’s clothing appeared to be one color: black hoodie, black sweatshirt, black long sleeve, black t-shirt, black jeans, and black dress pants. If the clothing item came in that color, Draco would get it.

For the wedding, the young werewolf had decided on an all black tux however it was stylized with an all glitter blazer. He left the first three buttons of the dress shirt open, exposing his toned chest. Turning to answer Potter, “Of course I do. Don’t you see this color? It’s charcoal with a glittery finish not black. Bill was right, you need to visit the eye doctor,” Draco scoffed in his mocking tone. He turned to Hermione. “Can you believe him?”.

Harry rolled his eyes as he saw no difference between the two colors. Ron, on the other hand, was scratching his chin and whispering to himself in confusion, “I think I see it. It’s a really nice charcoal color,” Ron indirectly complimented Draco’s outfit, having learned his lesson from mocking the snake a few minutes ago. The boy was frightened that the snake’s owls would overhear him from the other room.

Bringing the attention back to him, Remus cleared his throat, “Mad-eye, Shacklebolt, and I have been in discussion for a few days. We had some reservations about this and I admit I originally was very against it,” before he turned to see the younger werewolf, “We believe there’s more pros than cons for Draco joining the horcrux hunt. Due to the fact, Draco has advanced fighting experience in dueling and as a werewolf he has enhanced senses to keep a lookout. If anyone can protect the group, it’s him. You three have a bit of a habit of getting into trouble, no offense. We're also giving the responsibility of finishing Harry’s occlumency lesson to him as well”.

Lupin turned to Harry as he went on, “I expect you and Draco to play nice. Please take these occlumency lessons seriously, Harry. He is quite proficient at it and I trust him to teach you well. It can be the difference between life and death. Thankfully though, you did absorb something from Snape from what I saw when we tested the barriers around your mind, but it’s not enough. Draco will finish your lesson”.

With Harry appearing dejected, Remus then spoke to Hermione, “You have a very important job. One of the reservations I had with the idea of Draco tagging along was his lycanthropy but everything should be fine if you keep a close eye on Draco's werewolf while in your animagus form. Lead Draco far into the forest away from the boys”.

Sitting up straighter, Ron asked, “Why is Malfoy coming if you disagree?”. Despite the harsh history between the two, Ron was curious about Draco’s werewolf form. The only interaction he had had with werewolves was when Remus had turned in front of them in 3rd year.

The professor sighed as he replied while rubbing Draco’s shoulder, “I’m the pack leader, I will always be worried in general. It’s not an easy life for us, werewolves, but what really eased my worries was Hermione’s soul bond connection. Draco seemed to be significantly calmer when Hermione joined us this summer during the full moon”.

~

Once the gang arrived at the burrow, Hermione noted how tidy the house had been for the event. Still very early, they were the first guests to arrive. Molly had asked them to come extra early to lend a hand. In all her years of knowing the Weasley family, Hermione had never seen the Burrow this organized. Arthur prepared some last minute security enhancements to the wards as the chickens were being shut away for the evening away from view.

While the household was distracted, she ushered the boys in a closed room. “Okay, Harry and Ron before anyone comes drink this polyjuice. Both of you’ll be disguised as distance cousins of the Weasleys. We can’t have people recognize you two during the party,” Hermione explained as she dug an arm length deep inside her bag before handing the boys each a bottle. “By the way, Ron. How’s your mother doing with Percy? I would have asked Molly but I didn’t want to overstep when we first arrived”.

After drinking his potion, Ron sighed as he answered, “I caught her crying in front of the clock when she thought no one was looking, but according to Ginny she’s been keeping herself busy”. Since the disappearance of their second born son, Molly had made it a routine to watch the clock. It had become a daily obsession to watch if his spoon fell. Each time she breathed in relief despite Percy’s spoon staying under ‘grave danger’ on the clock. The trio stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Things had gotten depressing at the burrow. It was part of the reason Ron had decided to stay at Grimmauld. The idea of his older brother being missing was something he didn’t want to think about. “Percy will come back. He’s the smartest out of everyone in the house,” Ron murmured more to himself. His voice trailed off as Hermione gave him a side hug.

Changing the topic to fill the silence, Harry asked Hermione, “How come Draco isn’t taking any polyjuice? Won’t he be recognized?”.

Taking a peek at the door to see if anyone else had arrived, she turned back to Harry as she answered half distractedly, “That’s because he’s not the most wanted wizard in the world at the moment. He’s technically dead. No one is searching for a dead man but you know who has all his Death Eaters out looking for you. At the moment, he’s not Draco but Regulus Scorpius Black, bastard son of Regulus Arcturus Black”.

“But will people buy it? All he did was dye his hair Black,” Ron backed Harry as the two changed into strangers with red hair. Their voices were the same but Hermione wouldn’t have known it was them if it weren’t for the fact she had been the one to brew the polyjuice potion.

“Oh trust me, people will see him as Regulus' long lost son. You only recognize him because you know his real identity. We can get away with it since Draco started to embrace his curls the house of Black was known for. A lot of people still remember the Blacks, Ron. We can’t underestimate the power they had back in the 70’s. The name is still very much influential and the crowd will immediately label him as a Black”.

~

Once the wedding vows were completed, the chairs were moved from the middle to the edge of the tent with a flick of a wand. The walls were lifted allowing natural lighting to enter the reception. Wedding guests had the view of the beautiful cozy countryside. Tables appeared on one with various dishes to sit and eat, while the other side of the tent had a band playing. The dance floor sat perfectly in the middle of the floor, allowing the newlyweds to enjoy themselves as they shared their first dance as a married couple. Onlookers admired Fleur’s white ball gown dress with Aunt Muriel's tiara. Molly had been right to give Muriel’s tiara to Fleur to borrow, as it complimented her dress, making her more stunning than she already was.

With the party in full swing, Ron nudged Draco, who stood next to him. The three boys were in a row by the wall, people watching. At first it was just Draco, fulfilling his predatory instincts by stalking the guests. He wasn’t on guard duty but Molly had quickly picked up on Draco’s good surveillance skills and had been given the job.

Although Ron and Harry weren’t tasked with security, they joined the snake as they had spent most of the evening trying to get away from Ron’s relatives. Bombarded with questions on how they were related to the Weasleys, that was how the Gryffindors boys had decided to join Draco. The conversation was nonexistent but it was an improvement compared to their fights over the years.

At first Harry and Ron were weirded out, watching Draco’s instincts kick in. They watched in fascination as it almost appeared as if Draco was ready to ambush the waiter when the poor wizard had accidentally snuck up behind him. They duo whispered to each other judging Draco, but went quiet as the Slytherin reminded them that he could hear everything.

As time passed, the three boys found amusement in stalking the guests as they began to mimic Draco’s behavior, finally understanding why the young werewolf spent so much of his time patrolling the halls at 12 Grimmauld Place. Each time Draco’s eyes darted into the crowd, it was like playing a game for Harry and Ron as they looked in the same direction and tried to guess what Malfoy was eyeing.

As Draco’s eye skimmed the crowd, his eyes landed on Ginny, who appeared glum and kept looking in Harry's direction. Filled with curiosity, Draco spoke to the boys for the first time since claiming his spot on the wall. The young werewolf asked Harry outloud, “What’s up with you and Ginny? And don’t try to deny that nothing’s wrong. I heard her sniffling when we first arrived and now she’s trying to avoid looking at you but is failing terribly”.

Harry avoided looking at Draco, making the Slytherin raise his eyebrows. With immediate understanding, Draco glanced back at the crowd as he replied, “Cheer up Potter, it was never going to work out anyway”. He fully expected Harry to ignore him or brush off his attempt at comforting the boy as he watched Ginny finally walk away in frustration.

Instead of the expected anger, Harry cocked his head as he turned to the snake, searching for what he had meant, “Why’s that?”. There was something gnawing at Harry that told him he should inquire further into Draco’s comment. Malfoy sighed, “If I tell you, will you promise not to be angry and that means you too Weasley”. Harry and Ron peered at each other, a silent conversation was exchanged before looking back at Draco in agreement.

Needing no more confirmation, Draco explained, still people watching, “You hate attention, Harry. People looking at you is your worst nightmare. You want to blend in with the crowd. I know because I used to love to bully you into making everyone look at you as a method to torture you. It was honestly the quickest way to ruin your day”. The young werewolf paused before he peered at the two boys. “As long as you're with Ginny, you can’t find the normalcy you desire. Ginny shines too bright as the popular girl at Hogwarts. She’ll always shine a light on you if you're together. I expected you to either accept a life in the spotlight with her or expected your relationship to end eventually”.

With Ron’s and Harry’s jaws slightly opened in surprise, Draco smirked at his accurate observations as he went on, “I personally always saw you dating a muggle girl who doesn’t know you at all or with a witch who doesn’t care about your chosen one status. Ginny idolizes you too much to treat you the way you want to be treated or be comfortable with. I mean she couldn’t stop pinning over you in first year”. Remembering Ginny was Ron’s little sister, the snake peered at the red head, “No offense Weasley. I know she's still your sister”.

“None taken. If we’re being honest, I pulled Ginny aside before they had a thing and warned her that if they don’t work out I’m not stopping my friendship. Harry was my friend first before he was Ginny’s boyfriend. She’ll have to deal with the consequences if they don't work out. I’m not dropping Harry, if Ginny’s heartbroken”, Ron responded as he shrugged his shoulders. That had been part of the reason besides the heavy cloud that hung over the Weasley family in afterman of Percy’s disappearance, why Ron stayed with Hermione and Harry this summer.

For so many years his home had been the place to be over the summer but at the moment the burrow felt suffocating for the red head. He didn’t want to be there nor did he want to admit this outloud to anyone. With Ron’s confession, Harry felt touched that Ron would still be his best friend if he and Ginny did not end up together. The two hadn’t discussed the meaning of his break up with his sister yet. There had been some part of Harry that had been afraid that his relationship with Ron’s sister had ruined their friendship.

Draco asked out of curiosity, “Why did you break up with Ginny, if you don’t mind me knowing?”.

“Our Horcrux hunt is soon. I know Ginny too well. She’ll want to go with us and help. I can’t risk her getting hurt or putting her in danger. I have enough guilt dragging Hermione, Ron, and you along. I don’t need more pressure added while we all try to take down you know who,” Harry sighed, while scratching the back of his head.

“Besides, it’s a good thing you didn’t invite my sister. This is a boy’s trip plus Hermione. Ginny can get her own friends. She’ll only ruin my mood and break my focus. The thought of my parents being upset if something happens to her will distract me. My mum’s already been through enough with Percy being gone. I don’t need that responsibility added on the hunt,” argued Ron, as he shivered at the thought.

Harry nodded, feeling better about his choice to end things with Ginny for now. Harry hadn’t realized the burden Ron would have if Ginny did find a way to tag along. Despite the logical reason why he was right to end his relationship with Ginny. Harry couldn’t help but feel down. Whether it was because he liked her or if he was upset that he couldn’t just experience a normal teenage romance without being burdened by the state of the world, Harry did not know. Most of his friends dated just to date or to satisfy their urges yet that was something that was unattainable for him with war on the horizon. Every action he wanted to take, Harry needed to be careful as everything in his life so far was at risk or had been taken from him.

Draco felt the sudden sadness inside Harry. His inner wolf sensed Harry’s feelings as if it was his own. The Slytherin Prince patted the boy’s shoulder, trying to bring the group’s mood back up from the discussion of the upcoming hunt. “Don’t Worry. You and Ginny will figure it out after the war. This is probably hypocritical coming from me but there's no need to couple yourself up and rush to alter. You and Ginny can take your time to date. If you're meant to be together, you two will find your way back to each other. I tried ending things with Hermione during the school year but life had different plans for us. And now I’m here helping the Golden Trio. Something I would have never imagined in a million years. Everything happens for a reason, I guess”. At the last part, the three boys chuckled with the idea that Draco was helping them. The very person that made their lives miserable for so many years. The first year versions of themselves would be up in arms if they saw them now.

As the group continued to peer out into the crowd, Ron pointed, “Hey Malfoy, look over there. Viktor Krum is—”.

Not allowing Weasley finish his sentence, Draco shoved the boys away before making his way towards his witch. “Hold my drink, Weasley. I got a seeker trying to steal my golden snitch”. With narrowed eyes directed at Viktor, the young werewolf was not going to let that man in particular dance with his wife. Draco knew he had nothing to worry about as he was soul bonded with Hermione, but he didn’t trust the seeker. The duo had managed to get inside his head, filling him with stories of how in 4th year Viktor tailed Hermione and never left her side. Thinking back, Draco, himself, remembered the two spending so many hours inside the library together, which confused the werewolf.

Krum was an airhead as far as he knew. What could an 18 year old Viktor be doing at the library with a girl? What could he possibly learn from Hermione, who was only 14 at the time? Yes, his wife was smart but Krum definitely did not share the same courses as her. Furthermore, Hermione could care less about quidditch, so it wasn’t as if she could provide advice to the professional athlete in his career. The more Draco thought about it, the more his suspicions on the boy grew.

Whether it was his jealousy talking, Draco was certain Krum couldn’t hold an intellectual discussion. There was nothing but quidditch going through Krum’s mind. As he came closer to Krum and Hermione, everything made sense to the werewolf all at once on why Hermione was such a good kisser. He thought back to the Yule Ball and remembered the two dancing together a little too close. The Durmstrang’s boys took a liking to all the Hogwarts girls that year as the Beauxbaton girls were hard to approach. Possessiveness took over Draco. Professional quidditch player or not, Draco needed to insert his dominance over Krum.

Without warning, he snuck behind Hermione, who was holding a conversation with Krum. With his right hand, the snake grabbed her waist tightly. While his left hand was tucked underneath her neck, Malfoy turned her head back towards him, giving Hermione a long passionate kiss. In the distance, Draco heard Harry and Ron gasp in the background at the scene. “I’m guessing he's not a fan of Krum,” the young werewolf heard from Harry. Draco held that kiss until he instinctively felt Krum get uncomfortable at the sight while Hermione whimpered against his lips in response. For good measure, the Slytherin slipped his tongue between Hermione’s lips, wanting the seeker to feel like a third wheel.

“Excuse me, who are you? I was about to ask for a dance,” Krum interjected but it was only after the seeker spoke up did Draco finally let go of his claim on Hermione’s lips. With a territorial look in his eyes, Draco tightened his arms around his wife as he replied, “Sorry, you're not my type. Go ask someone else. I don’t date down”. Floored, Krum was taken back as to who this mystery wizard was. “You didn’t answer me. Who are you? And what’s your relationship with Hermione?”.

Setting his chin on Hermione's shoulder from behind, Draco explained, “My name is Regulus Scorpius Black, son to THE Regulus Arcturus Black. This beautiful witch here owns me. Unless you're looking for trouble, I recommend that you move on. She only has room for one pet in her life. And that’s me. I don’t do well with sharing my time with Hermione with others”.

Frustrated at the attitude THIS Regulus was giving, Krum shot back, “I’m not asking you to dance. I’m asking Hermione”.

Seeing the annoyance on his face, an encouraged Draco laughed, “You're not asking me? Sorry mate, my mistake. I can smell the arousal when you look at other men, but the answer is still no. You're not Hermione's type either. She likes her men on the wilder and furry side”. It was only when Draco's fangs were revealed with his glowing werewolf eyes that Krum took a step back. As a low growl was directed at Viktor, Draco and Hermione watched as the seeker left them in a hurry.

“Draco! That wasn’t very nice,” Hermione said, who was stuck between loving this jealous side of him and not wanting to encourage it either.

“Oh please, you're loving this deep down. You're lucky I haven’t tossed you over my shoulder and walked away for some privacy”. Hermione gasped, as she put a hand on Draco’s mouth, while watching who was nearby. “Hush it down. What’s gotten into you? People could be listening”. “Can you blame me? You're testing my inner werewolf. I want to claim you, from how beautiful you look tonight with your dress and from seeing all these wizards attempt to hit on you”. Rolling her eyes, Hermione grabbed both sides of his face to kiss him as she teased him, “Your possessiveness knows no bounds. What am I going to do with you?”.

Draco leaned closer, almost hiding them both from the public’s view. As he wrapped his finger around a strand of her curly brown hair, he slowly touched the string of her dress next. Giving into temptation, his finger slid down to the edge of the v neck as he fought the urge to cup her breast. He would have if they hadn’t been in public. Another sexual gasp was heard from the witch as he eyed her breasts that looked so soft and perky in that dress. It was the deepest cut she ever wore. “Well if you're really asking. We can take this to Ron's room or go to the dance floor. If I remember correctly, I owe you a first dance as a newlywed, but I prefer the first option,” Draco murmured into her neck as he placed a light peck on her racing heartbeat.

Much to his disappointment, Hermione pulled away with a smirk before leading them towards the dance floor. “Come on, let’s dance. I demand it as I remember you saying I own you”. As they began to dance, she whispered to his ears, “And if you're a good boy, we can take this somewhere more private after”.

The couple danced most of the night, catching stares from others. Many asked themselves, “Who was that boy dancing with the golden girl?”. The whispers of “why does that boy have the face of a Black? Did Regulus Black have a son?” was heard around the tent but Draco and Hermione were too absorbed in each other’s presence to notice. The Slytherin’s eyes were yearning in love, trying to memorize everything about this moment. Because they had eloped in secret, Draco never had the chance to give Hermione the wedding she deserved due to circumstances but he hoped this dance made up for it. He memorized the feeling of Hermione in his arms, the way she breathed, how she made him feel, her beating heart, and her scent. They never had a first dance together and this was it. He promised himself, looking into those golden brown eyes that he was going to make it up to her.

Brushing her curls behind her ears, the young werewolf leaned in to kiss her again on the dance floor, but was suddenly interrupted by a large glowing light that flew into the tent, blinding everyone. When Draco peered closer, the light was a patronus in the shape of a cat. At the realization of what it was, the party goers froze, waiting for the announcement of this mysterious patronus. The Slytherin knew all of the patronus in the order. This cat was no one he knew. He quickly glanced at Hermione to see, she too didn’t recognize it. Holding her close to his chest, Draco questioned, “Who could it be? The Black Cat Society?”.

In a slow and distorted female voice, the cat announced, “Attention…… The Ministry of Magic in France has fallen……… He who must not be named has claimed another fallen branch…… He will continue to invade the continent……...They are coming………RUN”.

As quickly as the patronus came, it disappeared into the air. It was as if time had stopped for all those in the tent. The silence spread in cold ripples as everyone took in the message. With a few whispers here and there, it took one scream to break out for the crowd to erupt into chaos. The room screamed as many ran out of the tent to apparate. No one wanted to see if the message was correct and verify if Death Eaters would come. When the cracks on the protective enchantments were finally broken from an outside force, the rest of the crowd lost it. Chairs were pushed and tables thrown, tripping many.

Hermione clung close to Draco as people began to push each other out of the way. Almost thrown to the ground from the crowd, the bright witch cried, “Draco, we have to go! It’s time!”. The werewolf shielded her with his body as they both couched down from the spells flying above their heads.

Taking action, he screamed across the tent, “Harry! Ron!”. As the two boys finally saw where Draco and Hermione were, they headed towards them before momentarily losing the couple in the chaos. Harry and Ron struggled to reach them as spells were shot into the air. Fire exploded, burning the inside of the tent. When incoming Death eaters apparated inside, crashing the wedding, the order made a formation using shields to cover the guests, giving the last few a chance to run. Flashes of blue lights from the shields were seen, protecting many from the shots of fire in the air. The room illuminated in lights of red and blue as wands were raised as Remus ran over to them.

Grabbing on to both Draco and Hermione, he screamed, “Go! There’s no time! Go!,” pushing them toward Harry and Ron. In a daze, the children were guided by the Order as they helped the four reunited. Draco pushed through the mob of terrified guests in order to reach the other boys as Hermione reached out to Ron and Harry’s hand. With all four connected, she quickly apparated them to the first place that came to mind. A place many would not think to go: Shaftesbury Avenue, London. The muggle world.

Chapter Text

While the group apparated in the middle of the street in heavy traffic, a London bus sped towards them all. With eyes widening, Draco shouted, “Move!,” warning the others. As he picked up Hermione and carried her out of the way, the young werewolf had no qualms about leaving the boys to fend for themselves. He ran towards the sidewalk with Hermione’s arms wrapping around his neck.

As the group avoided the incoming danger, Ron asked in an annoyed tone, “Hey! What’s wrong with you? How could you just leave us behind on the street like that? What if me and Harry needed saving?”. Walking directionless, Draco turned back as they made their way to a major street. “You're fine. You lived, didn't you?”. Still being carried by Draco, Hermione hid her face in the crook of his neck to hide the laugh that threatened to come out. Composing herself, the bright witch gestured to Draco to put her down. All the while, Ron made a stink face at the snake before proceeding to ignore Malfoy. With a mixture of real worry and sarcasm, Harry spoke, “We're off to a great start in this horcrux hunt”.

After their recent accident with the bus, the three boys finally looked around at where they had arrived. It was busy, crowded with many muggle shops and theaters around. Out of place, Ron and Draco peered around with pure confusion on their expressions. They had never been in the muggle world before. There were various street vendors and street performers at every corner of the city street. The restaurants were a mix of fast food or high end places. Muggle cars filled the street, driving by every few seconds. The giant tv screen on the building was lighting the night sky, signifying they weren’t in the wizarding world.

After finally absorbing the sight in front of him, Ron spoke, still semi dazed on adrenaline, “Hermione, where are we?”. Turning back as she kept leading all 3 boys forward, “Shaftesbury Avenue, I used to come to the theaters with mum and dad. I don’t know why I thought of this place first. It was the only place I could remember. I panicked”. Hearing her reasoning, Draco’s lips thinned as he knew why Hermione first thought of this place. It must be her happiest memories of her parents. Somewhere she had always felt safe. Going to her side, he took her hand to comfort her and caressed her hand with his thumb. He tried calming her nerves while he felt her racing heart beat. Despite her cool demeanor, the sudden attack on the wedding got to her too.

Hermione responded to Draco’s hand by squeezing it back. “This way,” ordered the witch, taking the boys down a dark and abandoned alley. “We need to change. We can’t go around in our wedding outfits. We’re attracting attention,” Hermione continued as she pulled out her handbag with an extension charm, looking for everyone’s change of clothes.

“I will never be not amazed at your handbag, love. Have I ever told you, you're the most brilliant and beautiful witch ever?,” Draco complimented, as he watched Hermione’s whole arm dive for their clothes.

Still feeling that she was unsettled, he wanted to ease the tension in her body. Smiling towards her werewolf, Hermione blushed as she said, “Everyday and every morning”. As Hermione gave each of the boys muggle jeans with the option of a sweater, rain jacket, or hoodie, Draco immediately took the black rain jacket. In the dark alley, the group quickly changed into less noticeable clothes. While Draco hid Hermone’s body from view as they dressed, Arthur’s patronus came into view. His patronus informed them with the direction not to come back and that everyone was fine and accounted for. As the news sunk in, their hunt that they had planned the entire summer was in full swing. After Arthur’s message, Remus was to be the only contact for the group.

After walking in the streets of London, the group found themselves in a small cafe shop to take cover and discuss their next move. The cafe was a small 24 hour Italian shop perfect for them as the night neared 2am. Everything else had been closed. As they all took a seat at the far end of the shop away from the eyes, a muggle waitress came to their table for their order. Taking full control, Draco ordered for the table, baffling Harry and Ron but Hermione was thankful. It was one less thing she needed to think about.

At the moment her mind was riddled with everything the group needed to do tonight and the upcoming days ahead. She hoped she had prepared sufficiently for the horcrux hunt. The Slytherin ordered Hermione’s favorite as he skimmed the menu. He decided not to ask the dimwit duo for what they wanted. A simple coffee would do for them. “My wife here will have a cappuccino. The red head and our speculed friend here would like a black coffee. I’ll have just tea”. As the waitress left, he saw the boys staring at him with narrowed eyes, “Don’t look at me like that. We’re not here for vacation and we need to keep our spending in mind. Just accept what I ordered you”. Reluctantly the two boys nodded, accepting the answer.

“I’ll be right back. I have to use the ladies restroom,” said Hermione as she stood up from the table. The three boys once again were left alone, without the one person that connected them together. Too quiet for Draco’s liking, he looked around, trying to fill in the loud silence. Harry and Ron appeared like children being forced to do something neither wanted to do. While Ron grabbed the table condiments, he anxiously picked at sugar. Harry tapped his index finger, letting the mood ring tap against the table. It was the noise of the tapping that grabbed Draco’s attention. Noisy, his eyes narrowed on the ring as his eyebrows went up. A smirk appeared as he took a discreet sniff of the ring. The werewolf recognized the scent immediately. Questions swirled in his mind as he wondered why Potter was wearing a ring that once belonged to someone else.

Feeling playful, the mischievous Slytherin sat straight to tease his former rival as Draco asked, “What’s up with that ring? It’s so cheap looking. I thought your family had money. You come from a hair beauty empire. Did you not?”.

Harry groaned, barely gathering the energy to shoot back, “It's a mood ring from a muggle gumball machine. You wouldn’t understand sentimental value if it hit you in the face”.

“Interesting…” Draco replied in a sarcastic voice. His grin grew wider, knowing he had triggered the chosen once again. It was too easy.

Harry, annoyed by that response, yelled back, “What?”.

“I'm just thinking to myself. I expect nothing less from the muggle world. It’s so tacky”.

Crossing his arms, Harry closed his eyes in frustration. He was still on bad terms with Hermione and couldn’t afford to be on the wrong foot with Draco. Afterall, it was only the first hour of the Horcrux hunt. The group didn't know how long they would be on this secret mission. With his curiosity piqued, Ron, like Draco, leaned closer to get a better look at the muggle ring. “What does it do? Does it change your mood? I thought muggles didn’t use magic,” asked the redhead. Harry sighed, “It’s a friendship mood ring. It changes color according to the temperature of your finger. A good friend charmed it with magic when they gifted it to me. It does more than change color now”.

“Friend? Do I know them? How come I haven’t been given a muggle mood ring? Is this a common practice in the muggle world? I want a friendship ring too,” Ron asked earnestly. He wondered why he hadn’t gotten a friendship ring. Ron has been friends with Harry since 1st year. Wouldn’t that merit a ring of his own if it was a sign of friendship in the muggle world? Draco, seeing the confusion on the Weasley’s face, smirked wanting to cause trouble for Harry. “Don’t worry, Weasley. It’s not the kind of ring you're thinking of. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is being courted by a nice witch”. The Slytherin Prince turned to Harry as he continued, “Send us the wedding invite once a date has been decided. Ron, here, would also like to be your best man”.

Falling for Draco’s trap, the red head couldn’t tell the young werewolf was only mocking Harry. “I would have never taken you for being the modern day type of guy. Hermione will be delighted to hear a witch proposed to you instead of the other way around. Good for you for listening to Hermione and practicing gender equality". Harry slammed both hands against the table. “I’m not being courted. It’s a gift from a good friend. Besides, it can’t be one because I never even met the person”.

Intrigued by this new information, Draco wiggled his eyebrows. Harry had given him all the more reason to push his buttons. “Mmmm even more romantic! You hear that Weasley. It could be a man or a woman. Potter has never met this person yet they’re engaged! A love story for the ages”.

It was the line, it could even be a man, that slapped Harry in the face. Harry did not even stop to consider if this mysterious person was of the same sex. He had been only eliminating the girls of the Gryffindor tower. As Harry turned to peer at Draco’s face, it was only then he realized the snake was only messing with him. Furious, Harry shouted, “Ron! Tell Draco, I’m not being courted”. To Harry’s surprise, his jaw dropped, seeing Ron wanted to agree with Draco. His long time friend avoided his stare.

Instead, Ron focused on the napkins on the table. It had gone in and out the other ear the fact it could be a man for Ron. The only thing he had heard was Harry was now engaged. Shrugging his shoulder, Ron murmured as he focused on the table in front of him, “Well, if we’re being quite honest here. You're technically being courted for marriage. It’s tradition for the wizarding world to give a potential match a ring to show others they are taken. You accepted the ring so…”.

Interrupting the red head, Draco laughed inside his chair, while holding his stomach. “Shut up both of you!,” Harry whispered, while holding his ring near his chest in a defensive manner. He peered around embarrassed as he was worried about gathering the attention of the restaurant’s occupants. Most of all, he wanted this conversation to stop. “Hey! Don’t get angry at me. You’re the one that accepted a ring from someone. It’s your fault for accepting a courtship ring,” Ron argued back. Draco chuckled more as he held onto the table. The possibility of laughing out of his chair was increasing for the werewolf.

Meanwhile, Harry bit his lip at the thought the ring had been given to him by a boy. Did he care? Suddenly, the chosen one had bigger worries than saving the world. Voldemort could wait. He was having an existential crisis.

When Hermione came back to the table, she noted how two of the three boys were in a terrible mood. Draco was too happy for his own good as she narrowed her eyes at her husband. She didn’t need to ask to know Draco had done something. The bright witch knew what he had done. The Slytherin couldn’t resist any opportunity to pick on either Harry or Ron for old time's sake. As she sat down, she warned, “Behave everyone but especially you, Draco”.

Ron, trying to move on from the scandal Draco caused, asked a question out loud, “So where do we go from here. Leaky Cauldron?”. Hermione shook her head as she absentmindedly picked at her nails, “No, it’s too dangerous with the British Ministry taken over and now France too by you know who. We can't hide in the public domain. He'll close in on us if it’s true that he plans to take over the continent. Everyone after the wedding would have gone underground”. Seeing her pick her finger, Draco grabbed them, holding them into his own. As he eased her nerves, the young werewolf’s senses went off. He was picking up the group’s anxiety.

“We left all our stuff back at the burrow. Are you sure we can’t go back? How are we going to stop Voldemort with nothing on us? How much do you have in your hand bag?,” Harry questioned with a sudden worry on his face.

Snapping his head to Harry, Draco whispered in a harsh tone, “Hey! What the bloody hell is wrong with you? Don’t say his name! Especially around me. I lived with that nose-less freak for a whole summer. Even, I don't use it”.

“Unlike you, I’m not afraid of him. I’ll say his name again to prove it, VOL-DE-MORT,” Harry replied with sass, wanting payback for the way Draco picked on him a few minutes ago.

“You're not afraid, because you weren’t chained by the neck in the manor’s dungeon. I was tortured by that man. All the death eaters threw spells at me with the excuse of ‘training’. I know what he’s capable of so can we stop using his name?”.

Clearing her throat to stop an incoming argument between the two, Hermione interrupted, “To answer your question, Harry. We’re camping in the woods for weeks at a time. We have to for both Draco and you. He because of his furry issue. And you…..because your public enemy number one under the new administration”. She waved off Harry’s concern as she went on, “We'll be fine. I got clothes, food, medicine, books, and even your invisibility cloak. Money in wizard and muggle currencies. Getting new supplies will be no issue. I got a Nokia muggle phone to stay in contact with Remus. I thought of all the essentials we could ever need”.

While Hermione told them of her extensive packing, Draco felt the hairs of the back of his head stand up. Something was wrong but only Ron had noticed Draco’s instinct kicked in. The snake was acting like he did at the wedding, but Ron brushed it off. From his observation, the werewolf had picked up insects before. Draco let go of Hermione's hand. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to allow him to look around undetected. His eyes narrowed on two men, who wore a one piece plumper uniform, walked in with their tool box. As the men passed him, his werewolf side went haywire. His body remembered his time in the manor during the summer. A growl wanted to slip out as a flood of memories flashed through Draco’s mind. Images of being surrounded by the Dark Lord’s followers drove his werewolf mad.

Coming back to the present, Draco immediately recognized them. It was Antonin Dolovin and Thorfinn Rowle. He knew their scent anywhere as they had spent a lot of time with him in the Dungeons. With the waitress still in the kitchen, the Death Eaters sat down with their backs towards the group. Not waiting for the Death Eaters to use their wands, Draco quickly lifted the table to cover them, surprising the Golden Trio.

In a rush, Draco shouted at them to get down. He lunged forward, not giving Dolovin and Rowle a chance to react. The Slytherin shot a stupefy spell at the death eaters. Fallen to the ground, Rowle scrambled to stand up as Dolovin’s spell shattered the glass beside the children. Taking advantage of this duel move. Rowle cursed Ron with a full body bind curse. With spells and shields flying between Draco and Hermione and the two Death eaters, Harry ran to untie Ron.

As Dolovin casted another powerful expulso spell toward them, it hit Hermione, blasting her into Harry and Ron. While Hermione flew back from the explosion, Draco’s vision went black. It was then he decided not to hold anything back. Triggered, he used an advanced form of dark magic of Ventus, creating a small tornado in the middle of the cafe that was mixed with a fiendfyre spell. The sight of the fiery tornado had the Death Eaters backing away. The fiery wind screamed like a monstrous beast. The two Death Eaters closed their eyes from the intense heat. With their guards lowered, Draco went on all fours like before lunging forward towards Dolovin. The rushing of the dog-like man made Rowle hesitate. The glowing eyes and sharp fangs of a wolf man charged at the Death Eaters.

Rowle hit his head against the table as he fell down from the werewolf. Draco, meanwhile, attacked Dolovin, throwing them both over the counter and with his sudden claws. The young werewolf sliced his victim’s neck open like a knife. A deep wound that splattered all over the floor as if the restaurant was a slaughter house. Blood covered the floor in a growing pool as Draco was drenched in red. The Death Eater’s wound sprayed everywhere as the Slytherin attempted to calm down but he growled still very angry at the thought Hermione had gotten hurt. Unable to control himself, Draco bit down on Dolovin’s neck and a crack was heard, killing the man from a broken spinal cord.

Quickly thinking, Harry conjured ropes to tie a knocked out Rowle. From the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Hermione run from behind him and over to Draco. “Hermione, no!,” he shouted, afraid as this was his only second time seeing Draco go mad as a werewolf. Despite the cries from Harry, Hermione hugged Draco from behind as he continued to attack a dead corpse. He growled for all to hear as Hemione tried to calm the boy down.

“He hurt you! I’ll kill him!,” the snake explained as his anger raged on. The young werewolf turned back around, taking a chunk out of Dolovin’s jugular. He spit the piece of flesh onto the floor as he prepared to attack the corpse once more. Determined to stop Draco, Hermione pulled back again before urging, “You can stop. You saved us. I’m okay. I’m okay. Look at me”.

She gently grabbed his chin, turning his head to kiss his cheek. When her lips touched his bloodied face, Draco woke up from his black out state. Her touch brought him back like a curtain had been lifted inside his mind. Slightly dazed, Draco peered around, seeing the mess he had made. All the memories of the attack he had committed came rushing back to him. Seeing the guilt his eyes were, Hermione hugged the Slytherin again as she whispered into his ears, “You had too, Draco. You had no choice. If it wasn’t for your quick response, they would have killed us instead. It was us or them”.

Ron inched closer to see what the crime scene looked like up close. “I guess that explains why the Order was so insistent on Draco coming with us. He really is our guard dog,” he attempted to ease the tension with a joke. Still, his laugh was stiff with an appearance of discomfort on his expression. At that exact moment, the waitress peek out the door, hearing all the ruckus outside had stopped. At the sight of the dead body, she screamed in horror as her eyes landed on a young boy covered in red. Draco’s face and hands were all covered in Dolovin’s blood.

Quick on his feet, Ron’s eyes widened as he knocked her down with a spell too. The room stayed silent, watching the unresponsive woman until Hermione asked, “Now what?”. As a crunch of broken glass could be heard under his feet, Ron stepped forward to see who the Death Eaters were. “The dead one is Antonin Dolovin. I know his face because he has haunted my family for years. He’s the death eater that killed my uncle Fabian and Gideon. Fucking bastard. The tied up one…… I’m not sure”.

“His name is Thorfinn Rowle. He and Dolovin loved to torture me during the summer. It’s how I knew they were Death Eaters before they even made their presence known. My inner wolf remembered their scent,” Draco added.

Taking in that information, Ron decided, “Great, then we’ll kill the second death eater. He won’t be missed”.

Stunned, Harry rejected that idea immediately, “No, we can’t kill him. Dolovin was different. He was actively attacking us. Malfoy saved us. We can’t kill an unarmed and unconscious man. It’s wrong. We’ll wipe his memory instead”. Harry didn’t want to kill anyone, if it could be avoided. Since the Draco incident, Harry hadn’t been the same since after seeing how death could affect those around him. The image of Hermione crying over Draco’s corpse haunted him at night. It made Harry ask questions surrounding his parents. Was it quick and painless for my mum and dad? How afraid was my mum at her last moments?

Ron looked at Harry, arguing, “What the hell are you on about? Look around you. He’ll see everything and come for us. How are we going to clean all this up? I don’t know any spells that cleans up blood. Killing him is the only option”.

Not wanting to get mad at his best friend, Harry chewed on his lip. He was seeing Ron in a different light. The red head was considering the idea of taking a life as if it was easy. “Okay then, go ahead. Kill him. One of us has to use the killing curse. I certainly don’t want to do it,” Harry snapped. At the end of Harry’s fury, Ron's mouth snapped closed down. His lips thinned, wanting to argue back but Harry was right. Someone had to pull the trigger. Seeing the group’s expressions, no one wanted to carry that burden. The killing curse was no stupefy spell. It was very dark magic that often tainted one’s soul. It required a level of anger to cast it.

“Enough! I’ll erase his and the waitress’ memories. We’ll figure out what to do after,” Hermione intervened as it was best to end the fight before it got more serious.

Ron nodded, accepting that plan, “Alright, you're the best with spells”. He gestured to Hermione to do the honors just as any other time. As she raised her wand, it trembled for a flicker of a second in her hand. Hermione breathed in and out quietly so that no one near her could hear her nerves. It was a simple spell. One she had done in the past. It should have been easy, but the words that were on the tip of her tongue were stuck in her throat.

In the back of her mind, she saw her parents. The moment her parents' eyes went lifeless as she used the obliviate spell on them came back to her. She had stolen her parent’s previous lives from them. They would never remember her, their home, or any of the time they spent together. Hermione had made them leave everything behind. She did that. A spell should have been simple, but the bright witch for once in her life couldn’t do it as tears started to escape.

Draco, sensing the sadness and fear inside Hermione, quickly recognized why she was hesitant. He stepped up for her, “No, that’s not good enough. I’ll kill him”.

In unison, Harry and Hermione screamed, “No!”.

With a serious look between the couple, Draco whispered to her, “I can do it. So you don’t need to use THAT spell”. Harry had noted the deeper meaning of Draco’s message but still did not understand the context. It was then, Harry grew worried for Hermione. She had been keeping something from him and Ron but there was no way to know what it was. Before he could ask, Draco then peered at Harry, “I’ll do it. We can’t leave him alive. Ron’s right. Rowle would only go back to the hideout and bring more Death Eaters to us. My soul has already been tainted. This is not my first time using the killing curse. I didn’t exactly have a pleasant summer with you know who”.

Before there could be further protests, the snake walked over to Rowle's unconscious body, but was stopped by Harry once more. With growing annoyance, Draco pushed him aside gently. “Let me do it, Potter. I’ve already taken more than one soul. I killed people willingly, accidentally, and was forced to. This isn’t a burden I want Hermione to carry”. Harry let the Slytherin go, letting the boy’s words sink in. Harry knew all too well what burden Draco was referring to as he had accidentally killed the werewolf. He turned away, not wanting to see life leave someone’s eyes again. The werewolf continued marching forward as he raised his wand out. Just as the spell was on the verge of being casted, Hermione stepped beside him, holding his hand into her own. With a nod, they went together to the body. While Hermione caressed his hand, Draco tightly squeezed it before he shouted, “Avada Kedavra!”.

Once the deed had been done, the only sound coming from the room was the fire burning in the background. Fire that had been created from Draco’s last spell. After seeing Draco’s selfless act for the Golden Trio, Hermione found her courage to obliviate the waitress' memories. Before her own mind could scare her again, the witch murmured the words. This was the least she could do for the group. She comforted herself with the fact that it was better for the waitress not to have any knowledge of what happened but it felt like a lie. Her heart and mind were at odds.

Needing some air, Ron and Harry left first, finding a bench near the cafe. Here is where the group decided they would lay the waitress. As he erased any evidence for the muggle police and Aurors, Draco performed another fire spell, Incendio, finishing the burning of the restaurant. He ensured the spell was waterproof enough for traces of the dead bodies and signs the group had been here would be burned away with the building. The young werewolf walked out of the cafe, meeting Hermione at the door. Together, they walked in the direction where the boys went.

With nowhere to go and sunrise approaching, Hermione took the boys to a forest in the countryside of England, near Gloucestershire. It was a beautiful and peaceful location. It had brought Hermione back to her childhood. There was a river nearby that flowed through the land. The air was so tranquil that only the sound of water streaming down the river could be heard. With no humans for miles, the sounds of the forest life echoed, bouncing off the trees. The nearest town was a 3 hour walk. Hermione sighed, as she remembered the times her father and her used to go fishing together here during the summer months. Whatever they had caught for the day, they would take it back to camp to mum. This had been the Granger’s annual family camping trip. It was their thing the family did together before Hermione went off for Hogwarts.

As years passed and Hermione grew older, the trip became few and far between as she begged to stay with the Weasley’s for the summers instead. She had thought she had more time with her parents. When was the last time she had been here with her family? If only the Hermione of the past knew what she did now, the bright witch thought to herself. Hermione watched the river, folding her arms together and hugging herself for comfort. It had never occurred to her that one day she would come to this spot without her parents.

Making his way towards Hermione, Draco wrapped his whole body around her, hugging her as they watched the river together. They both said nothing. The only language between them was silence. Draco was intimately familiar with the way Hermione was feeling at the moment. Regret. The regret of his last interaction with his own mother kept him up at night. He hadn’t hugged her goodbye. Sometimes silence was the only right thing to say to someone that was in so much pain. The silence of loss. The silence of mourning and healing. It was moments with Draco she shared like this one that Hermione felt most heard. No exchanges of words between the two to know she was drowning in her emotions. As she took a deep sigh, Draco pecked her cheek before asking, “Are you alright?”.

Shaking her emotions away, Hermione turned around as she placed a kiss on his lips. “I will be. One day. This forest……. is called the Forest of Dean. It’s where I used to go camping with my parents. I was reminded of a childhood memory just now”.

The young werewolf held Hermione's chin, caressing it with his thumb, “They will always be your parents. No one can take that from you. Just like how my mother will always be my mum. They're not gone. They left a piece of themselves in us”. Her face broke as she laid her head on Draco’s chest for a while more. The two stayed, staring out to the river before a noise was heard behind them. As Draco pulled apart, he said in weary tone, “Let’s go back to camp. It’s almost morning and the boys are still setting up the tent by themselves. I wouldn’t let them be in charge of that task without supervision alone, if i were you,” making a smile rise on Hermione face.

Chapter Text

It was Halloween night. With the group becoming more isolated with the world, Hermione had decided to celebrate the holiday. Despite some protests, the bright witch insisted on dressing up to lighten everyone's spirits. She was also mindful of what this day meant for Harry. They still weren’t exactly in speaking terms but she needed Harry to be his best self. Right from the start, the group came to realize this wouldn’t be an easy mission. It was going to be a long horcrux hunt and they would need to entertain themselves.

The boys were growing tired of reading books with possible connections to horcruxes and following leads to nowhere. It had been a whole month since the wedding with no clues to where Dolores Umbridge might be. With the fall of the previous administration of the Ministry of Magic, she could be anywhere. She could have gone into hiding underground. But remembering what the pink toad had been like in 5th year, the children were certain Umbridge would find a new position where she could inflict pain and suffering onto others. Until then the Order and Kreacher kept tabs on former ministry officials in order to find Umbridge. Once she was found, the children would be the first to know.

“I got our Halloween costumes!,” announced Hermione, filled with jittery excitement. She and Draco had just walked back to the tent, having come back from the nearest muggle town. With Hermione's knowledge of the muggle world and no one looking for a disguised Draco, it was easier for the couple to get around. As she handed Harry and Ron their couple costumes, she and Draco had their own.

“Why exactly are we celebrating Halloween the muggle way? And what am I wearing?,” Ron asked as he eyed the costume in his hands with suspicion.

“Because, we all need a day off from all our research. This is what we all need to ease our stress. Clear our minds and enjoy ourselves in order to find our next clue. Besides, all hallows eve is celebrated the same as muggle Halloween but we just have muggle costumes”.

Side-eyeing Hermione, Ron thought to himself, “She’s not stressed. What is she talking about?”.

Not noticing the stare from Weasley, Hermione walked over to Harry, handing him his costume. There was a moment of hesitation with a mix of awkwardness but Hermione continued ignoring her former friend. Draco glanced at Harry as a frown appeared in his face. Harry stared at Hermione’s back as she walked away. “Ron, you will be Shaggy. Harry, you’re Scooby. These characters are from a muggle tv show that I thought were very fitting for you both, seeing we’re currently trying to solve a mystery of our own. Harry, when you have time will you please explain the summary of Scooby doo to Ron”. Hermione picked up her own costumes, grinning excitedly while looking at Draco, “Finally, I will be little Red Riding Hood and Draco will be the big bad wolf”.

Unable to help himself, Ron made a judgmental face before asking, “Really, Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf? I don’t know if I should be disappointed at your choice of costume or concerned about your FANTASIES with Draco”. The red head plotted down on the bed, already dreading how the rest of the evening would go.

Chuckling at Ron's overdramatics, Harry added, “I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with Ron on this one, Hermione. I have to put on a dog costume, while Draco is attending as himself. He only has to wear ears and werewolf paws when I’m putting on a whole onesie”. He peered around, comparing his outfit to the others. He suddenly felt unfairly treated. Ron only needed to change into a green shirt and brown flare pants while Hermione wore a red cape. Although Harry knew there was no way of talking Hermione out of this impromptu party, he began to wonder if he could go as himself, the boy who lived. His existence did scare a good portion of the wizarding community.

Feeling defensive, Draco spoke up, “Hey! What the wife wants is what the wife gets. She wanted a Halloween party so that is exactly what she’s getting. Stop complaining and get dressed! I already started the bonfire”.

Thankful for his support, Hermione added on, “You boys need to lift your spirits. You can never be too old to celebrate halloween. If you don’t come to the bonfire in five minutes, I will have our local werewolf drag you outside by your toes”.

When the two boys finally left to change, Draco turned to the witch in a seductive voice, “So… are you going to leave that outfit on for me tonight? I’m suddenly feeling very wolfy. I may want to play out the story of ‘little red riding hood’ with you tonight”. Having the room alone, the snake embraced Hermione inside his arms, kissing her neck and ears. With her hands smacking his chest, she nibbled on his lips slowly. “Go change,” Hermione ordered, as she heard a moan from Draco. He groaned in disappointment as he pulled away reluctantly.

Last one to arrive at the bond fire, Draco had a wide grin as he held liquid gold in both his hands. “Great you're here, I was just about to get you,” said Hermione, as she patted the empty spot next to her. Draco eyed her costume while licking his lips, “You my love are looking incredibly beautiful tonight. I almost want to howl at the moon right now”. She was wearing a crimson red cloak with a short dress underneath. Short enough that Draco dreamed of dragging his hands up her dress.

From the stares alone, Ron gave a disgusted face as he pretended to vomit, mocking the snake. Harry, on the other hand, had decided to ignore the love birds for his sanity. Instead, he pretended to eye something else in the distance.

For the two boys, it felt as if they had been the third wheel so far during the Horcrux hunt. A hunt that had somehow become Draco and Hermione's honeymoon trip. There had been too many awkward incidents of catching the couple kissing in the background. Much of the couple’s ‘research’ was spent alone, behind their area of the tent. With the silencio spell activated, that was enough for the two boys to leave.

Harry and Ron often went outside, pretending to need fresh air or used the time to read anything connected to horcruxes. Ron had never hated his life until joining this mission. Before, the redhead had never needed to read so many books in a span of a month. Not even in all his years of attending Hogwarts combined. He had gone through Hermione's muggle fiction books twice already with the library she packed inside her handbag. Reading was all he did to avoid the love birds.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Ron. In a couple of minutes we’ll all be cheery because I got us all fire whiskey. It’s just what we need to drink our worries away,” Draco remarked, grinning at Ron while waving the bottle.

Ron, still not amused by the snake, sarcastically commented, “What worries are you having? You have no ounce of stress or SHAME on you”. He tilted his head to Hermione and back to Draco, signaling the tent knew of their extracurricular activities on their so called ReSeArCh. “You two are aging me faster than Fred and George. You DO know she’s like my SISTER. I don’t want to know more than I should,” Ron complained.

Unable to resist teasing back the gryffindor, Draco replied, “You DO know she’s my WIFE. I’ll show my affection towards her anyway I want”. The young werewolf rolled his eyes at the redhead while Ron crossed his arms.

“Give me that drink. I need it more than you all. I feel like I have been babysitting all three of you,” Harry interrupted as he popped the bottle open and drank from it directly.

Distracted during all the commotion, Hermione dug inside her handbag. “What were you boys saying? I didn’t hear…….MERLIN, I swear I packed us all drinking glasses”. In unison all three boys yelled, “NOTHING. We said nothing”. The trio did not want to embarrass Hermione about her SPECIAL research she sometimes had with Draco. Clearing his throat, Harry suggested as he lifted the bottle in the air to show her, “It’s okay, Hermione. We don’t need drinking glasses. I’m already drinking straight from the bottle. We can pass the whiskey around the bonfire among ourselves”.

At the interaction, Hermione awkwardly smiled at that suggestion. It wasn’t that she was still mad at Harry but she was stubborn. Wanting to stick to her guns, she wanted to show Harry how much he hurt her and she was not to be played with again.

An hour later, everyone was giggling and drunk from the alcohol. Draco and Ron had arms around each other, forgetting the century long family feud their families had with each other. At one point of the night, Draco and Ron had been singing along to a song they had made up on the spot. To the side, Harry had the last few drops of the whiskey with Hermione laying her head on his shoulders. They had temporarily forgotten why they were fighting in the first place, going back to the time before their broken friendship. Drunk, the group were entertained with their newfound love for each other, even if it was only going to be for tonight. Once morning came, the awkward family feuds and fights would come back once more.

Watching Hermione from the other side of the fire, Ron snickered as he was suddenly reminded of something. A clever prank came to mind. If this went well, Harry would join right in. “It was all harmless fun,” he justified. Perhaps Draco was rubbing off on Ron from their close proximity in the tent but the redhead was feeling extra sneaky, wanting to get harmless payback on Hermione. Payback for forcing Harry and Ron to be the third wheel of the horcrux hunt.

With his new found friendship in Draco, Ron leaned closer as he loudly spoke into his ears for Harry and Hermione to hear as well, “You know Draco. When I found out you married Hermione, I wasn’t even surprised. I mean it was only a matter of time. She made it a goal to secure a Malfoy the first day of school. Isn’t that right, Harry?”. Harry snapped his head over to Draco and Ron, thinking he had misheard. When he saw the mischievous look on Ron’s grin, he heard the message loud and clear. Ron was teasing.

“Yup, everyone in the Gryffindor tower saw it coming. On the first day of school she told us you were her boyfriend. By the time Christmas holidays rolled around, she told the whole school she was destined to be the future Lady Malfoy. She couldn’t stop gushing over you”.

Elated at the new information, Draco peered up from Ron’s shoulders and asked, “She was telling everyone that I was her boyfriend on the first day of school?”. The snake was touched by the news. Realizing the boys were in the middle of pranking her, Hermione shouted in embarrassment of her past actions,“No!”.

Harry continued, knowing full well the next thing he was going to reveal that she couldn’t deny, “The next lesson we have on Occlumency I give you permission to look at the memory of the first day of school”.

Ron added, continuing to dig out the secrets, “It’s true, Draco. She called you her boyfriend on the first day. Who do you think was spreading all the rumors all school year? She even had my girlfriend Lavender on it as her accomplice. If there’s one person you can trust to spread good gossip around the four houses it would be Lavender”.

Rubbing his chin in deep thought, Draco processed all this with great intensity before opening his eyes wide once everything finally made sense. “Wait a minute, you mean my wife was the one who told the whole school I shagged her in the broom closet after Slughorn’s party!”. The bright witch gasped. Hermione, trying to close Pandora’s box but was unsuccessful, said, “That’s not true! I never said that. I only said I slept with him. Everyone else’s added to what I said”.

There was a pause before she realized she dug her own grave even deeper, “Wait! You see… I was trying to prove a point to those two idiots about the harmful effects of rumors”. Red faced, she hid her hands in her palms. Ron, now giggling at Hermione’s mistake, teased “You’re right Hermione. You taught us a great lesson to me and Harry. You proved to us and everyone you were the future Lady Malfoy”.

Hiccuping, Harry nodded in agreement, “Points were proven indeed. I even helped Hermione name all her future kids she’s going to have with you. You can ask Remus. He was there. We told all the professors about your marriage and the names of your future children”. Delighted, the Slytherin hugged his new trustworthy friend as he asked Ron. “Is that right? She named our kids?”. If there was one person to trust with the new information unfolding, it was Ron.

“Yup, I would NEVER lie to you BEST FRIEND. You and Hermione better get going on your litter of puppies after we graduate. She swore to Dumbledore she wanted a whole quidditch team”.

With his mouth to the floor, the young werewolf couldn’t believe what he was hearing, a whole litter of puppies. Being an only child his entire life, this was a dream come true for Draco. “Is that all true, wife? You want more than one child with me?,” a hopeful Draco asked, who was staring directly into Hermione’s eyes. She was on the brink of denying she had wanted that many children. But seeing the excitement in Draco’s face, Hermione gave up. The spreading of her rumors was finally catching up to her. Defeated, she participated in digging her own grave in part because it was slightly true. “Absolutely, I have our whole lives planned out. I want a whole clan of little Malfoys,” she sighed out.

The drunk snake turned to Harry with a wide grin, “You helped name them even though you hated me back then? You believed in our marriage before Hermione and I even got together? You were truly a good friend when we were enemies”.

Snickering, Harry chuckled from their successful teasing of Hermione, “That’s right. I believed in Dramione before it even started. She fell for you first. So far your children’s names are Scorpius, Leo and Cassiopeia, but we’ll need your help for the rest. She wants 5 little Malfoy’s running around”.

In love, Draco sat next to Hermione. He couldn’t believe it. Scorpius, the name he had kept tight lips to himself was picked by Hermione before he told her. “We belong together. I am truly honored to be yours, love. The fact you cunningly snuck your way into my heart by telling lies to the whole school, our children are definitely going to be Slytherin,” exclaimed Draco as he kissed Hermione on the lips.

Still drunk, he whispered to himself in awe, “A whole litter you say? How about 6? I always wanted a large family after only being me and my mother for years”. Hermione gasped at how quickly this conversation had turned into how many kids her future had. “Draco, that's not entirely true. I did say I wanted a quidditch team…...”. But before Hermione could finish that sentence, she saw how devastated Draco was with his puppy eyes. Strangely, the bright witch found herself finishing her sentence, “I might want more than 6. How about 7?”.

Filled with joy again about his bright future with Hermione and their non existing 7 children, the Slytherin Prince sat next to Ron once more. He spoke to himself, listing all the things he needed to do for his newly discovered future, “Wait until I tell Kreacher the good news. He’ll be so happy to hear we’re having an army. I'll have to ask the elf for the family book on star constellations. I also need a calendar to start a timeline on conception on all our 7 children. Next, I need fertility potions for me. Afterall, I do need to give my best performance for Hermione. I think I remember Kreacher telling me we have a potion for triples”.

Listening to no one, Draco rambled on to himself. Suddenly, the young werewolf stopped talking. He had a new hot feeling overcome him with all the baby talk and conception dates. With eyebrows raised high, he peered over to Hermione’s Red Riding Hood costume. With no warning for Hermione, he threw her over his shoulder, as he ran to their room, leaving the two boys stunned. Ron and Harry screamed how their prank had quickly ended badly for them.

The day after the bonfire, Harry woke up with a pounding headache. Squinting at the light, he struggled to get up from the couch. It seemed as if he hadn't made it to his bed before falling asleep in the common area. Making his way out the tent, he groaned in pain. Exhausted from last night's fun, the room was spinning. He couldn’t balance himself as he tripped over something. As Harry glanced back to see, it was Ron laying on the floor. It appeared that he too was barely holding on. Weasley wailed from the both pain of Harry tripping on him and of his headache. Not ready to see the sunlight, he shouted at Harry to turn off the light but it was the morning sun, shining through the tent. Still stumbling around, Harry grabbed the nearest blanket to cover his friend’s face. It was the only way to turn off the “lights” when it was actually the sun bothering Ron.

As Harry reached outside, the sun beamed into his eyes. While he had an urge to throw up, he struggled to breath as everything he ate last night came right back up. Holding his stomach with both hands, Harry swore under his breath. “You better clean that up quickly with a spell or else I’ll knock those glass off your face. I can smell it all the way from here,” an annoyed voice said.

Harry peered up to see who it was. Before him stood a fresh faced and pampered, Draco straight out of bed. There was no indication he had a hangover. The young werewolf was eating raw deer meat while watching the river. Seeing the visual of Draco eating his werewolf diet, Harry once again became sick. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he asked, “How the hell are you eating this early? And why do you look perfectly fine?”.

Draco turned around as he patted the lawn chair next to him, signaling Harry to join. Harry hesitated but had no reason to reject the snake. Now that he thought about it, he had never had a moment alone with Draco. Before, it was either always Hermione or Ron with him. He couldn’t even think of a time at Hogwarts when he had a civil conversation. There had always been an exchange of rude comments or cruel hexes.

Now forced to live in close proximity, the two shared the same tent. Harry sat down to watch the river with Draco. The two sat in silence as they listened to nature. It’s peaceful and smooth. He peered over to Draco as the snake finally answered, “I can’t get drunk. At least not for long. It wears off too quickly. It’s a werewolf thing. My body burns off too many calories and needs too much protein to maintain a hangover”.

Draco passed a bag next to him. Harry questioned what the werewolf was doing but the Slytherin was handing him a mystery vile of potion. It didn’t appear like anything he saw before in class. “It’s a recovery potion for a long night of drinking. A potion of my own making. You can’t find it anywhere else,” Draco answered, seeing the confused look on Harry’s expression.

As Harry accepted Draco’s potion, the snake added, “Don’t worry. It’s flavored with orange and ginger. It will fix you up immediately. This recipe took Theo, Blaise, and I months to get right, so if I see it in the wizardry markets anytime soon I’ll know it was you”. While he downed the pleasant flavor, Harry asked, “I didn’t know the Slytherin house had parties”.

Laughing out loud that it caused Harry to jump, Draco replied with a grin, “Exactly, we like to keep it that way. No outsiders are allowed in our house let alone our parties. How do you think we, Slytherin, were able to go to class after every quidditch game? I saw a problem and I found a solution to aid my housemates”.

“He shouldn’t be surprised,” Harry thought to himself. Draco had been talented in potions. Before, Harry never realized how natural the snake was until he took over Slughorn’s class. “You’re telling me no one has been in the Slytherin dorms, not even Hermione?”. Laughing again, Draco responded, “Well, she doesn’t count. Hermione and Luna have already been to the dorms since they’re honorary Slytherins”. It was hearing Hermione’s name and remembering last night that made Harry go quiet.

After weeks of ignoring Harry's attempt to reconcile their friendship, she wouldn’t budge. Eventually Harry couldn’t blame her as what he had done was horrible. It had been nice to have Hermione’s friendship back even if it was for one night. Draco turned to Harry, feeling the change in mood. The one benefit of being a werewolf was that one could sense the other person's emotions. It was no wonder Remus was so good at speaking to his students and friends. The man always knew the right thing to say to ease the concern of others.

Taking a deep breath in, Draco interrupted Harry’s gloom, “You do know she’s still your friend right? She’s just stubborn. I know because she’s my stubborn witch. She refused to let me break it off with her. When I knew I couldn’t give her a life as a werewolf, she was headstrong in her ways and wanted to fight for me”.

Harry replied, as he kicked a nearby rock near his feet, “Malfoy, I don't know what to do. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me. I’ve been thinking maybe this is it for us”.

“Call me Draco. Malfoy is my name but not really anymore…”. The two went silent as they remembered Draco’s family issues over the past year. It made sense to Harry why Draco did not want to be called Malfoy anymore. Nodding in agreement, he also offered, “Then call me Harry. I’m tired of being on last name biases when we've been living feet away from each other,” causing the boys to chuckle.

“She’ll forgive you. Give her time. Hermione is going through something right now. It’s more than seeing me die twice,” Draco explained. Hermione was still mourning for her parents. Like Draco, who once blamed Harry for his encounter with Greyback, Hermione was indirectly putting her loss of her parents on Harry. Draco came to realize it on nights where the two reminisced about each other’s parents. They each had lost a great deal in their life. It soon became apparent to them during their late night conversations they would never heal from the wounds inside their heart. They simply needed to learn to live with the pain.

Seeing Harry wasn’t speaking anymore, Draco continued, “You're still her friend. Last night proved it. She only made the Halloween Party to help you forget what the day means to you. That’s only something a good friend would do”.

Sighing, Harry thought about his parents. How they were taken from him before he could even form a memory with them. To Harry, Halloween Eve was more than Voldemort killing his parents and making him the chosen one. He had been just a baby when Voldemort took away a life with his parents. A life of being a normal boy, who would have grown up in a wizarding home. A life of not living with his uncle and aunt. That night took away his godfather. He would have met Remus sooner. Maybe he would even have a sibling or friends sooner. A whole family. These thoughts plagued his mind. Before Hermione and Ron, he always had trouble meeting people or making friends. He hated hearing whispers of being the chosen one. Voldemort had killed a version of Harry that day as well. A happier version of Harry Potter.

At the same time, he didn’t know what it was like to have a mum or dad. One could not mourn for someone one did not know. If Harry mourned, it was for a life that could have been. He mourned for a little boy without loss and a bright smile. Harry turned to Draco, studying him for a second. The Slytherin had lived with both parents. From the sounds of it, Narcissa was a good mom. As for his Lucius Malfoy, Harry didn’t know much about their history, but Draco did feel something for Lucius. When Draco thought no one was looking, Harry saw the broken expression on the boy every time Lucius was brought up in conversation. Draco had lost a parent who loved him dearly to death and lost another parent from rejection. Harry couldn’t imagine having those feelings stir inside him. Perhaps Harry was fortunate to never know the feeling of having a parent from watching how much pain Draco was in.

A sudden thought came to mind. A question that had been gnawing at Harry for a while now. Since the two were starting to open up and come to an understanding, Harry found the courage to finally ask the snake. “Can I ask you something?,” Harry questioned in a trembling voice.

“Sure,” Draco replied in a nervous tone. He had a feeling where this was going. He looked away, focusing on the river in front of him.

Following Draco’s footsteps, Harry peered at the ground. The shame stopped him from looking at the Slytherin as he asked, “Why aren’t you mad at me? I don’t deserve forgiveness. You have every reason to hate me after what I did in the…. bathroom. No offense, you’ve never been exactly a good person in the past so… I don’t understand why you did. Draco of the past would have used… what happened…. to expel me from school”.

Unable to help himself, Draco gave a painful chuckle at how blunt Harry was being. He was right though. If this had been a few years ago, Draco would have tormented Harry for almost killing him. Use it against him. He whispered in a broken voice, catching Harry off guard. “Because I know what it’s like to do something by mistake and not be able to take it back. With Katie Bell… I— I didn’t mean to hurt her. I was trying to get to Dumbledore but instead I scarred permanently. She’ll never play quidditch again. She almost died because of me”.

Draco rested his elbows on his knees. With his face in his palms, he fought the urge to pull out his hair. “Hermione says that it’s not my fault and that I was in a life and death situation but still… I can’t forgive myself. The guilt I’ll carry for the rest of my life is punishment enough”.

Only the sound of birds and the trees rustling was loud between them. Draco choked back a cry before trying to gather himself. As he finally collected himself, he peeked at Harry through his fingers. “After the war is over, I want to find Katie. I want to confess what I did and apologize but I’m scared. That’s the reason I forgave you. Because I know that when I almost died, that image will haunt you for the rest of your life like Katie does to me”.

At a loss of words, Harry was frozen. Draco was broken in the same way he was. It was as if Harry was looking at himself at this moment. The pain Draco was in was frighteningly familiar to him. The young werewolf understood him in a way no one else would. They both were unable to forgive themselves for what they did. Perhaps Harry was saying this more to himself but he comforted the Slytherin and meant it, “Draco, you're still a good person. I hope you know that. You know who killed my parents for a selfish reason: for power. He ruined so many lives and destroyed so many families. But you have hurt people to save lives and to save your family. You made choices not for selfish reasons but you were trying to live another day in this messed up world. You're nothing like him or the Death Eaters you grew up with”.

Finally after some time outside, Draco finally glanced straight into Harry’s eyes. It felt as if they had finally reached a good place between them. After years of rivalry, they were moving forward. They had spent so many years unable to be civil until now. As the two sat in silence, Harry saw himself being good friends with the snake for the first time. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. You're still a good person too. I know you had no ill intentions when you killed me,” Draco murmured.

As Harry and Draco ended their long rivalry once and for all, someone was watching them in the distance. It was Ron, who had just woken up. The more he saw both Harry and Draco begin to laugh together, an uncomfortable feeling grew inside Ron. Feeling anxious, the red head knew it was ridiculous to feel this way but he couldn't help it. Harry’s growing friendship with Draco was bothering him more than he liked to admit.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe this! All these books I packed and not one helpful piece of information on how to destroy horcruxes. How could Dumbledore send us on a horcrux hunt without anything to go off of,” a frustrated Hermione complained as she tossed her current book to the side. She spent so much time ensuring Ron the items in Dumbledore’s will did mean something, hoping the more she lied that the answer would eventually appear. However, today was the day she finally gave in. Weeks had passed. They still had nothing to go off of. Days on standby, waiting for something to happen was starting to weigh everyone down. There were no clues on what Dumbledore’s items meant, clues to the next horcrux, or where Umbridge was. The Order had been aiding much support to their horcrux hunt yet they had nothing to show for.

Feeling the failure of not being able to assist the Order more, Hermione burst into tears with Draco rushing to her side. It had been a build up of her dissatisfaction of their stagnant progress. “All we have is a children’s book, a night light, a golden snitch, and a sword. What do we even do with these items?! Oh Draco! What if Ron’s right!? What if Dumbledore did give us piles of children’s toys,” cried Hermione with two hands, covering her face.

More exhausted than defeated, Ron shook his head at the sight of Hermione. He knew he had been right to criticize the old man. “That Dumbledore had them on a wild goose chase,” Ron thought to himself. Deciding he didn’t want to think about how bleak their situation was, the redhead turned to Harry, starting a new conversation, “Have you heard from Lavender or Ginny?,” but Harry shook his head no.

Draco came from behind, wrapping his arms around Hermione. As he left kisses on her cheeks and neck, the Slytherin Prince suggested while comforting her, “Love, how about we go to my family’s library. How does that sound? It’s my treat. I know how much you love books”.

At this point of the hunt, Ron and Harry had grown desensitized to the couple’s affection towards one another. It was just another day at the tent. “Why would we all go to the Malfoy Manor? You know who and Lucius is using it for a base,” Harry asked confused while turning back into their conversation. The young werewolf scoffed as if he had been insulted. Rolling his eyes, Draco responded, “Not that library. My other one”. He peered at Hermione with a face of pure judgment behind Harry. To the snake, it was normal to have more than one library in your family.

“Wait, you got two libraries? Like a whole library, not a single bookshelf?,” Ron blurted out loud, trying not to show his judgment at the spoiled Slytherin.

“Of course, I do, WeAsLeY,” the young werewolf explained, still trying to understand the misunderstanding. After he realized this explanation didn’t clear anything for the dimwit duo, Draco continued, “I'm a Malfoy. We love the best of the best. That includes having a large collection of the world’s rarest books. One library is for general research and the other is for entertainment. We can’t have books mixed”. Peering at each other momentarily, Ron and Harry shrugged their shoulders before accepting the answer. What else did they expect from the former rich boy? It still sounded insane to them though. Two whole libraries for a single child.

After hearing Draco had a second library, Hermione gasped with excitement. As she ignored the bickering, she made a mental list of potential books that might help. “Great, there’s no time to waste! Let's go!,” Hermione replied with a pep in her step that was not there before. What the bright witch had forgotten that this was Draco Malfoy. This was no normal library. It was massive and had been acquired by the Malfoy’s as they always desired the best of everything. A simple library will not do justice.

“The best part of the library is that it's owned by my family. I can still enter with my blood even after I’ve been disowned so there’s really no need to worry about being seen or asking permission,” Draco stated with a wide smirk. Not waiting for a group discussion, Draco grabbed the peculiar muggle cell phone device Hermione had. “In fact, let me invite Remus! He can get us a portkey to my family library”.

Groaning, Ron complained to the werewolf, “We don’t need a babysitter!”. The two boys had been butting heads since Halloween night. It was only getting difficult to call a truce. It was apparent Ron wanted a reason to argue back with the Slytherin. It was really pissing off the werewolf. It didn’t matter what Draco said, Ron was actively against it.

Certain Ron had a personal agenda against him, the snake threw a glare his way. He was also upset because Ron was right. They didn’t exactly need Remus to join them. Crossing his arms, the boy did not want to admit out loud that he missed Remus. Bringing Lupin was an added bonus but not a necessity. There was no valid excuse he could make to invite the older werewolf.

“Ron, wait! That's a good idea. I’ll need a second person to give me a hand in our research. I’m sorry to say this, but you two boys are no help,” Hermione exclaimed while a smile of victory appeared on Draco.

~

The group plus Remus and Mad-eye popped inside the library. Making himself home, Mad-eye walked past the front desk, getting ahead of the group. The original invite had only extended to Lupin but when Remus needed to use Order resources to make an illegal Potkey Moody had asked questions. Once the former Auror heard the destination was not only a Pureblood library but the Malfoy’s, the man invited himself along. Mad-eye, being the most experienced Aurors of his time, knew the library was going to hold the rarest of books and artifacts. Every time a Pureblood family was under investigation, the family home was raided.

For the Aurors department, it was a glimpse into the usually hidden secrets of Pureblood society. Private Pureblood libraries were different from public wizardry libraries. Books in Pureblood libraries were often more valuable than golden treasure. The Malfoy family after the Blacks was one of the oldest families around. There was no doubt in Moody’s mind that the Malfoy family had centuries worth collections of books. Books as old as the beginning of the wizarding world. Books no one had ever seen. Mad-eye knew this was not an opportunity he should pass on.

Hermione walked forward, peering up at the endless ceiling of books and a never ending hallway. Greek art covered every single wall imaginable. Gods and Goddesses of Greek mythology were holding the ceiling in place of columns. Every surface was covered in gold and white marble. With the ceiling as high as the sky, it was hand painted with images of warriors like angels and demons fighting over Earth. It told a story of how man came to be from the perspective of whoever built the library.

Between the aisle of the bookshelves, were a miniature species of dragons, the bookkeepers and guardians of the Malfoy Library. They were a group of dog-sized dragons. These creatures flew high in the air from bookshelf to bookshelf as each carried books in their hands. The dragons came in many colors with scales that shined. The group stared in awe as the dragons showed their intelligence in maintaining the library as they flew the books to their proper place. Hermione thought she could even see a couple of dragons reading from the pages as if they had the ability to understand human language. These dragons were different from the dragons in Romania. They had branched off thousands of years ago, making the bookkeepers a new undocumented species of dragon. They had made the Malfoy library their home long ago, which quickened the process of a new breed created from isolation.

It was a distant ancestor of the Malfoy family, who traveled to Romania to find the tamest tribe of dragons. The first cluster of dragons made a deal with the Malfoy’s. A promise of a home away from the dangers of man. In exchange for such a promise, they had to ensure the books and library never fell into unworthy hands, which came natural to them. Dragons were known to hoard treasure. They were to only trust the descendants of the Malfoy blood. With time, these dragons became the guardians of the library. The first domesticated dragons, unknown to man.

Once Mad-eye took notice of the flying pack of dragons, he turned around to complain to the young werewolf. “Draco, do you know you’re breaking laws with all these hidden unregistered dragons living here? Dragons fall under the protection of the ministry of magic from poachers, who hunt them for their limbs and horns. Only few in the world have the license to raise dragons”.

Draco peered at Moody, no longer afraid of him. He had faced Greyback, Bellatrix, and two Death Eaters so far this summer. The retired Auror had invited himself. If anything, Moody wasn’t in the position to challenge the werewolf as they were surrounded by dragons loyal to the bloodline of the Malfoy family.

Feeling extra cocky, Draco answered back, “The ministry as we know it doesn’t exist anymore so what are you going to do about it? Even if the ministry does eventually come back from the new regime, they still can’t charge me with a crime. These dragons are a different species from the dragons we know. How am I supposed to register my pets as dragons, if they're a different subspecies? I like to see the ministry take my dragons away”.

When that last sentence echoed in the library, a flurry of miniature dragons came to a halt and flew around the group as if they understood the threat Moody had given. Some wanted to welcome the boy, who was a direct descendent of the man they made a deal with. Others wanted to study who he had brought with him. An infant dragon landed on Slytherin’s shoulder to sniff him. There was an expression of confusion before the dragon rubbed its head against Draco's neck.

There were at least a dozen dragon eyes on Mad-eye and Draco, trying to determine if they had to protect their home from this strange man. Moody peered around, feeling the intensity of the situation that he placed himself in. He knew his next words would either label him as a welcomed guest or an intruder. In all his years of glory, Mad-eye had never failed to catch a dark wizard or prosecute criminals. “The knowledge within this library might be worth the price of corruption,” the man thought to himself.

Clearing his throat, the auror complimented, “Beautiful creatures aren’t they not? It’s a wonderful thing what the Malfoys have done here. Built a dragon’s sanctuary inside this magnificent library. If you don’t mind, I'll make my way to the entrance”. Just like that, the dragons flew back to what they were previously attending to.

Moody soon disappeared into the library, being the first to take advantage of this side quest for knowledge. The group, including Remus, were still buffering from the captivating scenery in front of them. Mouths were on the floor as they watched dragons read books and clean bookshelves. Harry spoke up while Hermione was still trying to recover from her shock. Since they had stepped into the library, a paralyzed Hermione was trying to process what she was seeing.

“Uhhh Draco, this is your family library?,” Harry asked.

Draco, still unaware of the group's struggle to grasp reality, replied “Of course! It’s too bad I don’t have time to use it anymore”.

Remus analyzed their surroundings, studying the structure of the library for a few more minutes. The more he looked at the architecture the more familiar it seemed. He knew where they were from reading the descriptions of this location in the muggle history books. Careful with his next words, Remus asked, “Draco dear, I'm almost afraid to ask, but are we at the lost library of Alexandria?”.

Hermione gasped, having finally recovered from her shock. “WHAT! I thought the library was destroyed!”. Slightly annoyed at the group's inability to register this was his library, Draco turned back, “Of course not! What would give you that idea?”. Why was it hard to understand? He had never been one to hide his wealth. If anything, he bragged about it at any given opportunity. Was this library not up to their standards?

“Because it burnt down in 48 BC according to historians but apparently not,” Hermione replied with a puzzled look.

“No, it just changed management. My family bought it long ago. The Malfoy’s are as old as Merlin, remember love,” Draco replied as he brushed hair behind Hermione’s ear.

Harry shouted, “You bought the lost library of Alexandria!”.

“You really are simple minded, Harry. Don’t you remember I come from old money? My family can afford it,” the Slytherine Prince explained, missing the point of Harry’s statement and the significance of the library. “Knowledge is power and Malfoy's love power. It was only natural that we buy this library. Believe it not, this crappy old place isn’t even one of our better properties that we own,” said Draco with indifference. The boy took one step forward as he rubbed his chin in deep thought, “According to our family records, we initially bought it because we didn’t trust the muggles with it. My ancestors were convinced the muggles would lose all the knowledge due to the civil war at that time”. Meanwhile, Hermione squealed at the possibility that she owned this library as Draco’s wife. “Pick up your jaw, love. Not a good look,” Draco teased her.

Hermione turned to Draco, “I don’t understand. If your family didn’t trust the muggles with it then why not share with the wizarding world then?”.

“Ah! The story goes that the Head Malfoy at that time originally bought it for the wizarding world but he realized it would make a better engagement gift for his future wife, Lady Malfoy. Thus it stayed in the family for generations because well no one wanted to share it with the wizarding world, including me. It’s mine. Anyway, the fire that’s written in the history books was actually a transportation system from muggle world to the current secret location,” Draco informed the group with his hands inside his pockets while yawning. He was oblivious to the historical significance of his library.

Ron spoke up after staying quiet the entire time, “You spoiled brat! What else do you own?!”. He turned to Draco now disgusted at how rotten this snake was. Draco’s refusal to share the knowledge with the world, bothered even the red head. Ron didn’t care much about books but how could Draco have such a piece of history all to himself. He finally understood Hermione all those times she yelled at him for eating at the library and mishandling the pages.

“You would be surprised, Ron. Anything you can think of I probably own. Something your family will never experience. In fact, you probably didn’t know this but I own the Hogwarts train too. Why else do you think it closed on you and Harry in 2nd year? That was my father’s doing," said Draco with a proud smirk as he remembered how much the dimwit duo had gotten in trouble that year.

Now fuming, Ron yelled, “What! I got grounded for a whole year!”.

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at the two brain cells again. Draco was picking a fight with Ron but his friend was failing to see it. Weasley had walked straight into the werewolf’s teasing. “That was your own doing, Ronald. All you had to do was wait for an adult and they would take you to the closest floo. There are procedures for late or lost children,” lectured Hermione. After all these years, she was still shocked by Harry and Ron's immediate reaction to getting left behind was to illegally drive a wizarding car in daytime in front of muggles.

Remus peered at his four children. “Well, as much as I like to argue. Let's all get started in looking for books for our research. I would very much like to see if I can find any books that can help the Order”. He made his way toward the entrance of the library before turning back. “And one more thing children, stick together. I don’t want anyone getting lost in the lost library of Alexandria. I can’t promise I would be able to find you in a place that has been lost for centuries,” he joked.

At a table, Hermione and Draco were sitting together with dragons helping out pick the best book for the Golden Girl. There were at least 50 books the dragons had thought could help her in relation to Horcruxes. Before their research had started, Hermione noted the intelligence of the dragons and had asked for their assistance. The guardians of the library were delighted to assist as they took their duty to protect books seriously.

Draco, seeing that Hermione was actually working, puffed out of boredom. “This was supposed to be a fun outing. Who knew they would actually have to work this hard,” the young werewolf thought to himself. The young werewolf had wanted to cheer up his upset wife, not make more work for them all. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron, not 5 minutes inside the library, were already lost and trying to remember their way back. They hadn’t realized they could have had a conversation with the dragons and asked them for help.

Hermione mumbled to herself out loud. She didn’t know where to start from the immense stack of books given to her, “What would Merlin do? I just need to clear my mind so I can think of exactly what you know who did?”.

Draco, who was still bored, murmured to himself, “I hate it when people think? I get so bored”. He threw his head back, exhausted. “The faster I figure it out the faster we get to go home,” Hermione stressed to Draco but he complained back, “What am I supposed to do until then?”.

“Draco! Go for a walk for something,” Hermione yelled back as she picked a book to begin reading.

“By myself?”.

“Yes!”.

“Really, where?”.

“Anywhere!”.

“Can I go that way?,” Draco asked, pointing in a random direction.

“Yes,” Hermione replied, trying to focus on the page in front of her but Draco was distracting her. As he heard her husband walk away, she sighed in relief, finally able to have some peace. It was essential she focused on figuring out which books could aid them. As Draco walked, he never turned his head away from Hermione. He wanted to verify if indeed Hermione needed him to leave so she could work. Some part of the Slytherin wanted Hermione to call him back.“Don’t go far!,” Hermione shouted one more time before Draco replied back while looking at her. “Okay!”.

Draco found himself in the magical creature section of the library, hoping to find a possible cure for him and Remus. The dragons took note of his special request. A cluster of younglings scoped around the library to find books that had anything to do under the topic of werewolves. From the amount of sources, Draco quickly realized it would take them months to find specific books pertaining to a cure with how large the library’s collection was.

As Draco walked through the aisle, he murmured, “No luck here”. He grabbed a random book that had general information on magical creatures. As he opened the page on basilisk creatures, a boggart came out from where the book was previously shelved. At the sight of the boggart, Draco yelped. The boggart had transformed itself into a full moon, making the boy freeze. Although he knew the spell to rid himself of the boggart, the fear of the full moon made Draco forget all the words. Remus had taught them the spell back in 3rd year, but the young boy couldn’t remember for the life of him.

Instead, the young werewolf was unable to move his feet. Each foot weighed a ton. His brain was scrambling as Draco watched the full moon. His body fully expected to feel the pains of his werewolf transformation. The terror was so great Draco swore he could feel the false pain of his bone breaking. The trauma of the full moon each month was so immense that Draco’s brain couldn’t register it was fake. The Slytherin stiffened, preparing to feel his body rip apart. A scream ripped out of his throat, catching the attention of Hermione. In a rush, Hermione bolted from her chair to see what it was. Unable to form words, Draco pointed to the moon.

Without hesitation, Hermione dashed in front of him but the boggart felt a fear greater than the full moon. A fear that originated from the Golden Girl. Within seconds, it transformed itself into a fake Draco, dying on the library floor covered in blood. Surprised at the sudden change, Hermione gasped. Hermione was taken back to that moment when she had almost lost Draco. The real Draco ran to her side, trying to get Hermione to see he was still alive but failed. Instead, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears.

Unable to think as her heart was still beating fast, the real Draco huddled over to Hermione. A part of Hermione knew it wasn’t her Draco but there was something frightening seeing him die again. It felt so real. The boggart had managed to mimic the last moments of a dying Draco. The light inside his eyes dimmed as the boggart took its last final breath. Her fear reminded her of the reality of them both being in the middle of war.

The lost boys heard the commotion, running over to see what it was. Ron arrived at the scene first but was soon caught in the boggart trap, as well. Unprepared about what had happened to Draco and Hermione, Ron was hit with his own terror. It startled him. Ron’s reasoning and logic left him. How could he think when his nightmare had found a way to crawl itself out of his dreams and into the real world? His fears of spiders unleashed upon them.

Ron lost it as spiders crawled out of the dying Draco’s mouth, eyes, and ears. Weasley yelped, falling on the ground. Soon all the spiders were crawling their way towards the redhead. Ron, still on the floor, tried to get up but was weighed down by fear. Attempting to get away, Ron crawled over to Hermione and Draco. Like a moth to a light, Ron made his way towards the werewolf and joined him in huddling for comfort. The spiders from Draco's rotting corpse had finally reached the four children. Ron did the only thing he could think of at the moment, scream even more LOUDER. Their screams echoed in the empty building. Books fell from the vibrations of the screams.

Meanwhile, Harry was struggling to breathe, holding his chest tightly. The louder the screams were the more panic set in. Panic that stalled his quick thinking and actions. The screams of his three friends filled Harry with horror and confusion, preventing Harry from saving them. He couldn’t remember the spell to save them all from the boggart. Something that made him stop in his tracks. It was the image of Draco dying. The version of Draco had been almost killed by him. He did that. Harry’s eyes widened as his eyes landed on the fake Draco.

Harry knew it was a boggart but with the guilt of almost killing Draco reopened, the boy closed his eyes in a panic. The guilt was eating him alive. His guilt had found its way into the real world, which frightened him more. He shook, remembering what he had done. This might be his penance for betraying Hermione’s trust and loyalty, he thought to himself. Harry found himself crying to Hermione. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what that spell did. I swear!”.

Before the group lost it completely, Remus darted towards them. With his wand up ready, the former professor shouted out, “Riddikulus!”. Still gasping for air, the children struggled to get up from their feet. At the sight, Remus couldn’t help but smile. Ron was found hugging Draco for dear life as he was the guard dog of the group. In turn, Draco was holding Hermione, trying to soothe her. Harry, who was at Hermione’s feet, begged for forgiveness.

As the danger of the boggart went away, the four children slowly found their footing. With some awkward coughs and red faces, they thanked Remus for his quick response. The dragons also found their way over to the children. Despite the language barrier, it was apparent the bookkeepers were scolding them for dropping the book as they picked the fallen items.

Despite being shamed by the dragons, the group, especially Ron, were grateful they had brought Remus to this adventure. “Well, I think we had enough fun for one day. How about we all walk around together as we should have been doing from the start for a while longer before we check out? I’m sure the owner of this library wouldn’t mind the amount of books needed to check out,” Remus teased as he winked at Draco.

“Actually you’ll have to sign a contract with the dragons, promising to bring back their books. The maximum time you can hold a book is a year. When it’s time to bring them back, they’ll send out hoards of dragons to hunt you down. Trust me you don’t want that. I made that mistake once,” the snake warned as he dusted off his clothes. He attempted to put on a face of indifference as if he hadn’t been the one to start screaming.

“Then I shall have a good talk with bookkeepers. I wonder which one of these dragons is the head protector of the library,” Remus questioned as he peered up at the group of dragons flying above them.

Soon the four are seen walking behind Remus like ducklings not wanting to stray from its mother duck. Still giggling at what he had come into, Remus poked the children further for his own amusement. “Gosh, I’m hurt you all didn’t learn anything in my classroom. Every single one of you forgot how to scare off a boggart,” he chuckled.

Hiding behind the werewolf as he peered at each shelf with suspicion, Ron spoke up in a failed attempt to save their dignity, “You were right back then, a classroom control boggart is different than a wild boggart in a real world setting”. The group stopped in their tracks as a dragon flew over to them. Behind the dragon was Mad-eye, who also figured out these dragons could assist him.

With disappointment oozing from his eyes, he walked over them. “I heard from the dragons what happened. The chosen one, the child who survived against a killing curse. It only took a boggart to defeat the chosen one. I see Hogwarts has failed its students more than I feared. Once this war is over, I’m revising the whole school curriculum,” he proclaimed while shaking his head at them.

Moody turned back to speak to the dragon, who found the children for him, “New request. I need a new stack of books on courses you think are best for brightening the minds of young wizards and witches. I fear the current school system failed them”. Defensive, Harry crossed his arms. “Well… it’s not our fault. We had a different professor each year,” but Moody quickly turned him down. “Excuses are all I hear from you, Potter”.

Embarrassed, Hermione wanted to forget the whole ordeal had happened. She sparked up a different conversation as she turned to Draco, “By the way, what were you reading when that boggart found us?”.

Glum, Draco sighed as he handed Hermione the book that was opened on the page he had been reading before the moon had practically attacked him. It had only taken a fake moon to render him useless. Still recovering from the scare back there, he swore his bones were hurting. As her eyes flickered on the page, Hermione squealed, “Draco, you're a genius! This book is just what we needed! Check this out. Basilisk venom is extremely powerful, and could kill a person within a minute, causing anything damaged by the venom fatal damage that could not be repaired. Do you think that’s why Dumbledore gave us the sword? The sword was used to kill a Basilisk back in second year! I’ll have to get books on any information with goblin made blades".

Smoothing his hair back and shoulders straight, Draco bragged, “Thank you darling. That is exactly what I had intended when I pulled out the book,” as the two other boys rolled their eyes at him. With new found motivation, Hermione called over the nearest dragon and showed the page discussing what new books they needed.

Chapter Text

After the wedding, Molly and Ginny Weasley had volunteered at the castle. Hogwarts, with the help of Kingsley and Andromeda, was turned into a medical center and refugee camp for the war. In the months after the failed evacuation, it was getting worse for the wizarding world under the new cruel regime of Voldemort. The Dark Lord had his loyal followers destroy every wizarding hospital throughout his campaigns for more control.

The Order was struggling in the battlefronts as Voldemort’s army dismantled the other ministries throughout Europe, growing more powerful with every fallen government. Since Dumbledore’s death, the Order was in disarray. Dumbledore had been the face of the Order of the Phoenix. His death had implications to the war effort. There were too many people in the background, trying to fill in the spot of the late headmaster. It made trying to stay a cohesive unit difficult. A simple task had to go through many people before a final decision was finally made.

This was a stark difference with Voldemort, who was the only face of his army and only one allowed to make the decisions for his movement. Voldemort was using the confusion that Dumbledore’s death had left to his advantage.

As a result, the Order was losing more territories as the weeks passed by. To make it more dark, the Order were losing numbers on their side by the day. Many of the soldiers for Mad-eye’s army were either missing or a casualty of war. It became clear what goals Voldemort had. The Dark Lord wanted to demolish any signs of the former government and force all civilians to follow his new empire.

His end goal of uniting the European wizarding community under his regime was on the horizon. Once this was achieved, the last step of his grand plan was to begin hunting down members of the Order of the Phoenix, Mad-eye’s army, and any sympathizers. Crushing people’s hope and extermination of the Order was the only way to gain total control. No one would be left to challenge Voldemort, including the chosen one.

After the fall of France’s Ministry of Magic, the Ministry of Magic for Germany had collapsed under the advancement of Voldemort’s army. That had been part of Voldemort’s strategy. The man knew that the French government, after the British government, was a powerhouse. If he had his Death Eaters focus on the surprise invasion of France's Ministry of Magic, one by one the rest of the countries and fortresses would fall before the Dark Lord. The fall of France was Voldemort's breakthrough for the road to success.

It wasn’t all bleak for the Order of the Phoenix. With the help of the Black Cat Society, they had been forewarned about the fall of the 3rd ministry. The Order had made the difficult decision with the bought time to let another government fall to Voldemort’s army in exchange for evacuating witches and wizards before the borders closed down.

Due to the crossfire and another perished government, thousands were evacuated from towns and cities, separating family and friends. This evacuation was the largest migration of witches and wizards in wizarding history. For many children, this was a period of personal loss, having to separate from family as fathers stayed behind or mothers went to the market but never came back from the nonstop raids. Many of those who stayed behind, endured the bombing and arson and were made homeless. For those who remained, it was not by choice as many were too old to flee or lacked the funds to run.

The one group that the Order failed to evacuate were those categorized as magical creatures. It couldn’t be said if they had prioritized humans during the country wide evacuation or they were simply forgotten. Afterwards, it was heard through the grapevines that there was an underground transportation network rising under Voldemort’s nose. It could only be hoped that those left behind would find the other secret rebels that would aid them out of the country.

Once all who could be evacuated before the closing of the border was saved, Alastor Moody began a new operation to protect what was left of the borders and keep the enemy’s line from gaining more territory. He moved his army to the border of Scotland and England in an effort to defend the borders.

While Kingsley was operating the Hogwarts home base and Mad-eye was the general for the war, Remus Lupin was touring the continent in an effort to gain allies and support for Mad-eye’s army. In one of these tours, Lupin had come to a deal with the leaders of Ireland. Thanks to Ireland being a separate island, it was isolated from the war and yet to be affected by it. However, the Irish Ministry feared that if Hogwarts and Scotland fell to Voldemort’s regime, they would be next.

During discussion with Lupin, Ireland had agreed to send all their troops over to Scotland to aid the battlefront. All those who had lost their home, country, and government due to the second wizardry world would find a temporary home in Hogwarts inside the borders. That was how Hogwarts found itself as the homebase for the continent’s medical center and refugee camp for incoming victims of the war, emphasizing the importance of keeping the school from falling again. All resources were sent to keep the wards of Hogwarts intact.

Back at Hogwarts, Andromeda’s work was essential. While Kingsley Shacklebolt was in charge of housing the incoming refugees and mobilizing the medical and potion supplies, the witch had taken up apprentices. There had been a shortage of doctors and nurses after the rise of Voldemort. The constant number of injured witches and wizards on the battlefront influenced many medical staff to play a role in the war. Many of those who were medically trained had signed up for Mad-eye’s army as field and combat medics to help those on the battlefield.

Andromeda had chosen to stay behind at Hogwarts. The Black sister felt she was needed more at school than on the battlefield. Since Hogwarts was short on medical workers, she found herself training new future nurses under her command. All those who chose to be trained by Andromeda were Hogwarts students who lost a school year due to war. Many of her students consisted of Hufflepuff students, all of the 6th year survivors of Ravenclaws, the single 7th year survivor of Ravenclaw, and two Gryffindors, Ginny and Longbottom.

The Slytherin house on the other hand was at a loss on what to do with many of their Pureblood families siding on the other side of the war. Many Slytherin students found themselves going into hiding from Voldemort into other nearby countries and while some ran to Hogwarts for shelter. Most Slytherin students were scattered across Europe. Only a few had chosen to become Death Eaters.

Draco Malfoy's death had caused a deep effect on the house, creating a divide. The Order were afraid of a new generation of death eaters joining the war. It was one of the failures they had acknowledged from the first war. Their generation had claimed victory too easily after the disappearance of Voldemort. After his disappearance, life went back to normal without addressing what caused Voldemort to rise in the first place.

The first war was used by corrupt politicians to sweep up competition and grab onto power. Many leaders had been bought, sweeping many issues under the rug. They had accepted money under the table to forgive many war crimes and criminals of the first war. The failure to extend a hand to the Slytherin house was felt after the first war. If they were to survive the second rise of Voldemort, the Order had to demolish everything they thought they knew about light and dark wizards. To stop another generation of new death eaters, Madeye and Mr Lovegood had spread a massive influx of propaganda on Draco’s death. Just as Madeye promised, Draco, the martyr, became the poster boy for the war alongside with the chosen one. His death had been used to wake up the Slytherin house and Europe’s pureblood community to choose a side. Some, among the elusive community, had chosen to side with the Order.

~

Ginny’s POV

After a day of training under Nurse Andromeda, Ginny was exhausted. She wasn’t too sure why she was here as she had no prior plans to be a nurse when she graduated from Hogwarts. Before the war started, Ginny had always seen herself playing pro for quidditch but every aspect of her life was falling apart. The witch felt like she needed to do her part for the war. It was the only thing she could control. Hogwarts became her sanity, which she strongly gripped onto amongst the chaos that had become her life. Her friends were gone. Harry had left her. Her classes and professors were no more.

Minus Percy, every single family member of the Weasley clan was actively fighting in the war. Fred and George were working to find a new way to communicate with Mr. Lovegood. Charlie and Tonks were in Romania recruiting fighters and dragons. Bill and Fleur, who should have been on their honeymoon, were investigating the rumored labor camps and rehabilitation centers. Her father was on the battlefield with Mad-eye’s army, which just left her and her mother. Ginny had been left behind by all. She was too young to help the adults but too old to hide in the innocence of a long gone childhood. As she spent more days with her mother, it was difficult seeing Molly become a shell of her former self.

Since Percy was still missing, everyday with no news of her son Molly was going insane. With Ginny giving her a push, Molly decided after the Order of Phoenix meeting that she wanted to help Andromeda. If she wanted to keep going, Molly needed to get her mind off of her missing son. Volunteering at Hogwarts became the answer for the two Wealsey women.

Soon Molly found herself starting a list of the incoming children and families as a way to reunite war torn up families. She read this list hourly, helping the new arrival see if their missing loved ones were here. The successes in reuniting families gave Molly a momentary glimpse of hope that she would find Percy too.

At the moment, Ginny was at the medical center with Neville Longbottom and Camellia Chang, who were also training. Ginny had signed up to work with nurse Andromeda. With Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy on a secret mission somewhere in the outskirts of England, Ginny had been hesitant to hang out with Camellia after the events of Dumbledore’s army but if she wanted to hang out with Neville she had to. Somewhere between year 5th and 6th, Neville had become fast friends with Camellia.

For Ginny, it was bizarre to watch them together as if they had always been friends since 1st year. She didn’t even know the two kindred spirits knew each other. Sure Camellia was polite and friendly with everyone at Hogwarts and it felt as if everyone was her friend, but Neville wasn’t the person Ginny expected to be inside Camellia’s inner circle.

The more Ginny thought about it, the more she realized that she had been so occupied with quidditch and Harry’s ‘Malfoy is a Death Eater’ theory that she had neglected everything else. It hit Ginny that she hadn't seen Camellia all year with her normal set of friends. She couldn’t help but ask herself, “What did happen after Umbridge discovered the secret meeting of Dumbledore’s Army? Certainly they didn’t have enough influence to have the whole school outcast Chang”. It was only after watching how Neville and Camellia interacted, did Ginny realize something had gone down at school. The two were lonely friends, who found each other. A feeling Ginny was now familiar with.

Still keeping her distance, Ginny felt numb to everything around her. It was the same routine daily but one she needed. A shift at the hospital center to heal those who could be healed. Mourn for those who couldn’t be saved but that only for a few seconds as it was essential to go to the next patient. End the day, sleeping in her dorms before her routine inevitably started again the next day.

That was her life now, hospital shifts and sleep. Keep her mind busy. During her lunch break, which was rare as many injured soldiers from the battlefield came to the medical center, Ginny would spend her break watching out the window. It was during this time that Ginny allowed herself to feel sorrow and grief that had seeped deep into her bones. Let it escape before putting on a strong front once again.

She’ll let herself feel the regret of never truly making up with Hermione before the trio had gone on their secret mission. They were close last year but out of nowhere the two grew distant. At first, she had blamed Lavender and Draco for taking Hermione away but now it was all meaningless now. Excuses were what they were. Hermione had grown into her own while Ginny stayed the same. She was more mad at herself, which is why she didn’t fight Harry on their break up. The two needed space. They had chosen to make anyone not inside their immediate circle an outsider while Hermione was making friends outside of her comfort zone.

At least she was on the same side with Harry, until he pushed her away or better yet Harry had outgrown her too. Ginny didn’t know which it was. As the school year neared the end, Ginny realized how unhappy Harry was. The only time he had a genuine smile on his face was with Hermione and Ron. He never shared the same smile with her, not really. His eyes always had shine in them for a certain PERSON and never for her. She didn’t take it personally because she knew Harry didn’t know it himself. That’s how Harry was. He was always oblivious to everything in front of him. Others knew his secrets before he did himself.

Despite her relationship issues, Ginny wasn’t concerned with Harry though. She was more stressed out with her friendship status with Hermione. During the rare quiet moment of the day, Ginny often beat herself up for not attempting to patch things up with Hermione at 12 Grimmauld place. She had so many chances over the summer but she didn’t. It wasn't the pride that stopped her but the fear of rejection.Fear Hermione wouldn’t let her back inside after all the words that had been exchanged in their friend group.

The night before Harry left for the secret mission, he had revealed to her that Hermione was married to Draco. It was there, the regret began. Despite her reservations for Draco, she always imagined being there for Hermione on her wedding day but the group’s friendship had been so shaky Hermione married with no one in attendance. Did Hermione really have no trust in them that she thought it was better to be alone for such an important life event?

When her thoughts weren’t on Hermine, they were on Percy, her lost brother. She thought of him often these days as well. Her and Percy had never been close to begin with. Their polar opposite personalities were too drastic to form a bond. He was head boy and was studious. He strived to do his best in everything. Percy was so ambitious in both his school days and career that she viewed him as a serious and arrogant person. His serious attitude made him a popular target for the Weasley pranks. She on the other hand was feisty, confident, and playful. As a result they never got along. Their 5 year age difference didn’t help either. Did she know Percy?

Busy with her own friends, Ginny had never taken the time to really talk to him. The more she thought about her brother, the more it made sense that he had been uptight against his other siblings. He was always the butt of the jokes. It made sense he didn’t want to get along with their family. “We never took the time to understand him, did we?,” thought Ginny, lost inside her thoughts. Now with him gone, Percy had the family wishing he was back home, including herself.

Struggling to accept this new reality, every night after a long hours work inside the hospital wing, she would go to the now turned co-ed dorms. There weren't enough beds to house everyone. Not enough to house girls and boys separately. Sometimes during her walk to bed, she often had to stop herself from crying. It happened every time she saw an empty bed. “When the war ends, will the Burrow be there? Will all her brothers survive? Will her family be broken by the end of this all?,” Ginny asked herself as she peered at the long line of empty beds. Beds that used to house the Hufflepuff house.

She felt sick to her stomach, glancing at these empty beds every night. They looked so cold and lonely. These beds had an eerie feeling to them almost as if Ginny could feel the last moments of childhood leave the dorms. Once in a while, she allowed herself to imagine the sleep overs and nights her schoolmates must have gossiped in here. Gossip of a simpler time of what used to be spoken within these walls like who was cutest among the Hogwarts boys or who broke up with who. When Ginny imagined the life the dorms used to hold, she found herself grieving.

Now these beds were impacted with sadness. These beds captured the tone of the second wizarding war, especially the empty beds. The empty beds of those who failed to come back from the battlefront. It meant one of two things. The bed’s occupant had lost their lives or been taken as a prisoner of war. The empty beds were of students who were missing, dead, on the run, or taken captive. These beds symbolized the unknown fate of Hogwarts students lost to war. Students’ fates she wouldn’t know what happened until after the war or worse will never know. Students she may never see ever again. Ginny often closed her eyes to pray for everyone, even the students she never cared for before the war.

“This year wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Ginny thought as she glanced at her empty bed. This was supposed to be her 6th year. She was supposed to attend her classes. Prepare for her end of the year exam. Afterwards she should have run to the Golden Trio, asking how their 7th years newts exam went. In another life, Ginny walked alongside Harry inside the Hogwarts to the great hall, holding hands. She was to play quidditch with Harry as the captain. The stands were to be filled with students dressed in their house color, cheering for their house. Instead, Ginny walked every night to her bed, remembering the war happening outside of these walls. The harsh reality of war.

Her break up with Harry, the only boy she ever truly wanted since 1st year, made it hard to deal with her feelings. She had two previous boyfriends, Dean Thomas and Michael Corner, but those break ups did not linger on like Harry’s did. It was hard to be at the end of it this time. The end of a truly bad heartbreak. Now Ginny was the one struggling to get back on her feet. There’s nothing to do but wait to see if her loved ones would come back. She stared long and hard at the empty bed before Longbottom broke her focus by laying his hand on her shoulders. Longbottom shared a weak smile at her. “Come on, let’s get ready for bed. Our hospital shift starts in a few hours," Longbottom said, as they two turned to the empty bed across from Ginny’s view.

Taking a deep sigh, Ginny peered to see who was at the doorway. It was HER. Camellia had followed Neville to find Ginny. Like Neville, Camellia knew how much Ginny was struggling. The 7th year Ravenclaw could see Ginny falling into a depression like she had after the events of Dumbledore's army incident. Camellia tilted her head, wondering who Ginny was thinking of. Hermione? Percy? Her father, who was alwaying coming in for injuries only to go back directly in the battlefront. One of the most dangerous jobs at the moment was a soldier for Mad-Eye.

Camellia walked over to Ginny as she sensed the sadness coming from the redhead. To Ginny’s astonishment, Camellia reached out for her hand to hold it with a smile that the student body used to be fond of before Chang had disappeared into isolation. Ginny had always seen this smile from a distance but now she was at the receiving end. The old smile that went away in Camellia 's 6th and 7th year had come back for Ginny at this moment. The Ravenclaw smiled at Ginny, letting the old Camellia come out just for her.

In admiration, Ginny stared at the freckles on Camellia’s nose and her shiny dark hair. She searched for any flaw but found none. Instead, she stared at her eyelashes that tinkled when Chang smiled. She stared at Camellia, the person that truly had his heart. The Ravenclaw tilted her head at Longbottom, signaling them to sit on the bed with Ginny. If this had been any year prior, Ginny would have stood up and left but she had no energy left in her. Without knowing why, Ginny found herself accepting Camellia’s hand. “I say we should sit here for a moment. I always found the silence sort of comforting,” Chang said, while Ginny kept her head down but continued to peek at her from the corner of her eye.

Still quiet, Ginny studied Camellia as if she was reading the inner workings of her soul. It was then she came to a conclusion that the Ravenclaw was one of the kindest people she had ever met. With how her school life had ended for her, her isolation, or the death of Diggory and housemates, Camellia had no reason to smile again but she was at this moment and it was for her. Even with how dark life seemed for them, Chang was still able to find her inner light to keep going. How was she doing it? So this was the person who could make Harry’s eyes light up. It was not the girl’s fault she had caught Harry’s attention and that Harry did not know it himself.

As Ginny looked on, she realized that Camellia didn’t know her own feelings about Harry, bringing a long gone smile to Ginny’s own face. A smile Ginny thought would never come back. If Chang had known her feelings, she wouldn’t be here with her. The interaction would have been awkward. “How fitting,” Ginny chuckled to herself. The two were oblivious to their own feelings. Anyone who watched Harry and Camellia during school knew the secret attraction they had with each other but themselves.

Ginny nodded to herself, as Camellia continued to hold her hand. The Ravenclaw brought a sort of comfort to Ginny that she laid her head on the Chang’s shoulder. “I understand now. I understand why she has your heart Harry. Camellia has me, wanting to be her friend too,” Ginny thought to herself. The new trio stared at the empty bed, across from them, sharing silent tears together. The bed belonged to a volunteer that went to fight in the battlefield but never came back. Ginny didn’t ask for the unknown person’s name. It would hurt more if she did. She should have as the three huddled together.

Chapter Text

POP! It was morning when Kreacher suddenly appeared in the tent. The Golden Trio was having a simple meal of eggs and sausage this bright morning. Draco on the other hand watched on the sideline as he already had his meal of raw meat beforehand. With the appearance of Kreacher, the room stood up before running over to the house elf. If Kreacher was here it only meant one thing, the Order had located the whereabouts of Dolores Umbridge.

The house elf had been ordered by Remus and Mad-eye not to apparate into the tent unless it was for any news on Umbridge. With excitement in the air, Hermione called out, “Kearcher! I’m so glad to see you!,” as she hugged the little house elf from pure delight to see someone outside their small horcrux party. It had been a while since the group had last seen Remus and Moody. The war was getting worse with each coming day. They wanted to complete their mission as it was the only way to end the war they found themselves in but the lack of progress was making everyone anxious.

“Do you have good news to share with us?,” asked Hermione while Kreacher hugged the witch back. With Grimmauld Place empty most days, he found he missed the children, even the ones he didn't particularly care for, Harry and Ron. Kreacher turned to Draco before giving a small bow towards the Slytherin Prince. The elf did not bother to look at Harry and Ron but changed his mind as he turned to make a stink face at the chosen one.

Sighing, Ron shrugged his shoulders as he told Harry, “Can’t win them all. At least Dobby likes us”. Ron could care less if the house elf disliked him and Harry. He never grew up with any so he didn't care enough to bond with Kreacher.

“Kreacher has updates on the Umbridge woman. The Order received word from the Black Cat Society. It is very reliable information. Umbridge has been seen once again at the former British Ministry of Magic as the newly appointed supervisor of the rehabilitation center. Kreacher had confirmed with his own eyes for Master Draco and Lady Hermione”.

There was a long pause as the group waited to see if the little house elf had anything to say but Kreacher remained quiet as he glanced at Draco. “That's great! We have an exact location for the locket. That’s good, right?,” Harry asked carefully as he turned to the other three. This was the lead they had been waiting for since the start of the Horcrux Hunt, but Kreacher did not look pleased. Instead, Kreacher appeared nervous. A stark difference from his usual grumpy demeanor.

Seeing this, Draco knew something was wrong as he pressed for an answer. “Kreacher, what did you see? That locket is very important. She has it right?”.

The elf hesitated before peering at the four children. Carefully picking his words, he studied Master Draco, scaring the golden trio for what he had said next. “The Umbridge woman has the locket around her neck. Kreacher has also seen the Rehabilitation Center but it is a horrid place. Kreacher asks Master Draco not to go. You are a filthy dog”.

Shocked, Harry shouted, defending Draco. It sounded as if Kreacher had bad-mouthed the Slytherin, which was highly unusual for the elf. “HEY! Don’t call Draco that! That’s rude!”. This had earned a shocked expression from Hermione as Ron glanced away. He frowned at how close Harry and Draco had gotten. “Wait, let Kreacher finish his sentence. Kreacher would never call him that name on purpose,” Hermione replied, seeing the house elf had something more he wanted to say.

“Kreacher wants Master Draco to sit out this mission. Master is a filthy dog under the new regime. This place is not for Master. Kreacher saw what happened to magical creatures like us. We are separated into two lines. Werewolves are not in the good line. Let Kreacher go in your place. Kreacher can’t lose another Master”.

The silence was heavy after Kreacher finished. The stillness in the air could be sliced with a knife. What did the elf mean? Kreacher still remembered the day Master Regulus died for him as if it happened yesterday. The young master was a gentle person, Kreacher told himself. No other wizard would have done what Regulus did. The image of the former Black heir taking the torture potion for Kreacher was still clear in his mind. It broke Kreacher when his beloved master had ordered him to leave. Not a day went by that the house elf didn’t think about Regulus Arcturus Black. Years had passed yet the guilt of leaving Master Regulus Black still hurt the house elf. It had been his job to serve the House of Black.

With determination, Kreacher eyed Draco, who stood in front of him. The only son of Regulus Black was walking into possible death. The Slytherin realized Kreacher was trembling as he kneeled, getting into eye level with the elf. “We've been over this before. I’m not your Master. We’re equals. I have to go. This isn't an option since we have to get that locket. I have to protect Hermione, Harry, and Ron. They need me. Our family needs me,” said Draco, attempting to calm Kreacher.

The house elf was in awe as he saw glimpses of his old master in the boy. “Our family needs me,” echoed inside the house elf’s mind. The same words Regulus told him that fateful day. Seeing how similar Draco was to his late Master, the stubborn house elf, who was stuck in his old ways of Pureblood traditions, argued back, “Draco is needed to protect the Golden Trio but who will protect Master?”.

Before Draco could respond, Harry surprised everyone. “I'll protect Draco. I’ll protect him for you and Hermione. I promise,” Harry replied as he put a hand on Draco’s shoulder. The house elf stayed quiet at the boy, who was similar to the late Sirius. “Could Kreacher trust Harry?,” wondered the house elf. Master Sirius had once made a similar promise to Regulus. Only for Sirius to leave Regulus and his family behind. He peered at the group once more before he turned to Draco. Kreacher watched Draco’s eyes. Eyes that resembled the late Master. It was then that the elf had come into a decision. He wouldn’t trust the chosen one. The boy was too similar to the late Sirius but it was Draco’s words that finally eased the house elf’s worries. The words, “I’m not your master,” echoed in his mind. Draco was right, Kreacher thought. He was not Kreacher’s master. No order can stop Kreacher anymore.

~

Kreacher took the group to an alley across from a popular cafe. Officers of the rehabilitation center often went here for breaks. It was here the group had decided to do a stakeout, watching everyone enter and leave until the house elf could point out which officers were the targets for the polyjuice potions. The potions were gifted by the Order for this moment.

With days of watching the ministry, Kreacher ensured their targets were high in the chain of command and close to Umbridge. He had memorized every corner of the layout of the former ministry. “There. Those are the officers you want. Kreacher watched them every day. They smoke in the back of the restaurant before going back to their shift. It’s the only time you can knock them out,” the house elf said as he pointed at the four older male officers. He gave a quick background on each of their targets. The four were low profiled Pureblood men, who were too unimportant to work closely under Voldemort but high enough in the Pureblood community to be high official officers in the newly formed rehabilitation center.

Just before the group could go after them, the house elf made certain to warn the children to be careful as these officials had frightening roles that determined the fate of magical creatures. The risk of being discovered as a fraud was too high as these workers interacted with many guards but it was the only these individuals that Kreacher could advise to Polyjuice as they often had daily afternoon meetings with Umbridge.

With one glance, Draco confirmed Kreacher’s fears to the Golden Trio. The snake recognized them as members of the Pureblood community. Often seeing them at various charity balls his mother organized for the ministry over the years but the werewolf also remembered them for a different reason. They were power hungry men. During the duel with Greyback, the four were one of the few in the audience to clap and give a standing ovation to his near death experience. In hindsight, Draco assumed this was their attempt at getting on Voldemort's good side.

Left with little time and with an urgency to retrieve the horcrux, the group went on head. After weeks of no update, this was their only lead. They couldn’t go back now. Using the stupefy spell to knock out the four officers, the group tied the wizards up with an incarcerous spell, leaving them only in their boxers in the back alley. “Okay Kreacher, we got it from here. I want you to go back to the 12 Grimmauld Place and wait for us to call you back,” Draco ordered. Without fighting back, Kreacher nodded, apparating out of the area and catching the kids off guard.

“He seemed a little too eager to leave us,” Ron muttered under his breath as they waited for the polyjuice to take effect. With their newly acquired identities, it was a race against the clock. There was no promise of the longevity of the potion as the Order had warned that it was a poor batch of polyjuice. The war had eaten up the Order’s high quality supplies and resources and had to make due with what they had. Resources were becoming hard to come by with the other side’s influence spreading into every sector of society. It hadn’t helped that the group were deep into enemy’s territory, the capital city of London. Resources were hard to deliver across the border of Scotland, where the refugee and hospital headquarters were located.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Hermione whispered, now under the disguise of a ministry official. They all stood out in the muggle city of London, wearing the same dull gray uniforms with matching officer hats and gloves. As they walked in the streets towards a public bathroom, Draco made a disgusted expression. “What a ghastly color. Grey! The Dark Lord couldn't have assigned black uniforms for the ministry instead? If I was still on the other side, this would be my reason for switching sides. I swear”.

Hearing the nonsense from the Slytherin as Hermione gently rolled her eyes at Draco, Harry couldn’t help but chuckle while Draco advised, “Remember, we have to use the title the Dark Lord from now on. We’re disguised as his loyal followers. Any other name and we’re outing ourselves. If we’re questioned in there, I want you all to pretend our loyalty goes so far that we can testify the sun shines out of that man’s ass”.

Giving the werewolf an annoyed glance, Ron nodded while he walked awkwardly towards the public restroom. It wasn’t just the redhead. Practically on top of each other, it seemed that the other two of the Golden Trio were walking in a standing formation too close to one another. Their hearts raced in anxiety. “Stop that! You all look like there’s a stick stuck up each one of your asses! You're all making my inner werewolf want to panic. I’m sensing all your feelings as my own,” Draco lectured in a hushed tone.

“It’s not my fault! This is my first time walking with something hanging between my legs! When I was Harry, I just sat on a broom the entire time so I never really thought about it back then,” Hermione defended while the dimwit duo gave an apologetic look. If this had been any other time, the snake would have poked fun at his wife but he was just as tense as they were. “Don’t think about it and just follow my lead. I’ve been here enough times as a boy with Lucius. I know my way around,” the werewolf suggested as they finally reached the destination.

Getting behind other ministry employees, the conversation between the group halted as they reached a line that led to the toilet stalls. One by one everyone in front flushed the toilet until it was the group’s turn. Draco stood back wanting to be last in case something happened. The werewolf watched on as Harry and Hermione left but Ron remained. There was a slight hesitation with Ron as he peered down at the toilet. “What’s wrong? I can’t go until I know you left too,” Draco whispered, ensuring no one else heard them. The flushing of the other stalls hid their voices.

Ron glanced up in a mixture of disgust and fear as he stepped into the toilet bowl, trying not to gag. “This is revolting. We have to flush ourselves into the ministry. They couldn’t have thought of a better travel method?,” the redhead complained. Ron struggled to breathe as he held the flusher. It had just hit him what they were walking into. From the stories the house elf told, they were lambs walking to a lion’s den with only a single guard dog protecting them.

At the daunting task, Ron didn’t know how they were going to accomplish their mission. Kreacher had revealed that there were 9 dozen workers just in the sector they were going to. If they got discovered, the group would need to fight them all, which intimated Ron. Something always went wrong in these adventures the Golden Trio went on, but this time it was different. Not only was it a matter of life and death but if they failed the group would be the reason the Order lost the war. The pressure piled on the more Ron thought about it.

Draco peered over at Weasley, witnessing the sudden nerves from the boy. Wanting to grab his immediate attention, the Slytherin used his full birth name, causing Ron’s eyebrows to raise.“Ronald. You know, I’ve always hated you from the moment I met you. I get such enjoyment picking on you and seeing how much you hate me back”. Flabbergasted, Ron huffed in a mixture of annoyance and anger. Now was not the time to fight, Ron thought to himself but he soon became confused at what the snake told him next. “So this next part, you’ll know I’m being sincere. I need you right now more than ever”.

Ron tilted his head, giving a look of disbelief at the werewolf before narrowing his eyes at Draco. “Was this a trick?,” the boy thought to himself.

“You’re the anchor of this group. I hate to admit it. But with my lycanthropy and whenever it’s close to the full moon, I’m too unpredictable and rageful. Harry is too impulsive and stressed out. Hermione has been on edge ever since she’s seen me almost die twice”. The Slytherin Prince took a deep breath. Almost as if it was painful for him to admit but he went on, “I need you to stay sane for us. I’ve been watching you for guidance because I trust your unclouded judgment. You have the clarity we don’t have at the moment. If I’m the protector of the group, I need you to be our commander. Please don’t start doubting yourself now. As long as you're here, it calms me knowing there’s someone who still has their head straight”.

Stunned, Ron blushed at the person who had made his life miserable all these years. The sudden vote of confidence had caught him off guard. Draco, who he hated with his whole being, trusted him. Very few people in his life had acknowledged him in this way. Often going ignored in life, Ron wanted to believe Draco was mocking him but the look of seriousness on the werewolf’s face told him otherwise. Draco was being very serious.

“Please don't make me repeat myself,” the young werewolf murmured with an awkward expression. Before Ron could respond, the Slytherin pushed him to the toilet, urging him to go. Nodding with a renewed sense of determination, Weasley stepped forward as he flushed himself down into the former Ministry of Magic.

As they entered into the halls of the old Ministry, Draco walked right behind Ron, making their way to Harry and Hermione. “They’re by the statue,” Ron pointed out to Draco on where the duo were. When they got closer to the statue, it appeared different. But unlike Draco, who’s visited the ministry countless times, Ron had only been there once with his father. The red head whispered to Draco, “Your family practically lives at the ministry so you’ll know but is that new? I don’t remember that statue being there”.

Studying the new sculpture from afar, Draco gulped before he answered, “Yes, it seems the Dark Lord redecorated the place”.

As they met up with Hermione and Harry, the bright witch tried her best to hide her frightened expression while Harry stood still. He held her hand as best as he could to calm her down before Hermione panicked. She let go remembering Harry couldn’t as long as they were polyjuiced as adult male officers. It was certainly out of character for these two men to hold hands at a professional setting, Hermione thought. “Are those….” Harry asked but was interrupted by Hermione, “Muggles and magical creatures”.

The four peer up at the sculpture that took up a good portion of the room. It was a statue of Voldemort crushing those inferior to him as it depicted muggles struggling to hold up the platform where Voldemort stood. Underneath them were a mountain of dead bodies of various magical creatures such as vampires, house elves, centaurs, dragons, goblins, and giants. In one hand, the Dark Lord held the chain of a centaur locked up around its neck. On the other, he held up a decapitated head of a werewolf, showing no mercy. Those who were muggleborn bowed down to the leader of the new dark regime.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered in a teary voice as she peered at the deceased werewolf while Draco grew pale. Stepping forward, Ron spoke softly as he ushered the group away from the terrifying sight, “We’re polyjuiced remember. No one knows who we actually are. As long as we don’t divert attention to ourselves, we’ll get out of this place in one piece. We can do this as long as we’re not separated”.

Harry leaned towards Hermione, “How long did you say this batch of polyjuice is going to last?”.

With fear settling in, she gulped, “We don't know but we have to endure it and take a risk. This might be our only chance for the locket”.

Stepping into the elevator and ready to head to their daily meeting with Umbridge, Hermione tried to comfort herself with the thoughts of their vague plan, “This should be easy enough. Go to their meeting with their boss, Dolores Umbridge. Stun her unconscious. Grab the locket and leave the ministry before anyone notices”.

As Ron went for the button to close the elevator, a 5th officer held the door open, scaring the group. “Where do you think you're going, Officer Cromwell? You're expected downstairs with your mudblood of a wife. She’s being prosecuted by our senior Umbridge soon. Better hope Umbridge finds it in her heart to make a quick death of your family or it’s off to the camps for you”. The unknown officer faced Ron with heated intensity as the red head froze. “You bring shame to our community. To think another good Pureblood family has fallen,” the man hissed before spitting into Ron’s face.

Trying to regain control of the situation, Draco stepped forward as he eyed this 5th officer’s name tag. “Don’t worry Officer Wilson. We’ll make sure Cromwell doesn’t go anywhere. We’re headed there as we speak. It’s our pleasure to teach this muggle fucker a lesson before his trial”.

With no warning, the snake smashed Ron’s face into the wall. “What do you say? Dear old friend. Should the three of us show you a good time before the trial? Since you like to fuck muggles it’s only right fuck it out of you,” Draco threatened as he licked Ron’s ear. The 5th officer gave a hearty laugh pleased at the sight of the other loyal and committed purebloods officers. Saluting the other three while Ron was crouched over in pain, Officer Wilson closed the elevator. With eyes still on them, Draco used Ron’s face to push the elevator’s button. As soon as the doors closed, Draco spit out the taste of Ron in the corner.

“What the hell was that!,” Ron complained as he held his face in pain.

“Sorry about the face. We need to stay committed to our role. In my experience, the most hateful people have the most twisted tendencies. Most of the Death Eaters that I spent last summer with were fucked in the head. I wasn’t far off in my act,” Draco explained as he rubbed his tongue against his sleeves.

Diffusing the tension in the elevator, Hermione said out loud, “Quick thinking, I think that man really believed us”.

Remembering what the man said, Ron's eyes widened as he began to hyperventilate. “Oh my god! What am I gonna do? My wife is all alone downstairs on trial and I’m going lose my virginity to officer Spencer,” Ron uttered, pale faced. “You don’t have a wife and no one here is getting raped. Officer Spencer is Draco, remember,” Harry tried to calm the rising panic in the elevator. Things were beginning to go off course on their plan. “Oh right... I forgot we’re polyjuiced. These disguises make it hard to remember who you three are”.

Before the group could formulate a new plan, the elevator made an unexpected stop, catching everyone off guard. No one pressed the button for this floor. They remained still, waiting for the doors to close but it didn’t. Instead an officer who was guarding the floor, stepped in front of them. With an annoyed expression, he peered at Draco, “Aren’t you getting off? It’s your turn on the floor today”. The only thing the werewolf could do was salute before stepping off. He quickly looked around, realizing what the man that he was polyjuiced as did in the ministry. With heavy footsteps, Draco made his way to an assembly line. Before he disappeared down the hall, the young werewolf glanced back at the golden trio with clear terror in his face. Nothing was going according to plan as their bad luck separated them.

“Everything will be fine! Draco always finds his way back to me. We gotta move forward,” Hermione whispered more to herself than the duo. As Ron arrived at his stop to see his ‘wife’, Harry whispered to him, “Remember you were just assaulted by Officer Spencer. Act upset. Once me and Hermione get the locket, we’ll come find you”. The red head turned to look at his friend, hissing through his teeth, “There’s no need to act. I am upset! I’m scared shitless!”.

Not knowing what else to say, Harry replied, “Good just like that. Trials take long so we’ll be there to get you before anything happens to you”.

The two remaining members of the Golden Trio stood closer to one another as they watched Ron reluctantly step off. They could only look on as Ron was directed towards his ‘wife’ by other employees at the ministry. It was getting difficult to keep a cool head as Harry's hands trembled. As the door remained open, Hermione groaned but the trio froze at the sight of who just entered the elevator. Umbridge walked in, silencing the small space.

With sweat dripping down their faces, Hermione and Harry questioned why the elevator had refused to go once more. “Officer Flint, this is your floor. Get off. It won’t move otherwise. Unless you have decided not to defend our lost colleague and have come back to our side to prosecute the mudblood lover, step out,” Umbridge smiled in a fake soft voice as she stared at Harry.

The Golden Girl sensed herself choking as their plans once again went haywire. Following Draco’s example, she kicked Harry. “Get out blood traitor! Those who defend mudblood lovers are an embarrassment to our cause,” Hermione yelled as Harry fell on the floor. Shocked at what Hermione had done to him, Harry's mouth hung open before remembering where he was. Sobering up, Harry kept his head down, avoiding the pink toad's gaze and made his way to the courtroom. They needed to do their best to stick to what was left of the plan.

Now alone with Umbridge, Hermione faced forward as her mind attempted to think up of a resolution for the predicament the group found themselves in. The worst had happened. The four of them had been separated in the worst place to be at, the rehabilitation center. “Good work, officer Rosier. We’ll prosecute and punish the Cromwells to the fullest extent of the law. Whatever argument they have in court, it won’t matter since I’m the judge scheduled today”.

Afraid her voice would reveal her identity, Hermione nodded as the two finally stepped off another floor. “By the way, I’m looking forward to hearing about what you have prepared for the case after this. I’ll see you downstairs. I just need to get a few things for the Cromwell trial,” Umbridge giggled as she made her way to her office.

~

Meanwhile Draco arrived at the floor. Before his eyes, magical creatures were lined up in one single file. The line led to a single desk at the front of the large auditorium. He saw the officer he was replacing. His stomach sank to the floor as he realized he would be the one responsible for determining which of the two lines the magical creatures went to. Although he didn’t know what was the fate of each of the two choices, deep down Draco instinctively knew. His inner werewolf was screaming at him to run away. Something he had never experienced before. If anything, his inner werewolf usually had gotten him into trouble as it blindly darted into danger during the full moon. The young werewolf peered up as he saw the auditorium he had known as a child had changed.

Lining the wall, there were hundreds of cages with prisoners in each one from the bottom of the floor to the ceiling. Each of the occupants were waiting for their turn to be processed and to be called to the line. As he swallowed, Draco could feel his heart racing. Sensing all the emotions of the creatures around him, every step he took towards his desk he felt as if he would vomit. Dread filled Draco as it dawned on him that he didn’t even know which was the good line. How is he supposed to determine who was to live in the rehabilitation centers and who died?

Quickly, the Slytherin observed the two lines behind the desk, attempting to figure it out. The left line went to a mysterious door. His ears picked up screams in the far distance of whatever was behind it. While on the right, Draco heard a combination of sobs and the clicking of the chains before. “This is fine. I’ll send everyone to the right while I wait for the Golden Trio. I can do this. We can still complete the mission. Ron will make an exit strategy for us,” Draco murmured to himself, trying to calm his nerves.

Before he could get a false sense of security, he was hit with an abundance of the scent of werewolves. Panic began to set in as it hit him like a ton of bricks. Each werewolf in the room could smell him like he could them. “Would they reveal he was one of them to the officers?,” Draco wondered. His eyes darted towards the section of the wall where cages appeared to be filled with humans from every walk of life.

These people at first glance appeared out of place next to the other magical creatures but they weren’t. Draco was staring at his own kind, werewolves. As he connected eyes with a few of them, Draco’s deepest fears were confirmed. The entire section was watching him very closely, waiting on his next move. The trapped werewolves knew what he was too as they rattled in their cages. Werewolves, who happened to be in the line, focused on the Slytherin Prince confused as they took a quick sniff of him.

“I’ve come to release you. You're free to leave,” Draco replied in an indifferent and bored tone while he waited for the officer to get up from the chair. As the officer gathered his things, he looked at the werewolf section, “What’s gotten to those filthy dogs?”. While the officer took a step closer to see what had riled up the werewolves, Draco did the only thing he could think of, imitate Lucius. Lucius oozed an menacing aura whenever Draco had accompanied him to the ministry as a kid. He used to watch as ministry officials panicked into submission to each one of Lucius’ demands. Invoking Lucius, Draco walked over to the unsuspecting officer as he kicked the man to the floor. “I don’t got all fucking day. Leave the damn dogs alone. I’ll send them all to their deaths soon enough”.

The officer peered up in surprise before he scurried towards the exit. The Slytherin slammed his hand down to his desk, playing a role of a lifetime, “I swear I’m surrounded by imbeciles! One of these days I’m going to fucking lose it!”.

The other guards in the room avoided his eyes as Draco’s temper took center stage. As he sat down, the next creature in line came up, trembling in fear. “Appear mad like my ancestors,” the last male Black thought to himself. It was what Bellatrix did to get her way. Before he could change his mind, Draco sent every magical creature in front of him to the right. He didn’t try to attempt to do an examination of whether the prisoners could work in the labor camps or not. That would give him away that Draco was not who he said he was.

Draco yelled, “Right!,” as his body fumed with rage while his colleague avoided his apparent wrath. But 30 minutes into his shift, the guards around him began to whisper. They had noted that no one was going to the left door but the magical creatures had caught on what the imposter was doing. He was helping them. The caged werewolves that lined the walls settled down as they watched Draco take over the floor.

With hesitant suspicion, one guard to the left of Draco confronted him. “Hey, what are you doing? You haven't sent a single creature to the left line”.

As the Slytherin slammed his hand against the desk, Draco snapped his head with his eyes going dark. The sudden movement caused the guard to flinch, but it was too late to take back his words. Using the wordless and wandless spell, Ardenti Aqua, Draco directed it on his victim, displaying the gap of power between him and the surrounding officials. “What’s taking them so long?,” the young werewolf wondered, wanting to be done with this place.

Without warning, the guard screamed as he burned into a blood-like liquid, turning into nothing but a mer puddle as the acid worked on the unknown man. The terror-filled scream echoed in the auditorium as every male guard gasped at the scene while the werewolves howled in a mixture of excitement and hysteria. The hall erupted into chaos. Standing up from his chair, Draco shouted at the top of his lungs, “SILENCE!! I FUCKING TOLD YOU ALL. I GOT NO TIME FOR YOUR COMPLAINTS. I WAS SERIOUS WHEN I SAID I HAD ENOUGH OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU”. Draco huffed, allowing his werewolf to take control into pure rage for survival.

The werewolves roared, sensing as the werewolf rage inside the man who was not who he said he was. Draco walked back and forth before pointing to the direction of the howling werewolves, “We’re going to have a good day. I will hear none of it. If you do anything else to anger me, I will personally end you and your bloodline. I’ll feed your guts to the werewolves over there!”.

Diving deeper into his rage, the Slytherin prince walked over to the nearest guard before pushing him to the floor. “Clean up this mess. NOW! I will have none of this bloody mess on my shift. I want these floors spotless”. He walked forward as he peered at every single male guard, “Back to work, ladies. Unless you have something to say to me”. Still in shock at the sight of the puddle that was once their colleague, the rest of the guards faced forward, understanding ‘Officer Spencer’ was not in the mood today to be messed with. “Come on guys. Get the locket already. I’m running out of time,” Draco thought to himself as he went back to barking orders.

~

As Harry went to win his apparent court case with Umbridge, he searched frantically for Ron. In the sea of the crowd, he found Ron, who had a frightened expression. Going up to him, Wealsey was frozen, unable to recognize Harry in disguise. While Harry leaned towards him, attempting to catch his attention with whispers, Ron peered back before darting farther away from the mysterious man.

Instead, Ron gave an annoyed look at who was following him. This threw Harry off as he second guessed who this man really was. “Was this not Ron?,” the chosen one worried as he gaslit himself. Maybe this person wasn’t Ron’s polyjucied form, but this man was also heading to the courtroom to see Umbridge. Deciding to take a chance, Harry whispered in a low voice, “Ron! It’s me”.

Ron gasped in surprise, happy to have found his friend. “Harry! Merlin, I forgot what you look like. Where’s Hermione?”.

“From what I gathered from the whispers, she will be in court to help prosecute you and your wife, but I think this works in our favor. Hermione will be close to Umbridge. Close enough to grab the locket. We’ll just have to find an opening”.

As the doors opened, the duo made their way towards the trial. They paused at the entrance. It felt as if Ron’s feet were glued to the ground but Harry pushed him towards his muggleborn ‘wife’. On the other end of the room, Hermione had arrived. She made her way to the stands with Umbridge and 30 other jury members. Sensing dozens of dementors hovering above them, Harry peered up but his ears picked up a buzzing sound. As he narrowed in on the noise, he realized it was coming from the Horcrux around Umbridge’s neck.

“Quite unfortunate that we must have this kind of meeting. A meeting to decide your fate. I was beginning to enjoy our friendship with our daily meetings,” Umbridge said in a fake soft tone as she sat in her seat. With cold eyes, she looked at the couple before her. “Here we have in front of the jury, Mr and Ms Cromwell. It has been recently discovered that your wife has forged her identity and she was born to a muggle family”. Umbridge took a pause as she turned to Ron, “Now Mr Cromwell, I come to value our friendship. We can even put this behind us if all agree this lowly life form has deceived you, lying to a good Pureblood man”.

The woman cried out while reaching out to hold Ron’s hand, “It's not true. I am a Pureblood. I come from the House of Avery. The reason why we lied about my ancestry is because I’m a squib. My parents disowned me and his family wouldn’t have agreed to marry us if they knew I had no magical abilities and no money. We had to lie. I swear it. Our children all have magical abilities. It should be no problem to keep the lie. Tell them Albert”.

While Ron froze, Harry slowly made his way behind the crying woman, waiting for the opening. “Your LYING. You're a muggle. You are not a witch or Pureblood. You're an abomination to our new regime and must be dealt with properly. We’re not here to discuss if you're guilty or not guilty, but to decide your fate. It’s already been decided you're a fraud,” Umbridge replied with a smirk growing with each word. The rest of the jury in the audience remained quiet, waiting which way this trial would go.

Glancing up at Ron, the woman fought back tears, “Albert, tell her. I’m a squib. We can still fight this”.

Ron shouted, choking up at seeing his panicked stricken wife, “That's not fair! My wife deserves a fair trial. We can prove it to you. Please! I love my wife. I can’t live without her”. He couldn’t let years of marriage end this way. They had children, the redhead thought to himself. Ron turned to Harry, “Officer Flint, can tell you too. He’s a close family friend. He knows my wife's real identity. As a member of the sacred 28 family, he can advocate that my wife comes from the House of Avery”.

At the sight of Ron passionately defending his ‘wife’, Hermione gave a deep sigh, seeing Ron take his role as a husband too seriously. He had forgotten why they were there in the first place. The bright witch peered up at the ceiling, begging Merlin for a way out of their predicament.

With determination to save his ‘family’, Ron marched towards Umbridge. As he pointed to her in an accusatory way, Ron had decided to use the new regime against the pink toad her as well. “In fact, I think you should be the one standing on trial while everyone in this courtroom decides your fate. You're not even a Pureblood. You're just a power hungry half-blood toad. I know your real background. While you can trick this whole courtroom, you can’t fool me. Your mother was a muggle and your brother’s a squib. I know because your father has worked at the ministry for 30 years as a maintenance worker, mopping the floors we walk on everyday. My wife is a Pureblood through and through yet, you have no shame to sit among us as a member of the Pureblood community!”.

Going pale, Umbridge stuttered as she tried to deny her real identity to the full courtroom but it was too late. Around the room, their colleagues were whispering among themselves. Finding confidence, Ron strolled around the room, egging on the purebloods that had come. “She’s nothing but a dirty half-blood! She has no right to sit among us! How dare she dirty our air with her presence!”.

With each sentence, the jury became furious at how they had been tricked by Umbridge. This woman dared to order them around when her family was not of value. “How did Cromwell know? It was a well kept secret. She had even sent her mother and brother away to the muggle world before starting her new life,” Umbridge thought to herself as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead. Ron smirked, knowing he had her cornered. He had only known because of his father, Arthur, who worked in the ministry. Arthur was close to most of the maintenance workers, greeting them every day. During a late night at work, Arthur had chatted with the man, starting an unexpected friendship.

Stuttering, the pink toad turned to Officer Flint, “I have power over you all. I can easily send you all to the death chambers. This is all a lie!”.

Harry smiled at the downfall of Umbridge. The very woman, who had made them suffer in 5th year. “Sorry Dolores, one mustn’t tell lies”.

From the stands, an idea came to Hermione. “This is our chance!,” she thought. The room’s fury had been directed at Umbridge. Years of her mean spirit had finally caught up to the pink toad. Taking full control of the courtroom, Hermione raised her hand, yelling to her fellow jurors, “It’s settled then. Dolores Umbridge has been found guilty of identity theft and impersonating a Pureblood. All those who agree to send Dolores Umbridge to the death chamber say, I!”.

Umbridge's eyes narrowed at Harry as the words ‘one mustn’t tell lies’ echoed inside her mind. She had heard those words before but where? Mr. Flint had been acting strange since the elevator. Almost as if he had been lost. She had to remind him to get off the elevator. Who was this person? After much thought, her eyes widened. Where she had heard those words came back to the pink toad. It was Harry under a disguise.

Before Umbridge could notify the room, the courtroom roared, “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!”. Seeing the recognition in Umbridege’s eyes, Hermione glued her tongue to the roof of their mouth with a langlock spell before pickpocketing the horcrux. With a look of betrayal that the pink toad gave her before it turned to realization, Hermione kicked the woman down the stairs. “Officer Flint, would you please do the honors of walking Dolores Umbridge to the chambers?,” Hermione asked as the court moved on the next case.

Now in high spirits with the Horcrux in their possession, Hermione whispered into Harry’s ears, “We did it! We won our first case,” as the trio left the room.

Off to the side, Ron told his ‘wife’ to go back home, get the kids, and pack bags to go on the run. Comforting the woman, Ron said there was something he needed to do but he was right behind her. Before he could react, he was enveloped in the crying woman’s arms as she gave who she thought was her husband. As they separated, she pressed her lips against his before running back home. Astonished at the passionate kiss, Harry and Hermione were surprised how well this mission is going so far. Wanting to tease Ron when they reunited, Harry joked, “Wow, Ron. Who would have thought you'll make a loyal husband and father. Almost had me swooning back there with your acting”.

Hermione tried to keep a straight face but failed as she chuckled. “Shut it. We don’t have time for this. We have to find Draco and get out of here. We should be able to find him as we walk down with Umbridge”. With Harry still holding her captive, Umbridge screams were trapped inside her mouth as she discovered the Golden Trio was here and Draco was alive. Seeing the commotion she was creating, Hermione knocked Umbridge unconscious before any more trouble could come their way. Avoiding the strange glances their way, the Golden Trio speed walked towards Draco, dragging the pink toad with them.

~

Back at the auditorium, Draco was still sending every magical creature to the right as he filled in his papers of every registered species going through. Every guard could see how bizarre officer Spencer was being. It was so out of character that the man was not sending anyone to their death, but the officer had proven his point. Today was not the day to mess with him. Everything was going in an orderly fashion until a ruckus was heard coming from the back of the room.

“OUT OF OUR WAY! Criminal coming through!,” Hermione screamed as she pushed the guards standing by the entrance way.

With Harry and Ron dragging Umbridge by her arms, they whispered to one another, “Geez, she’s a little violent. Don’t you think? I take everything I said at school back. They belong together,” Ron muttered under his breath. The Golden Trio skipped to the front of the line to meet Draco.

Draco raised his eyebrows at the new turn of events. Taking things in stride, the young werewolf announced to his colleagues, “Look over here ladies! We’ve been given a prisoner”. The guards murmured to one another, asking around if anyone knew why Senior Dolores Umbridge was here. In the confusion of the day, they accepted the sight before them. “Nice work you’ve done here, Officer. We got a filthy toad ready to be sentenced to the death chambers for you,” Harry saluted.

With no hesitation, the snake slaughtered Umbridge without peering up from his stacks of papers. He sliced her neck open as it bled on the floor with a wandless and wordless spell. Harry and Ron gasped not expecting that from Draco, but Hermione kicked their ankles, reminding them of where they were. Still in character, Draco screamed at Harry, “What are you doing just standing there! FEED HER TO THE WEREWOLVES! I’M FUCKING WORKING HERE!”. The werewolves locked in their cages rattled their bars while howling into the air.

The sudden uprising of the werewolves scared the guards while Ron whispered into Harry’s ears once more, “Like I said, they belong together”.

Harry, still paralyzed at the manslaughter of Umbridge, helped as guards came to drag her corpse over to the werewolves. Draco lowered his voice so only the duo could hear. “Ron, we have to make a plan to free everyone here. We can’t just leave them behind but we need to do it soon. I can feel the polyjuice potion wearing off”.

Astounded at the magnitude of what Draco was asking for, Ron yelled in a whisper, “Actually we can leave them behind! We can’t take anymore orphans! I just got used to you and there’s no time!” but Hermione chimed in, “We won’t be taking anyone in. We’ll just free everyone to give them a fighting chance”.

Draco turned back to Ron, who’s still stuck on what to do, “Look at those werewolves over there. That could be me”.

Frustrated, Ron grabbed his hat to squeeze it as if it was them who he was strangling. He knew they were right. “Fine! You win….oh noooo!!!” Ron squealed in a panic. “What is it!” Hermione asked but she soon found out what Ron had reacted too. Their hearts dropped to the floor as Draco grew back to his 6 foot self and transformed back to his usual appearance. His uniform appeared too tiny on him now. Ron’s eyes widened further as he pointed to Hermione, who was also changing.The polyjuice had run out for all of them.

“It’s HARRY POTTER! Get him!” a guard yelled in the far distance.

As Harry rushed over, he screamed, “Time to go!” but Ron shook his head. “Not yet, we can still do this. Hermione, Harry start opening everyone's cages. I’ll go open the house elves’ cages and ask them to help. Draco, scare the guards”.

The Golden Trio used stupefy on their way to the cages, taking down several guards. The magical creatures that were in line aided the group as they tripped incoming guards. Taking advantage of the chaos, the room’s occupants began a riot in the hall, attacking all who came for the group. It was the sight of the Golden Trio plus an 4th unknown black haired man that reignited hope to those who were trapped. Every freed caged individual ran out before joining the assault. Giants grabbed unsuspecting guards, squeezing them like bugs inside their palms. In pack formation, werewolves men and women hunted down every guard in sight. Magical beasts went ballistic on the men while vampires and goblins aided the house elves in opening the rest of the cages. Centaurs reunited with their tribe as they searched for an exit for the freed magical creatures.

Pulling out his wand, Draco started a fiery tornado in the middle of the room, distracting the workers. This tornado was the largest he had made so far. The wind threw guards off their feet and into the air as the tornado screamed like a roaring beast. It burned every guard alive while they were picked up by the storm. Those who were still on the ground closed their ears and eyes from the sound of the screaming winds. The tornado also surprised every magical creature. As they sensed the incoming danger within the Slytherin prince, they abandoned the hall, leaving the rest of injured guards to this mysterious boy. Those creatures, who were strong enough to withstand the winds, stayed behind to aid those who were still trapped.

With darkened eyes, Draco walked closer to the tornado. Like an orchestra conductor, he lifted both hands with a wand and grew the fire within the tornado. Giving a performance of a lifetime, Draco used his left hand to control the speed of the winds while his right hand drove the tornado to where he wanted it to go. Every time he raised his hands higher, the tornado doubled in size. He guided the tornado through the auditorium, making sure to suck in every guard into his man-made storm, killing them instantly. Once he was sure every guard had been killed, the young werewolf spun in a circle to release the tornado. The only sound left in the hall was the silence and the heavy breathing of his lungs, but that didn’t last long.

Hearing the Golden Trio run behind him, Draco turned as Hermione didn’t waste any time and grabbed him by his collar. As he ran along with them, the group made their way back to the hall with a limited number of open floos. Although the floos were not far off on the other side of the ministry, it felt like the longest minutes of everyone’s lives.

While they ran through every passage and corridor, more guards were altered and ran behind them. “Stop them! It’s Harry Potter!,” the guards shouted.

Quickly glancing behind her, Hermione screamed, “Faster! We’re almost there! We need to get to the floo network!”. A thought came to Draco as he yelled back, “Do we want to go through the floo network? They’ll track us with it”.

“We have no other choice!,” Harry replied as he led the way.

Ron fell down as he struggled to run, hitting his head on the floor. He was exhausted from the fight back at the auditorium. While he tried to get back up, it was no use. The whiplash of his fall stunned him into confusion. Not wanting to leave anyone behind, Draco, with the last of his werewolf strength, ran back for him before throwing the boy over his shoulder. The Slytherin pushed forward, feeling his previous adrenaline high was about to fail him too. Once he caught up with the duo, Draco noted Hemione was also slowing down.

Without hesitation, the werewolf carried her under his other arm as he chanted repeatedly, “HARRY! RUN! RUN!”. He continued to yell at Harry as a way to encourage him to run faster. It was the only thing Draco could do as he had no more strength to carry a third person. “THEIR RIGHT BEHIND US!”. Finally reaching the hallway of floos, their worst fears came true. Every floo they reached closed on them, making them race further to the next one. One by one, each exit closed on them. After the 6th floo, Draco slowed down, wanting to fall down.

However, Harry hadn’t given up yet and pushed Draco from the back. “We can make it to the last one. We can do it! Don’t give up”. Harry grabbed on to Draco’s forearm guiding them both to the last floo while Draco was starting to hyperventilate. “We’re almost there,” Harry screamed but as they were about to enter through the last floo, it closed them, making the group slam into a closed fireplace. Immediately turning back with their backs against the wall, they all watched in horror as an army of guards raced towards them. Out of energy, they clustered into a ball, waiting for impact before the last thing they expected happened.

POP! At the last second, Kreacher came, grabbing the children before apparating everyone out of the rehabilitation center. Still in daze, the group fell to the floor when the little house elf took them all back to the safety of their tent. With a frown on his expression, the house elf walked over to Harry, staring long and hard at the chosen one. “Kreacher was right in not to trust Harry Potter with the life of Lord Draco and Lady Hermione”.

Although he should have been insulted, Harry had never been happy to see Kreacher, who had just saved their lives and guaranteed deaths. They were indebted to the house elf. Ron and Hermione laid flat on the floor, trying to slow down their beating hearts. The witch turned to the redhead and with a flick of a wand closed the bleeding wound on his head. With heavy breathing, Draco asked with a tired voice, “How did you know we needed to be saved? I thought I asked you to go back home”.

With a sudden grin, the house elf turned to Lord Draco, “Kreacher never left you at all. You were never in danger. Kreacher rejected your order because Draco is not my master. Kreacher is a free elf and will never let another order stop Kreacher from saving another master”. As he processed the elf’s words, Draco’s mouth hung from disbelief. He had never been so delighted to be ignored until now, Draco thought to himself as he wrapped Kreacher in his arms in full gratitude.

Chapter Text

“So this is it? This is the Horcrux that had us running around like headless chickens. The Horcrux that we almost died for at the former ministry,” Ron said with one eyebrow raised in suspicion. Peering at the locket, Ron was not impressed. It felt like a normal piece of jewelry to the red head as he weighed it in his hand.

Draco grabbed it from Ron's hand to feel it. Unlike Ron, the werewolf immediately felt the looming aura around the locket. Almost as if it was draining him of any positive feelings he had. The more he peered at the locket the more he sensed the negative energy radiating from it. It spoke to him. Putting some distance between the object and him, Draco swore with his enhanced hearing it was murmuring back at him. No matter how hard he focused, the Slytherin couldn’t make out the words.

Self doubt simmered inside of him. He couldn’t tell if the locket was whispering his insecurities or was it all in his head. But once Draco heard a voice so weak speak out in Remus’ voice, “you’re no son of mine,” he held the locket further from him. It was the same words Lucius had told him. With a serious expression, Draco gave the locket to Harry. “I don’t like it. I think we should put it somewhere we can’t see it. Somewhere away from us,” growing more uncomfortable by the minute at what the Horcrux was saying to him.

Confused, Harry questioned, “What? No, we can’t do that. We have the sword the Black Cat Society gave us. Hermione has done the research from your family library and we can destroy it now. It’s what we've wanted to do for months”.

Shaking his head immediately, Draco explained, “Look, I can’t deny where I came from. I’m a dark wizard. My family has practiced the dark arts and Blood Magic for centuries. If I’m honest, I plan on raising my kids as dark wizards. It's who I am. I live for this type of twisted magic, but that right there scares me. I want it away from me. I've never felt magic like this before”.

“What did you feel? Can you sense it more than we can with your lycanthropy?,” Hermione asked with a slight inquisitive yet concerned tone. She inched closer, wanting to hear from him. If the locket was scaring Draco, she wanted to make a decision on whether to destroy it later or now. “Perhaps they needed to do more research on it,” she thought to herself. They really had no idea how Horcruxes worked even with the limited books from the Malfoy library. They were in uncharted territories in a new field of magic that had yet to be studied properly. From what she gathered, Horcruxes were incredibly rare. The first of its kind.

“Since I can hear better than the average human, it just… hurts my ears. It almost sounds like screeching nails on a chalkboard or high pitched sounds that won’t stop. My inner werewolf wants to panic as if we’re in danger. It’s throwing off all my senses into a loop. I think I can even hear it talking to me but I’m not sure. Magic can’t talk back. Can it?,” Draco turned to the group to ask.

But Ron, looking for trouble and wanting to ease everyone’s worries, poked the werewolf. Despite putting aside their differences at the rehabilitation center, they had no more reason to be on the same page. The unspoken rivalry and jealousy between the boys was back. “Aww doggy can’t handle a little white noise. Well, too bad. We can’t stop completing this part of the mission all because your ears hurt. Harry, we have to destroy it. This is what we came here to do”.

Reading the tension in the air, the locket screeched. The Horcrux dug its knife into the strain between Ron and Draco. It read Ron’s growing insecurity over Draco’s new friendship with Harry, but it went unnoticed by all but the werewolf. As he squeezed his eyes shut in pain, Draco heard the high pitched white noise. Blinded by the screaming, Draco snapped his head to the redhead. The hatred that emitted from the locket had slowly dug its claws into the Slytherin as he growled at Ron. His mind became consumed with the thought of just wanting the screeching to stop. As he snarled, it seemed the locket only screeched more. The necklace was using the heated argument to stay hidden among the chaos it had created.

With the werewolf suddenly furious at Ron, Draco narrowed his eyes at the boy. He had really thought the two of them had settled their differences after all the cease fire they had established at the ministry. Although the Slytherin was usually unbothered by the shenanigans created by the dimwit duo, tonight it had gotten to him that Ron was pushing back at anything he said. Why was Weasley determined to find ways to fight him? There were times Ron made snide comments about his lycanthropy but it was no laughing matter to Draco. He didn’t know the harsh reality of his condition. The red head referring him to a dog was like throwing salt at a fresh wound. Draco growled as his insecurities bubbled to the surface, “I should have left you to die back there at the ministry. It was a mistake saving you. You’re always fighting against anything I do or say”.

“ENOUGH!” Harry shouted while Hermione held Draco’s arm. The two heated boys stayed silent, waiting for Harry to speak. The two peered in disbelief at the sudden argument that had erupted between Ron and Draco. The day’s events had caught up to Harry. The exhaustion of almost getting captured was written on his face. Sighing heavily, Harry glanced at the two before setting his eyes on the werewolf. “To be honest with you, Draco, I’m not sure if the locket can respond intelligently to us. I thought I heard something in the trial room but too much was going on so I’m not sure. It’s… how I knew Umbridge had the real one”.

With a growing concern on her expression, Hermione reminded Harry and Ron, “It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if the Horcrux did have the ability to speak. I mean it does contain a piece of you know who’s soul. Not to mention Ginny did talk to Tom Riddle in a form of a journal her first year. It found her weakness and manipulated her. Maybe the locket holds the same ability”.

Draco raised his eyebrows at this turn of events. “Harry could hear it. That was not normal at all. The only reason he could was because he was a werewolf,” Draco thought to himself but before he could ask more questions, Hermione stepped in again.

“I think it would be better if we don’t destroy it for now. At least until I can find more information surrounding it. We know how to destroy the Horcruxes now but I’ve been thinking, we don’t know what exactly happens during or after an attempt to finish a dark item like a Horcrux. Will Tom know the moment we kill a part of his soul? What if he senses the locket’s destruction and goes to hide the others. Or he realizes someone has discovered his secret? The order and us have the advantage of him not knowing where we are, what we’re doing, or how many we have. We’ve succeeded in disappearing from wizarding society completely and it should stay that way”.

Throwing his head back at Hermione’s valid concerns, Ron sighed at their ever changing plans, “Okay, then we keep collecting all the Horcruxes until we find them all. When we do, we destroy the items with the sword at the very last second. So far, we destroyed the diary, Dumbledore destroyed the Grunts ring for us, and we found the third one. That only leaves us 4 more”.

Scrunching her face in confusion, Hermione’s thoughts surrounding the locket wavered. Should they destroy it? The locket screeches increased as it slowly invaded Hermione’s mind. Off to the side, Draco placed his fingers into his ears, growing more weary. “Wait! You reminded me of something Ron. We can’t destroy the locket. I don’t think it’s that simple. Over the summer, Remus told Draco and I that Dumbledore got himself cursed when he destroyed the Grunt’s family ring. As far as we know, the ring didn’t speak but there were dire consequences to getting rid of it. Dumbledore only had a year left to live. His hand was rotting off his body”.

The three boys grimaced at the image of a blackened hand as Hermione continued, “The headmaster was always going to die even if Snape didn’t kill him. The Horcrux caused his death. Give me more time to see if the locket poses any risk to us. What if each Horcrux varies in its abilities? There’s so much we don’t know”. Hermione bit her lips in fear of any of the 3 boys disagreeing with her. It seemed only Draco was on her side as he nodded along with her but he appeared distracted. “They had just survived an army of guards. They shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks”, she thought to herself.

“No! So many people and the Order are relying on us. We have to make up to them. I want to give them all good news for once. It’s been months since we gave good news,” Harry pushed back. He crossed his arms as he took a few steps back from the group.

The locket screeched louder, annoying the only person who could hear all of the white noise, Draco. Overwhelmed, Draco snapped. He picked up Harry from his coat into the air. His crawls grew in as his inner wolf was confused at the danger it was feeling but it was not able to pinpoint where it was. “I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU DO! DO SOMETHING! IT'S SCREAMING! HOW ARE YOU NOT HEARING IT? JUST MAKE IT STOP!,” the Slytherin Prince yelled, while surprising everyone with his sudden reaction. Taking advantage of the hysteria, the locket raised its cries, pushing the werewolf over the edge further. It knew exactly what to do to make Harry and Ron fearful of Draco.

With a pounding headache, the young werewolf dug its claws into Harry’s arms, wounding the chosen one. Harry screamed in pain as blood dripped down his arm. Unsure what was going on, Draco only focused on the thought he needed to hurt the source of the noise. The source of the screeching was coming from Harry, who held a locket inside his hands. Draco grew his fangs in with the intention of biting Harry’s hand.

As Draco went into a full rage, Harry moved causing him to bite Harry’s neck instead. He missed. Before Draco could go in for another attempt, Ron used the Flipendo spell on the werewolf. With the spell hitting his chest, Draco flipped backwards, breaking the couch in half with the force of his body weight.

As the screeching increased, it paralyzed Draco in place. Left with no other options, Draco covered his ears and placed his head between his legs. In a fetal position, the young werewolf began to tear up, begging for any relief while the locket went to its next victim. It tapped into that surrounding fear that rose. “It must be killed. Kill that filthy dog. It’s not human. It’s a beast. A monster. Kill it Ron. Kill it!,” the Horcrux whispered to Ron.

With his eyes set on Draco, Ron walked closer to the werewolf. As he raised his wand to the werewolf, Ron began to cast the spell, “CONFRIN—,” but he was stopped by Harry.

Seeing what was unfolding, Harry ran in front of Draco to protect him with his own body. Since Harry was quicker than Ron, he disarmed the redhead with an Expelliarmus. When both wands were on down, Hermione ran over to a weeping Draco. He murmured to Hermione, “It’s so loud”. As Draco laid his head against Hermione’s chest, she smoothed his back for comfort.

With Harry bent over the werewolf and arms stretched out, shielding him, he screamed, “Ron! Stop! Please! It’s not his fault. Look at Draco. The locket must be hurting him”. Harry peered at the Horcrux with a sudden fear before hanging it around his neck. “No one is destroying this locket for now. It’s not worth everyone’s safety. Hermione’s right. We need to do more research on it, but we shouldn’t put it away either. I don’t feel comfortable losing sight of something so dangerous. Someone, not Draco, needs to wear the necklace at all times. The three of us will take turns”. The screeching of the locket stopped as Harry, who was the last person, agreed not to destroy it. As relief came in, Draco glanced up when the high pitch noise finally stopped, but he was still in a daze. “It stopped. The screeching is gone,” Draco whispered out only for Hermione to hear.

With an uneasiness in the pit of her stomach, Hermione looked at Draco with her eyebrows together. “It stopped?,” she questioned.

Boiled in furious rage, Ron watched in jealousy as Harry protected Draco. “Are you kidding me? How could you stand there and protect a werewolf? He almost killed you. You're bleeding from your neck and arms. There’s blood splattered all over the floor. He’s manipulating you. Have you forgotten he almost poisoned me to death too? He's dangerous,” Ron yelled.

“Ron, stop! Don’t say anything. If the locket affected me this much, I know it’s getting to the three of you even if you all can’t hear it. The locket talks. I heard it just now. The Ron I know wouldn’t say this,” Draco stepped in as the headache that had been paralyzing him dissipated. Still recovering from the screeching, he knew better than to get angry at Ron. In truth, he wasn’t in the position to be mad at the redhead. Ron had only said the truth. He did almost kill him. Despite their complicated history, the werewolf still felt a responsibility to save what was left of the Golden Trio’s friendship. The moment they had escaped Bill and Fleur’s wedding Draco had been trying to repair everyone’s friendship. It was for Hermione. No matter what she said otherwise to Draco, Hermione needed the dimwit duo as much as they needed her.

The locket, although being worn by Harry, reached once more to Ron. The boy needed one more push. It needed to secure its safety to make sure the group wouldn’t destroy it. “Shut it! You werewolf! I meant every single word I said. You're a danger to us all. Harry is a coward for taking you as a friend after years of bullying and Hermione only forgave you because your fucking her. I never liked you. From the moment you came into our lives, I hated you. You're only here because you're an orphan and Hermione decided to adopt a dumb dog. You were never supposed to join the horcrux hunt”.

Hermione sends daggers to Ron with her eyes. She knew better than to believe Ron really meant what he said but it didn’t stop it from hurting less. Fury entered her. The person she was looking at wasn't the Ron she knew, but whoever this person was speaking those hurtful words had taken over her friend. She peered at Ron with a new set of eyes. It was as if someone was whispering to her what she should do next. It felt as if someone had crawled under her skin, using Hermione as a puppet.

With strength behind her fist, she marched forward, punching Ron in the nose and making her score 3 for 3. The bright witch smiled, realizing every boy in this room had been punched by her at some point and time. The moment of impact that her fist touched Ron’s nose, Hermione gasped at her own actions. She hadn’t meant to do that and hadn’t felt angry before. Where did her rage come from? As Ron crouched down in pain, Hermione stayed still, processing what had come over her to punch Ron.

Still under the locket’s influence, Ron wiped his bloody nose before confronting Hermione. Sensing danger coming for his wife, Draco immediately pushed her behind him. The locket went to its next victim and took a stab at the chosen one, who was still unnoticed by the other three. The Horcrux read Harry like a book, taking advantage of the boy's impulsiveness. It had decided to make the two best friends fight each other. The words,“you're a coward,” replayed in Harry’s mind in Ron’s voice. It wasn’t the worst thing he had been called in his life but something inside him wouldn’t let him let go of the word. Coward replayed inside his thoughts as anger simmered inside him. Rage he never felt before. “RON, THAT’S ENOUGH!,” Harry yelled back.

The redhead stepped forward, eyeing Harry up and down as if he was the traitor of the two. He spat at Harry’s foot, “You’re only defending Draco because you're an orphan too. You're both parentless freaks”. It was then Harry was done trying to play peacemaker. Harry stood face to face with Ron. A fight was about to break out between the two, with both boys eyeing each other down. Their fists clenched ready for a battle while Draco shouted to Hermione, “We have to do something before it gets worse”.

Hermione needed to stop this fight from worsening. Although she was upset and confused she had punched Ron, the witch knew she had to save both boys from themselves. Hermione needed to say something to stop them both from saying anything more they’ll regret. Something so shocking it would make everyone stop like a bombshell. Suddenly she spilled like a broken dam, “I don’t have parents anymore! My parents are gone. Gone. Gone. I’ll never see them again!”.

Hearing those words, Ron and Harry froze. Their eyes widened as Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands were in a tight fist as she trembled in a weak voice. “I killed a version of my mum and dad. I’m never getting them back. I wiped their memories of me to the point that I’m a stranger to them. It’s like my parents never had a daughter… It’s why I’ve been so distant and angry at Harry. I’m an orphan too, but I made myself one, which frustrates me more. I did it to protect them from you know who. He would have stopped at nothing until they had them. I killed my parents. I took them from myself…… It’s all my fault. I DID IT TO MYSELF!”.

Gasping for air, Hermione hugged herself as her confession hung in the air. They knew what she did. It was real now. Her parents really were gone from her life. She had kept this secret from her two friends for this long because they still thought her parents existed. Her mum and dad still existed in their minds. That had been enough for Hermionne to grab onto to keep from collapsing. To Harry and Ron, her parents were alive and well. That had given Hermione a sort of false inner peace. A lie that allowed her to dwell in ignorant bliss until now. The vale had been lifted. This was her true reality that she must endure. A reality that she took part in assaulting her parents' minds and ripped her existence from their lives.

Hermione gave a painful laugh. It worked. Her confession had made everyone stop arguing. Harry and Ron knew. The perfect being in their minds, who had all the answers, was gone. That version of herself didn’t exist anymore. Perhaps, it never did. Their responsible friend, they all loved had been a mere lie. Hermione had made the biggest mistake the Golden Trio had made in all the years they’ve been friends. A mistake that no one could fix. This was a mess that she couldn’t clean up.

Shaken by this revelation, Harry and Ron no longer wanted to fight each other. The desire to cause pain to the other was gone. For the first time since the locket had choke hold on the group, silence filled the room. A dead silence. With a broken heart, Harry turned to Hermione as he struggled with what to say next. He kept opening and closing mouth while Ron froze. It was settling in for Ron what Hermione just had said to them. He went pale as a ghost of what her words meant.

After a long pause, Harry spoke up, “Hermione,” but was cut off by the witch herself.

“Stop, I don’t want to talk about it. It would have been easier if it was your fault. Then I could forgive you easily like I always do but I did this. I’ve always been good at compartmentalizing my mind. I value logic over feelings. I succeed in everything I do. Logically, I know I’m directing my pain and anger at you, Harry. And that’s not fair to you but my emotions are taking over everything that I am. I can’t help but feel and that makes me furious. I can’t reason my pain away this time. I hate that I can’t fix my grief. Instead, I have to sit in on what I did”.

Ron stepped forward as he slowly got out of the trance the locket had on him, “Hermione, I….”. He had an expression of guilt written on his face as he remembered what he had told the group during his meltdown.

Worried that Ron’s emotions were still getting the better of him, Harry warned the redhead, cutting him off, “Not now, Ron. You’ve done enough”.

This time Draco spoke up, protecting Ron. It clicked for him. Everyone was acting out of character. Only one thing had changed since coming back from the ministry, the locket. They were all responding to the Horcrux. The Slytherin Prince pointed to the locket Harry had around his neck, “It’s doing it again. It’s telling Harry to fight Ron. I think the locket is controlling—”. Right then, the locket cut Draco from finishing his sentence in an attempt to protect itself from being discovered. It turned up the high pitched screeching that only Draco could hear. The only other individual that could hear him was Harry. The boy was only able to hear whispers with his human ears. With his hands going up to his ears once more, Draco screamed in pain letting go of Hermione. He bent down, placing his face between his knees.

Going into immediate action, Hermione snatched the necklace from Harry’s neck and threw it into her bottomless hand purse. Taking a deep sigh of relief, Draco peered up now that the high pitched sound was gone. “No one is wearing that locket. It’s trying to protect itself. It’s decided. We’re going with Harry’s plan on destroying it as soon as possible, but not until we have an adult with us. It’s too dangerous to keep around. This Horcrux can control our thoughts and emotions like it did with Ginny. From now on whatever we say or do can’t be held accountable until we can get Remus to supervise us killing it. No one is to touch it or be alone with it ever. This purse is to be watched by two people. We proceed with caution until then”.

She stood up dusting off the dirt on her pants as she went on, “Ron, don’t apologize. We know that wasn’t you when you verbally attacked us. It’s okay. I didn’t mean to punch you either. I swear I wasn’t going to, but it just happened so I understand. With all that in mind, I need you to see that it wasn't Draco either. He’s been protecting us from the beginning. It was the locket. Harry, you're not really angry. It’s tricking you into arguing with Ron. This isn’t us”.

As Draco sat back up, he added, “I can still feel it. The screeching stopped but not the negative aura radiating from the locket. It can still affect us from the purse. We’ll have to watch each other. I say we all sleep together in the living room until Remus can help us. He’s scheduled to come after my full moon for our supplies. We shouldn’t be left alone with the Horcrux”. It was after Draco mentioned the locket was still reaching out to them that the golden trio looked at the purse with unease. “I’m with Draco on this one. I don’t want to be alone with the locket. I feel violated by whatever that thing did to us all like the residue of the locket is still inside my mind. At least with the four of us in the same room, one of us is bound to keep the others in check,” Ron admitted as he backed the Slytherin. The group silently agreed to the new sleeping arrangements.

Hermione clapped her hands, breaking the paranoia everyone had at the Horcrux, “Okay Harry. Let’s check out your wounds. Luckily for you, Remus taught me how to heal werewolf bites and injuries before we left 12 Grimmauld Place. I can heal you with no problem”.
As Harry nodded while taking off his coat and shirt, Draco had an expression of guilt when he peered at the deep wound. The young werewolf cleared his throat as Hermione casted a healing spells, “I’m sorry about that Harry. I don’t know what came over me. If it means something, you won’t turn. It wasn’t the full moon”.

“Don’t even worry about it. It wasn’t even that bad. The cruciatus curse Tom used on me in 4th year can’t be compared to anything,” Harry replied as he watched his wounds heal before his eyes.

“Still I feel terrible……. But look on the bright side, you smell like my pack now so no werewolf would dare to come near you after today unless they want to fight me,” the Slytherin responded. He shifted on his feet as he gave a stiff laugh. No amount of teasing would make him feel better.

Darting her head back at Draco, Hermione squealed, stopping in the middle of her spell, “Wait! You need to bite Ron too!”.

In unison, all three boys yelled, “WHAT!” while Draco fought back, “Are you crazy? I just bit Harry and now you're asking me to hurt Ron too?”. The werewolf narrowed his eyes at the idea. Although the two had never gotten along during their school, he had never wanted things to go that far between them. Did he? What good would his bullying be if Ron was out of commission in the hospital wing? “A little scare wouldn’t hurt Ron,” thought Draco as he warmed up to the idea in the name of terrorizing the redhead. His habits from his school days were bubbling back up to the surface once more.

“It’s not what you're thinking,” Hermione said as she stared at Draco with a knowing glance. “Listen. Werewolves can make packs right? You're a part of Remus’ pack. I have a bite on my shoulders that gives me a layer of protection from werewolves. It also warns other magical creatures that this person is important and is not to be touched. My bite has also helped you locate me when you needed to sniff me out many times. If we all ever get lost, you can track us. Couldn’t this logic be applied to Ron and Harry even if they're not animagus or werewolf? Plus, your werewolf wouldn’t be bothered anymore with other scents near us on the full moon if the boys were bitten”.

Hearing Hermione’s reasoning, Draco made a disgusted face while peering at the boys. That was no fun but he paused as he thought about it. It wasn’t a bad idea. “I mean technically no one in the wizarding community has taken the time to study werewolves. We don’t know anything about them or the innergoings of what it means to be marked. I tried to find books about my kind in Hogwarts and the Malfoy library. Nothing. There’s limited information about my kind. It’s all basic full moon and mating season information”. Draco sighed as he finally sat down.

He looked at the floor before connecting eyes with the others, “Werewolves are a highly isolated and stigmatized group. They often hide on the outskirts of society. Even the ministry doesn’t have the official number of how many werewolves really exist out there. We hide for our lives. No werewolves would be willing to test a theory about making a pack out of humans without the fear of going to Azkaban”.

Draco stayed silent, rubbing his chin. He opened his mouth then closed it before thinking for a moment. Once his thoughts were collected, he leaned forward putting his elbow on his knees. “I know very little about marking. Remus marked me my very first moon. I don’t remember much but apparently my werewolf wanted to be family. I marked you by accident and on instinct. There’s so much we don’t know. Remus is 38 years old and we just realized together, eating raw meat cures our headaches and our body pains so there is a chance I can make a human pack. Harry, I admit, doesn't smell like a foreign object anymore. He smells like you and me”.

Hermione jumped excitingly at the chance of testing out a theory for the greater good of knowledge. She gave a bright smile that Draco hadn’t seen in weeks, pulling at his heart strings. The two of them but especially Hermione had been down about their situation. They both missed home. He smiled back at the inkling of what was going through her mind. Pulling back from Harry, Hermione shook Ron in excitement. Perhaps if their theory was right they can make good with this information. It would help werewolf rights and lessen the monstrous image Greyback had created. It would give a new perspective for the wizarding community if it was known that werewolves did not purely consume and attack human beings, but had the ability to make packs and were protective of individuals beyond their species. “Great! Ron, do you want to test out our theory? Imagine the good we can do for werewolves rights if we found out we can make packs with humans. Oh my god! If this works you and Harry can finally meet Draco’s werewolf without fear of being eaten! Wizards and witches would have to stop hunting down werewolves if it's proven werewolves are capable of meeting a human on friendly terms during the full moon”.

Draco turned to Ron, “Hey, it’s worth a try. You’ll be indirectly adopted by Remus and have an extra layer of protection from werewolves and magical creatures. Hermione is already going to heal Harry. Might as well get yourself bitten too”. Shrugging his shoulders, Draco gave a look to the red head. It was an expression that said, “A happy wife, a happy life”.

Ron hesitated, shocked at the seriousness of the offer. Were his friends insane? They wanted him to be willingly bit by a werewolf. Then he remembered the moment Draco went back for him. Draco had carried him over his shoulders. That wasn’t the first time the werewolf looked out for them. Draco watched over him and Harry and stayed awake at night as the others slept. Giving a tired breath, Ron thought back to the day Bill, his brother, got attacked. Their mother had initially rejected his brother. The image of his mother visibly afraid of her own son was still clear in his mind.

At times, Ron wondered if Bill did get bitten on the full moon, would his mother reject Bill? It was true what Hermione said. The wizarding community knew next to nothing about werewolves. No one was willing to get near one. This was a group of magical beings that were second class citizens, kicked out of their communities. The only information the wizarding world did have was the serial killings of Greyback.

Unfortunately, Greyback had become the poster boy for the werewolves community. If Bill had become one, his brother deserved better representation than Greyback. Giving in, Ron glanced back at Draco. He thought ahead to the future. One day the entirety of the Wizarding world would know Draco Malfoy was a werewolf, the former heir to the House of Malfoy and current Heir to the House of Black. Two of the most powerful houses had a werewolf as their head of household. If their theory was correct, the Slytherin Prince would be the face for the werewolf community not Greyback. Just like that, he agreed. Ron exposed his neck for Draco. “What the hell. Let’s test this theory out. It gives us something to do while we wait for clues to our next Horcrux. Plus, I’m not turning down a chance to see your werewolf form”.

Chapter Text

“How long until the full moon, Harry?,” asked Ron. Weasley had been feeling down lately. Ginny had told him that Lavender was now confirmed to be among the missing. Wanting a change in routine, he needed a distraction from his troubles and watching Draco as a werewolf would do that. While Harry looked up at the sky and then his watch, he bit his lips, estimating how long they had. “Any minute now, but it should be a while until they come back to camp. That’s if our theory works. Hermione walked Draco far into the forest”.

Ron pondered as he watched the crackling of the fire pit. While snow fell to the ground, both boys leaned closely to the fire, warming their hands. They each had a blanket covering their bodies as they sat on a lawn chair, watching the snowy landscape around them. It was Draco’s habit of nature watching at night before bed that eventually everyone else fell into his routine too. There was a sort of tranquility listening to the sounds of the wind and branches every night that set the sleepy mood.

“Do you think it will work? I’m not going to lie. I kind of want to get up and personal with a werewolf. It's not often we get some excitement on our run. It's the same day over and over again. All the weeks have blended into one day”.

Responding to Ron’s thought, Harry replied, “Draco isn’t going to be a walking petting zoo. We’ll know it worked once he starts to track back to our tent to find his missing half of the pack. We need to be careful with Draco though. We ran out of wolfsbane with the Order stuck at the borders but Remus is coming tomorrow with more supplies”.

Ron nodded, taking in the information. Only listening to half of what Harry said, he asked another question, “But you want to pet him too, don't you?”. The redhead waved off the fact they were short on supplies. That was the new normal for him. If anything, the red head would grow more concerned if the group was suddenly fully stocked with everything they needed.

The chosen one looked at Ron almost as if was questioning whether or not to admit his intrusive thoughts. He sighed, admitting it, “Yeah, I really want to touch his fur. I heard from Remus that he's pure white. He almost glows at night like a ghost. When he had his first moon with Remus, he was only 6ft tall which is a common height for pups, but now he’s grown to be 7ft”. Ron turned to Harry, stunned, “Bloody hell, 7th feet. I knew werewolves were large but that’s huge! It’s no wonder no one wants to study them”. Ron and Harry paused again, listening to the crackling of the fire when Ron spoke again, “If Hermione’s theory works, I can’t wait to tell Dean and Seamus we have a pet werewolf. They’ll love to hear about this adventure. I miss those guys”.

Harry laughed in disbelief, “Ron, we didn’t only get bitten so we can hang out with Draco and Hermione on the full moon. It’s for the greater good of the werewolf community, proving they are more than man-eating killers but misunderstood and magical creatures”.

Unfortunately for the chosen one, everything for Ron went into one ear and out the other as the redhead shouted in excitement, “Look Harry! It's them!”. Ron dropped his blanket and stood up, walking to the two dog-like creatures. “HE’S HUGE! Look how white he is. How is that snake not only a handsome fellow but he’s a beautiful werewolf too? It’s almost unfair for the rest of us”.

Holding in a laugh, Harry smirked before he panicked, “I thought you said he was a hideous good for nothing snobby snake— Wait Ron! Is that a good idea?!”. The redhead, finding his courage, marched his way to Draco and Hermione in a slow and gentle demeanor. Following closely behind Ron, Harry caught up to him as they walked together. The two dog-like figures were a yard away. “I did say that but only because he wanted to piss him off. And relax, if Draco wanted to eat us he would have ripped our faces by now”.

When the duo were steps away, Ron extended his arms up in the air, asking the werewolf to pet it. The white werewolf peered at them as if it was trying to determine their allegiance. It was the scent of the pack that brought him here despite the black dog trying to distract it away from the campsite. Hermione hadn’t expected it to be this successful but Draco's werewolf had never had the urge to run over to the camp since they’ve been on the run before tonight. It was as if a switch had been turned inside the werewolf’s mind. As soon as he transformed, the werewolf sensed others and took off running, shocking Hermione.

She ran helplessly, thinking she had made a mistake and possibly put everyone's lives in danger. Draco, as a werewolf, was too quick for her now that he had grown into a full sized werewolf. The witch's small frame and tiny legs were no match for him. The bright witch comforted herself with the fact Draco admitted Harry and Ron were starting to smell like him even as humans.

Still Hermione was cautious as the only group they knew that succeeded in integrating into a werewolf pack was the marauders but they had been all animagus. Their experience with a werewolf couldn’t be counted as one could argue the werewolf had accepted their animagus not the human form. While Hermione and Harry held their breath in anticipation, Draco walked closer, sniffing Ron’s hand before immediately sensing the newcomer was part of his pack. Hermione’s ears perked up while Harry and Ron gasped in surprise as Draco went into a submission position and rolled on his stomach.

The werewolf wagged his tail as he wiggled playfully on the snowy ground. Ecstatic, Ron went over, petting Draco with both hands. The red head struggled to rub the entirety of the werewolf back due to its monstrous size. Ron appeared like a tiny elf, trying to pet Draco as a werewolf. “I told you Draco was nothing but a dog. He can get mad at me all he wants but he can’t deny that he rolled over for me,” Ron expressed with a smirk. Very subtle Ron’s smile fell before he looked at the floor.

As Harry then went over to pet the white glowly fur between his fingers, he smiled. It felt soft yet airy. Almost as if Draco was a walking storm cloud with his deep gray eyes and white fur. “I can’t believe it. It worked. We proved werewolves can cohabitate with humans. Do you know what this means?,” Harry asked as he cozied up with the werewolf. Hermione changed into her human form, replying to Harry as she clapped her hands with joy, “It means we can argue that werewolves like Remus and Draco shouldn’t be shunned. Remus can make a life after being denied one. He can hold a job and have a wand legally. Plus, Draco doesn’t need to feel guilty about weighing me down. We have a good case to fight for Werewolves rights”.

With a grim expression, Ron peered up while still petting Draco. “It also means every book, study, and information out there about werewolves is wrong”. He hesitated revealing the next part but he had to say it. Ron could see Hermione and Harry hadn’t fully grasped how life changing this discovery was. Harry and Hermione were raised among the muggle community. They didn’t fully comprehend how saddening this was.

To Ron, it was heartbreaking to be able to touch Draco’s werewolf for it meant everything he had been taught by the ministry was wrong. Every injustice and isolation against werewolves and magical creatures did not need to happen. Their community had forgotten the mass genocide of wizards and witches trials in the 1600s. It was the very reason why witches and wizards went into hiding and had created the wizarding world to escape the killings and muggles. They had forgotten their roots. It was daunting to know that they were wearing the same mask as their once muggle attackers. History was repeating but the wizarding community has found themselves as assailants against magical creatures.

The red head peered up with a grim expression, telling his friends who had grown up in the muggle world what this really meant, “It means werewolves had the capacity to understand more than we gave them credit for. We were able to live alongside them this entire time. We’ve made a sport of hunting down werewolves in the wizarding world. We’ve taught them to fear us. Countless werewolves have either been sent to Azkaban or been slaughtered for their limbs and fur since. So many still believe werewolves’ body parts hold special magical abilities. It means we’ve wrongly persecuted them for no good reason”.

The Golden Trio stayed silent, remembering every article surrounding werewolves going to Azkaban or a newly bitten magical caster being forced to be registered by the ministry since they had started at Hogwarts as kids. They knew the ministry had been corrupted for decades but had never thought about what it meant in hindsight. As they dwelled on what Ron had said, they began to wonder if all those werewolves really did live in solitude away from the public as promised by the ministry or did something more sinister happen to them? How many of those individuals were never seen or mentioned again?

Hermione nervously replied, “I wonder how much werewolves are inherently violent or if it was us that taught them to fear and kill us. Do you think every werewolf attack we’ve read in the newspaper could have been them fighting to stay alive? No one had ever read beyond the headlines of a mad werewolf attacking. I just accepted that it was a side effect of the curse and the full moon”. Draco’s werewolf understood the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Wanting to put a stop to it, he howled at the moon until the trio had no choice but to halt their conversation. Each time they attempted to continue, Draco howled until the trio stopped altogether. Once the message was received, the werewolf settled down where he stood.

Wanting to lift the mood, Draco rubbed himself against the Golden Trio, drifting their dark thoughts away. Instead the group spend the night relaxing, forgetting for a moment of their Horcrux hunt and the war. The two gryffindors watched as Hermione in her animagus form and Draco raced each other. To no one’s surprise the werewolf had beaten her. As the night neared the end, the group slept outside with the white werewolf close to them.

By morning, the Golden Trio had woken up to screams. The group woke up startled, thinking they were under attack or their camp had been discovered but it was Draco transforming back into his human form. The trio gasped at the blood curdling screams. Even Hermione as Remus had never allowed her to see the transformation between man and werewolf. This too was her first time seeing Draco in pain along with Harry and Ron. Helpless, they stood as there was nothing they could do to aid Draco. It had been so long since they witnessed Remus’ transformation that it was a fuzzy memory. Remus’ transformation was nothing like what was before their eyes. The older werewolf was experienced whereas Draco's was very raw and gory in every possible way.

Unprepared to see the violent transformation in front of them, the Golden Trio were unable to turn away as Draco’s body collapsed upon itself. Horror set in as the Slytherin prince got into a stretching dog position before screaming up to the rising sun. With wide eyes, they watched as Draco’s body fell and broke upon itself. Blood splattered across the snow while Draco’s body tried to shape itself back into a human bone structure. Each bone made a crunch as it broke and rearranged itself. The sounds echoed into the forest while Draco ripped his fur off exposing the red flesh underneath before his human skin grew back.

Like a rag doll, Draco’s four limbs hung aimlessly as if it was out of their socket, waiting to be rejoined in its proper position. As the boy grew back to his 6 foot self, his limbs cracked back into place while a loud yelp came from the werewolf. A scream that would have been heard from miles away if it were not for their silencio spell.

Back into his human form, Draco laid naked on the snowy ground like an unresponsive corpse. “Was he dead?,” Harry and Ron wondered to themselves. If it were for the slight movement of Draco’s chest, they would have believed he was gone. Hermione pushed them aside as she ran over to Draco’s side.

In a panic, she checked on her husband while the two boys caught up to her. With urgency in Ron’s voice, he asked, “Hermione, what’s wrong with Draco? It was never this bad all the other times you guys came back”. At a loss, Hermione peered up momentarily before turning back to Draco’s lifeless body. She was shaken up at the sight that was eerily similar to when she almost lost him all those months ago in the Hogwarts’ bathroom.

Unable to handle the sight before him and the fear etched on Hermione’s expression, Harry yelled, while shaking her shoulder, “Hermione! Hermione! It’s going to be okay! We’ll fix this together”. As if he had sensed Hermione needed him, Draco woke up shaking and trembling from the pain but the pain was so intense the young werewolf couldn’t use his voice. He was frozen in place but it was Draco’s aggressive yet agonizing tremors that made Hermione react.

“Help me carry Draco’s body into the tent! Hurry!,” the young witch shouted to the boys as she came to.

They levitated Draco to the bed shared by the couple. As they carefully placed his body down to avoid further injuries, Draco became conscious once more. From his paralyzed state of mind, the Slytherin screamed in agony, scaring the group. It was the sound of pain personified. Alarmed, Ron grabbed Hermione’s shoulders, looking for answers, “What’s happening? He’s….he’s not dying is he?”.

Paled faced, Harry walked forward, waiting for an answer. He kept to himself. The pain Draco was in was very reminiscent of when he had almost killed him. The young werewolf’s body was bruised all over. The bruises were more emphasized against the boy’s white almost corpse colored skin. Draco had splotches of blue, purple, and red all over his body as if he had been hit by a knight bus. As the Golden Trio analyzed Draco’s injuries, they noted how some parts of his body failed to reform the human skin, leaving the red flesh exposed. The exposed flesh appeared painful and raw like he had been burnt by fire. The bed sheets under the werewolf turned red under.

Still, Harry lowered his eyes to Draco’s scar that he had given him before he noted how the boy’s rib cage was caved in. The bones had yet to form back together. Blisters covered the boy's hands and feet from the hot burning steam that came from the transformation while his face began to swell up, closing his blackened eyes shut. Terrified, the Golden Trio froze. If they hadn’t known this was their friend, they would have thought this was a dead broken body they had found on their campsite. His injuries were too extensive for their basic knowledge of healing magic.

Wiping her tears away, Hermione explained in a trembling voice what was happening, “I knew it was going to be bad but I never thought it would be this serious……. We’ve run out of supplies, remember. We all haven’t had a good meal in days while waiting for the Order to restock us. Usually when they can’t come to us fast enough, Draco and I go to the town nearby to buy groceries, but the Death Eaters have my muggle missing child poster in every town after we attacked the rehabilitation center. There was no way we could enter a muggle town without my face being recognized”.

Hermione walked closer to a slow and weak breathing Draco. She wanted to hold his hand but feared it would cause more pain than comfort. The witch continued, “If we’re all going hungry, he's feeling the intensity of it. Werewolves eat triple the amount we do. He needs a high calorie diet and raw meat to recover and maintain his body. I’ve been trying to ration our foods for days and given him all our proteins, hoping it was enough for this month. With barely any food in his system now, his body won’t heal itself from the transformation properly”. Hermione thinned her lips trying to hold in her tears, “Transforming between bodies is highly dangerous let alone when a werewolf is starving. Before wolfsbane was invented, it was why so many die at such a high rate after the full moon. It’s not that other werewolves or wizards killed them but the transformation back to human leaves the body broken. I didn’t think it would be this bad…”.

“Okay, we know what’s wrong. That’s good. Let’s look at our medical supplies. There has to be something we can do,” Ron replied, as he studied the way both Hermione and Harry did not move. He dug through Hermione’s charmed bag in an effort to bring up the group’s morale. “Draco had been right,” Ron realized. His friends were deeply affected by what was going on around them. In a way that their heads were clouded.

Ron watched Hermione, who was having trouble keeping calm. It was strange seeing his friend so shaken up. Since the beginning of their friendship, he had been so used to Hermione always knowing what to do. The only time Ron remembered Hermione this flustered was when she had overpacked her schedule in 3rd year. Even then, the young witch had passed all her classes. Right now though, Hermione appeared lost, which frightened Ron more than anything.

Hermione shook her head no in response to Ron, emphasizing how bleak their situation was. She spoke up, “We can’t do anything. We have limited supplies but even if we had everything we needed, these wounds aren’t ordinary injuries. They’re caused by dark magical creatures. It requires dark healing magic. I can heal some but not all of it. Most of these injuries I have no idea how to repair. Remus was supposed to teach me everything but the attack on the wedding disrupted that. I never finished my lessons with him”.

Ron halted as he looked between Draco and Hermione. Draco’s unfocused eyes stared at the tent’s ceiling above him. His breath was raspy. With his broken chest, his lungs struggled to breath. It sunk in what Hermione had said. Their situation was getting worse by the second as Hermione continued, “All we can do is wait for Remus. He’s promised to come today after the full moon”. Taking a deep breath, Hermione brushed Draco’s hair back with her fingertips as she tried to sooth the boy as much as best she could. She brushed it back just the way Draco liked it.

It was her touch that finally helped Draco glance at her. It was watching Draco follow her finger tips that gave Hermione the courage she needed to take the initiative again. Draco needed her. Peering back at Harry and Ron, she ordered, “Harry try and find a signal on our muggle cell phone. When you do, call Remus and hang up 3 times. Wait for the phone to be answered the 3rd time before saying ‘the moon has fallen’. It’s our emergency signal. Ron, go outside and start shoveling the snow into our pots and pans. We need to boil water for sanitation. We need clean water to keep his open wounds from getting infected. We’ll treat Draco the muggle way until Remus can come. I’ll try to stop the bleeding”.

Once a plan was set, they scrambled in different directions. An hour later, Remus apparated into the campground. He appeared disheveled as he struggled to walk straight and leaned to one side. When the phone call came in, the older werewolf tried to come as quickly as possible but like Draco his transformation had been difficult compared to other previous full moons. He was bad enough that other members of the Order did not want him going anywhere without treatment. With his weakened body, being splinched was a real possibility for the old werewolf.

Although he hadn’t known what had happened, he knew the children needed him when Harry had called and uttered those words. Refusing to make them wait any longer, he knew it was dire as the emergency signal was not to be used unless it was a matter of life and death. Despite the danger he was putting himself and the group in by coming, it was a risk he was willing to make. It had to come as he was the only member with knowledge of werewolf injuries.

If Remus was this hurt during the full moon, Draco was worse. The supply chain was cut for the Order too after the rehabilitation center incident. Resources were low beyond the borders. The only supplies coming in now were from Ireland and Scotland but even then it was not enough as the war frontlines had grown hostile and unstable. There were some resources coming in from the mysterious underground transportation network but as soon as they came in they went out fast.

The Order and the wizarding community at large was making due with what they had and that included Remus. As he stormed into the tent, he shocked the Golden Trio with his weakened appearance. Sensing the distress in the atmosphere, Remus didn’t need to ask where the younger werewolf was as his nose led him to the boy.

Right behind Remus was Nurse Andromeda with a month’s worth of medical and food supplies. The Order had only allowed Remus to come if he brought another individual with him since he too was weakened by the full moon. The only person he could think of that was equal to his experience and strength was the eldest Black sister. Andromeda was the best choice. She knew about Draco’s existence and information surrounding the golden trio's secret mission. Andy didn’t know what the mission entailed but knew it was essential enough to have them away for months on the run. The witch had also decided to come to learn more from Remus.

As the war wore on, more werewolves were beginning to cross the border for safety with the help of the secret underground transportation system. With the sudden increase of werewolves in Scotland and Ireland, no one, particularly Hogwarts, knew how to heal the werewolves. Learning to use dark healing magic had always been forbidden due to the reputation of the Dark Arts. The large number of runway werewolves dying forced many to re-evaluate rules and social norms that were once held. It was time to learn the once taboo area of dark healing magic.

Without hesitation, Andromeda agreed to come as the thought of losing the only thing she had left of her baby sister and brother was unbearable. She had gone on many years without contact with her family after she had been disowned and blasted off the tapestry. Although she would do it all again, it still hurt. The eldest Black sister had long resigned to the fate that she would never see her family again due to her life choices and circumstances. In the end, death had ensured that until now. Draco was the only living member of the family she had left. Narcissa and Regulus were gone. Her parents, grandparents, her aunt and uncle, and Sirius were gone but her nephew was still here. Draco was Narcissa’s and Regulus’ legacy. He was the last of them, of the family. She couldn’t lose him.

As the two older adults came closer, Remus spoke, “Hermione, Harry, and Ron come over. We’re having you take a fast course on dark magic healing. The more people that can learn the better for the war and Draco”.

Andromeda gasped as she saw how broken Draco appeared. He was near death. It was a miracle he was still alive. Any normal human would have died by now. Gathering herself, Andromeda added, “We already started having some Hogwarts students learn it back at the castle”.

Once Remus and Andromeda went to Draco’s bedside, they went to work with their wands out as the golden trio watched on. The eldest Black sister removed the blanket from the young werewolf. Her mouth hung open with tears in her eyes as she stared at Draco’s swollen body and exposed red skin. Remus placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention back to full focus as he explained outloud how to heal this type of dark inflicted injuries.

The old werewolf analyzed the damage and knew what spells were needed for each wound. His childhood in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey had prepared him. Soon, it became a full group effort as all 5 worked together to close some of the more extensive wounds. They all needed each other's magic to work in unison if they wanted to fully heal Draco’s injuries.

When Draco was out of danger, he briefly opened his eyes. In a daze, he turned to Andromeda as he lifted his hand towards her. The Slytherin squinted, trying to process this person at his bedside while high on painless potions. While he was out unconscious, he thought he heard a familiar voice. He was right. She was here. She had come for him.

The young werewolf sniffed her, taking in the comfort of his childhood. The scent of his mother but not quiet. It had to be her though. The person standing before him looked exactly like her. Perhaps they had been separated for so long that he couldn’t recognize her smell. It was familiar enough that it brought back memories of his summers in the garden with his mother. It was the smell of roses. Draco was home with his mother. She had come back for him and they were both safe.

As their hands connected, surprising Andromeda, Draco mumbled, still in a daze, “Mum, you're here. I knew you would never leave me. I knew it. He can’t hurt us anymore. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Remus can protect us both”. As Draco hummed, bringing the witch’s hand to his lips, Andromeda wondered who he was referring to. Lucius or the Dark Lord? “Everyone said you were dead but I never believed them. You came”.

With tired eyes, he peered up into her gray eyes again. The eyes of his mother. The sight crushed Andromeda’s heart, as Draco murmured in a weak voice, “Mummy, stay with me. Don’t leave me again. Sing to me, just like you used to when I was still your baby. He isn’t here. Lucius isn’t here anymore”.

The last sentence captured the stillness of the moment for the group. It unraveled the kind of childhood Draco had as well as the type of family Narcissa married into. While Draco had shown the closeness between him and mother, the atmosphere was heavy for reality was different than what his subconscious wanted it to be. Narcissa was dead. Despite his maturity, he still was a boy asking for a mother, who wouldn’t come back. It wasn’t often Draco spoke about his parents, even to Remus, the person he was close to and now considered as a surrogate father. The Slytherin almost told Remus most of his upbringing but certain topics were too hard to speak into words.

The young werewolf was open about himself, except when it came to his mother and two fathers. His complicated family tree was not up for discussion. When it came to Lucius he had nothing to say while Regulus made the werewolf somber. The former of the two represented a life he could have had. Growing up with Lucius was confusing at times. This had been the man the Slytherin Prince tried so hard to impress. The man he wanted the approval of but never obtained.

After the werewolf bite, what was left of their distant relationship was over. Draco knew that. Lucius would never consider him as a son nor family, which made finding out about Regulus all the more difficult. When alone, Draco looked through the Black family spell book. It felt bittersweet seeing through someone’s eyes their love for his mother. Regulus was someone who loved his mother just as much as him. With Lucius, Draco wasn’t certain if the head Malfoy did come to love her or if he loved the idea of having a wife.

Wanting to give the young werewolf some privacy, Remus with a heavy heart took the Golden Trio out of the tent leaving Draco and Andromeda alone. Andy took her free hand to cup his cheek before whispering, “You never stopped being my baby. You will always be my precious Dragon. Never Lucius to have and all for me to love and hold and Reggie’s pride and joy”. She repeated the words she knew Narcissia would have said, if she was still alive. It was easy to take on the role of his mother.

There was so much of her younger sister and brother in him. As Andromeda brushed her fingers through Draco’s curly black locks, she couldn’t help but smile. It was her family’s signature locks. It suited him better than the white hair the Malfoy’s were known for. She still remembered meeting Draco back at 12 Grimmauld Place during one of the Order's many meetings. The eldest Black was shocked. It was as if Regulus had come back to life with a simple boxed hair dye. It was nice seeing Draco accepting his maternal side of the family and everything that came with it.

When he had been born, Andromeda had been surprised through the newspapers that her nephew had straight hair. “I love what you’ve done with your hair, my sweetheart. You look so much like your father. Please keep your natural curls for me always,” she murmured as Draco nodded while leaning his face against her hand.

Realizing her nephew wanted physical affection and how much she missed her own daughter, she bent down to coddle Draco inside the arms as if he was her own son, the son she never had. He was. She hadn’t seen or heard from Tonks in months. She held Draco as if she was hugging her daughter. While brushing his cheeks with the back of her fingers, the werewolf glanced back with such tenderness it tore Andromeda to break the trance the boy was under.

Just for this very moment, she would play the role of his mother. Love this child in place of Narcissia as she would have. Love this child for her baby sister couldn’t anymore. The sister she missed dearly since the day she left the family years ago. Before she knew what Draco was doing, he grabbed her hand again and brought it to his lips. She had expected a kiss but was surprised when instead of a peck he bit down on her hand. The witch flinched in pain before Draco spoke again, “I’ve marked you, mummy. You’ll never go missing now. I’ll come find you if they take you again,” causing her heart to break further. In response, she caressed his face, lightly kissing his forehead.

~

As Remus led the Golden Trio out of the tent and were far enough, he asked with his arms crossed, “Alright, why does everyone smell like my pack here? Do you think I wouldn’t have noticed when I came in?”.

With sudden guilt, Harry and Ron peered at each other before pointing towards Hermione as the culprit. Hermione gave the two boys a glare before turning back to Remus. Although she spoke with confidence, the stumbling over her words gave her away. She was nervous but was copying Draco’s false confidence in times of being caught red handed. “Draco may have bitten Harry by accident and noticed he smelled like the pack. We were curious and had a theory to prove. It was all in the name of science and furthering what is known about lycanthropy. We’ve concluded that werewolves aren’t killers but protective creatures. With great success, Draco was able to be around Ron and Harry during the full moon,” Hermione raised her chin higher, straightening her shoulder blades.

Remus with a stern expression, sighed, “That was incredibly dangerous to test a theory out by yourself. Things could have gone horribly wrong quickly”.

The trio peered down, unable to look at Remus in the face as he expressed his disappointment. Even Hermione crumbled under his stern lecture. Her false Slytherin confidence disappeared. Remus paused, watching their faces before continuing, “It’s okay. What is done is done. Let’s focus on the bright side. We’ve had a successful month, it seems. You’ve proved a theory and demolished one rehabilitation center. It was the good news we all were waiting for after months of battles”.

The Golden Trio lightened up as the older werewolf smiled at their relief. With a question on her mind, Hermione asked out of curiosity, “No one is angry at us? Our little rebellion at the former ministry cut our access to towns. I can only imagine it had a bigger ripple effect on the Order in general”.

Remus came over, patting her shoulders, “We will make due. Our supply chain was cut but luckily I’ve made allies with Ireland and Scotland. They’ve gifted you a month worth of supplies. Should last you until we meet again”. He looked at Harry and Ron, ensuring they were listening before responding, “You did well. All of you and Draco should be proud of yourselves. You’ve lifted everyone’s spirits, which is arguably more essential than anything. Our comrades on the border really needed this win”.

Out of nowhere, Harry shouted as he remembered, “Speaking of wins, we have a locket we stole at the ministry. It’s the horcrux we've been searching for but we haven’t destroyed it yet. It gave us trouble after we escaped…”. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron, wondering how much they should reveal.

Deciding it was best to tell all, Harry went on, “It made us… turn against each other. We were nearly at each other’s throat so we decided to wait for you”. Hermione dug her hands down her bag while Ron added to Harry’s claim, “It nearly made Draco go insane. He bit Harry because of it. Apparently, he heard voices coming from the locket”. As Hermione took out the horcrux, she handed it to Remus.

The old werewolf analyzed the darkness emitting from the locket. Instinctively, he flinched in response. The locket seemed to sense its doom was near as it attempted to speak in whispers to Lupin. Whispers of Remus' darkest and most inner thoughts. A frown enraged as Lupin commented, “So this is the ringing I’ve been hearing all morning. Even with just a touch, I can feel how dangerous and dark its magic is”.

Remus held the locket by the chain, careful to avoid any unnecessary interaction with it. The darkness of the horcrux felt as if it was burning him. Hermione dug inside her purse once more, bringing out the sword. “We were also afraid of alerting you know who. We can’t be certain he won’t feel it once the horcrux has been destroyed. Draco has been strengthening Harry’s mind barriers for this moment, just in case he wants to find out where we are”.

The old werewolf nodded, taking in everything that was said, “Give me an hour or two to study this necklace. I’m sure this won’t alert you know who but I want to be certain. If everything looks alright we will destroy it today”.

By afternoon, Remus approached the Golden Trio, “Okay who will do the honors? I’ll stand behind the locket in case something happens”.

The trio stayed silent before Harry immediately spoke up, “Not me. I have to focus on keeping my mind closed”. He decided to give someone else the burden of destroying it. It still astounded him how the locket made him want to physically hurt Ron. He had never been a particularly violent person in life yet the horcrux had brought that out of him. It was left to Hermione and Ron, but Hermione suggested, “I don’t think I should do it. It doesn’t feel right. The honors should go to you. It was your plan at the rehabilitation center,” but Ron shook his head as well. “In that case, I didn’t earn it either. We only have this win because Draco sucked up all the guards into his tornado”.

Truth be told, no one wanted to. The way the locket had made them turn into had the group shaken to their core. Harry exhaled before addressing the issue, “Well someone has to do it. Draco can’t. He’s recovering” but before the Golden Trio and Remus could argue, Draco opened the flap of the tent. Aunt Andromeda followed behind the snake, using an incendio spell to keep the boy warm. As he leaned against his aunt for support, he peered around trying to locate where the locket was.

Finding it in Remus’ hands, Draco gave a nod at him in greeting. It always perked him up to see Lupin. It caught the group off guard, seeing the Slytherin up. He had been expected to be knocked out most of the day yet he was standing before them. He spoke in a weakened voice, wearing only boxers and a t-shirt, “Let Kreacher do it. It’s only right. We should have been captured and killed back there, if it weren’t for him. The floo closed on us all”.

As Andromeda helped Draco to a seat and ensured he was comfortable, she added, “I’ll stay inside. Whatever you're all doing, I think it’s best that I don’t know. It’s safer. In the meantime, I’ll make us a proper meal,” before ruffling Draco’s hair.

Soon after, Kreacher was called upon. The little house elf greeted Draco and Hermione first, bowing to them both. As he came closer, he said, “Kreacher lives to serve the most noble and ancient House of Black”. As the elf looked up, it was only then did he see how hurt the werewolf was. With an expression Draco had never seen before, Kreacher screamed with wide eyes. “His human was hurt!,” the elf thought to himself.

Inspecting Draco’s injuries, he noted the boy’s swollen face and blackened eyes. He watched as Draco struggled to breath. “Draco must inform Kreacher when Draco is hurt!,” the little elf yelled with a scowl on his face. With a snap of a finger, the house elf cleared Draco’s swollen and discolored face before walking over and touching the boy’s chest. The Slytherin took a deep breath as it seemed his bones were repairing. Broken bones normally took time to heal with potions, but with elves' magic yet to be studied by witches and wizards, Kreacher healed Draco in no time.

Ron rolled his eyes as he muttered under his breath, “How come you’ve never healed the rest of us when we were hurt? This would have been convenient to know at the beginning of our hunt”.

Kreacher poked out his tongue at the red head before he simply explained, “Ron never asked Kreacher to heal Ron. Ron also never asked what Kreacher’s abilities were. Kreacher only wants to heal Draco and Hermione. Not Ron”. The redhead closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Life was testing him.

Wanting to disperse any incoming fight, Harry complimented, “Amazing what elf magic can do. It’s another area of magic Hermione will have to look into. You have your work cut out for you” as he turned to the witch. Hermione gave Ron a warning look as Draco went down to eye level with Kreacher. It looked as if the elf had more to say to the snake in particular, “Kreacher wants Draco to stay healthy. If Draco doesn’t take more care of his health, it can affect House of Black’s prospects for children. Does Hermione want Kreacher to test Hermione’s and Draco’s fertility? Kreacher has knowledge surrounding reproductive potions. Kreacher has a potion for triplets that Kreacher never had a chance to use on the House of Black. Let Kreacher help”.

The marauder in Remus laughed at the house elf’s response and saw how red Draco was. Although this was a subject Kreacher found every excuse to bring up, Draco quickly changed the topic as he cleared his throat, “Kreacher, do you remember when Hermione and I promised to avenge my father, Regulus?”.

At the mention of his beloved deceased master, Kreacher wept as he shook his head yes. “Of course! Kreacher will never forget anything related to Regulus. Regulus is Kreacher’s favorite human. Will Draco avenge Regulus for Kreacher?”.

“Yes and no. We found the locket. The locket Regulus died for but I won’t be avenging my father”.

Kreacher’s expression dimmed. There was a look of betrayal, making Draco chuckle as he went on, “Instead, we want you to avenge Regulus. We want to give you the honor of destroying it. After all, you're the reason why we escaped the rehabilitation center. We wouldn’t be here without you”. As it sunk in what the young werewolf had said, Hermione handed the elf the sword, making it very real for Kreacher.

The elf stayed quiet as he accepted the sword from the witch. His hands trembled in happiness and disbelief. While he held the sword closer to his heart, Kreacher closed his eyes, realizing he could finally carry out Regulus’ last order. After years of failure to find a way to destroy the locket, he would complete Regulus’ dying wish. Years of guilt and remorse were gone. Years of shame for abandoning his human as he was instructed to, fell away with the tears that went down his cheeks.

Harry added, encouraging Kreacher further, “I think it’s very fitting for a house elf to be the downfall of Tom Riddle. It's poetic for a house elf to carry out his master's wish out of love. Love which Riddle will never come to understand”. Remus and Ron hovered the necklace into the air above Kreacher while Hermione and Harry held a still weakened Draco. He was stronger but they didn’t want the snake to push it.

With a look of determination, Kreacher lifted the sword with both hands. He ran with all his effort while shooting at the top of his lungs, “In the name of brave Regulus, the greatest Black to ever live!”. Kreacher with great force hit the locket as a gush of black storm clouds bled out from the necklace. As the house elf struggled to maintain the momentum to crush the horcrux, a voice appeared out of the black clouds, “Kreacher you left me. You left me to die. How could you? I trusted you, my dearest house elf”.

The group were horrified to see an image of a soaked Regulus Black. He appeared like a dead corpse rotting. All his clothes were torn to shreds. Within the storm clouds, the waters were rising fast, drowning Regulus once more. He gasped, trying to swim to the surface, “Kreacher, help me! I’m drowning! Don’t you love me?”.

Going towards Kreacher, Draco shouted, “It’s not him. Destroy the locket. Do it for our Regulus. The real one”.

The horcrux turned his attention to the werewolf, “Such a disgusting creature. No son of mine is a werewolf. I never loved you”. At the sight of the locket disrespecting Draco, Kreacher gasped. The elf turned to peer at the boy, noticing Draco’s pained expression. The locket had made a mistake as Kreacher never allowed anyone to get away with harming Draco in any way. Furious, Kreacher lifted the sword again with a stronger determination, “You're not Kreacher’s master. You are a disgrace to Regulus. Kreacher and Draco are Regulus' family. Master loved Draco!”. The sword perceived through the locket as the horcrux screamed in anguish at its destruction. The elf smiled as he finally finished master Regulus's last wish.

Chapter Text

“Everyone, come look!,” Hermione shouted as she came back into the tent with ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ book in her hand. She ran over to the sofa area where all the boys were currently sitting around. With Christmas tomorrow, the tent had a somber mood. Away from family, this year's Christmas was not like the others.

There was an overwhelming feeling of homesickness in the air. The war was getting worse by the day and people were going missing or dying. It almost felt wrong to celebrate the holidays when all those lost so far couldn't have one. “I found something. I must have read this book hundreds of times for clues but I can’t believe I never saw it”. The witch sat between Draco and Ron. Because it was a tight squeeze, Ron opted to sit on the coffee table that was in the middle of the living room area. He had a gloom expression when he thought the rest of them were not looking. Only someone did notice.

The werewolf had sensed the shift in the mood from Ron but before he could comfort the boy Hermione pointed to the corner of the page, catching the full attention of the room. “At first I thought it was an eye but now I don’t think it is. It isn't a rune either and it’s not anywhere in Spellman's Syllabary”. The bright witch touched the symbol with her finger tip, tracing it as she showed the page to Harry. “Somebody inked it in. It wasn’t published with the book. Somebody drew it but I have a feeling this means something”.

Getting a closer look, Harry brightened up as recognition came to him. He took the novel from Hermione’s hand before shouting back in excitement, “Luna’s father was wearing that as a necklace at Bill and Fleur’s wedding!”.

Blinking, Hermione stared back up confused. What was the possible connection between the symbol and Luna’s father? One thing was certain, it did mean something but what could be? Dumbledore had left them a message. “Why would someone draw it in a children’s book?,” Hermione finally questioned.

At that moment, Harry stood up in front of the group. He took a deep sigh as he prepared to speak. There was something plaguing his mind. He had yet to inform the rest of this idea as Harry knew no one was going to like it but it felt like the right move to make. With this new discovery, he felt some confidence to bring it up. If they needed to make more progress in finding more Horcruxes, they all needed to eliminate the location he had in mind on the list of places to visit. Harry scratched the back of his head as he suggested, “Hermione, I’ve been thinking… I think we should go to Godric's Hollow. It's where I was born. It’s where my parents died. We might find more clues there”.

Stunned, Draco this time raised his voice, “Have you lost your mind? That’s exactly where you know who expects us to go. It’s a location that means something to the chosen one. We’re trying to hide from him, not walk to our deaths!”. He peered around the room for back up. Hermione appeared uneasy while Ron began to shake his head. “Trust me, when I say this. We’re no match for him. I’ve felt his full power inflicted on me. Not to mention we barely survived the former ministry yet you want to go there of all places?,” the young werewolf added in disbelief.

Harry moved to sit next to Ron, “Yes! But it means something to him too. Draco, you know who almost died there”.

The red head remained quiet with a hardened expression. The Slytherin Prince, who had enough of this discussion, stepped away from the sofa but still stayed there to hear the rest of the argument. Draco looked at Ron, “Say something, he’s your idiot. I swear these Gryffindors would be the end of me. Courage my ass. More like a death wish”. Draco could tell by Ron’s demeanor that he was not on board.

“Isn’t that exactly the type of place he would be likely to hide a horcrux?,” Harry urged as he turned back to Hermione. The bright witch bit her lips, trying to think of reasons why they shouldn’t go.

Shocked, Ron sat up straighter while Draco groaned at the sight of Hermione’s lack of shutting down Harry’s request. “Wait, I know that face of yours, Hermione! You can’t be actually considering this. It's dangerous. We’re in no shape to fight. Draco is still recovering. We can’t go,” said Ron.

Hermione sighed, looking at all three boys as she bit her lips, “I have to admit that recently I’ve been thinking we’ll have to go there. We need to cross it off our list of places to visit. We can’t keep pushing it off”. Ron stood up, standing next to the snake with his hands on his hips. “NO NO NO, I’m siding with Draco on this one. What if snatchers are waiting for us or worse the freak himself? What use would it do if we’re captured and killed off? The Order stands no chance without us. It's selfish and mad and you know it, Harry”.

“Sometimes risks are necessary to win. No one ever won a fight playing it fair. We need to start thinking like him. We have been on the run since September. So far we’ve only destroyed a locket. We’re playing too safe. While everyone is dying off fighting Tom, we're making no progress here. We need to check, Ron,” Harry defended. There was a look of desperation. It was a gut feeling that he was unwilling to let go. They needed to go to Godric's Hollow.

With clear anger in his tone, Draco shouted at the audacity of Harry’s need to go. “No, risks will get you killed! If we want to win this war, we need to be careful with every step we take. You're always doing this. It's why I used to hate you. Running into danger and dragging others with you is your speciality. You’re going to get Hermione killed. Stop trying to win this war alone. This is a group effort. I see right through you. You just want to visit your parents' gravesite on Christmas day. That can wait until after the war. I don’t even have my mother’s body or place to visit when this is all over. We’re not going. It’s a trap,''.

The Slytherin stepped away further, wanting to put some distance with Harry. It was so obvious yet only Ron could see it. Going to Godric’s Hollow was doom, waiting for them. It pissed him off that Harry had convinced Hermione to this ridiculous idea.

“I’m not asking to do this alone. It's why I'm bringing it up now. We ALL need to go and check it out together. I promise that this isn’t about my parents or me. I just know a Horocrux will be there. It’s something you know who would do”.

Ron interrupted Harry, “Yeah, that and setting a trap is another thing he would do”.

Harry closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. Once he gathered himself, he begged Draco and Ron, “Please, listen to me this one time. We have to go. This is bigger than all of us. It's about fighting for what's right. It's about fighting for what really matters. He's taken everything from us. He’s stolen our hope and our youth. We should be in school not running for our lives. Everything is stacked against us, but I refuse to live in a world like that. We need to check every possible site no matter what happens to us. Even if we all die in the end you know what witches and wizards like us will say years from now? They’ll say that we had every chance to turn back and give in to the new regime but instead we kept going. We never stopped fighting for the light. We need to do this”.

Slapping his forehead, Draco muttered under his breathe, knowing Harry wouldn't let this go, “Damn Harry and his fucking inspirational Potter speeches”.

Sighing, Ron peered at Draco, “They made up their minds. Don’t bother trying to argueing. We’ve both been overturned. Once they have an idea inside their stubborn heads, it's up to us to save them from themselves”.

Draco closed his eyes, suddenly tired, “I know. That's what I was afraid of. I married one of them and I knew we had to go but it was worth a try”.

“How about this? Let’s compromise. We’ll go in the dead of night when everyone is asleep. Since Harry and Draco can hear the horcruxes, we’ll walk around for not even 5 minutes. If Draco can't hear anything, we come back home immediately,” Hermione offered, trying to comfort the werewolf. She could see the discomfort in his eyes but they had to do this. “Fine, but if I say we go, WE GO. No this or that. No buts. We go,” Draco replied as he crossed his arms at the entire group.

Before they made the trip to Godric’s Hollows, Ron left the tent for some air as Draco followed right behind him. The young werewolf meant to have this conversation for a while with Ron. The two of them had gone along better in recent days but they had to finish whatever was going on between them. End the bad blood between them and their families once and for all. Draco wasn’t blind to Ron’s emotions. He might have been good at hiding it from Harry and Hermione but Ron couldn’t hide it from him. The boy had been quiet for a while as a gloomy aura surrounded him. Draco had an idea of what was bothering the redhead but he had to be sure.

As the werewolf opened the flap out the tent, he peered around to see where Ron had gone. The red head was skipping rocks in the nearby river. He picked up rocks, throwing them as far as he could in the water. “It’s all in the wrist. Imagine you're throwing a goal for a quidditch match,” Draco advised. Ron looked behind him, staring at Draco before he went back to throwing rocks. Ron listened to Draco’s advice, seeing the rock skip across the water.

“Thanks,” Ron muttered under his breath while he continued what he was doing. While the werewolf sat on a nearby log, he looked into the distance of the river as he too picked up a rock. As he spoke, Draco handed it to Ron. The two stayed quiet, watching each rock break the surface of the water until Draco finally spoke up, breaking the fragile silence. “Most people are envious of me when they first meet me”.

“You don’t say?,” Ron said as he rolled his eyes.

As Draco gave him a look, he went on as Ron smirked, “Yes. Many either admire or are envious of my wealth, my looks, and my family’s status. I’m even one of the top of our grade. I had the best of everything material wise. Before this, I could have had the first pick among the Pureblood girls if I wanted too”.

Sighing out loud, Ron groaned, “Are you really bragging at a time like this? Do you want to get punched because Hermione isn’t here to stop me?”.

Without hesitation, the Slytherin softly pushed the red head to the side, giving him a threatening stare and causing Ron to be quiet, “Will you let me speak! As I was trying to say, everyone only ever saw what I wanted them to see. The truth is I needed to be the best for my survival. Most of our peers were envious until the public duel with Greyback. Then I was struggling to cover the cracks in my home life. All my life it was just me and my mother against the world. No siblings. With Lucius, I was only born to further the Malfoy Bloodline and to check off an obligation. Lucius was barely home as if he was trying to get away from us. I never saw him during the day or night. If he wasn’t off with his business endeavors, he was physically punishing me to be the best of our peers. No one saw the truth of my home life except for Theo and Blaise. If I didn’t have Hermione to think about, I would gladly suffer for them. They made my childhood bearable".

The werewolf picked up another rock before giving it to a speechless Ron. Ron didn’t know how to respond to that but he didn’t need to. Without glancing at the red head, Draco continued, “You might ask why didn’t you rebel against your father? Why did you try so hard to fit in the mold he wanted me to fit? Well, I don’t have a straight answer for you. I don’t know. I just wanted his acceptance until Remus came into my life. Remus is what I imagined a father should be, which makes me miss my other father, Regulus, more. Before Regulus was just some random deceased family member but now I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been if he lived. In other words, I’m just fucked up”.

Ron came over, sitting down on the same log. He stayed there, taking in what the snake had said. Draco was opening up. Giving Ron details so intimate, the redhead knew Draco was telling him first. “Why, though?,” Ron wondered to himself. They had been on the run for a while so the Golden Trio quickly figured out that Draco was a closed off when it came to his family life. Only Hermione had the privilege of knowing his past but they were married. It was natural that Draco told her his secrets behind closed doors. So why him? Why tell a Weasley? After watching birds fly past them, Ron found the courage to ask, “Why are you telling me this? I have to be honest, I don't know where you're going with this”.

“Because whether you like it or not, we’re friends now. As a friend, I need to cheer you up even if you don’t see me as one yet. The point of what I’m saying is sometimes what others see is different from how you view yourself… If you were envious of me, I want you to know that I’m extremely jealous of you”.

In disbelief, Ron turned to look at the werewolf, “It’s not nice to mock people”. His eyebrows furrowed, thinking the Slytherin was messing with him again.

Laughing, Draco raised his eyebrows, “From where I’m standing you may be poor in wealth but you're rich in what’s really important. You have everything I ever wanted. You have a big happy family. You didn’t grow up alone. Your mother had the chance to marry for love. Your father loves you and has never made you jump through hoops to earn it. Whatever you choose to do in your future, your father will never be disappointed. You’ll never know what it’s like to be disowned from your family line. People aren’t afraid of you. You never have to question why people want to befriend you. They’re friends with you simply because they want to be. You can return to your childhood home while I can’t after the war. That is what I see when I see Ron Weasley. I see the Golden Trio. It will never be the Golden Trio plus Draco. It will always be the three of you only. You don’t ever have to worry about me stealing your friends from you”.

Ron’s mouth hung open after that last admission. He could lie about his fear of Draco stealing his friends from him but it was pointless to deny it. Ron gave a painful laugh since the snake knew what was bothering him. Since Draco respected him enough to tell his truth, Ron wanted to return it. “You should give yourself more credit. It would have hurt to say this in the past but you fit in well with us. You're good at everything”. He had never been good at expressing his emotions but it helped to know Draco wasn’t either.

Ron paused before his voice shook at what he said next. “I can’t help but see everything you have and compare it to what I have. You have Hermione by your side while Lavender is missing. What if something bad happened to her? I don’t know and that scares me. I wish I was more confident like you are. The way you walk into a room and take control. Then there’s me. I’m always struggling and second guessing myself”.

Draco hummed, taking in what Ron confessed. “I’m only good at everything because I had two options, be number one or be punished. One can do a lot when you're in survival mode. I’m not confident at most things. I just pretend I am. As for me fitting in with the Golden Trio, I got my own duo waiting for me, Theo and Blaise. I can’t take your place. You're the glue that holds your group. You're smart and skilled in ways Hermione and Harry aren’t”.

They watched the river again, letting the silence speak for itself. It felt as if their animosity was finally laid to rest. They watched as the river splashed against the rocks. Their breath was visible in the cold winter air. “You're wrong about one thing Draco,” Ron spoke up as Draco tilted his head to the side in curiosity. What more did Ron have to say? “I see you as a friend. I saw you as one, months ago. I just didn’t want you to know since I liked the dumb and dumber friendship we had going. And arguing with you is fun”.

With a smile emerging, Draco patted Ron’s knees in delight, “Thanks mate. And about Lavender, after this is all over, we can look for her together. Just me and you. Harry will probably be busy with chosen one obligations and Hermione will be busy setting up the school year, if we all survive this. I’ll help. Plus, I need to find Theo and Blaise. I haven’t heard any news of them from the Order’s reports. They’ve disappeared too”.

“Since we’re telling the whole truth, I have one more thing I have to tell you. If I don’t confess this now, I’ll feel like our friendship won’t be official”.

“And what’s that?”.

“I was jealous of you too,” Ron sighed, as if it pained him to say it. It was heavy to admit that to a person you once viewed as the enemy. If Ron from first year was here, he would have yelled at his older self for admitting another dark secret. A secret no one knew. A secret he would never reveal to any of his family. It would hurt them if they knew. Draco saw Ron swallow as he waited. This moment felt therapeutic for the two. Whatever truth Ron was about to reveal, it seemed important as the red head hesitated but Ron trusted Malfoy enough to be the first to hear it. As Ron let out a deep breath, he continued, “I was jealous but not for what you think. You have something I don’t have too. While you are rich, I wish I was an only child like you are”.

Hearing this, Draco’s eyebrows rose. Now he understood why Ron had been hesitant before. This was something most wouldn't dare to say. From what Draco knew, Harry had grown up an orphan, wanting family while Hermione grew up lonely as a child. If Ron complained to either of his friends, it would come off as ungrateful.

Raising both hands up in defense, the red head explained, “Don’t get me wrong. I love all my siblings but it can be a full house sometimes. You have a mother who gives you her full love and support. You never have to fight for your parent’s attention. Lucius saw you even if he was a bad father. I see your mother and I want that. My mum is too busy to look at me. I get lost in my family with 6 others to compete with. I am the last son of 7 children. Bill is an amazing curse breaker. Charlie works with dragons. Percy is the smartest and worked for the ministry. Fred and George are good businessmen. Ginny gets all the love for the sole reason she’s the only daughter of the family. Her existence alone earns all our parent’s love and attention. She’s the best quidditch player too. I don’t even have that going for me. I’m not very talented at anything. I’m too… normal”.

As Ron spilled everything, he appreciated that Draco hadn’t judged him. If anything, Draco was listening attentively, which many didn’t give him. Unable to stop his confession which quickly turned to complaints, Ron went on, feeling better than he had in months. “I have to work really hard to be decent while all my siblings are talented the first try. It takes me an embarrassing amount of times to ace anything. Because I’m the last boy of my family, I always get the scraps and hand me downs. All the money goes to Ginny because she needs new clothes as a girl. I call that bullshit but my parents say that’s the way it is. I’m so overlooked that my room is the size of a fucking closet. My father is always working long hours yet we’re still poor. Where does all the money go? If we can’t afford anything, why the hell did they keep having children? It’s ridiculous! I rarely see my father but when he does have time for us, he goes to see my other siblings, who are more interesting. I hate to say this but sometimes I think they only see me, because I’m friends with the chosen one. And if you ever repeat this to Harry or Hermione, I’ll murder you!”.

Ron huffed as he turned to Draco, who was still listening intently. It felt nice to be heard and not judged. “I see your childhood and I just feel anger towards my parents sometimes. Having a large family knowing you're living in poverty is selfish. I never want to have 7 children. I want a small family. I want my kids to never have to worry about money or having food on the table. I want to actually hang out with my kids, not work all the time out of desperation”.

Chuckling under his breath, Darco shook his head as he said, “I guess I only saw what you wanted me to see. I see you and I see my family. That’s actually surprising since I want to have a large family with Hermione. I HATED being an only child but I can see what you mean”.

Relieved he hadn’t been shunned, Ron chuckled with the snake, “I think you’ll make a good dad with a quidditch team. If anyone can have a large family, it’s you and Hermione. Since Remus is going to help get your Black inheritance, you can actually afford all your children”.

Draco nodded as he turned to face Ron again, who rolled his eyes in a light manner at what the werewolf said next, “You might not believe me when I say this, but you're my favorite Weasley. I’ve met most of them so I can say that they aren’t as interesting as you. You’re both smart and stupid like me. It’s why we match so well. As for being overlooked by your entire family, I see you. I always have. I saw you everyday at Hogwarts. I didn’t care for your other siblings. They didn’t interest me enough to bully them”.

~

The group apparated into Godric’s Hollow, walking down the empty streets. As the snow fell, the only light that could be seen were the street lamps and TV’s inside homes. Houses were filled with muggles celebrating Christmas Eve. It was eerie watching these people, who had no idea of what was going on beyond their world. Shivering, their group felt a mixture of envy and sadness. Jealousy simmered as they studied the muggles being able to live in bliss. It wasn’t that long ago the wizarding world refused to acknowledge of you know who had come back. These people were all living in a false reality but it was a happy one. Last year around this time, it was a different reality. Ron and Harry were in the Burrow with the Weasley clan celebrating the holidays.

Draco did not look into these homes for he felt nothing. The Slytherin did not want to think of his Christmas eve’s with his mother’s infamous ballroom parties. Anyone who was making a name for themselves, old money, new money, politicians, or people who were the pillars of society attended. Christmas eve for the sacred 28 was a time to socialize and make connections.

The werewolf closed his eyes, imagining Theo and Blaise. The Silver Trio often snuck out of the party. Instead they headed to the gardens with Blaise hiding a bottle of rum inside his coat and Theo holding a pack of smokes. Times were simpler back then. Hermione peered into each home, seeing a past she could never go back to. She saw young families having Christmas dinner. Something she could never do again. She blinked once and for a moment saw her parents with her 11 year old self before they disappeared into a distant memory. In the distance, a church hosted a mass for the church goers despite the late hour. They played holy music as the Christmas lights twinkled.

Draco cocked his head in curiosity as everyone inside the church worshipped a single statue of a man. A man with his hands and feet nailed to the cross, bleeding from his head with a crown of thrones. Seeing the look of confusion on Draco’s face, Hermione explained, “They're hosting a Christmas Eve concert hall for Godric’s Hollow. They're waiting for midnight for the ‘birth’ of Christ. It’s symbolic really”.

The two glanced at each other before Draco and Ron asked together, “Christ?”.

Hermione smirked at the confusions of the two Pureblooded boys that still hadn’t been satisfied. It wasn’t often that she had a chance to teach about muggle customs. “It’s a story. Well, a religion now. It’s believed by many that Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Eve. His mother was the Virgin Mary, who conceived her son with a holy spirit. On the night of his birth, three men followed the star from Bethlehem to meet the newborn king. Under the star was Mary, her husband Joseph, and baby Jesus. This person is important to muggles because he would go on to be the Messiah and the son of God, who performed miracles. Miracles like turning water into wine for example. It’s believed that he died for his people's sins and rose again 3 days later or so they say”.

Draco nodded, taking in the educational muggle information as they continued to walk. After a while, the Slytherin Prince came to an honest conclusion. “So this Jesus person was a fraud. He tricked the poor muggles into thinking he was the son of God when in reality he was just a half blooded wizard. Don't be gullible, Hermione. It's not a good look”.

Ron backed Draco, “Yeah Hermione, anyone can make wine from water in the wizarding world. That’s not special”.

Hiding her amusement, the bright witch added, “I’m not gullible. My family isn’t particularly religious but we did enjoy celebrating the commercialized Christmas holidays”.

With a pure look of judgment, Ron turned to Draco, “Doesn’t Mary conceiving from a holy spirit sound like blood magic, Draco? I don't think that Joseph was a light magic wizard either. They sound like a family who practiced dark magic”.

Shaking his head in agreement with a hand on his chin, Draco added more fuel to the fire, “Indeed it does. Virgin Blood is sacred in dark magic. Jesus is looking a lot like You know who to me. Both came back from the dead and tricked everyone to follow him”.

Afraid, Harry peered around, worried someone could have heard them. The streets were empty. His jaws dropped in horror at their theory, as he whispered in a hushed tone, “Don’t let the Christians hear you. They’ll start the Salem witch trials again out of pure spite after you called Jesus a dark wizard. They made an entire religion, started wars, and made holidays after this person”.

As a tempting idea came to him, Draco teased Harry, “So you're saying that I can come to the muggle world and trick the muggles into making a whole cult after me. I can have a whole holiday after my family name? This shouldn’t be a problem as I was also conceived in an unnatural way like this so-called messiah”.

Ron whispered to Draco, chuckling, “You should perform ‘miracles’ and transform the muggles into inanimate objects just for the heck of it”. As Hermione rolled her eyes, she lightly slapped the back of Draco and Ron’s head. “Don’t even think about it. We don’t need a second Riddle running around in the muggle world”.

Before Draco and Ron could respond, Harry called to the group as he pointed ahead of them. They were closing in the church cemetery as Harry asked, “Do you think they’d be in there? My mum and dad?”. Hermione replied, “Yes, they have to be. This is the only cemetery for this community. Your parent’s home is still standing from what I read in the past”.

To save time, they all separated to find Lily and James Potter’s gravestone. One by one, aisle by aisle they visited each stone, wiping off the fresh snow on top. 30 minutes passed as they looked through all the names. Hermione wiped off the snow off an interesting looking gravestone. Even with the snow covering the face of the stone, she could see the same symbol from before hidden underneath. It was the eye symbol again. The same one from her book.

With a newfound clue, Hermione jumped in excitement as she read the name of this gravestone, Ingotus Peverell. “Draco, come over!,” she called out with a wide smile spread across her face. This trip hadn’t been for nothing.

The werewolf who was nearby came, seeing what Hermione was pointing too. His eyebrows rose in surprise at the name. He hadn’t expected to see this family here. Seeing the questioning stare Hermione gave him, Draco explained, “The House of Peverell. They're a Pureblood family with a lot of legacy attached to it. The Peverell name is so old that only the Malfoys and Blacks would know of them. The Weasleys wouldn’t as it's an ancient house. Their name died off many centuries ago but their blood still lives on. The Peverell’s died before other sacred Purebloods could remember or meet them. They’re only recognized and remembered honorably by the Malfoy’s and Black’s or at least they were”.

Lost, Hermione, who with no knowledge of Pureblood family lines, asked, “What do you mean? What is a Pureblood doing in a muggle cemetery?”.

Draco answered the witch, “I would have expected this Peverell to be buried in a wizard cemetery but this makes sense as well. This pureblood must be here because this is where the Potter’s lay their dead. The Peverell name ended when all their sons and male heirs died. Their only granddaughter carried on their blood and married into the Potters”.

As Draco kneeled down to inspect the symbol closer, he continued, “The Blacks and Malfoys used to acknowledge Peverell as fellow allies until they married into a light magic family. A family, who were always criticizing the other sacred families and judging Dark Magic users. The Potters. I only know this because as the walking legacy of the last two ancient Pureblood families in the wizarding world Lucius made me remember and honor all the houses who fell and died off as it was my responsibility to know who came before me. I was made to remember houses we helped bring down for our self interest out of respect for the fallen. Remember all our old loyal patrons so we might learn from their mistakes and continue our line”.

Hermione bit her lips, thinking about this new discovery. “This is Harry’s ancestor then? That gives us more questions than answers. Why is this symbol on this gravestone?”.

Draco shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know but Harry wouldn’t know either even though he should know in theory. Harry was raised as a muggle and has no knowledge of his family line at all. Harry is a muggleborn in all but name. If his father was still alive, James’ responsibility would have been to teach Harry about their family history and family secrets to pass to the next generation. I can only speak for my line and give my perspective of how my ancestors viewed the Potters and Peverells. The practices and knowledge of both the House of Potter and Peverell were lost forever on that night. Only Harry’s blood is left of both houses' legacies”.

They walked away, looking for Harry to inform him of what they found. The couple peered at each other as they found both Ron and Harry, standing in front of two gravestones. That could only mean one thing. As the group came together once more, they stood at the grave site of Lily and James Potter. The silence was loud between the four of them. Ron, Draco, and Hermione knew how much this meant to Harry. It was the first time since their death that Harry was visiting his parents. Nothing was said as Harry gave a silent thanks to his parents for sacrificing themselves, so that he could live. The bell from the church’s clock tower rang out loud in the snowy night, signifying it was midnight.

After the bell broke the ice between the group, Potter wished his friends “Merry Christmas everyone,” as he turned to them.

Hermione got on her knees while her wand casted a spell to plant white lilies on the entirety of the gravestone to replace the snow. “Merry Christmas, Harry,” Hermione wished him as she placed a peck on his cheeks. The first recognition and affection Harry had received from Hermione since she ended their friendship and had been on bad terms so far.

With the hairs on the back standing, Draco heard a ringing in the distance. It was the same ringing that the locket gave off. “It’s a horcrux,” the werewolf whispered to himself as he left the Golden Trio and followed the noise. With the Golden Trio following him closely behind, they waited to see where Draco would take them.

They followed him down the street until they ended at the site of a house in ruins. The home looked abandoned. The wooden pillars were run down, appearing as if they could fall at any given moment. The windows were broken as spider webs covered every inch of the house, giving off the appearance the life left this home years ago. The roof was half gone, leaving the house defenseless against the elements and destroying the home even more. From the streets it looked like snow covered inside the home.

To Draco only, he smelled mold growing inside the house and heard the wood termites chewing at the structure of the home. The house creaked as it settled weakly upon itself. Hermione walked up to the plaque of the front stone gates, wiping off the snow to see it was the Potter’s residence. “You were right. There's a horcrux at your birth place. Your family home, where it all started,” announced Hermione as she peered back at Harry.

Draco, feeling the hairs of his body stand up and goosebumps rose on his skin, whispered to the golden trio, “Someone is watching us. There's a person inside that house”. As soon as the werewolf mentioned the woman, the ringing stopped, causing him more alarm. Draco used his enhanced eyesight, trying to get a glimpse of who it was. It appeared the figure was an elderly woman, who hid in the shadows of the house while watching the four from the second floor broken window. Draco's heart raced as the feeling of wanting to run for his life overcame him. The Slytherin Prince, not uttering a single word, pointed to the second story window to the group.

Harry peered up, seeing the same elderly woman, “I think I know who that is. It’s Bathilda Bagshot, the wizarding world historian. She wrote 10 history of magic books. She was interviewed by Rita Skeeter before she disappeared for her book, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”. Harry began to walk towards the ruined house until Draco forcibly grabbed his shoulders.

The werewolf’s crawls came out as he stopped Harry. “No, don’t go. I don’t like this. Every fiber of my werewolf body is screaming to run. We need to go. You promised us. If I said go, we go”.

In disbelief, Harry shook his head, “We can’t go now. You led us to another horcrux. We have to retrieve it”.

With a sorry expression at Draco, Hermione spoke up, “Maybe Harry is right. Bathilda might know what the symbol means. It's her job as the wizarding world historian, isn’t it? She may be able to tell us about Harry’s family and the eye symbol on your family burial grounds”.

Ron swallowed, getting more frightened while watching Draco’s body language, “Harry, you promised us we could go, if Draco wanted to”.

Sensing once again he and Ron were close to being outvoted, in one last attempt to make his point, Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and laid it flat on his heart. Harry was surprised at the werewolf’s actions but felt how quickly Draco’s heart was beating. It was so fast that it felt as if it was about to burst. Unknowingly, Draco had also laid Harry’s hand on top of the scars Harry gave him. Harry flinched as he remembered the moment Draco had attempted to tell him in the bathroom that he wasn’t the enemy but he had failed to listen then.

Deciding he wasn’t going to fail his friends again, Harry gave in as he nodded his head, “Okay, let’s go. We need to alert the Order as soon as possible. Remus and a team can inspect my parent’s home”.

Before Draco and Ron could breath with relief, the elderly woman appeared right beside them, frightening all four children. Ron screamed while grabbing onto the werewolf for safety. Hermione had almost fallen on top of Harry to the ground but luckily Harry had leaned over the stone fence which caught their fall. Feeling his soul jump out of its own skin, Draco screamed as he stared into the woman’s empty eyes.

Despite wanting to run away, the werewolf couldn’t look away. In fact, it was almost as if the woman was luring his eyes towards her. As he took a sniff of the women, he took note of how she reeked of a foul smell. Scrunching his nose, it was almost like a rotting scent, but not quite. It was worse. It was a mix of spoiled eggs and feces. The werewolf's eyes picked up flies around the elderly lady. “Flies in the middle of winter? How strange,” he thought as the woman stared directly at Draco as if she's trying to recognize him.

Her eyes were oddly shaped with her hair matted. They had sunken in and were unable to focus. The old woman's eyes were discolored as if she was blind. Without speaking a word, the elderly woman walked back towards the house as Ron and Draco picked up how strangely she walked, dragging her legs across the ground as if her body was heavy. The old woman went in through the front door, disappearing into the darkness but left it open for them to enter.

Before any of them could question it, their feet followed unwillingly. All their eyes were glued onto the woman like a moth to a flame. She was luring them into the home. While her hand shook uncontrollably like a leaf, trying to turn on a candle, Draco offered, “Let me get that”. But the moment their hands touched, the control the old woman had on him was erased as his werewolf soaked in the darkness she tried so hard to hide. It remembered this feeling, causing Draco to drop the candle to the floor, leaving the haunted house absent of any light. This wasn’t Bathilda the Slytherin realized as he stepped away from the strange women. Who was she?

With instinct taking over, the werewolf growled at the stranger, scaring the old woman back. As Hermione snapped out of it too, she protectively held Draco back, “I’m so sorry. You’ll have to forgive him. He can’t help it as he's a werewolf. Regulus can be very protective over us”.

As if Hermione hadn’t apologized, the woman ignored the couple and made her way up to the second floor. Every footstep made the staircase creek. Still under her spell, Harry followed while Ron pulled on Hermione's coat, pointing to Draco’s eyes. The whites of his eyes were gone and his fangs were out. It clicked to Hermione as she whispered in fear, “Oh my god! It's a trap”.

In a rush, the three of them followed Harry but the stairs broke, stalling their way to find Harry. Feeling anxious, Draco wasted no time as he grabbed Hermione and Ron. He held them from their waist under his arms while he jumped over the fallen stairs.

In a panic, Hermione and Ron slammed open every door, checking every room for Harry. Draco grew impatient, letting the savage werewolf out, “There's no time!”. Draco used his nose to sniff the last member of his pack before dashing for the last room in the hall. They found the woman alone in the old nursery room with Harry’s back turned away from them. While Harry was staring at his broken crib and the burned floorboards where his mother would have laid, the boy was stuck in a trance.

“Harry!,” Hermione screamed as Harry slowly turned his head with heavy eyes but went back to the old woman.

Harry spoke in parseltongue to the woman. Unable to understand the exchange, the trio witnessed the woman go in the middle of the room as her body began to fall apart. Fingers and skin fell to the floor as her jaw broke wide open. The throat swelled up as if she was going to vomit. Unable to handle the pressure of the throat, her head ripped while a large snake slithered out of the dead corpse.

In shock, Ron and Hermiome froze as Draco continued to growl. Hermiome gasped as it clicked. “Harry! It’s Nagini! She's a horcrux!,” she shouted. The werewolf, full of rage, went on all four to pounce the snake. While Draco attacked the snake, Harry fell down on his bottom, finally breaking the control his mind was under.

Hermione and Ron ran to Harry. “We have to get Draco’s attention before we can leave,” yelled Ron. Helpless, the Golden Trio watched the fight between the two dark magical creatures. While the snake bled onto the floor, Draco crawled towards it but Nagini fought back. She striked the Slytherin Prince with her fangs. For every werewolf bite received, Nagini tore into the boy.

With pure vengeance, Nagini pounced on the boy while Draco yelped as the snake began to wrap around his body. Lunging forward, Ron shouted, “Petrificus Totalus!”. Both magical creatures went stiff in a immobile state as Hermione grabbed onto Harry’s coat. “Ron! Grab my coat!”.

After feeling Ron’s hand on her, Hermione pulled her wand out and brought Draco’s body over to her before trying apparate them away. As the spell broke, Nagini unfrozen as she watched the group try to escape. Before they could, she striked one final time as the floor broke, taking her to the first floor. In the chaos seeing Nagini come towards them, Hermione took them back to the Potter's burial ground. It was the first place she thought of in the panic of the room.

As the four fell to the ground, Hermione immediately stood to check on Draco. The witch opened his coat before her hands covered her mouth, shocked by all the wounds. Draco had just healed from his full moon transformation yet all the old wounds had reopened with the added new ones from Nagini. “Ron, quickly help me! We have to close his wounds fast before Nagini comes for us. We can’t apparate out of Godric’s Hollow like this. Draco’s body can’t take it a second time! Why didn’t I go straight to camp? Idiot!,” she screamed.

Ron pulled out his wand as he went straight to work, dropping the deluminator at the same time. In the hysteria, it went unnoticed as the two tried to heal Draco in the rush. With her wand in her bag, Hermione grabbed Draco’s as his wand was the most powerful when it came to healing its own owner.

Frustrated at himself, Harry marched over to Draco while yelling, “I can’t believe it! The horcrux caught us all in a trace again. We almost left!”.

Following Ron and Hermione’s lead in healing the werewolf, the three worked in unison as quickly as they could while Hermione kept checking behind them. Harry watched Draco paralyzed body as he grew angry again. Potter bit his lower lip while his knuckles were white from holding onto his wand hard. He couldn’t hide his fury with the damage Draco took for them all. “It’s all my fault. It was my idea to come. He had to protect us again. I keep putting us all in danger,” Harry spat out.

Shaking her head no, Hermione replied, “If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I was confused and thought Nagini was apparating with us. I should have taken us straight to camp. Now we’re yards away from Nagini. We’re exposed in the open field and vulnerable… I think I might have splinched Draco too”. The brown curly haired witch teared up, feeling guilty as she watched an unconscious Draco.

“This isn’t anyone’s fault. I know what splinching looks like. This isn’t it. Fred and George have splinched themselves plenty of times. This was all Nagini. Harry, you were right. We had to come. We have more clues than we had in months. Now focus back on Draco. We need to leave,” Ron urged them both as he peered behind him for signs of the snake.

“He can’t keep doing this! We can’t let Voldemort get away with this. He’s hurt too many of our friends. When we get to the final battle, we need to end him once and for all this time,” Harry muttered, still frustrated. In the distance of the graveyard, echoes of apparition could be heard. With horror, the Golden Trio glanced up to see a group mixed with snatchers and Death Eaters on the property.

“How did they find us? We must have triggered them somehow. First Nagini and now this! Things keep getting worse,” whispered Hermione in a harsh tone.

It was the word trigger that stuck out to the redhead. The word kept repeating itself inside his head until it came to him. Ron shouted in a whisper at both his friends, “Fuck! How stupid could we all be? Draco was right. We shouldn’t be using his name!”.

Still healing Draco, Harry asked, “What do you mean?” as Ron explained, “The last time they found us was at the cafe. Remember? You said his name back then and you said it right now. There must be a taboo on his name. It alerts his followers to the location wherever the word was used. You're the only person in the wizarding world that uses it. The noiseless freak outsmarted us again”.

As his eyes widened, Harry replied, “Shit! Now what?”.

With a hardened expression, Hermione ordered, focused on the fight ahead, “We fight. Harry, come with me. They don’t stand a chance with us together. Ron, you stay and continue to heal Draco”.

Ron went back to healing Draco, dedicating all his focus on the werewolf. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. His full attention and energy needed to be on Draco’s wounds. If they had any chance of getting out of here as four, he had to trust Harry and Hermione would take down all the snatchers and death eaters for them. Besides needing to trust them, Ron knew he couldn’t fight. He was the weakness out of the four. It wasn’t his forte. If he helped fight, they would be too distracted trying to aid Ron. They had a better chance of getting out of here if he stayed with Draco. His hands shook in anxiety, knowing they needed to get out of here fast.

As he was about to finish closing the last gash on Draco’s chest, the crunch of the snow was heard behind him. A group of snatchers had appeared on the other side of the graveyard. The group of men slowly approached the two boys as it went unnoticed by Ron. They surrounded the two like vultures, preying on them. As Ron finished the last wound on his body, he tried to wake the Slytherin but like a flock of birds they blindsided Ron.

Behind Ron, a deep voice whispered into his ears, “Boo!”, causing the red head to drop his wand. Before he could shout, the snatcher closed Ron’s mouth as a second snatcher picked Draco’s body and threw him over his shoulders. Before a second could pass, they were carried away into the cold winter night, disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile Hermione and Harry snuck towards the second group of snatchers and death eaters, hiding behind gravestones as they made their way to the men. They two had expected a battle but as soon as the snatchers arrived, the men strolled around in an infuriating calm. One by one, they slowly went behind each man, putting them to a deep sleep just as Draco trained them. During their down time, Draco had trained the Golden Trio to improve their combative skills as a pack. He made the trio fight together. They had to know each other's body language if they were to predict each other's moves and base the next attack on it.

Some of the men began to leave. Perhaps they had found nothing but the two continued to put the ones that stayed to sleep. When Hermione and Harry put the last Death Eater down, the duo clapped hands in celebration, remembering how well they worked as a team. It reminded them how well they were together as friends.

As Harry and Hermione made their way across the snowy graveyard to where Ron and Draco were, the empty field made Hermione gasp as the two ran towards where they had left them. “They're gone! Draco! Ron!,” Hermione screamed before landing on her knees and hands. She stared at the bloody spot, crying over the caved-in snow where Draco once laid. Tears fell down, melting the snow below her. “They took them, Harry. They took them! He did it again. He keeps taking away our family,” she exclaimed.

Searching frantically around him as if he didn’t want to believe what happened, Harry’s eyes landed on the deluminator and Ron’s wand. His fears were confirmed. They were gone. Hermione glanced up at Harry, seeing what he picked up. Hermione swore under her breath as she realized she had Draco’s wand too. Struggling to breathe in a panic state, Hermione turned to Harry as her mind analyzed the situation they found themself in, “We killed them both! We left them defenseless! The labor camps! The rehabilitation center! The slaughter of magical creatures! What if Draco goes there? I’m never going to see him again. How are we going to face Molly? Oh god, what about Remus!”.

Every thought rushed in as she thought about everything all at once, flying a thousand miles a minute. Each consequence came in, thinking about this new reality and what it meant. Ron and Draco were gone. Her mind started to calculate the chances the two boys had at survival, breaking her heart more, the farther her soulmate traveled away from her. As she began to hyperventilate similar to the panic attack Draco had the night of the library. Her hand clutched onto her coat, where her heart was located. “Draco... I can’t do this without him. I can’t do this. I can’t”.

Fighting back his tears, Harry held Hermione up, thinking of Ron while trying to hold it together for the both of them. “Listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. We have to regroup with the Order. They’ll know what to do”.

Harry stood, waiting for Hermione to answer. Instead, she peered out into the cemetery. “Was she listening?,” Harry wondered as she remained motionless. Just as Harry was about to speak up once more, Hermione whispered in a weary voice but he couldn’t hear what she had said. “What?,” he asked as Hermione repeated herself.

“I’m tired, Harry”.

Hearing this, Harry broke down. He felt the same. Months on the run had finally caught up to them. Every progress they made, came with forced steps back. “All I want in the world is to attend class with you, Ron and Draco. Why can’t we do that? We found a clue but we lost Draco, Ron and the Horcrux,” Hermione went on. Despite her maturity she often displayed, she allowed herself to show her true age. She was merely a child forced to take in the burden and responsibility of the war.

Gasping for air, Harry wiped his tears, realizing he desired the same. He wanted nothing more than to sit in the Hogwarts library with his loved ones. He wanted his biggest worry to be homework that he hadn’t done the night before.

In a shaky voice, Hermione went on, “I can’t face Remus. He’ll never forgive us. Molly, she lost a second son because of us. We failed them. Why does bad stuff keep happening to us?,” as her body wanted to choke on air while she came down from her panic attack. “Ron,” Harry whispered as he peered out to his parent’s grave. He was afraid. Seeing a light illuminating from Hermione’s two arms, Harry lifted both sleeves up. It was her soul bonding mark, flashing on and off.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he gathered himself while making a promise. In a fragile calm, Harry grabbed Hermione’s face, forcing her to look directly into his eyes before taking in that Hermione was on the verge of fainting. They needed to focus. He forced himself and Hermione to copy each other’s breaths. They needed to slow down their heart beats and panic. As he wiped Hermione’s tears with his thumb, he cursed himself for not knowing how to apparate out. He and Ron this entire time have been dependent on both Draco and Hermione to get around.

Although Harry knew the Order had warned them not to overuse house elf magic since their loyalties by nature were questionable as they were only truly loyal to their masters, if there was a time to call Kreacher, it was now when Hermione was facing a crisis of her own. “Kreacher! Help Us! Please! We need you!” Harry screamed out into the night sky. He screamed, hoping the elf would answer him. Kreacher had only ever answered to Draco and Hermione but he had to try. Harry cried for Kreacher like a frightened child, calling out to their parents. To Harry’s relief, the house elf appeared in front of them. The elf took in the sight of the two children as Harry trembled in fear while holding Hermione in his arms. Kreacher listened without question as Harry commanded, “Take us to camp! Hurry!”.

Chapter Text

With chaos unfolding, the trio dropped from the air with a loud thud. Harry’s eyes searched for Hermione before moving towards her. He needed to know she was still here. There were too many people he had lost in his life. His mind had not yet accepted that only two came back. While Harry grabbed onto both of Hermione’s forearms, they took in the empty tent around them. With frightened expressions, it was beginning to settle that Draco and Ron were really gone.

To the side, Kreacher watched on as he offered them both tissues. Taking it, Harry used it to wipe Hermione’s tears. The little elf did not need to ask what had happened. He knew. Something had gone terribly wrong for Draco would never leave Hermione alone.

Whispering Draco’s name, Hermione appeared pale as she rested her head on Harry’s shoulder. “Will they be okay?,” she asked in a trembling voice that both Kreacher and Harry heard.

Harry quickly glanced at Kreacher, looking for guidance. What should he say? The odds were stacked against their friends. Since even before the war started, people had been disappearing but it intensified once snatchers were paid for each one of their captured victims. Hunting humans and magical beings had become a blood sport. With care, he ignored the question before stating, “We need to call the Order. They’ll know what to do”.

Pushing Harry away, the bright witch shook her head in disagreement. “Not yet. I don’t know how to face everyone. How do we tell them that we lost Ron and Draco?”.

Kreacher’s breath hitched in his throat, finally getting verbal confirmation of his worst fears. Speechless, Harry stumbled over his words as his mind tried to think of what to say. Overwhelmed, Harry wrapped his arms around her neck, tightly hugging her, “We’ll do it together. The faster we react the sooner we’ll find them. The Order has allies everywhere. They’ll be able to notify everyone on our side to keep the look out for them”.

As she wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater, Hermione replied, “Harry, what if we never see them again? We’ve been pushing our luck. I almost lost it when I thought I lost Draco twice. It was devastating losing my parents, but I continued because Draco was here. If we lose Draco and Ron for good, I really don’t think I can go on”. Harry peered at her, swallowing his heart back down. Guilt once again found its way up to him. He knew where her fears had originally stemmed from, him. The root of her fears began when he ended Draco’s life and caused her to witness it all. It was where his fears started, as well.

It not only changed how Hermione reacted to the world around her but he had never been the same person since then either. It forced Harry to look deep into his soul, evaluate his past actions and impulses. His actions had hurt the people he loved. Hermione had always been there to save them from whatever trouble he found himself in, putting herself last for Ron and him. Now that he thought about it. Neither he and Ron ever really thanked her all those times.

These past few months of their strained relationship had been difficult. Harry had taken her for granted, believing Hermione would always be there. As Harry took in Hermione’s worried expression, it was time to have the conversation and repair what he broke all those months ago. It was time to save Hermione from her fears like all those times she saved Harry from his own deepest despairs and insecurities.

“Hermione, I promise you we’ll get Draco and Ron back. I will not stop until we do so. I know I’m the last person you want to hear from right now after everything that has happened between us, but I promise we will get them back. I know I’m not your favorite person at the moment but let me do this for you. It's what I owe you after being a complete ass. I took you for granted. Instead, I almost killed Draco. You made the biggest sacrifice to go on this hunt, erasing your parents from your life. Let me make it up to you now”.

Hermione gave a grateful expression at Harry’s apology, the person she had been avoiding all these months. For so long, she wanted to hate him. She wanted nothing more to put the blame on him. It would have made it easy to deal with her emotions if it was really Harry’s fault. To pinpoint the source of her pain and heartbreak onto Harry’s, but nothing was his fault, which is what made everything so much harder. Life had given them difficult circumstances to endure.

“Oh Harry, nothing is your fault. This all started when Tom killed your parents. Everything that has been taken from us is that man’s fault. If you want to take responsibility for what happened to Draco then I need to take responsibility for what I did to my parents. I so badly wanted to blame you Harry but I can’t. We never stopped being friends. The person I can’t forgive is really myself but if I was given the second chance to erase my parent’s memories, I would still do it. I still stand by what I did strangely enough”. Hermione took a deep breath, before peering at Harry. She was afraid of finding judgement in his eyes at her confession but she didn’t.

Instead, she found Harry gave a sympathetic look of understanding. He knew more than anyone what it was like to make difficult choices for those he loved the moment he found out he was a wizard. Continuing, Hermione glanced at her lap as she whispered, “I would rather them be safe and live a full life without me than to lose them by death. Everyone thinks I have all the answers, which most of the time I do, but I’m just 17, Harry. I’m lost right now but I do know that I’m sorry for projecting my pain onto you. It wasn’t fair. I just have to learn to live with this heartbreak. I don’t want you to blame yourself any longer. It's Riddle's fault. He wanted to kill both you and Draco. He had you two fighting against each other but now that we're all on the same side, he doesn’t stand a chance. You don’t have to carry another burden alone. We’ll find Draco and Ron together”.

Relief came in hearing Hermione and him had come to a truce. Before they knew it, they cried together once more. After the fight against the snatchers in the cemetery and losing Ron and Draco, it was overwhelming. Their bodies were still high on adrenaline from almost getting killed by Nagini. If it hadn't been for Draco attacking Nagini, they weren’t certain if they would have escaped. It was a reminder they were merely children, trying to stop a war machine larger than them all. Their lives were in danger each day they were on the hunt.

Harry gave another tight hug to Hermione as she returned the embrace. Whispering in her ear, Harry spoke with her curls attacking his face, “I missed you so much. I grew up alone but if I had to imagine what a sister is like. She’s you. I love you so much, Hermione”.

Hearing those words, Hermione teared up onto his shoulders. As they both calmed down, Harry loosened the hug while replying, “Let’s call the Order. There's only one way to go if we want to get them back and that’s forward. The quicker we win this war the faster we can find them. We have to believe they’ll be okay. Draco and Ron alone are trouble so they’ll be a force to reckon with for the other side. I honestly pity the people that took them”.

Hermione laughed, “You’re right. They might have just made the biggest mistake taking Draco and Ron together”.

Harry turned to peer at the house elf, “Kreacher, can you get Remus, Mad-eye, and Kingsley for us?”.

Soon after, the three leaders of the Order came apparating into the tent within minutes. Remus knew something was wrong the moment Hermione avoided the eye’s of the Order. Instead, she held onto Draco’s sweatshirt so tightly it wrinkled under Hermione’s grip. Tension grew as Harry dropped the news that Draco and Ron had been taken, giving Hermione time to process not having Draco by her side since the start of Hogwarts 6th year. This was the first time they were separated.

As the devastating news sunk in, Kingsley immediately took action as he apparated out of the tent. He would take on the duty to inform every order member, Mad-eye’s soldiers, Hogwarts’ homebase, Black cat society, and foreign ally to be on the lookout for the two boys, Ron and Regulus. He carefully revealed that the boys were highly essential members of the order that could not be in the arms of the other side. Any information found, needed to be taken to the chain of command.

Proceeding with caution, Kingsley also held a separate meeting with the most inner and original Order members, informing them it was actually Draco who was missing. Draco could be in great danger if it was revealed he was working for the Order and helping the Golden Trio.

Walking over to Hermione, Remus gave her a side hug as they shared their worries together. The old werewolf comforted Harry and Hermione out loud, “They’ll come back. As pack leader, I can still sense Draco. If Draco is alright, so must be Ron”. Mad-eye and Remus stayed behind to learn the events of what happened inside the house and clues the children had found at Godric’s Hollow. The duo told the adults of how Draco heard the horcrux, Nagani, inside Potter's old home as well as you know who’s name being a taboo.

Hermione, who was still being held by Remus, told what she discovered at the graveyard. The same symbol she found in the book Dumbledore willed to her was on Ignotus Peverell’s Headstone. It had to mean something. According to Draco’s family accounts, this was an ancestor of Harry’s. They needed to speak to someone with old ancestral blood to learn more about this Pureblood individual.

With an idea coming to him, Harry suggested a visit to Xenophilius Lovegood’s home was the next move. Back at the wedding, he had remembered Mr Lovegood had carried the symbol around his neck. If someone knew what the ancient symbol was, it would be him, a former member of the Malfoy ancestral line.

In agreement, Mad-eye went back to headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, to tell his specialized team of aurors and curse breakers there two new missions. They were to track Nagini and the two boys at all costs. He informed his team that this snake was no ordinary magical creature and left it at that. His second team would start looking into every known rehabilitation center and labor camp they were currently trying to break into in case the boys were there. Before he left, Mad-eye promised to obtain portkeys for the duo for Mr. Lovegood’s home and one back to their tent.

Remus’ duty was to leave and visit Fred and George, telling them what had happened. Since the twins were working closely with Mr. Lovegood, they were tasked with printing missing posters of Ron and Regulus in the Quibbler. It was also essential to notify the public of the taboo on the name,Voldemort, quickly. Although it has come at a cost, the Order finally found out how individuals were disappearing all year and how snatchers were locating them. Before he left Harry and Hermione, the older werewolf let them know he wouldn’t be able to reach them for a while. He needed to see their allies in Ireland.

Throughout the war, Remus had been negotiating a werewolf sanctuary with their Irish allies alongside with the underground movement. Besides meeting with their allies for other Order business, this meeting needed to be pushed up in the aftermath of Draco’s disappearance. They needed to be notified of a special werewolf member and his description. Since the boy was a werewolf and if it was discovered by the snatchers, the Order could not scratch out the possibility that Draco could end up in Ireland.

So far, their allies had been interfering with the snatcher’s catches, saving as many as they could from the camps designated for magical creatures. Because Ireland was the only country accepting werewolves and dark magical creatures refugees, if Draco and Ron successfully escaped, they could be there as many helpers in the countryside were leading werewolves to Ireland.

Later that night Hermione and Harry sat on the couch. With Hermione’s head on Harry's shoulders, both their eyes were puffy. There was an uneasy feeling, lingering in the air of uncertainty for what the future was going to bring them. The more they focused on the absence of their two friends, the more sadness grew. The tent that was once full of life with the four of them sat in silence especially with Draco and Ron’s shenanigans.

With the two purposely getting on each other’s nerves, Draco and Ron had been the main noise polluters and source of entertainment. The two got into heated debates in just about anything. At times, Hermione swore Draco purposely argued the opposite stance just to get under Ron’s skin. At first Harry and Hermione attempted to step in but soon realized it was the way they communicated. Now without Draco and Ron, the tent was a shell of its former self. It felt colder.

As Harry saw Hermione’s nose start to run, he handed her a tissue. In the dead quiet, he felt more tears coming back. Blinking them away, if Harry cried again, he knew Hermione would break down too. As he tried not to dwell on the meek mood, out of nowhere, Harry felt his mood ring heat up. Harry peered down at his hands to get a better view. Before his eyes, the mood stone changed from its bluish and green color to a pretty white stone. It was enough magic to catch Hermione’s attention.

“Muggle mood ring?,” Hermione asked out loud, now watching the quirky ring. The witch lifted her head from Harry’s shoulders to watch the stone curiously hover between them. The white colored stone transformed into a white Lily making Hermione stare in awe. Gently, Hermione poked the flower and together the two of them watched the flower spin in a dance. “Harry, this is an impressive piece of magic! The craftsmanship is incredible. It’s next year’s lesson,” Hermione complimented.

“Really? I’m honestly so behind with my school work. I wouldn't have known that”. Silence filled the space before Harry continued, “Let me guess, did you know because you took a peek at next year's lesson?”. He gave Hermione a knowing look before the two laughed. Even with the world ending, there was no doubt in Harry’s mind that Hermione would always find time for school work. “One can ever be too prepared,” the bright witch smiled into Harry’s shoulder.

They watched the lily float before Hermione had the courage to ask. “Harry, is this ring special? I watched you play with it everyday since we’ve been on the run. I always wanted to ask but it felt invasive to ask”.

Harry cracked a smile, “I guess it is kinda special to me. It calms me down whenever I feel sad. The mood ring is charmed to transform into a white Lily until I feel better”.

“Who gave you the ring? And I don’t say it was Ron or you made it. You're both not clever enough to make magic like this,” Hermione teased back but frowned in confusion when Harry replied with honesty, “I don’t know. It had no name. A gryffindor, I assume. I found the gift on my luggage on the last day of school”.

“You don’t know?,” Hermione repeated, suddenly intrigued with this new mystery before her. Hermione sat up while Harry could see the wheels turn inside the witch’s brain as she went down every possible Gryffindor with exceptional magic. Hermione bit her lips as she skimmed through everyone inside the Gryffindor tower. Harry chuckled to himself, remembering he almost drove himself mad, trying to figure out who the mysterious person was. He had to admit, no one had the skills to make a charmed ring in their house except Hermione. Someone with high intelligence and knowledge of the muggle world had to be the creator of the ring but no one in Gryffindor fit those qualifications. It hadn’t been Hermione as they had been fighting at the time and now had a genuine curiosity of who this mysterious person was.

The ring stumped Harry so many nights. He had even considered it being a wizard. In those sleepless nights, he had to ask himself, how would he feel if it was a boy? Then Harry realized he wouldn’t have minded. To add to the mystery, there weren’t that many half blood or muggle borns in Gryffindor, if he considered both wizards and witches. It could be a Pureblood who had common knowledge of the muggle world, but that presented a new challenge. It would make the list bigger.

Harry, saving Hermione the trouble of solving the mystery, teased the witch, “If you ask me, this person is a very good friend but if you ask Draco and Ron, this is my courtship ring. They’re convinced, I’m engaged. They both want invitations to the wedding, once I find this mystery person”.

Hermione snapped her head at Harry before they chuckled together again at the stupidity of Draco and Ron. Once they settled down, the Golden Girl wiped her tears of laughter away. “That sounds like something they would say especially to get under your nerves but do you know what Draco would say right now?”.

“What?” Harry asked, with a raised eyebrow.

In a tone that mimicked her husband’s, Hermione said, “Don’t be so sure it’s a Gryffindor. Expand the search to all four houses. It could be anyone. The Gryfinndor password is the worst kept secret in the castle. Everyone had access to your tower,” before Harry and Hermione burst into laughter again. They watched the twirling Lily float between them before Hermione spoke again. “I hope you get to meet this friend”.

“Me too,” Harry mumbled while Hermione laid her head back on Harry’s shoulder. Together they watched the Lily float between them all night long.

Chapter Text

“Look at what we have here. I never thought I would see you here, Ron Weasley. When they told us two weeks ago you were here I didn’t believe it. I should have come sooner,” said a one-eyed Crabbe as he walked around the torture chamber, or better known as the hole. Holding his breath, Ron glanced at the fat boy, who had an eye patch covering his right eye, before going back to staring into the void. The hole was a small four wall room with no windows or light.

Once the door closed it was pitch black. It wasn’t the physical punishment that made this room infamous for its name but the mental aspect of it. The darkness ate away at the person trapped here. It was the slow dwindling of one’s sanity being trapped in a room where light did not exist as if it had been consumed into a blackhole. The silence of one’s mind with nothing to distract it was enough to drive many to the edge. Many came out questioning their own existence whether they were dead or not. Sometimes the pitch black made the prisoners see things in the void but it was only the hallucinations of one’s own mind.

Goyle tiptoed around Ron before kicking the redhead in the stomach. The Weasley boy chuckled while feeling the pain. It was a laugh of relief for it meant he was alive and real. “How long had he been here?,” Ron wondered.

Giving an expression of disgust, Goyle grabbed onto Ron’s hair, forcing the redhead to peer at him. “You best believe you’ll be our special prisoner. Imagine the promotion we’ll both get once we squeeze every ounce of information out of you” Goyle replied as he pushed Ron back on the floor. He wiped his hand on his shirt while Crabbe stepped up. “Say once we get what we need out of him, what do you say we deliver his head to his mum,” he commented while patting Goyle’s chest in excitement. As a smirk appeared on his face, Goyle laughed, “I like the way you think”.

Going off into his mind, Ron did not know how long the two stayed but only heard the closing of the door, leaving Ron to sit in the darkness again. The staff suspected a few more days here would make Ron an open book. They had previously tried to use Occlumency on the redhead but his mind’s barriers proved hard to penetrate. Thanks to Draco, Ron’s mind was well protected. Due to the large amount of down time, the young werewolf had taught the Golden Trio during the horcrux hunt. It was for this reason why Ron found himself in the hole, to weaken his mind for interrogation.

Hours or days passed, Ron couldn’t be sure here anymore. Time inside the hole became nonexistent. While Ron sat alone in the dark, it felt as if his mind was decaying at an excruciating rate. If it came to it, Ron would face death with open arms before allowing his mind’s barriers to fall for the Order’s sake.

Deciding to close his eyes, Ron drifted off to sleep but a loud bang woke him up. In a daze, Ron peeked through lidded eyes that the door had been slammed open. It was Draco coming into the room to untie Ron from his constraints. A few unknown prisoners came in as well, replacing Ron with a dead body and tied the corpse in his place.

“Are you sure this is going to work?,'' asked the unknown man.

“Of course! I’ve known those imbeciles my entire life. They have nothing going on inside their empty space they call brains,” snarled Draco.

While the others checked on Ron, the Slytherin Prince added a memory into the minds of the unconscious guards, who had been standing at the door. They would be responsible for beating Ron to death. This deceased prisoner would become Ron. An added bonus to the plan was once Crabbe and Goyle saw the dead boy, all the guards who had ‘participated’ in the fake Ron’s death would be killed on the spot for going against orders. Turning back, the werewolf walked up to the dead corpse, murmuring a wandless spell to swell up the face beyond recognition. “Put this prison hat on. Your red hair makes you stand out,” ordered Draco.

Confused, Ron wondered if he was dreaming. Was this real? As he looked at his friend, Draco took the initiative and placed the hat on top of Ron’s head instead.

“Looks like I have my work cut out for me,” the Slytherin said under his breath. While Draco dragged Ron out of the room, he hurried down the halls of the labor camp as other nearby prisoners kept an eye out for him. With hurried steps, the group went past a few oblivated guards, who were in a deep trance. When it became apparent, Ron was not coming back from the hole, the werewolf spent days planning to get him out.

Mapping out the schedules of the guards, Draco found the perfect time with the least amount of staff on the clock to erase the guards’ memories with the help of other prisoners. Draco was currently the only one inside the camp, who had the ability to do wandless and wordless magic. To ensure they were not suspected, he only erased a few minutes of the guard's day to stay under the radar. It had to stay within a reasonable limit of reality.

When they reached the male prison cells, Draco went straight to work and used Legilimency on Ron. Instead of using this technique to invade the boy's mind as traditionally done by witches and wizards, Draco was using it to heal Ron's mind. This was what made Legilimency an art form. Depending on the user, it could be used to read people's lies, thoughts, emotions, and memories but only the most skilled mind readers could sneak into an individual's mind and leave without detection after getting the information they needed. In rare cases, very few magical casters used it to heal the mind as it was often misused.

For the Black family, Legilimency and Occlumency was a skill that came natural to them. It came easy to the Black line that Narcissa onced theorized genetics played a role in their proficiency. Sitting on the floor beside an unconscious Ron, Draco went straight to work. The boy worked on Ron’s mind for hours, repairing it close enough to before Weasley had entered the hole but a small rip inside Ron’s mind would remain. The fear of the dark would always linger in the back of Ron’s inner consciousness for as long as he lived.

“Why don’t you obliviate Ron’s time inside the hole?,” a stranger asked as he wiped the sweat off of Draco’s forehead.

“Because to use Obliviate on a person is to permanently damage someone’s mind. No matter how skilled you are, to obliviate a person’s mind will destroy a person's sense of reality. We need to repair the root of Ron’s mind, not push it further to the edge of insanity. There’s no going back with an obliviate spell but even if I wanted to, I can’t. Ron’s mind is too fragile at the moment. It would only destroy the person Ron is. It’s better to use Legilimency to enter the mind and sew it back together like cloth. That way I can go in and out of every crevice of his mind without worrying about permanent changes,” Draco explained as he slipped into Ron’s mind effortlessly.

He watched every memory floating in the black abyss. There were hundreds of broken memories that appeared like puzzle pieces. One by one, he grabbed each memory of Ron’s soul and sewed each one back into place. Memories to Draco appeared and acted like glass because of the delicacy of it. It was too easy to make a mistake. One wrong move, Ron’s mind would shatter like dinnerware falling on the floor. If this did happen, they could repair the mind to become whole once more. However, the cracks in the memories would be permanent.

Draco sat next to Ron, watching him slowly wake up. Ron had been sleeping for a few hours but was recovering after Draco had entered his mind. Protective of Ron, the young werewolf was not allowing anyone near him while in a vulnerable state. When Ron finally opened his eyes, his gaze landed on Draco. He blinked, trying to remember the last thing they did. They were in the graveyard. Weren’t they? Draco had been hurt. Ron knew that much yet it seemed he was the bedridden one. As he peered around the room, Ron saw how damp and dark it was. A leak dropped from the ceiling of the prison-like room. Droplets of water touched the ground, wetting it. It made the room smell moldy.

Groaning, he turned to Draco. He looked the same yet something was off. The Slytherin’s face was bruised and pale. Still healing from the fight with Nagini, Ron could tell Draco’s face was swollen but it was going down. Enough to see his Black features almost come through. It was the combination of both eyes blackened with the whites of his eyes now red, and minor swelling of Draco’s body that almost made him unrecognizable.

As Draco turned to peer at the redhead, the werewolf leaned forward to whisper in a low voice to avoid others from overhearing, “I know you just woke up from your time in the hole, but we need to start planning a prison break immediately. We’re running out of time. The full moon is coming and my face is healing. Crabbe and Goyle are going to recognize me soon”.

Still quiet, Ron got up. It was all slowly coming back to him. He had almost lost his mind. If it hadn’t been for Draco, stitching it back together, Ron didn’t know where he would be. The Slytherin turned back before continuing, “We need a plan to get everyone out all at once. I had to make a few promises to some of the prisoners to get you out of the hole. It wasn’t easy but I needed people to keep a lookout. Consider it a payment for your life”.

Ron stared at Draco, letting time pass for a little longer before the real work of escaping would need to be planned. As he sat up, he felt a strange breeze on his head. He felt cold. Going to touch the top of his head, Ron gasped as his fingertips met with a shaved head. Jumping up in shock, Ron yelped in horror, now wide awake, “I’m bald!”. With tears in his eyes, he rubbed his head repeatedly as if he could make his hair grow again. He felt his head, wanting it to be a dream.

In denial, the boy covered his eyes as he whined, “My hair!”. Like a light switch, the anguished expression on Ron’s face turned into anger. “What the hell! You did this!,” he accused while Draco rolled his eyes at the bald boy.

The snake had saved Ron from the hole yet this was the thanks he got. If Draco didn’t have a soft spot for the Weasley boy, the werewolf would have abandoned him. “Don’t look at me like that. I can put you back in the hole as quickly as I got you out. It was unavoidable. Your red hair makes you a walking advertisement for the Weasley clan. We need to lay low not make ourselves a target”.

The bald boy grumped under his breath. Still feeling unfair, Ron asked “So you get dyed black hair but I have to shave my head for a disguise? Great, I went from plain looking to hideous”.

“Stop being childish. I don’t have my white blonde hair anymore yet you don’t see me whining about it. And you're not hideous. You're more like a naked mole rat. It will grow back”.

Crossing his arms in defeat, Ron sighed. He didn’t want to admit it but the snake had made a point. His red hair was a dead give away of his Weasley lineage. Ron nodded angrily as he moved on, “Fine. Tell me what I missed. Knowing you, you’ve spent the entire time here scoping out the place”.

“Indeed, I did. I memorized every door, hall, window, and room in this labor camp. I even scoped out the wards surrounding this camp. I had to make more promises to keep our cell mates quiet about me sneaking around. Let’s just say we owe a lot of people”. The werewolf moved to sit next to Ron with both their backs against the wall. As Ron took in what Draco had said, he peered around, taking in the sight of everyone in their cell.

It was a small space filled to capacity. This was a room that could have fit 10 people comfortably but instead held 40 people. People were on top of one another, shoulder to shoulder. It seemed privacy here was nonexistent. Ron understood then why Draco had let so many individuals into his plan. Even now, those around them heard every word they were exchanging. They needed to be careful with what they said next.

The two had the corner of the room for themselves. A preferred spot for many. One was able to lean against the wall to rest and there were no people behind them listening in at least. Draco had taken over this spot because he had threatened the man, who had previously claimed his spot as his. Much to Ron’s horror, the Slytherin Prince had sent the man to the medical examiner not even 3 days after arriving.

After Draco’s victim had seen all of his scars plus height, the man had wanted to challenge the werewolf for dominance of the room. Judging from the fear etched on everyone’s faces, Draco knew that this man was trouble for the general prison population. It was a quick end. Without a warning, Draco had used all his werewolf strength to his advantage, smashing the man’s face into the floor. After the incident, Draco found himself in the hole soon but it was a short stay of one day. The guards on duty sent him back to the yard to do manual labor. They unknowingly found Draco’s werewolf strength useful in carrying out heavy rocks and debris.

While Ron was out, Draco helped those who were weaker, gaining a few trusted allies by taking on their task of the day. Even if Draco no longer considered Lucius his father, it was at times like this he really was Lucius' son. He had learned a great deal from him. A man’s connection was the difference between failure and success, Lucius often told him. Lucius’s teachings had prepared him to gain power in the ministry once he graduated and it had served Draco well in this prison.

Many found him amusing enough to listen to him, but Draco couldn’t take the full credit. He had found someone here during his walks in the yard. An individual that had assisted him in gaining the full trust of his cell mates to save Ron and escape. It was because of her Draco was able to gain a team inside the camp.

“The bad news is that the walls here are three stories high. It doesn’t matter if the wards are non-existent. In the courtyard, every guard is on top of the wall watching us all. We can’t do anything without them knowing. There are dozens of guards stationed here. No one here can’t do wandless spells”.

Ron nodded his head, signaling he was listening. The fact no one besides Draco had the skill to perform wandless spells made sense. Not only was it incredibly difficult but the modern magical caster had become overly reliant on wands. The Slytherin went on, “This is the camp where the injured and weak, but can still work, are placed. We have no man power. From what the others told me, the useful and skilled wizards went straight to death chambers. They didn’t want to risk a rebellion. No one here has their wands either. They were all snapped in half when they got processed. I could blow up a hole on the wall with a wandless spell but we still have the guards to think about. I can’t fight all the guards alone. It’s not looking good for us”.

Ron gave a deep sigh before he hummed, processing everything he heard. He had only just woken up but had so much work to do. His mind hurt, thinking about their predicament. He asked in a tired tone, “Any good news? This can’t be all. Can it?”.

The snake glanced at Ron, giving a toothy grin. There was a mischievous look in the werewolf’s eyes. “I may have found a good friend as I was inspecting the prison. This person is the main reason why so many decided to work with us. Our friend convinced everyone to try to break out of here. They also helped me convince the others to get you out of the hole. Your connection to Potter didn’t do anything for you. No one cared since we were all trapped here together so you better thank your lady friend”.

The bald Weasley gave a stunned expression. Who was this powerful person? He didn’t know he knew a person with such influence besides Harry and Draco. “Lady friend? Who liked us enough to help us out? No offense but neither of us weren’t very popular in and out of Hogwarts”.

Draco replied with a glint in his eye, “Lavender Brown. She’s in another cell but we’ll see her in the courtyard”.

Ron's eyes widened in pure delight that it had caught Draco off guard. The young werewolf had never seen his friend this happy ever since the war had broken out. As quickly as Ron’s emotions changed before, it did again while Ron scowled. He punched the snake in the arm, causing Draco to wince in pain. “Ow! What was that for?,” the snake asked. “That's for shaving my head. Lavender is going to see me like this!”.

Draco angrily rubbed his arm. “Trust me, your hideous looks won’t scare her. She’s disgustingly head over heels for you”.

After the events of the wedding and the disappearance of the Golden Trio, the Death Eater went after many individuals who were close to them. Wanting information on the group, Death Eaters kidnapped Lavender Brown for her connection to Hermione and Ron. After failed attempts to find Hermione’s parents, it was noted how close the two girls had gotten throughout the school year. Through his spies, Voldemort had heard the Golden Trio’s friendship was on shaky grounds. His eyes were set on any who could give insight into this year where Hermione had drifted away from Ron and Harry but also formed a close relationship with Draco Malfoy as well.

Lavender was one of few people who had accompanied Hermione to visit the former Malfoy heir in the hospital wing while still dating Ron Weasley. She was the only known person who had talked to all three in the months leading to the Golden Trio’s disappearance. After intense integration, it was concluded that the girl knew nothing. The trail leading to Harry was cold. After rejecting Voldemort’s Pureblood views and her open support of the order during the interrogation, Lavender found herself in the labor camps soon afterward, spending most of the war here.

Later that day, Draco and Ron walked in the courtyard for their one hour break. Nervous, Ron’s eyes roamed the yard for the person he had been thinking of all these months. He tried to smooth out the wrinkles in his prison outfit. His breath got caught in his throat as his eyes landed on Lavender. She was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

From a distance, Ron could tell her dirty blonde hair had grown out to her waist, longer than in all the years he had known her. Ron hadn’t given her the chance to turn around before he shouted, “Lavender!”. As a smile emerged across her face, she ran to both boys in the before jumping up onto Ron’s arms. Turning her head to Draco, she complimented the Slytherin, “Won Won looks great, considering where he was. You did a great job repairing his mind. If you need anything, you can count on me”.

She closed her eyes with her arms still wrapped around Ron. The fact he was bald, hadn’t crossed her mind as she laid her head on his shoulders. Running his hair through his black curls, Draco replied back, “Great. I’ll be cashing in my favor right now actually. We have a plan and we’re going to need your help”.

“What is it?,” she asked with interest in her voice.

Fully serious, Draco leaned in as he whispered,“We're having a full on prison riot”.

Lavender’s eyebrows lifted in surprise before she glanced around, ensuring no one was hearing them. “What do you need me for? I don’t think I’ll be any help”. Ron stepped back as he spoke up, “That’s where you’re wrong. You’ll need to talk to everyone in the yard. Tell them three days from now we’re having a riot. Everyone will need to participate if we’re all getting out. It won’t work if we don’t have the whole prison population on it. The idea is we make it look like we’re fighting among ourselves. It's the only way to get all prison guards off the wall and onto the ground with us. Draco will do the rest”.

Putting her trust in the two boys, Lavender nodded as she silently joined them on their stroll around the yard. “By the way Draco, you look terrible. Here,” she noted as she hooked her arm in Ron’s. Ron gasped at his girlfriend. No one insulted Draco to the boy's face without meeting the werewolf’s wrath. Digging into her pocket, the blond girl handed Draco her day’s portion of food, giving him her piece of stale bread.

From the corner of his eye, Ron studied the werewolf. Draco did look gaunt and pale. His cheeks were sunken in. It seemed the snake was down hill faster than him. “How long was he out?,” Ron wondered as he felt the calmness around Draco and Lavender. The two of them seemed so close from Ron’s observation. “Yeah, I know. I’m running out of time. With the full moon so close, my body is practically eating itself for the transformation ahead,” the Slytherin Prince murmured as he chowed down the bread in one gulp.

Three days later at the courtyard, the previous man, who had wanted to fight with the snake, came in full force with two others beside him. The unnamed man caught Draco’s back, turning him around. Without warning, he pushed the werewolf to the ground, causing the werewolf to bump into another group of men. Ron’s eyes widened in recognition. The group of men Draco had pushed were the same ones who helped be the lookout for his escape from the hole.

Impressed, Ron nodded his head, thinking Lavender executed this prison riot quite well and brought the necessary people into it. The trio had one chance to make this right to escape. If they all failed, there would be no more time in the yard. Before Ron could blink, their cellmates around them exploded in a false anger, making it appear to the guards watching that a fight had broken out. Punches and kicks were thrown. Soon the entire population joined, releasing pent up energy. While Draco stayed on the ground, he used a wandless stupefy, throwing the surrounding people to the ground. Wanting to join in, Ron kicked a nearby person to the ground.

From across the courtyard, Lavender and a couple of women heightened the tension while they chanted as if they were back in school, “Fight! Fight! Fight!,” catching the attention of the guards on the wall.

With the riot spreading across the field as if it was a tsunami, there was an urgency among the guards. Hearing the chanting from the yard, Crabbe and Goyle left their office to investigate what the ruckus was. As his face turned red from anger, Crabbe screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING UP HERE? GO DOWN THERE AND STOP THEM”.

Goyle murmured in a low voice as the guards fled down, “We can’t have the Dark Lord find out about this riot. He’ll have all our heads. We already hid about what happened to Ron. Do you know what happened to the guards in the rehabilitation center? He killed them all”.

As half the guards went down from to the center of the chaos, just as they planned the prisoners began to push the guards towards the center where Draco stood. The surrounding prisoners circled around them, covering what was about to happen. Before the guards could chain Draco and the men who started the fight, the Slytherin shouted at the top of his lungs, “HARENAE CARCEREM!”.

Coming to a stop, the ground underneath the guards’ feet swallowed them up, drowning them in a prison like sand. They sank into the ground like a sinking ship. The guards' screams were overshadowed by the chanting of the prisoners. Their last moments of life were watched by the crowd, standing by with exhilaration and resentment. They gasped for air while trying to climb out of the mud like sand but with every attempt the sand brought them back down. Buried alive, the guards ran out of breath as they became trapped inside a sand coffin.

After the last of the guards sunk into the floor, the ground hardened, squeezing everything that had entered its territory. A crunching of bones was heard to those nearby along with the last of muffled screams of terror. Draco watched with a blank expression. These people were only collateral damage for the real enemy, the Dark Lord. To the werewolf, these guards were just a different type of casualty. Casualties had been afraid to go against the river. Humans, who grew too comfortable with their power and afraid to let go of the old ways.

With renewed hope, the chanting of the prisoners grew after the death of the first half of the guards on shift. Furious at how things were turning out, Crabbe and Goyle, who were still unaware of what happened to the first round of guards among the chaos, ordered the rest, “What are those fools doing! Go control the prisoners! We have to regain control!”. Down below, Draco closed his eyes once more. He murmured his spell under his breath. He had never casted it without his wand and only then had he only done it once.

Lavender found the pair among the chaos while Ron encouraged the snake, “Come on, Draco. I know you can!”. “Think of going home to Hermione and Remus,” Lavender added, out of breath. Her clothes were disheveled from pushing through the crowd to get to them. Taking a deep breath, it was the word home that made the werewolf feel magic run through his bloodstream, reigniting his magic core.

The connection between body, mind, and core is what made a wizard and witch powerful. If one had the ability to connect all three themselves as a steady flow of magic, it was what made wandless and nonverbal magic possible. It was a practice lost to time as wands were widely used and easier to use. Wands were the bridge to all three when one casted a spell. Draco chanted the word, Baubillious. Dark clouds above the yard gathered afterward, swirling as if it was a whirlpool in the sky. The clouds were so thick that it created an illusion of an ocean in the air. The clouds moved like waves as it was sucked into the whirlpool above the trio.

The courtyard including the guards peered up, pondering who had casted this spell. Prisoners wondered if this was the signal they had been waiting for. As rain fell upon everyone, it felt like a sting when it hit upon one's skin. The winds picked up while the clouds in the whirlpool flashed blue like a fire among the ocean in the sky. The chirping of thousands of birds filled the air as thunder in the shape of the blue dragon slithered out of its den-like hole in the whirlpool.

As everyone stared in awe, the dragon stayed in the sky as if it was a symbol of resistance. Taking up most of the space above them, Ron knew there was no doubt that the blue dragon could be seen miles out from wherever they were. In the distance, Goyle nudged Crabbe, asking him, “Do you think it's Draco?”. Before they both could linger on that thought, the dragon opened its mouth, striking a stream of thunder at a group of guards and igniting a fire to start in the courtyard.

“This is our signal!,” the prisoners shouted to each other as the fight between guards and prisoners commenced. Although the guards had the advantage of their wands, they were greatly outnumbered as the entirety of the prison population came towards them. “YOU DID IT! It’s stronger than the one in Hogwarts!,” Ron cheered as the fight around them intensified.

An exhausted Draco breathed in and out as he leaned on to Lavender for support. “What's the next phase?,” the werewolf asked. Ron’s face reddened, making up for his lack of hair on his head. In an embarrassed tone, he admitted, “I don’t know. I didn’t think that far ahead”. Stunned, Draco and Lavender shouted at the same time, “RON! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!”. Holding his hands up in defense, Ron explained, “Don’t look at me like that! Luck is always saving Harry every school year. I was hoping that Potter luck would happen to us too”.

Stomping his foot against the ground, Draco growled, “I can’t believe it! Why do I insist on trusting a Gryffindor? Blaise and Theo would never do this to me. We always have a plan”.

This was where it was going to end for the werewolf. This was how he would die. Death from the impulsiveness of a Gryffindor. Right after Draco raised his arms in disbelief, an explosion was heard on the other side of the courtyard. “Bombardo!,” a team of curse breakers and Aurors yelled as they came in through the demolished wall.

“Wait, did having no plan really work out for us?,” Lavender shouted in glee while clapping her hands together.

As Ron patted Draco’s back, who stood frozen from shock, Ron shrugged his shoulders as he said, “Don’t question it. I stopped asking how everything always works out for Harry a long time ago”. Lavender squealed in delight as she pointed to a pair, who looked familiar. “Ron, is that your family, Bill and Fleur?”. When both boys turned to confirm, their mouths hung before the trio peered at each other once more. Confirming their eyes weren’t playing, they raced down the yard towards Bill and Fleur. With Ron running ahead of them, Draco slowed down, catching the attention of Lavender. The Slytherin was hitting close to his magic exhaustion after today's strong spells and his poor diet. Coming back for Draco, the blond girl caught the Slytherin Prince from falling over before assisting him.

In the corner of Bill’s eye, he saw Ron running towards him. When he saw who it was, he shouted over the noisy rain and thunder to Fleur, “I told you it was them. No one can make that lightning besides Dra--”. Before he finished his sentence, he was attacked in an embrace from his younger brother. While Bill ran his hands through Ron’s shaved head, Ron cried into his chest. Ron was thankful for the rain that hid his tears. It had been almost 6 months since the wedding and he had last seen any of his family. The uncertainty of the future of the Weasley Clan had taken its toll on Ron.

Seeing Ron cry as he looked up at him, Bill joined him. It was an image he hadn’t seen since they were little. He was reminded of the days when Ron followed him around the house or searched for him for comfort when their other brothers teased Ron too much. It had been already difficult hearing the news of Percy going missing. When the Weasley Clan received news of Ron and Draco’s captures, it had hit the family harder. Bill had a special relationship with Ron. As the oldest, he had a 9 year age gap between him and Ron. In a lot of ways, Bill had filled the parent role for most of his younger siblings. With Charlie away and Arthur working long hours at the ministry, it was Bill that took the time to spend time with Ron.

Each member of the family had grieved in their own way when Ron was reported missing. Molly, who was already a wreck with news of Percy, stayed in bed for the first couple of days. Ginny had occupied her time at the hospital wing. Arthur had no time to dwell on it. He was needed on the battlefield and the Order. George and Fred worked day and night on to print newspapers while Charlie was working with Tonks in Romania. Then there was Bill and Fleur, who were a part of Mad-eye’s specialist team in breaking into labor camps. The moment Moody had asked them to join a team to track the missing boys, the couple had agreed.

Bill and Fleur looked into every lead and rumor, investigating every person and location. Eventually they had heard whispers from the Black Cat Society of activities among Death Eaters in labor camps located in France. Suspicious activity that lined up with the date the two boys were captured. From there, Bill and Fleur packed all their belongings before traveling to France for a smallest chance this lead could take them to Ron and Draco.

Once in France, they eliminated every location they thought could be the rumored camps. It was in the middle of checking another location when reports came in of storm clouds hovering over the countryside. When locals reported a thunderstorm in the shape of a dragon flying, Bill and Fleur knew it was them.

Draco, still leaning on Lavender, interrupted the brotherly love between Ron and Bill. He coughed, catching both Weasley’s attention. “I hate to interrupt this Weasley family reunion but we’re in the middle of a prison break. Can we take it somewhere else before Crabbe and Goyle call for reinforcements?”. Around the group, more Aurors came to fight Death Eaters and help others escape. Nodding his head in agreement, Bill and Fleur grabbed onto the trio as they apparated out of the camp. They left the evacuation to the rest of the Aurors.

The group popped into a nearby village. The building and small shops were aged as if they were stuck in time. Clothes hung from the windows and clothing lines that were tied to the building on the other side. The rooftop tiles were a bright red clay color. From a quick glance, it seemed the village was disconnected from the outside world. Life here was simple for the residents of the small town. Many went on with their routine, ignoring the sight of newcomers. Fleur was leading the group and Bill covered the back. Fleur whispered to the trio to keep their heads down as she led them towards the center of town to the church.

They passed by a villager who continued to wash her clothes on the sidewalk against a washboard. As they passed her, the woman threw the dirtied water on the ground, almost wetting their feet. With a scowl on his expression, Draco couldn’t help but to look at the lady, forgetting he was supposed to lay low but to his surprise the woman only bowed her head. She finally acknowledged their presence before going back to her task. It seemed as if random strangers showing up was a regular occurrence now.

Now that Draco thought about it, the villagers were paying no mind to them despite wearing prison uniforms. School children ran past them, racing down the road. The group passed a local French bakery, catching the scent of fresh baked bread. They passed a street market with food vendors selling today's goods. While farmers were leading their sheep on a march across town towards the grassy fields. The sheep took up most of the street. The village was designed in a circular shape capturing the buzzing life of the town. Draco, Ron, and Lavender glanced around in wonder. This was a stark difference from life on the run or life imprisoned in Lavender's case.

As they reached the doors of the church, Fleur spoked to the man at the entrance. Exhausted, Draco paid no attention to their words, despite French being his and his mother’s first language. He tightened his grip on Lavender as she rubbed his arms. The man opened the doors, allowing the group to walk into the empty church, passing benches. They were led to the front of the room to go into the back of the building. The sun came through the stained glass windows, lighting the room in bright colors.

The werewolf closed his eyes momentarily, letting the warmth of the sun hit his pale and cold skin. His breath was visible in the winter air. The sound of a back door opening, broke the moment. As the group entered the room, the trio were confused. It was empty. The only thing the room contained was one French man alone with three large cabinets. Draco looked closer at the cabinets. They appeared the same as the one back at Hogwarts. The only difference to the cabinet he fixed was the appearance. These were splattered with various colors and childish drawings. Turning his attention to Bill, the elder Weasley began to say his goodbyes, hugging each of them and catching Ron off guard.

“This is where we separate. You still have your secret mission while Fleur and I have to stay in the country to help more people escape. I’ll pass the word to the rest of the Order”.

Ron stared at his brother, memorizing Bill's face. He wondered when the next time he would see him. Would there be a next time? How long would this war drag on? Emotional, Ron shook his head no, begging his older brother, “Come with us. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I need you”.

“You don’t need me. Never did. You should trust yourself more,” Bill replied as he reached out with his one copper arm to rub Ron’s shaved head. “We have to stay behind. I told the Order I was going to bring you back home myself when I first got the news. Now that we found you. My job is done. It’s time for us to go our separate way. Harry needs you. Go to him. This cabinet network will take you out of France, away from the danger”.

Stepping closer to Ron, Fleur spoke, “We have to stay and fight. This is my home and Bill’s second home. We have a duty to protect the people here and break into more camps. There are more like the camps you were all at. People are waiting for our help. We’re staying to help the French Aurors regain control of the French Ministry. This won’t be forever. We'll be reunited again when we win this war”.

Upset, Ron understood as he turned to Bill, hugging him one more time. The French man who had been standing by the cabinets, finally asked the teens in a very thick accent, “Where to? London, Scotland, or Ireland”.

“London,” Ron answered, not asking Draco or Lavender for an opinion. He assumed they had the same thought. London was where the nearest of the war was taking place. They needed to go to the center of the war to find the whereabouts surrounding Hermione and Harry. They still had a horcrux hunt to do, even if it meant bringing Lavender along. Draco coughed hard enough to make the room glance at him.

In a weak voice, the werewolf explained, not caring he was letting the stranger before him learn of his secret, “We can’t go to London. The full moon is tomorrow. The last place a hungry werewolf needs to be is in a city full of people”.

Without missing a beat, the man closed two of the cabinets and opened the last one. “Ireland is where you want to go, young man. That's where all the werewolves are going. There’s a sanctuary for your kind with food, shelter, and a place to roam under the full moon. You can bring your friends too. They have a town where they can stay and wait”.

“We can’t go to Ireland. That’s going even farther away from Hermione and Harry. They need us. Ireland is not only a country away but an ocean too,” reasoned Ron. Lavender, who had been helping Draco walk on the way here, fought back, “Ron, I think we should go to Ireland. He’s not doing too well” before Draco added, “I’m not going to make it this month’s full moon. I never really recovered from the last one. That last spell I did took the last remaining strength I had left”.

Looking back at the adults, the werewolf leaned closer for only Lavender and Ron to hear. He couldn’t have the others know of his past discretions. “I can’t promise that I won’t eat a human if we go to London. My werewolf knows how to hunt. I have a history… I’ve eaten…” he whispered before trailing off. Draco peered away in shame. It didn’t need to be said out loud to know what he did. The pair understood him.

It was Draco’s plea that made Ron reconsider. The Slytherin was hunched over, holding his stomach with a pained expression. With hunger in his eyes, Draco’s face was paler than when they left the camp. His lips were blue while his body shivered from the lack of body fat. Draco was fragile. Ron remembered what Hermione had said at 12 Grimmauld place. They both didn’t believe they were both going to survive the war. It was why they had got married. They both wanted to spend what time they had left together.

Wanting to prove Hermione’s worries wrong, Ron decided then he was going to bring Draco back to Hermione safe and alive. Ron wanted them both to survive this war. With a deep sigh, Ron turned to the stranger, “Take us to Ireland”.

Before going their separate ways, Fleur offered the teens, “Once the full moon passes, you should take shelter in Bill’s and my shell cottage on the way back from the sanctuary. It's located in Tinworth, Cornwall, just across the ocean southeast of Ireland. We haven’t heard anything from Harry and Hermione in weeks but we’ll try to send a word to them”.

Chapter Text

Harry and Hermione arrived in Ottery St Catchpole, England with the help of Madeye. It took time but after much searching Madeye managed to obtain an illegal portkey for the duo in the black market. After making himself the leader of the newly reestablished wizarding world, Voldemort had declared all portkeys illegal along with surveilling all floo networks. Any unregistered portkeys that had been circulating were now being smuggled through the Underground Cabinet Network.

It took longer than expected to get word to the cabinet network that the Order needed a batch of illegal portkeys. Portkeys that were essential to getting into Lovegood’s home. With the wards set up, the only way in were with portkeys. The newspaper Lovegood was releasing was too significant to be left unprotected. It was the only newspaper in the wizarding world that had not yet fallen into the hands of Voldemort, which meant they were also the last rebel media active on the continent. Too many people across Europe depended on the accurate updates of the war from the Quibbler. The other fallen newspapers were forced to print propaganda for the Dark Lord’s cause of cleansing the wizarding world of magical creatures and muggleborns.

From a distance, Hermione peered at the home of Mr Lovegood. It was an all black cylindrical house on the base of a giantanic cut tree truck. To the bright witch, the house appeared more like a giant chess rook. Although she hadn’t been able to imagine what Luna’s home could look like, Hermione wasn’t all that surprised by the unique style of the home. It matched the personality of the Lovegoods.

As they walked to the front door which was surrounded by a dirigible plums brush, Harry noticed the sign on the door: The Quibbler: X. Lovegood. With no time to waste, they knocked on the door, waiting for Mr. Lovegood to answer. Sounds of paper and typing could be heard in the background. “Be right with you!,” shouted Lovegood as they two could hear things being knocked around.

The door slammed out with papers spilling out. Mr. Lovegood appeared disheveled. His hair was unkempt. The bags under his eyes had aged him greatly since they last saw him at the wedding. Giving the pair a bright smile, Hermione was the first to speak. “Hello, Mr. Lovegood. May we come in?”.

“Of course! Alastor Moody told me you and Mr. Potter were coming. Don’t mind the mess. Sit where you can. I got stacks of newspapers up to the ceiling,” he replied as he opened the door further and kicked aside a stack of books, allowing them to come in.

As Harry and Hermione strolled in, they saw a row of typewriters writing at an incredible speed. Papers were spit out like a stream of water when a page was finished. Hermione stared in awe as she witnessed a complicated but marvelous dance of papers in the air as each page was being put together to form a newspaper. As a paper was headed straight at Harry’s face, Hermione pulled Harry back as the page landed on a stack of newspapers near them.

“I see you've been very busy,” said Harry as he adjusted his glasses but Mr Lovegood only paid half attention. The man was ordering a house elf to take away today's Quibbler. Standing awkwardly, the duo looked at each other as they realized they had failed to catch Lovegood’s attention. As more stacks of newspapers flew past them, Hermione ducked while she attempted one last time to get his attention. “Mr. Lovegood?”.

Finally hearing their voice, the wizard peered back with a surprised expression as if he had forgotten they were there. “Ah yes yes, what can I do for you?”.

As he glanced around his home, he scrambled around like an ant in the chaotic living room, trying to make space for the children to sit down. Moving books from the couch, he motioned with his wand a pair of teacups from the kitchen. As he casted a spell for tea to be served to his guests, he slicked his blonde white hair back, moving his hair away from his face. The motion reminded her of Draco, Hermione noted, making the witch miss Draco and Ron in that moment. It must be a Malfoy family trait, the witch thought to herself. Mr. Lovegood had a strong resemblance to his older brother, Lucius Malfoy. The two were very different. While Lucius exhibited formality, Xenophlilius was wild as if he was a son of mother nature itself. He gave a serene but ungovernable aura.

Leaning against a pillar, Lovegood asked, “How can I help you, Potter and Granger?”. Hermione cleared her throat, “It's Malfoy. Hermione Malfoy. Well, actually it might be Black. Draco isn’t sure which name we should take. There’s a lot going on at the moment but for now I’m Hermione Malfoy”.

Clapping his hands together in excitement, Lovegood eyebrows raised but he smiled sweetly at the witch, “Welcome to the family, Hermione! Who would have thought, my dear nephew would take more after me instead of Lucy. Carving out his own path and disregarding a father’s expectations, just like I once did in my youth. Away with the obligations of the House of Malfoy, I say! Freedom!”. Xenophlilius chuckled under his breath.

He shook his head in amusement as if he was imagining his brother’s reaction to this news. There was a look of pride on the man’s expression as he went on, “I heard about your marriage inside the Order but I didn’t want to make assumptions on whispers. I know if Luna was here she would be overjoyed to know your family. I expect you and Draco to accept my dinner invitations on Thursdays from now on. No exceptions! We’re family. That’s the day Luna and I hunt for Blibbering Humdingers. The more the merrier!”.

Hermione gave a painful chuckle. Any other day, she would have rolled her eyes at the mention of one of Luna’s imaginary creatures but it was bittersweet now. “Who would have thought a day would come where she so desperately wished to hunt for these non-existent creatures with the Lovegoods?,” Hermione thought to herself. She missed her friend as she wondered if Luna was okay. The bright witch smiled sadly at the mention of Luna.

Giving a deep sigh, Lovegood gave a weak smile, putting on a brave front for the pair. Harry spoke first, “I’m sorry about Luna” but to the pair’s surprise, Mr. Lovegood shook his head no. “Don’t be. Although I’m devastated my Luna has been kidnapped, I’ve received word from the Black Cat Society that she’s safe. They can’t tell me where she is. She’ll be in more danger if they attempt to retrieve her. It’s best if Luna stays where is, which is why I’m helping the Order with the Quibbler. It’s my way of ending the war sooner so I can be reunited with my Luna”.

“That’s great! Do you think they can tell us about Draco and Ron?,” Harry asked.

Mr. Lovegood titled his head before commenting, “You don’t know? I guess you wouldn’t. I was just told last week and you children have been off the map for months. The news must have not reached you yet”. Mr. Lovegood rubbed his chin, lost in his thoughts, before continuing on, “Draco and Ron have been found. The Order put a team together to search for them. They were found in a prison camp in France and were broken out. The entire prison population escaped thanks to your friends. It’s all in the newspapers I wrote to lift everyone's spirits. I omitted their names for safety concerns of course. Last I heard, the boys are making their way across the borders. I don’t know where but it’s better if no one knows”.

Shaking Harry’s shoulder, Hermione said with a smile on her face, “Did you hear that! They found them. We need to find a way to locate them soon”. As Harry adjusted his glasses, Harry beamed, “I told you the biggest mistake those snatchers made was capturing them. Those two together are trouble”.

“Now, what was it you came to see me for?,” Lovegood asked while taking a sip of his tea and getting the children’s attention once more.

Standing up straight, the bright witch responded, “Oh right. Harry and I had a question pertaining to a necklace you were wearing at the wedding, specifically a symbol”. He cocked his head in thought trying to remember what he wore that night. His expression brightened up as his memory came to him. As Lovegood pulled out his necklace, he showed the pair the symbol, “You mean this?”.

“Yes, that’s the one,” said Harry as he stretched his hand to touch it for a better look. The necklace appeared worn with age but it was the same sign he had seen in the book. “What is it? We’ve both wondered what it could mean?,” added Harry while giving it back. “It’s the sign of the Deathly Hallows. The Tale of the Three Brothers. I assume you're all familiar with the story,” Lovegood explained, expecting the children to nod in agreement but Harry said no while Hermione gave a hesitant yes. She only knew the version of the story in the book Dumbledore gave her. She wasn’t familiar with wizarding children's stories having grown up in the muggle world.

“I have it in here,” Hermione mumbled as she went inside her handbag for it. She dug deep inside it until she found the book they were looking for. Without being asked, Hermione opened the book to read out loud to the room. From the look on Harry’s face, he hadn’t gotten around to reading what Dumbledore gave them.

There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. With time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass but being taught in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. Before they could cross, however, they found their path was blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death and it felt cheated. Cheated because all travelers on this path would drowned in the river, but Death was cunning. It pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic. Each brother had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. And so, Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. And so, Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, the third brother, asked for something that would allow him to go forth from the place without being followed by death. And so, Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility to him.

The first brother traveled to a distant village. With the elder wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. Drunk with power that the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility but that night, another wizard stole the wand and slit the brother’s throat for good measure. And so, Death took the first brother’s soul.

The second brother journeyed to his home where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he’d once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet, soon after she appeared the girl turned sad and cold, for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her. And so, Death took the second brother’s soul.

As for the third brother, Death searched for many years, but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals.

Lovegood smiled brightly at the witch, “Well said dear! Well, there you have it. Those are the Deathly Hallows”. With a content expression, he sipped on his tea as he thought that was a good explanation and nothing needed to be added.

Still lost, Harry glanced at Hermione, who had the same look of confusion, before he worked up the nerve to ask, “I’m sorry sir but I don't quite understand. How does this story connect to the symbol?”.

Without another word, Lovegood reached for his wand with a teacup on the other hand. He drew in the air as sparkles came out of the end of his wand, leaving behind a picture to stay in the middle of the group. He drew one line horizontally. “The Elder wand. The most powerful wand ever made”. Next, he drew a circle, overlapping the base of the line, “The Resurrection Stone”. Finally, he drew a triangle outside, leaving the wand and stone inside of it. “The Cloak of Invisibility. Together, they make the Deathly Hallows. Together, they make a magical caster a master of Death”.

As the dots began to connect in her mind, Hermione still had one question. She stood up before sitting next to Lovegood, “We have one more question that we were hoping you could answer for us. Seeing your from an ancient bloodline, the Malfoy’s, you may be able to answer it. Draco and I found this symbol on Ignotus Peverell’s gravestone. Draco explained that Ignotus Peverell was in the Potter family plot because although the family name eventually died out, its bloodline is survived through the only granddaughter, who eventually married into the House of Potter. Why would this symbol be on the headstone? Unless…”.

A thought occurred to the bright witch as everything clicked together as she asked the question out loud. Hermione turned to Harry then to Mr. Lovegood, still pondering that thought. “It can’t be? It’s just a children's story. Can it?,” she asked with uncertainty in her tone. She had spent enough time in the wizarding world to know anything was a possibility.

Mr. Lovegood smiled widely at the young witch in front of him, “I see the Wrackspurts near your head have cleared. While it's a children's story for many, all stories come from somewhere. Stories like the Tale of the Three Brothers originated from somewhere. It can be both if you want. It may be a children's book to the average magical caster but to those who have ancestral blood it's a historical account”.

Not following along, Harry asked for clarification, “I still don’t understand”.

Mr. Lovegood poured more tea into everyone’s teacup before continuing his historical lesson, “Ignotus Peverell was one of three brothers. Antioch, Camus, and Ignotus. As Draco had probably told you before, the Peverell was an ancestral bloodline. While young witches and wizards don’t believe this family line ever existed or believe there were ever three brothers of the Deathly Hallows, the last two ancestral blood, the Blacks and the Malfoys, did believe. We are old enough to remember the brothers. We are the few remaining ancestral bloodlines that can confirm the existence of the brothers”.

Finally catching up with Hermione and Mr. Lovegood, Harry brightened up, “So the Deathly Hallows are real?”.

Shaking his head, Xenophlilius said, “I’m afraid we cannot confirm that, Mr. Potter. While my and Draco’s bloodline can tell you the three brothers are real, you need to remember all Purebloods families are extremely protective of their house secrets and family magic. The Malfoy’s ARE old enough to guess the brothers once had the Deathly Hallows but we cannot be certain. It is merely a hypothesis from an outsider's perspective. We are the only bloodline, who lived during the same time as the brothers”.

Mr. Lovegood took a pause while pouring more sugar into his tea. While stirring, he clacked the spoon against the cup as he went on. “For example, the Blacks are thought to be the most powerful DARK magic users and the only family left who practiced BLOOD magic. In that family’s strict traditions, only the male heirs learned blood magic. The few remaining female members still alive today would not know their family magic. I, myself, wouldn’t know my family’s practices either. Draco is the last holder of both the Black and Malfoy’s house secrets. If Draco dies, all of the secrets and magic of these two houses would die with the boy. I left my family very early in my youth before my father had a chance to teach me everything. Plus, I am the spare. There would have been knowledge of my family that I would not have access to. The continuation of my bloodline’s knowledge is dependent on my nephew. If the wand, stone, and cloak were real, your father, James, would have had that secret. He died before being able to pass that knowledge. I'm afraid the deathly hallows are lost”.

Coming to a realization, Hermione squealed out loud, scaring the two wizards, “We can confirm it, Mr. Lovegood!”.

In a hurry, she dug inside her purse, putting her whole arm inside while struggling to find what she was looking for. In excitement, Hermione pulled out Harry's Cloak of Invisibility and wrapped it around herself, leaving her head to float in the air. “Harry! Didn’t you ever find it odd that your family heirloom has never worn out? Regular invisibility cloaks are very rare and cost a fortune. They always wear out over time and lose their charm the more you use it. They get holes even from the weakest of magical spells but yours has been passed down from your dad and it's still PERFECT! This must be the cloak from the tale of three brothers!”.

With a wide smile, it was Lovegood, who was the first to speak. “May I?”. He asked to touch the cloak. He was overjoyed to touch a historical artifact. Verifying it was real, like a little child on Christmas Day, he cheered. “It’s real! It’s real! All the other sacred 28 Purebloods laughed at Lucius and I for telling them the Deathly Hallows were real. Now who’s the fool. Oh Lucius would have been cheering with me if he was here”.

Still feeling the mood to celebrate, Lovegood dropped the cloak and grabbed Hermione's two hands before starting to jump up and down. Hermione wasn’t Lucius but Mr. Lovegood wanted to somehow celebrate with his older brother. Having made so much progress here, Hermione joined with the small festivities.

Harry was the only one not celebrating as a dark thought occurred to him. If his family had the cloak in their possession, it meant the other two Deathly Hollows were real too. The more Harry thought it out, it made sense why Dumbledore had them on a wild goose chase. He broke the cheery mood. “Do you think Tom Riddle is looking for the Deathly Hallows? If he had all three like in the story book, Tom would become the Master of Death. He would be free to live forever. That’s what he’s always wanted”.

Suddenly Hermione and Mr. Lovegood stopped dancing. It was as if someone had dropped their mother’s precious vase, causing the room to freeze. “Only the Malfoys and the Blacks remember the three brothers. The Potters are the only surviving bloodline connected to the Peverells. No one else should know their existence, right Mr. Lovegood?,” asked Hermione very carefully but her expression made it clear she didn’t believe her own words herself.

Lovegood sat down again, scarring the two children. He peered into the distance past the duo, trying to remember all his lessons from his childhood before he had left his family to marry Pandora Lovegood. “I can’t remember... I should have paid more attention to my father's family lessons but Lucius was always the better student. My father made us remember every single family line and every name but I always skipped those lessons. I didn’t think it was necessary at the time…” he whispered as he trailed off.

Furious, Xenophlilius banged on the table in frustration before he loudly recited backwards every name of the Potter's line from muscle memory. Mr. Lovegood started from Harry before going up the line. It was strange hearing so many names for Harry. One after the other. Names that had been his family that he should have known but didn’t. Harry's ears perked up as this was the first time hearing his all descents by name.

Soon, this feeling changed. It was upsetting as it was a reminder of what he truly lost the day his parents died. He would never learn about his ancestral line or its history. It was the listening of all his family tree that made Harry feel robbed. Robbed of all his family magic. If the Blacks were the only line that practiced blood magic, certainly the Potters would have had some magic of their own? He wondered what it would have been.

“Marvolo Gaunt!,” Lovegood yelled as he stopped at that name. “I remember now! Marvolo Gaunt's mother was a Peverell. She married into the Gaunt family. She’s connected to the Peverell family by the second brother, Cadmus Peverell”.

Hermione gasped, letting her hands cover her mouth, “The Gaunts family ring! It had the name Peverell inscribed on it. I got to touch the ring that Dumbldore retrieved for the Order before his death. Moody and Remus allowed Draco and I to see it during our stay in the 12 Grimmauld Place”. At the news, Hermoine slouched back into the couch even more confused, “But there was no resurrection stone on it…. It looked like a normal family ring. I would have seen it. It's either lost again or Tom has it”.

Harry spoke up carefully this time. He avoided the word Horcrux in front of Mr. Lovegood but he knew Hermione would understand his conversation. “Okay, so we know both the resurrection stone and cloak of invisibility are real. Tom is the only descent of the Gaunt line. He murdered both of his bloodlines, the Gaunts and Riddles, in order to become immortal, which means that Tom as the last surviving Gaunt knows the Deathly Hollows are real”.

He took a deep breath as he talked out loud to himself. As he glanced up, he asked “Do you think he's looking for the elder wand? It would make him unbeatable. He's already beat death once. Hermione, we can’t let him get that wand. It would undo all the work we made. We have to assume Tom has the stone now”.

Before Hermione could reply, Mr. Lovegood cut in between the children. There was a look of distress on his expression.“I have to contact Alastor Moody and Remus Lupin about our discovery. This cannot wait. We need to warn the others that Tom is looking for the Elder Wand and let them know the Deathly Hallows are real. Since I’m writing for Quibbler for the order, I have a direct line to them”. Mr Lovegood went to an unoccupied typewriter before he started to write a letter. His fingers moved across the keyboard while he looked up, “We still have some time together before the portkey makes you head back home. Why don’t you head upstairs to see the other half of my work? There’s been a lot of updates within the Order that you two should be informed of. Fred and George are here with me. They would be happy to share our work we have done”. Nodding in agreement, Harry and Hermione gave a small smile at the mention of the Weasley twins but they were still filled with worry at their discovery.

When they entered the second floor, they were met by a printing press-like room. Like downstairs, every space was filled up by freshly printed Quibbler newspapers. They floated in the air as it went through what appeared like a muggle printer for a second round of ink. Astounded to see the inclusion of muggle technology, Hermione grabbed the newspaper from a nearby stack but was met with confusion. Nothing was added compared to the newspapers downstairs or so it appeared. Still, she read it, wanting to keep up with what the Order had been doing. The one side effect of being on the run was the isolation from the rest of society but it was for everyone’s safety. The group hadn’t the faint idea of how bad it had gotten.

The Quibbler had updates on the war around Europe. There were articles about the recent breakout of labor camps in France and another escape at a rehabilitation facility in Germany. It spoke about the recently fallen ministry in Spain. After the capture of the British, French, and German ministries, the Spanish country had been cut off from the rest of the continent. Spain had put up a fierce battle against Voldmort’s army.

Although it was inspiring to see the ministry of Spain mobilize as quickly as one could to hold the front line as long as they did, nonetheless they joined the long list of invaded countries Voldemort had conquered. Many allies fighting at the Scottish and British borders were rooting for the lonely country but the battle in Spain was long and never ending. The Ministry of Magic in Spain along with Italy, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and Norway had fallen.

The successful invasion of the British, French, and German governments had made the rest of the surrounding countries crumble down like a house of cards. The war quickly got gruesome in a short amount of time, empathizing the importance of holding France down. The Order would learn how huge the loss was in the weeks leading to every lost ministry after the evacuation of the French and Germany. The impact of the ministry falling so early on in the war had hurt the morale of the soldiers fighting in Madeye’s Army.

The Order made the difficult decision to split their manpower over to Romania. The Black Cat Society had heard whispers of Voldemort wanting to target Romania next to gain more power. Since Romania was the home to dragons, the Order could not allow Voldemort to use the majestic creatures for his regime. If they lost Romania, that was it for the war. It has been the reason why they had sent Tonks to work with Charlie in the first place.

Hermione sighed at the grim update as she commented out loud, “These Quibber look like the one downstairs”.

As Fred and George walked behind the Golden Girl, they pointed their wand towards the paper. “Wrackspurts,” said the twin brothers at the same time. Harry and Hermione’s eyes widened as all the ink swirled towards the center of the page to reveal additional secret information. Hermione flipped through the pages before finding a list of names of the missing with Luna Lovegood being the first. There seemed to be a column dedicated to found wizards and witches to help them reconnect with their loved ones. As she flipped, she read another page pertaining to magical creatures and werewolves confirming they had arrived safely to a secret location.

Despite finding some joy in the good news, the duo’s smiles faltered once more. On the last page of the Quibber was a list of confirmed deaths. It was the longest section that filled more than half of the newspaper. Harry and Hermione's stomachs flipped on the floor, seeing all those lost to the war.

Fred went beside the duo, interrupting their thoughts, “Harry, snatch the paper off of Hermione’s hand”. Hesitant, Harry did what he was told with encouragement from George. As he grabbed the newspaper while it was opened on secret pages, the Quibbler burned itself into ashes, alarming Harry and Hermione. “In order to protect the information inside, we added a protection spell. If a person tries to grab it while it's open without saying the password, the Quibbler will set itself on fire,” smiled George.

“Any important information we need to tell the masses also goes to the front page of the secret Quibbler like notifying the masses of the taboo on you know who's name. When we printed it for the next paper, we saw a drop of missing people. Thanks to you two,” finished Fred.

“That’s brilliant!,” Harry cheered, feeling relieved some good news came out of their visit.

“We can’t take all the credit. We had help from Remus Lupin. Without his insight on this type of magic, it wouldn’t have been possible,” George noted as Fred spoke next to finish his sentence. “We took the same concept of the Marauder map and added it to Lovegood’s Quibbler. This was easy for Lupin since he’s already done all the hard work during his days as a Marauder. The Muggle printer was also his idea”.

“This is still impressive magic even if you both had help from Remus. Using Wrackspurt as the password is clever too. Invisible magical creatures, revealing hidden information inside the Quibbler,” Hermione commented before Harry interrupted with a smirk. “I thought you said Wrackspurts weren’t real, HeMoRiOnE”. The boy still remembered when Hermione had introduced Luna to him and Ron back in 5th year. Her judgement on Luna’s beliefs were clear as day. She called the Quibbler rubbish for having a piece about an imaginary creature that did not exist. Hermione was silenced with mortification when Luna replied to the group that her father was the editor.

Harry couldn’t blame Hermione though for saying something harsh. It didn’t help Luna's case when the girl preferred to read the paper upside down. It was the most awkward interaction the trio had to date. To fuel the tense interaction, Luna just airly smiled at them. He gave a teasing smile, seeing how close Hermione had become to Luna after befriending the Silver Trio. “Oh… Well, they're very much real, HaRrY pOtTeR. Dreadful creatures that float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy. I’m a strong advocate for Lovegood's work,” Hermione fought back as she stuck out her tongue.

Interrupting their moment, a loud bang was heard against the wards of the property. Mr. Lovegood rushed up the stairs and declared a state of emergency. “Fred! George! They found our hideout. Proceed with operation Nargles”.

Without missing a heartbeat, the team at the Quibbler knew what to do. They had been expecting this as Voldemort grew more outraged with the work Lovegood was doing. Xenophlilius was one of Voldemort’s priority targets to get rid of. The Order had gotten word from the Black Cat Society that Voldemort had gathered a team of Death Eaters to bring down the last free press under the Dark Lord’s new regime.

George ran towards a stack of newspapers before throwing them down to the first floor. With his wand, Fred floated every muggle printer to the first floor. Every Quibbler newspaper, typewriter, and printer were taken to the center of the room below. Before Hermione and Harry could process what was happening like a mischievous nargle, Lovegood lit the room below on fire, burning away all his life's work. The duo gasped at the sudden fire in the room. “Quickly children! Help me! We have to burn everything. We mustn’t let the Quibbler fall to the hands of you know who. We must survive,” shouted Lovegood, paying no attention to the children’s shocked expressions.

They did as they were told but Hermione shouted back while throwing papers down the stairs, “But Mr. Lovegood, what will happen to the Quibbler!”.

“Don’t worry about me, my dear. As long as our team at the Quibbler is alive, we can start all over. It will take some time but we have the Order to support us. Too many people around Europe are counting on us to let it fall. For now, we have to burn everything. We can’t allow the Death Eaters to find our intel of the secret Quibbler,” Lovegood responded while throwing pieces of his furniture into the fire, as well.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The wards shook the property line, making the house tremble. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling. It was getting hot in the house as fire consumed everything on the first floor. Sweat dripped down Hermione and Harry’s faces while it was getting harder to breathe. Still the house’s occupants continued to destroy everything in sight. Coughing, Mr. Lovegood grabbed his necklace and kissed it, “Forgive me, Luna. Our home is gone. The last piece we had of Pandora”. He whispered loud enough for Hermione to hear as he threw the last stack of newspapers into the fire.

“Fred and George, go to your portkey! I’m right behind you”. The twins nodded before disappearing. Satisfied they went to safety, Lovegood then turned to Harry and Hermione, “Do you have your portkey ready?”. The pair nodded yes while Xenophlilius went on, “Good. Time for you two to leave. I still have to tell the Order of what we discovered today. It won’t take long”.

Anxious, Harry peered around the room that was filled with flames. “But Mr. Lovegood!”. Harry was worried. If Lovegood stayed behind, what if he did not make it out alive but Xenophlilius interrupted his thoughts, “Don’t worry about me, my boy. I’m a fighter. I’m not going down that easily without my Luna”.

“He’s right we have to go!,” Hermione screamed, pulling on Harry’s elbow while the fire grew onto the second floor. They stepped back, getting ready to portkey their way out. In the distance, they watched Mr. Lovegood mail out the letter with his wand. Crash! The house had finally been broken into. Death eaters swarmed around the burning home like a swarm of angry bees. The group had stayed at the house for too long.

The structure of the house gave out around them. One of the four pillars that held the second floor fell down, titling the floor to the fire below. It exposed Lovegood and the children to the inferno, preventing them from seeing clearly. Harry held on to the nearest column with Hermione right beside him. “Go! Go! We must endure!,'' shouted Lovegood while they coughed in the smoke. Standing tall, Xenophlilius pulled out his portkey from his shirt pocket and let go, aparating out before the fire could catch him.

“Ready?,” Harry asked as Hermione coughed once more.

“Ready as I’ll ever be”.

Hermione pulled out their portkey, preparing to leave the home too. The witch reached down for Harry’s hand. Together, they both counted down, “3, 2, 1”. But as they apparated out, a Death Eater sighted them, flying over towards them. Before they could escape, the Death Eater caught Hermione and Harry, grabbing onto their clothes. He too aparated with the duo, following right behind them. In the chaos of mid air flight, the death eater grabbed onto the children’s arms for control before snatching up the portkey from their hands. Harry gasped in horror as the death eater crushed it inside his hands. With no time to think, Hermione tried to fight back but in hysteria the man gripped the pair from their necks before flying them to an undisclosed location across the sky.

~

After arriving in Ireland but before the Lovegood fire

The new trio, which consisted of Draco, Ron, and Lavender, arrived in Ireland. Lavender assisted Draco out of the cabinet while Ron checked out their surroundings. As his fingers brushed against the inside wall of the cabinet, the Slytherin Prince noticed a picture that had been carved into the wood. “Star glasses?,” he mumbled to himself as he traced the weird drawing. The drawing was familiar to him but due to his exhaustion, couldn’t pinpoint why.

Instead, his focus was broken by the man on the other side of this cabinet. “Species?,” the man asked as Draco peered at him. There was a part of himself that almost did not want to tell the man. It went against everything werewolves did. It had only been a year since he’d been cursed with lycanthropy but even Draco knew how dangerous it was to let others in on his secret.

No sane werewolf openly told a wizard or witch his status. It meant adding your name to the list of registered magical creatures. The moment a name was added to the list, a person forfeited all their rights, becoming a second class citizen overnight. Draco, feeling the weight of his hunger and weakened state, told the truth. The Slytherin Prince wanted to find his way back to Hermione. While Harry would be okay since he had Hermione with him. The snake worried for her since all she had was Harry to rely on. If what the French man said was true about the werewolf sanctuary, Draco had decided to trust this stranger. “Werewolf,” the Slytherin answered.

“Figured. You look like a dead man walking,” answered the unknown man as he took a look at Draco’s state. “Get on the thestral carriage right there. It will lead you to the recovery center. They’ll do what they can to prepare you for the upcoming full moon. And you are….,” the man asked as he pointed to Lavender and Ron. Startled at the question, Ron hadn’t thought it would be needed to answer what his own species was. As he scrambled to label himself, he blurted out, “Oh! Ummm we’re with him…..Wait! I mean we’re not werewolves! We're humans? Man. Woman. Magic users to be more specific…. Where he goes, we go!”.

Draco turned to Ron with a chuckle, “Calm down. I can feel your fear from over here”.

“You and the girl can join your friend on the carriage ride. They have a separate house for guests like you. You're not the only friends of werewolves who accompanied them. Many lovers and friends have been refusing to leave behind their werewolves companions. We had to make adjustments at the sanctuary”.

Brightening up, Lavender held Draco up as she replied, “Wonderful! Thank you sir! I don’t think I would have been able to leave… Regulus alone in good conscience,” walking them to the carriage.

As they headed towards the thestral carriage, the man called back to them. “WAIT! Your name’s Regulus? Does your werewolf happen to be albino colored too? White werewolves are rare. Almost nonexistent”.

Suspicious that this stranger knew what he looked like as a werewolf, Draco bluntly answered, “No” but to his misfortune Ron answered “Yes”. The group froze, not knowing what to do. They had given conflicting information. Finally, Ron answered with narrowed eyes, “Yes, his werewolf is white. Why are you asking?”.

“Because your friend here is special to the Order. We’ve been told to keep an eye out for him. Remus Lupin told us all about you. Like I said, white is rare among the werewolf community”. At the mention of Lupin, the three gasped with surprise. Perhaps, getting back to Harry and Hermione would be easier than previously thought. The unknown man walked to the bright purple cabinet they hadn't used and knocked. The door opened with a man appearing from within. Sticking out his head, the second man bowed his head in a greeting at the trio. “I have a message for the chain of command. It’s to go all the way up to Mr. Lupin. The white wolf has been spotted”. Without waiting, the second man nodded before closing the door.

“See! You have to be more trusting of others. Imagine if you didn't tell the truth. Remus wouldn’t know you're safe,” Ron lectured as they walked down the dirt road, heading towards the Thestrals. Lavender waved goodbye at the man who let them in before squealing in delight, “Won won, I can’t believe it! I’m going on my own Golden Trio adventure. What should we call ourselves? How about the Trouble Trio?”.

“Trouble Trio? Why the Trouble trio?,” Draco questioned, genuinely curious.

“Because trouble always finds Ron and you while I like to be around to stir the pot. Who do you think planted the idea inside Hermione’s mind to ask you out on the day of the Great Hall? Ron was getting into an argument with Hermione and I saw my chance to help my good friend”. Draco gave a hearty laugh. “Ah! So you're girl, the snake pit warns everyone to be cautious around. You have a name in the Slytherin House: the Masters of Whispers. The girl that knows all. You and I are going to be great friends. I have a lot of enemies and secrets I can trade with you for”.

“Oh my Merlin, yes! I always wanted to spend the day picking at your brains! A girl’s day out! We can even invite Hermione for lunch! There's so many rumors about your housemates that I need confirmation on. You're all so tight lipped! It’s impossible to separate the lies and the truth. Who better to ask than the Prince of Slytherin himself!,” Lavender cheered innocently. She didn’t see the blackmail Draco wanted to commit. To her, a new friendship was forming with an added bonus of getting an inside intel surrounding the Slytherin House.

With jaws dropped, Ron looked at the two individuals in front of him. Was he witnessing a dangerous friendship unfolding? “Draco, you can’t trade secrets with my girlfriend. That's called blackmailing. I won’t let you use Lavender for evil,” he interjected.

“It’s not blackmailing, Ron. It’s called gathering intelligence. Don’t you want to know the secrets of my house? If I remember correctly, I remember hearing with my werewolf ears you wanted to know why Crabbe and Goyle mysteriously transferred out. What if I told you I might know the reason they left Hogwarts?,” Draco smirked mischievously, swaying Ron to his side of up to no good. The young werewolf chuckled, seeing the grin on the bald boy. It made him happy to know he was corrupting a golden lion to the ways of a sneaky snake.

Giving in, Ron was hooked into his new group called the trouble trio. “NO! Would you really tell us!,” gasped Ron while Lavender interjected next, “You know the reason?! Do you have how many snakes I asked and was meant with cold shoulders! Spill it!”.

Kicking his feet up across the seat in front of him, Draco placed his hands behind his head. As he lounged against the seat, the Slytherin gave a proud smirk while wiggling his eyebrows, “Do I know? I am THE reason. Drama itself. I am the villain in Crabbe and Goyle’s life. I made them leave my house and got away with it. Let’s just say I needed to remind those two squealing pigs who was in charge. After all, a good Black never lets anyone step on him. I’m a true believer in getting even”.

~

Half way through the thestral carriage ride Draco peered out into the highlands of Ireland, the beautiful landmass of the island and lush greenfields. He saw the crystal clear lake that mirrored the sky above between the mountains. All that could be heard was the winds of the countryside and birds flying overhead. The Thestral carriage ride occasionally hit a rock on the dirt road, making the whole wagon bumpy. Speaking out loud, the werewolf commented to no one in particular, “It makes sense that magical creatures are being sent to Ireland. It’s so obvious that I feel like Crab and Goyle for once. What a terrible feeling”.

Lavender giggled at the remark the Slytherin Prince made as she joined him in sightseeing. She tapped the werewolf’s shoulder before pointing to the native wild gooses above them. “What do you mean?,” Ron asked. He did not see the connection between the two.

“Well, Ireland wasn’t always ruled by humans. Many supernatural races once ruled Ireland before Britain invaded and colonized Ireland in the 12th century. At a time when the Dark Lord is rounding up supernatural creatures to be exterminated, it makes sense that Ireland is one of the few countries that are open to allowing any sentient magical being, other than the standard wizard or witch, into their borders,” replied Draco back to the bald boy.

“Awww, how nice of the Irish. Ireland has always been a reliable friend in times of need. How lovely,” Lavender complimented the nation outside her window as she listened to Draco’s incoming history lesson. She knew as well as their entire year that Draco had gained a reputation for stealing an entire lesson. Making a puzzled face, Ron followed up, “Supernatural races?”.

Annoyed, Draco turned to Ron, breaking his sightseeing to look directly at his pupil in the face, “Honestly Ron, did you not pay attention in class at all? Creatures like the Daerg Due, the Bananch, the Merrow, and most importantly the Tuatha De”. He stared at Weasley in disbelief. Did he really not know? How had Hermione tolerated being around someone with so much empty space inside their heads? His wife must be a charitable individual or found amusement in Ron’s lack of knowledge, Draco reasoned.

Unable to defend himself, Ron stayed quiet as he never paid attention in class. Mute, he stared at his lecturer, who was increasingly sounding a lot like Hermione by the second. Sighing at the realization Ron was not going to answer, Draco explained further, “The Tuatha De are said to be magical beings that control many things like the weather, the fertility of the land, or can shapeshift into other things. You just need to know that they’re highly skilled in ancient magic, Ron. Do not underestimate the magic of these lands”.

“Are the Tuatha De still around? Do you think we can visit one of them while we’re here? It would be a crime if we don’t do a little sightseeing. We don’t know when the next time we’ll be in Ireland,” participated Lavender as if she was still a Hogwarts student on a field trip.

Draco folded his arms as he rubbed his chin. He was stumped by the question and wasn’t sure. However, he saw an opportunity to take his unexpected class of two to sightsee the country to learn all that Ireland had to offer. And so, the werewolf answered earnestly, “I don't know about that but my family does own a medieval castle near Bushmills. The poor muggles think it's only a ruin but that's only a facade. My great great great great grandfather restored it and bought it when he was alive. It’s one of our 20 vacation homes located throughout Europe. It’s quite nice, actually. It’s told by the local wizarding community that the Celtic demon king, Balor, lives near my castle. Once this is all over, we should verify if the locals are correct”.

“Yes! Let’s make it a girl’s trip! I’ll invite Ginny to come with us. As Harry’s girlfriend, it’s only right if we invite her. We’ll have so much fun”.

The werewolf snapped his head, “Ginny?! She can’t be invited to our girl’s trip. Harry is being courted by another witch. We never talked but she was my neighbor when I slept in the Perfect’s bathroom. I’m sure she’ll come if we invite her. She’s too nice to say no”.

Gasping, Lavender screamed, “Harry is being courted and I’m the last to know! Since when! If she’s to be my future sister in law, it’s imperative that we bond whoever this mysterious witch is”. Draco nodded to that logic for it did make sense. It reminded the snake that with Ron and Harry being Hermione’s best friends, it would be critical he get along with their girlfriends. He often felt like a third wheel when he hung out with the Golden Trio.

Stunned, Ron turned to look at the two infront of him, “Sister in law?,” but the bald boy went ignored. Another question came to him which caused him to glare at Draco. “Wait, you know who gave Harry the ring?”.

Giving Ron an unimpressed expression at the fact he had to even ask that question, the young werewolf turned back to the girl. “You’re absolutely correct about that, Lavender. Now that I’m married to Hermione, I need to find common ground with her friends. If you and I are going to be forced to hang out with Harry, then we'll have to get to know his future wife”.

Ron shoved Draco, demanding to know what was going on. The more time passed, the more he felt like an outsider between the pair. The young werewolf turned to Weasley, finally acknowledging him. “Of course, I knew who Harry’s mystery person was! What a ridiculous question. I’m a werewolf. I smelled the witch immediately on the ring”.

“Why didn’t you tell me or Harry? You know how much time we spent going over who it could be in Gryffindor tower,” argued Ron.

“Ha! Look at him. He thinks the witch is from the Gryffindor house. They're nowhere near to figuring out her identity,” Draco laughed as he turned to Lavender, before looking back at Ron. “I didn’t tell Harry because I thought it would be a good mental exercise for him. You and Hermione really need to stop spoon feeding Harry. This is why it’s taking us so long to end the war. You held his hand for too long. The chosen one is so oblivious to what’s happening around him. If I were to ask him to name every student in our year that’s not in Gryffindor, he wouldn’t be able to tell me. He’ll get stuck immediately with first name”.

Ron's jaw dropped to the ground. He didn’t know if he should be offended for Harry or accept it. Truth be told, he wasn't sure of everyone’s name outside of the Gryffindor tower either. Draco sneaked a glance, realizing he had the boy where he wanted him. One more push before the Slytherin revelled in making Ron explode. “It’s also your own fault. You and Harry never asked me directly who the witch was”.

“Why would we need to ask you directly!? Any decent person would have told us on the spot!”.

“Well, that’s where you're wrong again. I'm in fact not a decent person. I am very much a bully for many of our classmates, which is why Harry is the chosen one and not me. He actually goes out of his way to save people at the risk of his own life. Not me, I’ll let them drown with no problem. I’m too important to die for a random person. You got yourself in that body of water, learn to swim. If they can’t swim then even better. Learn”.

Hiding her smile behind a hand, Lavender commented, “I’m glad you're not the chosen one then, Draco. Imagine if you were, I’ll have to save myself from drowning and I know I’ll definitely die trying. I never learned to swim”.

Draco gasped with a palm above his heart. “You can’t swim? It’s only okay to let men die. You're learning on our girls trip. My family’s vacation home has a beautiful indoor pool. You’ll love it”. Overjoyed, Lavender squealed before going over to hug the Slytherin Prince. “I can’t wait! Our trip is going to be so fun! I’ll need a new outfit for each day”.

Ron was baffled at how quickly the two were speaking in real time. How did he turn into the responsible one in this trio? Sidelined once again, the bald boy cleared his throat, “Umm, we’re getting off track. We have a war to win. We need to find Harry and Hermione first before we can do anything else. Let alone go on a field trip. Stop joking around”.

Both Lavender and Draco turned around at the same time, giving Ron a scowl. Unimpressed, Lavender told him, “We’re not joking. This is serious business,” before continuing her conversation with the snake. They watched the greenfields as they went about planning their group vacation. Under his breath, Draco whispered to Lavender, “What do you see in Ron? You're out of his league. Look at that Weasley. He’s making a grumpy face, when once Remus fixes my inheritance, I’ll be paying for everyone’s stay. He acts like he’s the one paying for it”.

“Hey I heard that!,” Ron grumbled with his arms crossed. He missed Harry and Hermione more at that moment. As Lavender braided her hair, she answered Draco while ignoring Won Won, “We can’t help who we love. I love him even with all his shortcomings. It’s okay though. I make up for all his faults”.

Giving Ron a pure look of judgement, Draco said, “Indeed you make up for all his weaknesses. You are the superior of the two like Hermione is between her and I. A man is nothing without his woman”. Having enough of their banter, Ron attempted to get their attention unsuccessfully, “Hey! What do you mean? I’m the inferior one?”.

Once again, the unlikely pair turned around before leaning in to whisper to each other, “We’ll talk later about our trip when he’s asleep. He’s in a cranky mood. Ron is probably just hungry”.

Continuing to finish her braid, Lavender smiled before she remembered something. She turned, pouting to the Slytherin while catching Ron’s attention. “Draco, you didn’t tell me who’s courting Harry. Am I not allowed to know either?”.

Watching the sky with a somber expression, Ron mumbled loud enough for the two, “I wanna know too”. He really needed to get back to Harry and Hermione, Ron thought to himself. “I’ll tell you both the identity of Harry’s mystery girl, if you promise not to tell him”. Not allowing a second to pass, Ron yelled, “Deal,” before the snake could change his mind. His mood lifted as they three huddled into a circle as Draco whispered to them.

~

After getting processed and comfortable in their temporary housing, the werewolf went outside to seek solitude from the crowd inside the sanctuary. The boy had enough adventure for one day. It was overwhelming being around so many medical staff and volunteers for the werewolf who knew of his condition. He flourished more in the dark silence as he grew up in the comfort of loneliness as a child.

After getting bitten, it was only then his solitude became unbearable. He knew his place in society before he was bitten. The ambitious Slytherin gained connections in the social hierarchy for his own benefit with ease, but only a few people like Hermione, Theo, Blaise, and his mother knew this version of the boy. The boy who preferred silence and seclusion. After a few months of being a werewolf, he came to terms with this secret life. It was a life of keeping his head down. He could live like that. It was easier to control people’s reaction to his lycanthropy that way. The public simply wouldn’t know.

Much to his displeasure, everything was changing for the werewolf once again. At the werewolf sanctuary, he was at the whim of others’ reaction now. It made him uncomfortable. It was as if he was going through puberty again. Uncomfortable in his own skin, the Slytherin wanted to hide. He didn’t want strangers to look at him.

Walking up to the winged skeletal horse, Draco couldn’t help but to stare at it. He had heard of their existence but this was his first time seeing them. These creatures had reptilian features and wings that resembled a bat’s. Like him, they preferred solitude too. He soaked in the darkness of the night. The young werewolf remembered being taught back at Hogwarts that Thersals were omens of misfortunes. Only wizards and witches who witnessed death could see them. Many in the British Ministry saw these creatures as omens of evil based on their appearance alone.

Just like werewolves were classified as dangerous to humans, Draco wondered how much they said about thestral was true. Some of it must be false as many of the widely known facts about werewolves were lies. Perhaps all creatures were misunderstood by the wizarding world too.

As the Slytherin studied the Thestral, he felt a strange feeling of peace with the creature, who embodied the thin line between death and life. He felt an emotional understanding with the creature. Perhaps the truth behind the Thestral lied in how you viewed death and how your soul was impacted by it. There were a small fraction of people who didn't see them despite seeing death. No one understood why. If the individual could not comprehend it, the Thestral did not show themselves. To see a Thestral was not only a sign to the one who witnessed death but it was an emotional understanding of what death meant.

While Draco stoked the Thestral’s head, he wondered if viewing the winged creature was not a sign of bad omen but a reminder of how precious and fragile life was. These majestic yet gentle winged creatures told the tale of how beautiful death could be and not to be afraid of it. Death came for everyone as all good things must come to an end. There was peace in the separation of body and soul. There was a beauty in moving on to the afterlife of no more pain or suffering. To die is welcome death with a blanket of inner peace. To know how fragile life was, was to live everyday as if it was your last.

Ron and Lavender went outside to find the werewolf. Ron had been on the run for so long he needed to readjust to the crowd. Lavender had offered to accompany him as well. The girl had been at the labor camp for so long that she had almost forgotten what life was before war. These people were a bit too free for her. It was strange. She had become used to her confined four walls, shoulder to shoulder with her cell mates. The couple watched as Draco walked around the skeletal horse, caressing the peaceful Thestral, the creatures of the dead.

The young werewolf laid his hand on the horse's nose, soaking in the cold yet warmth they provided. Ron joined Draco in petting the beautiful creatures of death while Lavender stood back not being able to fully see them. Instead, she saw a blurry figure. She knew the boys were petting something but it was only an outline to her. Still, she found tranquility with the creatures she did not see clearly. Away from her months-long imprisonment, the countryside of Ireland soothed her soul as she watched the two boys from a distance. It was also there Draco realized Ron could see the winged creatures too. While Weasley had seen death in person, he had also become self aware of the meaning of death and life on his own. The Thersals had gifted the boy with the ability to see them. The trio stayed outside all night long, watching the starry sky. They found comfort in the rare stillness they found themselves in for the first time since the war had started.

Chapter Text

The events of this chapter takes place between the escape from Azkaban and before the Lovegood fire.

Lucius Malfoy, along with Theo and Blaise, stood at the former British Ministry courtroom. They were a part of a group of three with two more groups in the room besides them. In the jury stands, all of Lucius' colleagues from the first wizarding war and those who had escaped Azkaban sat waiting for his next move. They all cackle, expressing amusement at how far Lucius had fallen. Meanwhile, Voldemort sat at the judge’s chair at the center of the courtroom while Severus Snape, second in command, sat beside him.

With a bored expression, the Dark Lord peered at this round of recruits as if they were peasants beneath him. Only by witnessing their abilities and intellect were they shown any consideration. All upcoming recruits were measured by their usefulness during the trials, placing them in a social hierarchy among the Death Eaters.

They were judged by how they could benefit the Dark Lord and regime. As Voldemort eyed one by one the 8 young men who were the ages between 17-24, the last group of three caught his attention. He smirked as he realized Lucius was in the last group with the son of Senior Nott and Zabini, son of the human black widow. Voldemort had heard many good things about the two young men from Snape teaching them. He was overjoyed to see such promising young Purebloods desire to join his ranks and revolution. Lucius, however, was a different story. Lucius had failed him far too much. Malfoy needed to make up for all his mistakes if he wanted to run among his inner circle again.

Although it was quite an interesting choice that the boys had decided to pair up with Lucius Malfoy, he wondered more why Malfoy had come. He would need to keep an extra eye on this group in the upcoming trials. It was necessary for the failed Death Eater to prove he was more than just his family name and wealth. It was almost comical for Voldemort as he watched the man have to start all over while his colleagues from the first war were enjoying the fruits of their labor. They had all proven themselves but not Lucius. It was then the Dark Lord had decided watching Lucius go through the trials would be the entertainment he had been waiting for.

The trials were simple. The main focus was to entertain the Dark Lord in the killing games. Each group needed to decide which prisoners they were going to kill, using any method they desired. It left room for boundless creativity. The winners would receive the position they wanted in Voldemort’s regime but the main objective was to prove themselves worthy of becoming a Death Eater.

This was unlike the first wizarding war from what Lucius remembered. These trials didn’t exist. Lucius hadn’t needed to go through these trials as a young man. Still, he knew his plans hinged on his success. Before, his family name and wealth would have gotten him into Voldemort's inner circle. Since escaping Azkaban, he had been cut off but it only grew his determination. Before coming here, Lucius ordered Theo and Blaise to stay close to him. He had decided to do all the dirty work for their long term goals.

“How do you live with yourself, Lucius Malfoy? Tell me. I give you so much yet I receive nothing back from you. You selfish cockroach. Even a half blood like Snape has proven himself more than you in a short time span of a year,” Dark Lord spoke into the deadly silence. His words cut the thick air as he connected his snake-like eyes to Lucius. “When I disappeared all those years ago, your family failed to seek for me despite me making you my hand. I gifted you a valuable item yet you got rid of it. To make things worse, it fell into the hands of Dumbledore. You were given the position of commander of the Department of Mysteries yet you failed me”.

With a questioning stare, the Dark Lord spat at the man below him. Lucius' very existence angered him as he went on, “I freed all my loyal followers in Azkaban but you. Instead I killed your family, giving you the solace in their deaths. You did not love your family. Did you not? Any other wizard would have considered my gift of death a blessing but not you. Here you are, asking for more and for forgiveness. You come asking to rejoin the ranks when you have proven yourself as nothing more than a failure. You have only proven that you're a selfish man, who’s own selfishness got your family killed. Quite daring of you to show your face around here”.

Voldemort dispersed into black cloud as he flew over Lucius. Landing in front of him, he faced Lucius with only centimeters separating them. A familiar shadow also stalked Lucius as it stood behind Voldemort, making the elder Malfoy gulp. He hadn’t expected to see it here. Still, he refused to look at it even as the dark figure went directly behind Voldemort’s head in an attempt to make Lucius look at him.

“Keep ignoring me. I’ll have you bend the knee to me by the end of the day,” Voldemort interrupted his thoughts.

Despite the fury he had for Lucius, the Dark Lord sensed a great change in his once proud and arrogant follower. The man in front of him had been reduced to a quivering mess yet there was a hint of insanity in those eyes. Eyes that resembled his. It made Voldemort want to see what Lucius had to offer. Snape didn’t have that same expression. That man was too calculating and a coward. A coward, who cannot be fully trusted.

Voldemort had never forgotten how Snape ran to Dumbledore all those years ago to save that mudblood named Lily Potter. He went to Dumbledore instead of him. If he would have gone to the Dark Lord instead, certainly he would have had mercy to capture and imprison the girl for Snape. For that is who Voldemort was as a person: forgiving, intelligent, and thoughtful.

Lucius may be many things to Voldemort but he had one thing over Snape. The head Malfoy had NEVER ran to Dumbledore. There was a small twisted camaraderie between the once master and former hand. In many ways, Lucius was a lot like Voldemort. He was selfish, which made the man easier to read and track unlike Snape. The Dark Lord never had to question Lucius' loyalty for he knew where it laid: himself. Voldemort could work with that.
Since he had taken everything from the man, Lucius was a former shell of himself reduced to madness and easy to control. Although Snape had shown himself useful and raised the ranks in such a short time, Voldemort knew Snape’s loyalty lied with a woman, who had been dead for 17 years. That would not do.

Like a snake striking, Voldemort slapped Lucius across the face, scaring all the young recruits. As Lucius’ cheeks turned red from the hit, the ghost behind Voldemort clapped, standing up from the audience for an encore. To the side, Theo and Blaise jumped in surprise before getting on their knees. The two boys peered down to avoid the gaze of Voldemort just as instructed by Malfoy. “You come to me knowing I turned your only Pureblood son into a werewolf. I had Greyback eat the boy enough not to kill him. I single handedly ended your long continuous bloodline. You come to me knowing my most loyalist hand, Severus Snape, killed your only son. Interesting isn’t it? You come begging for forgiveness”.

Voldemort turned to the jury full of Death Eaters before raising his voice, “What do you say my dearest and loyal friends? Shall we forgive our old colleague. Certainly we can find a spot somewhere”.

As he scanned the room, the audience went into an uproar. The jury chanted while stomping their feet against the floor, “KILL THE TRAITOR! KILL THE TRAITOR! HE FAILED OUR CAUSE!”.

At the mention of Snape pushing Draco to his death, Theo gave a burning look at his former professor. His fists clenched in rage while Blaise reminded Theo to look down again. Blaise shared a stare, communicating with his eyes, “Be patient. We will get our revenge. This is all for Draco”. Still furious, Theo took a deep breath as he peered down before anyone noticed their interaction.

Voldemort lifted his hand, signaling his followers to be silent and controlling the room. “Now, now, let's not be so hasty. Snape, my friend, come to me,” he smirked with a hidden intention behind it. Left with no choice, Snape joined to stand next to Voldemort. Seeing he had the two men where he wanted, the Dark Lord ordered Lucius, “Kiss my hand. The same hand that will decide your fate. Kiss it to remind yourself who your master is”.

While Lucius obeyed, Voldemort went on, not having enough of his humiliation, “Now kiss the foot of Snape. The man who killed your son and took your spot in my inner circle. Crawl to his feet like the dog your son was. Claim your spot as man's best friend beside Snape as his hound”.

With a stoic face, Lucius gave no indication of what his real feelings were but his eyes flickered to the shadow watching him. Now behind Voldemort, the ghost smiled, almost teasing Lucius to do it while the man himself attempted to ignore the spirit. Although it pained him to give power to the Dark Lord and the ghost, Voldemort was analyzing his actions. This was the only way to get back to his good graces. The boys were counting on him. In all of Lucius' humiliation, he crawled on all four before proceeding to kiss Snape’s foot.

Pleased, Voldemort laughed as the room joined him in his amusement. With his head full of power, he commanded once more, “Bark and wiggle your way into Snape’s heart. Give thanks to the man who killed the mudblood fucker. Snape did you a favor in ending your bloodline before your son sullied it”.

Many began to whisper, wondering what Lucius would do next. He wouldn’t do it. Would he? Was the man that desperate for validation from the Dark Lord? Many were unsure. Some of the Death Eaters, who still considered Lucius as an old friend, swallowed their discomfort before peering away at the once proud man. Never did they think a day would come that Lucius would throw away the only dignity he had left. Some judged Lucius with disgust at how far the once mighty House of Malfoy had fallen. Others shook their heads, willing Lucius not to stoop to this level for they wanted to remember the man he once was.

Theo and Blaise closed their eyes, never lifting their faces. They knew this had to be done but it didn’t make it easier. Among the jury, Bellatrix was horrified to be once associated with her widowed brother-in-law. She slouched down in her chair to avoid other Death Eaters’s glances. They were waiting for her own reaction.

Seeing no way out, Lucius barked while wagging his lower half towards Snape. Still, he gave no shamed expression despite the laughing ghost in the background. Unable to help himself, Snape smirked at the scene. It amused him at how the tables had turned for the former classmate. In the years he had to serve under Lucius, he relished in the fact that he now had superiority over the elder Malfoy. A chuckle escorted his lips while the once prideful Malfoy kissed his feet. The former professor was receiving the respect he always deserved.

In back, Voldemort watched the interaction between the two men closely. There was a displeased look on his face. This was Snape’s test as much as it was Lucius. And the man was failing. “Okay Snape, you may kill Malfoy,” the Dark Lord whispered as his eyes never left the former professor.

While Snape raised his wand, there were gasps of horror around the room. Before Snape could throw the fatal spell, Voldemort ordered again, interrupting the man, “Stop!”. His voice bellowed in the room, making Snape pause. His blood went cold as he realized that command was meant for him. The Dark Lord’s attention was on him now. With a sinister smile, Voldemort replied, “Rub your stomach and pat your head but when you do this, I want you to announce to the whole jury who you have in your bedroom”.

Snape choked, unable to move a muscle. It was his test but he was failing it. He couldn’t bring himself to announce the secret he has been hiding. It was too much. Not in front of his colleagues, who he had just recently gained their respect. He can’t do it infront of his former students. Especially not Theo who all he ever did was chatter away. Everyone would know. That could not happen. Knowing he had cornered Snape, Voldemort announced with his arms stretched out, “I’m waiting”.

Snape could only glance at his feet while Lucius’ interest peaked. What was the man hiding? Rodolphus Lestrange, knowing full well who was in Snape’s bedroom, laughed out loud, confusing the crowd more. The jury’s interest increased for Snape’s secret. Some murmured their guesses to the person next to them. Pretending to be disappointed as he turned his back to the former professor, Voldemort turned to Lucius, “Rub your stomach and pat your head, but I want you to tell the crowd one secret. Make it a secret worth your life”.

Seeing his chance to gain the Dark Lord’s amusement, Lucius did as he was ordered. He knew exactly what to say. A secret that no one knew but was worthy of gaining access to Voldemort’s inner circle. This secret had once ruined the trajectory of someone’s life. Not wasting a single second, Lucius peered up at Bellatrix as he announced to all of Pureblood society, “My secret is I was the one that told Pollux Black that Bellatrix was whoring herself around with a muggle man. I took away the only man she has ever loved and given her heart too. I told Pollux Black that Bellatrix was planning to run away with the muggle man, following in Andromeda’s footsteps”.

Voldemort laughed as he held his stomach while the jury choked on air. Bellatrix Lestrange, the embodiment of a dedicated Pureblood witch to the cause, had lowered herself to get romantically involved with a muggle. They all turned to her. Her pale face was enough confirmation that Lucius was telling the truth.

Lucius gave a diabolical smirk as he explained further, “Pollux and I went to your lover's house and burned it down. We watched in the distance as you screamed over your lover's ashes. I was the one that recommended to Pollux to condemn you in a loveless marriage with Rodolphus Lestrange, the man you hate the most in this world. As a reward for saving his family from another scandal, I was given Narcissa’s Black hand in marriage. That is the real reason why you hate Andromeda. She got to live the life you wanted. I taught you a life lesson. I did what any good Pureblood would do, I saved you from sullying your family’s name. The truth is you are the most disappointing member to come out of the Black family. The very family you hold in such high regard. Neither Sirius nor Andromeda had ever lowered themselves to fucking a muggle”.

Finding confidence in the fact that Bellatrix froze, Lucius walked towards the stand before facing Bellatrix’s burnt face directly. He touched the side of his face in a mocking manner as he went on, “Despite how Draco turned out, in the end I was proud to hear he followed in my steps of teaching you another life lesson. A lesson of what happens when you cross Malfoy”.

“You’ll regret revealing Bella’s secret and your involvement in how you stole Cissy from us in front of our colleagues. I trust her that she’ll show you what happens when you cross a Black,” the shadow whispered into Lucius’ ears, making him jump before it reappeared in an instant beside Bellatrix.

Lucius peered nervously at the dark figure before bringing his attention back to the LeStranges, but it was too late. The ghostly man smiled ear to ear at the effect he had on the head Malfoy. Lucius had made the mistake of finally looking at his attachment after so many years of ignoring it. Before his eyes, the shadow went from being a pure black figure to forming a distinct human face, horrifying Lucius. A face that had long haunted his family home. An echo from the past that refused to let him go. It had been HIM, who stalked Lucius in every shadow of his life. It had been HIM, who patiently waited for his time to be seen.

Embarrassed by the stares they were receiving, Rodolphus whispered harshly at his wife, “Is this true? I was promised a virgin when I agreed to marry you. If I had known you were a whore, I wouldn’t have bat an eye to you”. From the humiliation of getting reprimanded by her so-called husband, Bellatrix stayed silent, refusing to let go of her attention on Lucius. “He would pay,” she promised to herself. The rage simmered underneath the surface among the whispers of her spilled family secrets until eventually she snapped, “HOW DARE YOU! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU! I LOVED THAT MAN!”. At her sudden confession, the crowd went into an uproar while Rodolphus pulled at her elbow in an attempt to silence her.

“SILENCE!,” screamed the Dark Lord before he turned to Bellatrix, “My dear, don’t be angry. Lucius here saved you. You wouldn’t be here among the future elites of the new world, if Lucius hadn’t stepped in to kill that Muggle man. Thanks to his confession, I have renewed faith in him despite all his selfishness and flaws. Lucius still believes in my cause to cleanse the wizarding world”.

He gave Bella a deadly stare, daring her to continue her tantrums. As she sat back down, Voldemort turned to Lucius, “As a token of my mercy and kindness, I have made my decision. Lucius is forgiven! He may participate in the trials to decide where in my ranks he belongs!,” causing an avalanche of clapping from the jury at his announcement.

Embracing the cheers, Voldemort, who did not forget about Snape, walked to him and whispered into his ears, “You failed to be loyal to me. You failed to follow a simple order. You failed to tell the room your secret. This is why I have invited Lucius back into my circle. While Lucius may be a failure in bringing good results to me, I don’t have to question his intentions. Don’t get too cocky in your new position of being my hand. Remember your place is beneath me. We are merely a master and servant. I can take your position as my hand as easily as I gave it to you”. Disgusted by the sight before him, the Dark Lord slapped Snape across his cheek, shocking the room. He announced loud enough for the room’s occupants to hear, “Leave me. Your presence disgusts me. Leave while I'm still in a good mood. Be glad I’ll let you keep your pet inside your room”.

Still curious, many Death Eaters whispered their guesses of what was Snape’s secret. Meanwhile, Theo murmured to Blaise, “Damn, if this is the Dark Lord on a good day, I don’t want to know what a bad day looks like”. Blaise smirked, still enjoying Snape's humiliation in front of the jury.

Getting back to the trials, Voldemort yelled, “Bring in the prisoners!”. The doors behind the upcoming recruits opened, creaking loudly in the heavy filled room. Scurrying in, Peter Pattigrew brought in the victims for the trials. The prisoners came strolling in with their heavy chains dragging across the floor. Some appeared malnourished and others weren’t in their right mind. As his eyes flickered across the soon to be victims, Lucius recognized five. His eyebrows lifted, watching Luna Lovegood come in among the prisoners.

Malfoy took note of how it took every inner strength for Theo not to react as Blaise dug his nails into Nott’s hand. It was here Lucius realized he would have to prove himself to Voldemort, if he were to save his niece. He had too, for his estranged younger brother. They hadn’t acknowledged each other in years but they were still of the same blood. Lucius had appreciated the memorial Xenophlilius had written about his son.

In another life, Draco would have been loved by his uncle and had play dates with Luna. Draco would have met Luna sooner as an infant. Life had found a way to reunite the brothers through sharing the same pain. Lucius knew very well what it was like to lose both an offspring and a wife. He did not want Xenophilius to experience the pain of losing a child when he had lost his wife already. It was an experience he did not want his brother to know. Plus, Lucius did not need to confirm with Theo to know saving Luna was a must or he would lose both Theo and Blaise’s loyalty. They had come this far for him based on a whim when they had no reason to trust him. The older Malfoy knew he would need to come up with a plan. A plan to save Luna without it being suspicious. A life for a life. Trade Luna’s safety for a gruesome death to be remembered in the Death Eaters trials.

Lucius turned to look at Gilderoy Lockhart. He lost his mind due to a self-inflicted memory spell. “A well deserved accident,” Lucius thought as he passed over the fraud. It was partly Lockhart’s fault that Voldemort’s item had gotten destroyed. Lucius would have gotten away with letting go of a Horcrux, if Gilderoy had wiped Harry’s mind instead of his own. At the time, Lucius had no choice but to free himself of the diary. The ministry had been breathing down his neck. He couldn’t be caught with it. Lucius didn’t feel an ounce of sorrow for the fraud as he eyed him more. The man had scammed many poor souls and wiped countless wizards’ memories for profit. As a former ministry official, he was horrified to know Lockhart went unpunished for so long. Lockhart was not a person worth saving.

His eyes then landed on a familiar redhead. A wizard from a family he had long hated, Percy Weasley. The boy had gone missing during the fall of the British Ministry. Despite his unfortunate ancestry, Lucius needed to save the poor boy. It would be talent wasted if the boy was killed. From his observation, Percy was an outstanding former employee of the ministry of magic. Lucius could recognize a hard worker when he saw one.

In truth, if Lucius still worked in the Ministry, he would have made Percy his assistant to spite Arthur. Percy could come in handy, if he brought him into his plans. He would need to be saved along with Luna. If he managed to save the boy, it would also make the Weasley clan owe Lucius a debt.

An idea quickly formed as he took in the last two individuals he recognized. A life for a life. Two lives spared for the death of two. The other two prisoners were the Longbottoms. Alice and Frank Longbottom, who disappeared after the raid of St. Mungos. The original mission of raids was to weaken the Order by stealing all of their medical supplies and potions, but it quickly turned into a mess as Death Eaters had decided to mock the Order by also stealing the 4th floor patients. The floor had housed long-term residents for treatment for permanent spell damage.

“The task in front of you all is quite simple. Kill the prisoners using any method. Pick any prisoners you want. Be creative! I want to be entertained. My favorite murders will get first pick of ranking. Every group only has 24 hours to complete their task. Let the Killing Games begin!,” roared the Dark Lord as the room cheered once again.

While all other groups argued which prisoners to take, Lucius surprised everyone by being the first to step up. He knew what to do. He chose Percy, Luna, Alice, and Frank, raising a few eyebrows in the jury. Seeing who had picked her, Luna smiled at Lucius. The same strange expression she shared with Xenophilius. “So much like my brother. He too smiled at nothing,” Lucius thought.

Voldemort eyed Lucius, thinking his choice of picking the Longbottoms was weak. The Longbottoms had been crucioed by Bellatrix Lestrange during the first wizarding war to the extent that their minds were broken beyond repair. The tragedy of the Longbottoms cemented them into the wizarding history books. Killing them would be too easy as the Longbottoms were long gone and only living as a vegetable. Any torture or pain inflicted would be meaning less. Voldemort had Pettigrew place the Longbottoms in the line up as a test for the weak Death Eaters.

Judging Lucius, the Dark Lord was certain he was off to a bad start. “Tell me Lucius. Why choose the weakest imprisoners? There's no life in the Longbottoms. They have been gone a long time. 17 years to be exact. They feel no more suffering, yet you picked them. Poor choice, wouldn’t you say?”. Had he made a mistake in allowing Lucius to join the trials?

Laughing and out of breath, Lucius slowly turned to Voldemort with a wicked smile. At the scene, Voldemort's browless face raised in curiosity. The 6 young recruits turn to peer at each other, almost afraid of the Malfoy wizard, while Theo and Blaise stood behind Lucius with full support. The two lads knew they needed to get past the trials and earn enough false trust with the Dark Lord for the man to turn an blind eye to their plans.

Lucius explained as he went to stand between the two boys, giving the image he was the leader, “I picked Percy because I know my group will place favorably with you. I want Wealsey to become my personal assistant just as he was for the former minister. It would be a waste of Pureblood talent if he were to be killed. His skills are an asset to me. Luna is of my kin. Nothing more nothing less. She’s of my bloodline through my estranged brother. With my heir dead, she would be useful to me”.

Taking a pause, the elder Malfoy turned an eye to Theo, warning him not to move as he went on, “I’ll have the girl share the same fate as the late Lady Nott. She will become Theo’s concubine. I haven’t decided yet but when the time is right, I will get rid of her and take her child as the next Malfoy. We must save the Purebloods, if we are to cleanse the wizarding world from dirtied blood. There are very few of us left. As for the Longbottoms, I have big plans for them. Respectfully Dark Lord, they aren’t the weakest choice. We can torture the Longbottoms further. In my humble opinion, what Bellatrix did to the Longbottom was weak. I will steal this kill from Bellatrix and show her how it's really done”. At the audacity of the man that took her sister from her, Bellatrix stood up only to be sat down by her husband, Lestrange. Rodolphus had been embarrassed enough by her past indiscretions and outburst.

With interest piqued, Voldemort spoke again, “You’re so confident in earning my favor that you have spared Percy and Luna. How selfish of you. This is what I mean when I say all you do is take from me, Lucius. So cocky of you to place your group first among the recruits already. However, it is that Malfoy ambition that always had me forgiving you. No death eater can compare to you”.

Voldemort turned to Nott Senior. “What do you think Nott? Will Lucius Malfoy surprise us all and win my favor or fail once again? Your son is in this group”.

Giving a quick look of indifference at his son, Nott Senior grinned, “I have known Malfoy my whole life. I know that look. He’s won. Any man who can convince my pathetic son and a fatherless bastard to finally become a Death Eater has my favor. After I killed his mother, I have tried so hard to have Theodore follow my footsteps but failed. Lucius has stolen my heir as his Draco replacement and has plans to continue his bloodline with an arrangement between Theo and that foolish girl with Malfoy blood. Whatever Lucius is doing, it is a plan worth waiting for”. It took everything in Theo’s strength not to go after his father at the mention of his mother.

As the Dark Lord was about to give his approval, Bellatrix with suspicions interrupted the courtroom. “I disagree with keeping two of the four prisoners alive. How can we be sure he won’t release them?”. Bellatrix eyed Lucius not trusting at all. She could see the wheels turning inside his mind. He was up to something and dangerous to keep around. Bellatrix saw Lucius for what the Malfoy clan was even if the jury of Death Eaters and Dark Lord didn’t. Opportunists with no backbone. No jail cell or conversion of the mind can make that bloodline follow the cause as they only followed their own path forward. The Malfoy family was like an untamable snake, who was constantly shedding their skin. They evolved, hiding among the wizards of whatever they needed to adapt with and adopting their ideals and morals.

After the Black family, they were the second most dangerous family. They were like wolves, who disguised themselves as sheeps in the wizarding world. They succeeded where other sacred 28 families failed: gaining the trust of the mass public. They only attack when needed, unlike the others. It was what made them a trusted ally with other wizards and witches despite being a known dark wizarding family. They defeated foes aggressively only when it was necessary. It was how the Malfoy’s were able to survive this long and become the oldest wizarding family in the world. They succeeded where the Blacks failed, adapting with the time. Bellatrix couldn’t prove it but Lucius was doing it again. “He was shedding his skin but adapting for what? Everyone is dead,” she asked herself.

Bellatrix knew that man was scheming because the Blacks were the same, protecting their own above everything else. The difference was the House of Black bent to no one while the Malfoy’s did if it meant their survival. Her family would have rather died and did than to lower themselves for someone less than them. Family came first for the Blacks. There was no hesitation, when Narcissa asked Bellatrix to commit treason with her by going to Spinner’s end to make an unbreakable vow. If it meant ensuring Draco’s bloodline and life despite knowing Voldemort wanted the boy to die, she would do it again for Regulus and Narcissa. Protect the bloodline before anything else, at any cost.

“It is unfortunate that my little sister is gone. I would have followed you instead,” Bellatrix thought to herself as she peered with disgust at the men around her including the Dark Lord. Voldemort’s only flaw was that he was male. “What a pity and a waste of talent,” she thought to herself as she continued, “No, even if you lived. I couldn’t have followed you. I’m too deep in, to be redeemed. I must live with the choices I made for myself. I have failed our family long ago. If I hadn’t gone to Azkaban, I wonder how life would have turned out for me. You stayed unlike Andy. I should have been there when Regulus died. I failed to save you and our family”.

Lucius glanced at Bellatrix before turning away. Instead of objecting to her accusations, he silently slithered towards the two prisoners. Before anyone realized what he was doing, he struck Percy's face. The redhead toppled over from the pure force of Lucius' fist. The Elder Malfoy got on top of the boy, throwing one punch after another with the determination of killing the boy. The recurites, including Theo and Blaise, were shaken into silence while the Death Eaters gasped at the savagery of it all. Lucius was not ending the boy’s life by wand but by the muggle savagery way. The room witnessed how far gone the old Lucius was. The old Malfoy would have never gotten his own hands dirty with blood. Let alone kill a person in an uncivilized and barbarian way. The old Lucius was dead.

He punched the boy until it seemed Percy was frozen into a lifeless corpse. Weasley was breathing but just barely. With eyes set on his next target, Lucius stood from the floor, walking towards Luna. In an instance, he pulled his neice’s hair, making the girl yelp as he took out a muggle knife from his robes. He raised his hand, ready to stab the girl to death. “Stop making that face. You’ll give us away. We have no choice but to trust he knows what he’s doing,” Blaise muttered into Theo’s ears.

Sensing himself almost crack, Theo used Occlumency to numb his feelings for Luna. At the sight of a muggle knife, the few women present in the jury screamed out loud as chaos erupted in the crowd. The men shouted for the savagery violence to stop. No one wanted to see a little girl die the muggle way. It was a very common practice to kill using magic. To use a muggle method was too personal and emotional for Purebloods. It was what made Greyback infamous among them. The werewolf, Greyback, was the few in wizarding history to use his bare hands to end a life.

Among the shouting, Voldemort smiled widely. He was indeed enjoying the show. Finding his replacement for Greyback, Voldemort snickered. “Stop! You would kill the only Malfoy left? Your own blood?,” Bellatrix asked in confusion. What was that man doing? Having enough of Bellatrix, Lucius pulled back the knife before answering, “What’s the matter? It's my kill. I can do whatever I want. It’s my group's initiation. What difference does it make if I kill the girl and boy now then later?”.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, trying to read him, but the two were interrupted by Voldemort. “I sense you have great plans for my cause. You may proceed with your original plan. And I look forward to seeing how you kill the Longbottoms. Remember each group only has 24 hours”.

Frustrated, Bellatrix stood up again, pushing her husband back as he tried to hold her down. She would not allow Lucy to get one over on her. With determination to ruin any plans he had, she made her way down the stairs before bowing to Voldemort. “My Lord, I ask for permission to join Lucius’ group. I want to shadow them during their trials”. Seeing the way Lucius flinched, the Dark Lord agreed, finding enjoyment in others suffering. The Dark Lord knew Lucius could never be fully trusted as he allowed Bellatrix, a loyal follower, to watch Malfoy for him. Swearing under his breath, Lucius couldn’t have a person like Bellatrix join them. It would ruin everything before they could even start what they had in mind.

“She’s coming for you,” whispered the ghost into Lucius’ ears from behind, making him jump once more.

~

Along with Bellatrix, Peter Pettigrew had been hand picked by the Dark Lord to oversee Lucius’ group activities. Since then, Peter had been following the group since leaving the former British Ministry of Magic. Annoyed, once the group had arrived at the Malfoy Manor, Lucius turned to the rat man, “You will stay out of my way, if you know what’s good for you. If I catch you even touching dust in this house with your dirty little rat hands, I will personally chop both hands and serve it to the Dark Lord myself. Do I make myself clear?”. Frightened, Peter’s eyes widened as he stepped away from Malfoy. The rat man wrapped his hands around his waist, ensuring he followed Lucius’ order.

Blaise and Theo came inside as they struggled to bring the Longbottoms in. Their vegetated state made it difficult to wheel them in. Bellatrix was the last to walk in. Seeing the boys struggle, Bellatrix ordered Pettigrew to push the Longbottom’s into the main floor. She turned to the boys, loud enough for Peter to hear. “Don’t lower yourself with such labor. We have the rat to do that for us. That is what servants are for”. Left with no choice, Peter took the Longbottoms with him as he walked away, leaving behind the group.

Once alone, Bellatrix walked to the man of the hour. The man she would destroy in the name of her family. “I know your scheming. Unlike the Dark Lord, I’m no fool. Go forward with your plans. I will keep the rat away for you”. The elder Malfoy hadn’t expected that. Bellatrix had never been known for her kindness. Not understanding where Bellatrix’s loyalties lied, Lucius questioned with suspicion in his tone, “Why help us?”. The last Black sister glanced back at him then to every child in the room, including the prisoners ensuring they heard her too.

“It's not for you, the Dark Lord, or the Order. It's for her. She was everything to me. Cissy was my sister. My loyalties lay with the House of Black. Always have, always will. I went to Spinner’s End with Narcissa to try to save HER boy. Only for Snape to twist her words. That Snape knew what my sister meant when we all made the unbreakable vow. She wanted to save my only nephew. Yet, he made Narcissa’s sacrifice mean nothing. He killed one of our own. Our blood. Snape is nothing more than a coward. He isn't one of us. He’s a traitor. A scum, for he neither believes in the cause or the Order”.

She peered directly into each child’s eyes, reading them like a book as she went on, “At least the people in this room believe in something. Family. I know my end is near for me. I want my last betrayal to the Dark Lord to mean something for my little sister so I can bravely face her in the afterlife. I failed to keep our brother safe for her and I failed again to keep Draco safe from my delusions. I’m done failing her. I’ll help with whatever plans you have”.

The mad witch grabbed Lucius’ chin as the ghost in the corner of the room smiled. “You will pay for what you did to my sister. I will give you the most slow and painful death. I will torture you like you tortured her. I will rape you like you raped Cissy. It doesn’t matter if you no longer have a cock. I’ll still rape you with my own cock. I’ll beat you like you beat Cissy. Reggie isn’t here anymore. The voice of reason that stood between me and you is gone. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll think twice before acting out around me”.

Spitting on his face, Bellatrix walked away afterward to follow Peter Pettigrew closely. As he wiped his face, Lucius’ thoughts dwelled on his past abuse. To the side, Theo whistled, having seen the whole interaction while Blaise nodded in approval of Bellatrix’s threats. “We’re in good hands,” Blaise whispered, seeing who had become the real one in charge.

Pushing away what just happened, Lucius turned to the boys. “Theo, Blaise start the process of breaking into the Longbottoms wards. The Longbottom property is owned by Augusta Longbottom. She won’t sense you with her elderly age but still be careful. I’ll follow closely behind once I finish my part”. The two nodded before they apparated out.

With only the prisoners behind, Malfoy realized there was no use hiding anything anymore. The prisoners knew his group was up to something. They had witnessed a treason in the making for the Dark Lord between him and Bellatrix’s interaction. Strudding towards the children, Malfoy walked up to Percy, pointing his wand to the red head. Percy flinched, thinking it was another painful punch after what happened back at the ministry. But to Percy’s surprise, Lucius Malfoy healed his face.

“Niece, make yourself useful. Walk yourself down to the dungeon and take Percy with you. Don’t pretend you don’t already know where it is. You’re too much like my brother. You hold knowledge of things you shouldn’t know. I have no time to amuse you”.

Despite his aggression, it seemed Luna was content in being in her uncle’s care. She spoke to her uncle for the first time in her life. “If Draco was here, I think some part of him would be proud of you, of the person you’ve become for your family. He may have not admitted it but he would”. What a strange girl, Lucius thought as he took a step back as Luna continued, “I see your intentions with the Longbottoms. I don’t know them personally but I have a feeling their spirits will find solace in their end. They will find peace in knowing their deaths will not go to waste and no longer will be forced to linger on among the living anymore”.

She was so much like his brother. When Xenophillius and him had been children, they had barely tolerated each other most days before they were budding heads. There were many times, their parents had to keep them apart. While he was the oldest and had the responsibility to be the mature one, Xenophillus had always excelled at pushing his buttons, making him lose his cool constantly. Lucius had a feeling that if spent any more time with his niece, his facade would falter with her too. She had the same ability to get under his skin like Xenophillius did. He could see himself arguing with the girl as if she was his brother.

Over her odd behavior, Lucius peered down at her as he said in a cold tone.“You disturb me, Luna Lovegood. Please leave my sight. To the basement with you”.

Amused, Luna giggled before she peered at Percy. In a dreamy voice, she said, “Come Percy, the dungeons are this way. I certainly don’t want to see the mess that’s about to unfold”. Stunned, Percy breathed heavily at the situation he was in for nothing made sense anymore. He didn’t know if he wanted to be saved or not by a person, who had hated his family for centuries. “Dungeon! I don’t want to go to the dungeon,” Percy complained.

“How rude of me. We can go to the kitchen for some pudding before we head down. I’m sure you're as hungry as me,” Luna responded at Percy who had become more baffled.

She didn't wait for an answer as she grabbed the redhead's hand to find the kitchen. “I sense the kitchen is this way. Come. Perhaps, after they accomplish what they need to do, we can ask my uncle for a tour of the manor”. Speechless, Lucius’ left eye twitched at the girl’s behavior. “Exactly like Xeno. An oddity but it’s why I need to ensure your life for my brother. You're his walking soul,” he thought to himself. Before they exited the room, Lucius spoke to them as they walked away, “Go to sleep early tonight. We have a great amount of work to do tomorrow. I will not tolerate any laziness of any kind in this Manor!”.

~

At the dead of night, only the clicking of Bellatrix’s heels could be heard as she walked down the halls of the Malfoy Manor. They’ll be headed out soon to complete the trials, but not before Bellatrix had a word with Lucius. She was still furious with the head Malfoy for the scene he caused in the court. It was necessary to remind Lucius what happens when you mess with the wrong witch. She was not like the rest of their colleagues, who would blindly follow orders. How dare she be judged for falling for a man, who treated her with the respect she had always demanded, while Lucius was put on a pedestal, when he was the true whore.

While others were bought or influenced by Lucius' wealths, not her. It disgusted her that so many of the Death Eaters, specifically the men, around her sold their wives for a night or turned a blind eye when Lucius wanted their wives in the early rise of the Dark Lord. Why couldn’t she be judged based on her talent and merit? In a vengeful mood, she needed to hurt him where it hurt the most.

With a sinister smile, Bellatrix knew where to stab the last of Lucius’ pride. It was time she showed that monster, who had the bigger cock between the two of them. While he had the ability to manipulate the sacred 28 houses, his bloodline would always be inferior compared to the House of Black.

After commanding Peter Pettigrew to watch the Longbottoms, Bellatrix ordered the house elves to keep anyone else away. She wanted no one to disturbed her and Lucius. The mad witch stood at the entrance, watching Lucius stand by the floo. With regretful eyes, he stared at the family portrait, hanging above the fireplace. The sight filled her with fury. The portrait of her late sister and only nephew. The lives he destroyed and killed. He threw them away as if they were nothing. The last of House of Black was gone because of Lucius. This coward of a man had the audacity to mourn for them as if he truly loved them when they were alive.

It was then Bellatrix decided she would take that from him. She snickered as she walked towards Lucius, while he ignored her. He had seen her from the corner of his eyes but he was not in the mood. Lucius knew very well, Bellatrix was trying to get under his skin. Lucius told himself that he would not give her that pleasure. He wasn’t going to indulge in Bellatrix’s antics but this had only ticked off the mad witch more. Did he think they weren’t one of the same?

As she reached his side, she bore her eyes into him like a knife. “Look at what we have here. A father mourning the death of his wife and only son. Deaths that he had a hand at playing. Do you think a good deed of helping the unfortunate will wash you of all your sins, Lucy? I look forward to watching you as you try and fail to obtain your redemption. Redemption that you will never deserve or receive. For the only ones that could give you it are gone,” Bellatrix snickered as she mocked the man before her, if he could be still considered that.

She whispered into his ears, bringing cold chills down Lucius' spine with her words. Not a peep came out of the man. Not one sign he had acknowledged her presence as Lucius continued to stare into the family portrait, holding his ground. “Say, did you get off on beating my sister and my nephew all these years? Tell me. I’m curious,” Bellatrix smiled, pushing further. She wanted to get a reaction out of him so she could crumble the ground underneath Lucius’ feet. Everything he thought to be true was only hanging together by a singular thread. A thread of false truth. All she had to do was pull it to destroy the man in front of her.

As she watched Lucius take a sip of whiskey, Bellatrix took it from his hand, drinking it instead in one single shot. Still, this received no reaction from him. Determined, Bella reached over to grab Lucius' chin, forcing the man to look straight into her madness. Annoyed, Lucius wondered why his sister-in-law was here as he was unable to look away at her burnt to the bone scars on her face.

“Oh my, does Lucy think we’re above this now? We no longer care what others think of us? Too bad you did not act like this when you answered the call from the Dark Lord all those years ago. When you choose your side with clear intentions of humoring those around you, you became a sheep, following a man, who claimed to be one of us with the other great houses. It would have saved your family a lot of trouble, if you would have changed when my sister and nephew were still alive. But your weak resolve is what makes my house better than yours, we answer to no one except our own family. Family is everything to us. Family you fed to our Dark Lord to save your own ass”.

Lucius shooed Bellatrix's hands away as he continued to look at the painting. He stared into those gray soft eyes that made Lucius offer marriage to Narcissa in the first place. The eyes that never went warm for him once in their entire marriage. She only shared that side of her to their son and HIM. Him, who he couldn’t bring himself to say his name. Him, who has haunted him even in death. He, who shared the same face as his son. Him, who lived in his wife's heart. Him, who Lucius tried so hard to give the most dangerous missions so he can make a mourning Narcissa love him instead but it backfired. Narcissa was never the same after that man’s death. They never stayed in the same room ever again. Up until he left for Azkaban, she left the room at the sight of him.

Seeing he was distracted, Bellatrix grabbed a lock of his hair, twirling it around her index finger. The small act sent cold chills down Lucius’ spine as he froze. “My sister was beautiful. Wasn’t she? The fairest of all the Pureblood ladies of our time with lips full and red like a rose. Eyes that glistened like the moonlight. Beauty that shined like the stars above us. Her smile warmed even the coldest of hearts. Everything, you will never know what it's like to have for Cissy made sure never to share the most beautiful parts of herself to you,” she whispered into his ears.

“Yes, she was a beauty,” Lucius finally cracked.

“You collected her as a trophy only to turn around and warm your cock with any whore that blinked at you while she was locked in this manor. Is that right?,” Bellatrix asked as she set the empty glass on top of the fireplace. She took the full bottle of whiskey that Lucius held to throw it, making the fire roar for a moment.

Guilt ridden, he broke his stare with the family portrait to gaze into the fire instead. He surprised himself when he confessed to his own selfishness, “Yes, I did”.

“Will you still mourn her as you do now, if I tell you what happened right under your nose? Will you still cry for my sister, if I told you that my brother, Regulus, fucked your wife? During all those afternoon teas, he had his way with her. I kept you away on purpose as Narcissa screamed his name in pleasure. He kept her bed warm at night, and spilled his seed inside of her, night after night. He gave Cissy the pure satisfaction that you were never able to give her as a husband. You may have had her on paper but Cissy belonged to him in heart and soul. Do you still want to cry for my sister?,” Bellatrix questioned while brushing her hair back, stroking her partially bald head.

He knew she was taunting him due to what happened in the courtroom. Stubborn, he planted his foot onto the crumbling loose ground, refusing to give her the satisfaction. Lucius was not going to let a dead man continue to haunt him. Him, who haunted every part of his Manor, has now come to make Malfoy face his sins. Him, the man Lucius made sure never to speak his name since his death. No, he would not do it.

Lucius rooted himself into his own grave as he responded back, “Yes, I will. I’m glad my wife was able to find some happiness. I can’t fault her as I had my own witches on the side. I was not delusional to think it was a marriage for love. I wanted a Pureblood heir and I received one”.

Overjoyed he took the bait, Bellatrix laughed like a horse, infuriating Lucius but he stayed strong. “It’s funny you say that. I have a secret about you. It’s only fair as you revealed my secret to the Dark Lord and his followers. Do you want to know?,” Bellatrix asked, leaning over again to whisper into his ears.

“I’ve had enough of your mockery. Leave me!,” snapped Lucius but his body betrayed him, showing his true feelings. His body tensed as curiosity filled his mind with doubts. His lips thinned to every thought flooding his mind. He could only hope this would not go where he thought it would.

“My nephew. Your cherished son that you're grieving over. The long awaited Malfoy heir that your family prayed for is here because of Regulus. In Draco’s veins ran Regulus’ blood. Regulus helped bring your son to life. He helped create Draco Regulus Black,” she snickered as she grabbed Lucius’ chin, forcing the man to peer into her eyes.

Shocked, Lucius’ mouth hung open. His body shook inside his personal storm emotions. His very core danced to the raw motions of denial and rage boiling inside him. Still in denial, he turned to study Draco inside the portrait with a new set of eyes. The fire of rage inside him turned into ice. His very soul broke like shattered glass to the chilling new reality he was forced to accept. With new realization, Lucius could now only see that man inside of Draco. Their appearances were the same. It was then it set in. The hard truth was that he did not hate Draco because he was proof Narcissa was able to love someone but because his son was Regulus in every way one could be. Every mannerism, voice, and appearance was of that man.

To the bewilderment of Bellatrix, Lucius paid no attention to her and instead peered to the side of him. To her, it was an empty spot. To Lucius, there was a young man with hands inside his pocket. His chin was up as he grinned ear to ear, happy to be properly acknowledged by the man himself. Bellatrix raised her eyebrows at Lucius’ odd behavior but she soon shook it off, slipping her hand inside Lucius' pants. The mad witch cupped Lucius' flat nub into her bare hand, reminding Lucius what he lost in Azkaban.

Lucius' eyes widened, turning to look at Bellatrix again. With a twisted look in her eye, the mad witch continued to mock the man in front of her, “In fact you’re infertile as a mule”. She took her hand back from his pants, wiping the filth on Lucius’ robes. “Narcissa wasn’t the problem but it was YOU. The one thing you were born for, further the Malfoy bloodline. And you couldn’t do it nor can you do your duty anymore. You needed help. With my family’s speciality, I performed an ancient blood ritual on your unborn son while he was still in Cissy’s womb. Reggie’s blood helped grow Draco and live long enough to be born. My cousin’s blood and magic once ran along with yours in my dead nephew’s body”.

Bellatrix pointed to her dead nephew, “I want you to meet Draco, son of Narcissa and Regulus Black”.

Lucius slipped back into denial as he struggled not to crumble in front of Bellatrix. The floors under him were now shaking. “You lie! He is my son! He has my hair!”.

“You never found it odd that Draco is the split image of Regulus? The boy you say you love has my cousin’s face. Don’t deny it. You know what I say is the truth. Your prized heir only became what he was not because of you but because of my family. Every skill, gift, and intelligence is because of Regulus. You only produced the vessel for my once alive nephew, who was filled with the greatness of the Black family. There’s not a lick of talent in your blood line,” Bellatrix replied as she continued to shake Lucius’ core.

Grief stricken, Lucius fell knee first to the ground. Unable to hold himself up, he looked to the ceiling as if he was asking for mercy, but Bellatrix being the witch she was did not give him space to breathe. She pushed on with the intention of destroying the once prideful man, “You once tried to destroy my family. You are responsible for Andromeda’s unfortunate lover becoming known to all, creating a scandal within the Pureblood community. We were going to hide her indiscretions and allow her to leave. Tell our peers that she had become ill and died but you forced my family’s hand to publicly disinherit her. You had a hand in Sirius being imprisoned without a trial. Didn’t you! You destroyed my love and my only chance at happiness. Sentenced me to an unhappy marriage to Lestrange. DON’T LIE TO ME! You recommended Regulus to receive the mark and now he’s dead. You got him involved when I was my family’s representative for Voldemort. You did this all to get my sister, a child, who you killed in the end”.

The man before her tried to pull away, but Bellatrix was relentless. She gripped Lucius’ long locks, forcing the man to acknowledge her and his sins. She screamed his crimes for her lost loved ones who could no longer torture that man. She would ruin him for her family. “You think you're so clever, Lucy, but you got involved with the wrong people. Next time you meet a member of my family, I want you to think twice before crossing the Blacks. Next time, when you're feeling mournful, I want you to visit Regulus’ tomb. Thank him. It is because of him that you had the family you so desired and the life Regulus should have had. You stole his life. You should apologize to my dear brother. If you're so determined to pretend you’ve turned a new leaf, add that to your list of sins. You took something that wasn’t yours to have. You denied Narcissa a life she should have had with him. You wasted her youth when she should be growing old with Reggie surrounded by their children right now. Live with the fact that you're a failure in every way a man can be, if you can still be considered one”.

Lucius stared at the floor, refusing to look straight into Bellatrix’s face but there was someone else that also demanded his attention. The young man stepped forward with his black french made leather shoes, blocking Lucius’ view of the floor. The young man lifted Lucius’ chin. “Say my name,” he said.

“No,” Lucius carefully answered.

“My Cissy had no issue saying it while I kissed her. Now say it,” the ghost mocked as Lucius' voice quivered, peering back into those hateful gray eyes. The same eyes that hated him since the day he made the boy give Narcissa away himself on his wedding day.

Going in for the kill, Bellatrix went down to her knees, pulling away Lucius from the third person in the room. Inches away from each other, Luicus trembled in fear as she spat in his face, “Now I ask you, again! Do you still mourn my nephew knowing how he came to be? Do you still claim to love my nephew, knowing another man helped create him? Do you still love Narcissa knowing another man made my sister heavy with a child? Do you still want to betray the Dark Lord in my sister’s name, knowing what she did to you? DO YOU? DO YOU STILL LOVE THE FAMILY YOU KILLED? WILL YOU STILL MOURN FOR THEM IF IT IS REVEALED THAT YOU COULDN’T DO YOUR ONLY DUTY AS A MAN? WHAT WILL YOUR FOLLOWERS THINK OF YOU WHEN THEY COME TO FIND OUT YOUR SEEDS WERE EMPTY? DO YOU STILL WANT REDEMPTION AFTER WHAT YOU KNOW, LUCIUS!”. She continued to scream after, twisting the knife further into Lucius’ dignity. She screamed until her face went red with veins wanting to burst open from her burnt face.

“Say my name,” the young man demanded as the room began to tremble in Lucius’ mind. The young man laughed at the stubbornness of Lucius Malfoy. “You can’t hide from me anymore, Lucy. You finally acknowledged me after all these years of pretending I wasn’t in the same room”. Going pale, Lucius chose to not speak to him still. What scared him was the image of the young man brushing his hair back while licking his lips. It was the same gesture Draco did. It was then he knew Bellatrix hadn’t been lying.

The ghost kneeled down beside his sister as he continued to torture Lucius, “Did you really think, I willingly let myself die without a fight. I knew you were coming for me. Before I died, I took some of your blood off of Cissy's bruised body and used it in a spell. A blood spell to ensure my ghost will haunt you in both your sleep and the physical world. I was not going to let you outsmart me. I was not going to leave Cissy alone with you even in death. I made sure to make you regret ever getting involved with a Black”.

“No, you're lying! There's no magic like that in this world,” said Lucius, now shaking like a newborn calf.

Confused, Bellatrix tried to see who Lucius was talking to. He had been staring at someone who wasn’t in the room. She couldn’t ignore this strange behavior any longer as the ghost went on, “I do not lie. You know what I say is the truth. I showed up in your life the day I went missing. Every finger you laid on my Cissy and my son, I gave you twice over. The scars on your body says otherwise. That's proof itself. I’ve always been there waiting. I never left this world”. Frozen, Lucius went quiet, knowing it was all real.

“I will haunt you until you give her back to me. My ghost will not rest until you give back what you took from me. Her ghost has not crossed over. Give her back!,” the young man demanded in a menacing voice.

“She's dead! I don’t have her. She’s all yours now,” Lucius yelled back in a panic as the room began to close in on him. Frustrated, the young man shook his head as he lost the last of his patience. The wheels turned inside Bellatrix's brain as she watched Lucius dive into madness before her. Instinct kicked in as she looked at Narcissa’s portrait. “It can’t be….she’s…” she murmured to herself.

“SAY MY FUCKING NAME!,” roared the young man. His anger spread across the room, making the empty glass on top of the fireplace shattered and surprising Bellatrix.

Sobbing from the pressure of the haunting eyes of the cold ghost, Lucius begged at the empty space. “No, I will not bring life to you. I will not say your name”. It was then that everything clicked to Bellatrix. It was impossible but life found a way. With a twisted smile, Bellatrix grabbed the back of Lucius’ head pulling on his hair once more, “STOP IGNORING ME! ANSWER MY QUESTIONS FIRST! MY BROTHER CAN WAIT!”.

Fear filled Lucius' eyes. “Can she see him too?,” he asked himself. Malfoy turned to the young man. He was real. The ghost before him had a smirk plastered on his expression as he looked at Bellatrix. Regulus was pleased at her actions.

“Despite everything, I still love my son, Draco. I’m so sorry for what I did to Narcissa. I know there’s nothing I can say or do to make up for what I did to her. I’ve accepted that I will have to live with my failures as a husband and father. Everything I do is for them now. There is nothing you can say to derail me,” Lucuis whispered into the void. He paused to collect the words he wanted to say to the witch.

With a deep breath, he said, “I always knew Draco wasn’t all me. I’m almost relieved to know the truth. I'm not insane. Your brother has haunted me since the day he disappeared. Everywhere I go, he's there. He was there when I tried to sleep with other witches behind Narcissa’s back. I was forced into celibacy with him reminding me who was back home. He's always in every corner of the room of the Ministry and Manor. My fears deepened the day Draco was born”.

Malfoy sighed as he flickered at Regulus and Bellatrix before concentrating on the fireplace. Each Black sibling has a pure look of satisfaction at the sight of his downfall. “I knew something was off the moment I laid eyes on my son. His face was all his, but I buried my insecurities when I saw his white blonde hair. Draco was too good at everything. He was always talented in every challenge I threw at him. He was too much like him and nothing like me. I always knew. It was why I couldn’t help myself and hurt him. Your brother is in this room again, haunting me since the day he died”. Lucius’ eyes turn to the young man with Bellatrix still pulling his hair back.

“Say my name, that's an order,” demanded the ghost.

“My brother has a name. Say it, if you want to start apologizing for the life you stole, ” Bellatrix backed up as if she too could hear her brother beyond the grave. Even in death, she knew what her brother wanted as she screamed, “SAY HIS NAME!”.

“Regulus Arcturus Black,” Lucius wept. The ground beneath him, finally crumbled to the name of his ghost. Lucius fell down into his own despair. He shackled himself to a rock as he pushed himself into the waters of no return. He had finally admitted what had been done to the House of Black. The only rivals to his house.

“Say it louder,” Regulus ordered.

“REGULUS. REGULUS. REGULUS. His name is Regulus Black!” Lucius wailed as fear took over all his reason.

“Who’s your master? I want you to tell Bella who is your master,” the ghost asked, pushing the elder Malfoy further.

“I serve Regulus Black. He is my master. He is who I serve! I owe my life to him! EVERYTHING I AM IS THANKS TO YOU!” Lucius screamed to the sky.

“Regulus! Regulus! Regulus!,” he continued to wail as Bellatrix threw her head in laughter. It had been ages since she had been this happy. Wiping her tears of joy from the corner of her eyes, Bellatrix watched Lucius enter a fetal position while calling the name of her only brother, over and over again. He said the name until it was ingrained into his mind for the rest of his life that he had left.

Bellatrix nodded, seeing Lucius still cared for Narcissa and Draco in his way. It turned out Lucius still loved Draco despite the dark secret of how he was conceived. The witch made a face of disgust when Lucius rocked himself, but she also found pleasure knowing Regulus had been haunting him. She would ensure Lucius remembered his sins as long as she was alive. At the sight of the pathetic man, it was then she decided to help Lucius but she would be his tormentor while she assisted him.

Standing back up, she rested her hands on her hips. “I’ve decided to give you my kindness tonight. You don’t deserve it. Yet, I will give it to you. Please pray to Merlin that I will not come back to end you after I will be forced to deal with my husband for the stunt you pulled. While you humiliated me in front of our colleagues, I will give you the privacy that you denied me. Now thank me, Lucius Malfoy”.

“Thank you,” Lucius said in a shaky voice. His eyes were empty with nothing behind them.

“You're welcome,” she said with an evil smile. She pulled his chin up to make sure he looked at her. He needed to understand who was the man between them. She needed to avenge the brother and sister that he took from her. “If there's one thing I want you to take from our lovely conversation, it is this. I have a talent in ending men who think they have power. I will remind them of where they belong, under my feet, for they are nothing compared to me. It will do you some good to remember that, Lucy”.

Feeling accomplished, she left the room to let Lucius be alone. She ignored him as Malfoy continued to mumble Regulus' name like a broken record player. The mad witch was pleased at what she had done. The moment she had been waiting for since Regulus let her in on his and Cissy’s secret. This very moment had kept her from going into full blown insanity in Azkaban. Just before she closed the door, Bella peered and bowed her head at the empty space beside Lucius before finally leaving.

~

It was the witching hour when Lucius walked into the broken property wards of the Longbottoms. As Lucius made his way towards the back of the house, Bellatrix followed closely behind while Pettigrew struggled to keep up. He had become the group's servant as he dragged the bloodied trash bag across the property, leaving behind a trail of blood.

The sight of the property surprised Lucius. It was a small cottage for a Pureblood family. The Longbottoms were a Pureblood family despite not qualifying to be one of the sacred 28 families. Like the Potters, they had been a light magic family. Lucius thought their house would have been bigger. This once prosperous family had manor from what he remembered during his school days. The Longbottoms were a wealthy and respected family or at least they once were.

“What happened?,” Lucius wondered. Perhaps, after the hospitalization of both Frank and Alice, the hospital had drained their assets. It hadn’t helped that the grandmother hadn’t worked after she took in her grandson. The first wizarding war had been rough on a lot of families. It appeared to Lucius that this family had struggled to get back on their feet. They had no working family members left after Frank and Alice. Augusta was in her senior years. Lucius couldn’t imagine the hospital bill if the family struggled this much. It had to be a fortune if Frank and Alice entered as youth, 22, and never left St. Mungos until the age of 37.

How much more would the remaining members of the Longbottoms have to give financially, if the average magical caster lived well past 200 years? The grandmother and grandson had become slaves to the institution of medicine. Augusta must have downsized their home to save what was left of the inheritance for Neville, the next lord of the Longbottom fortune.

Lucius shook his head still in disbelief, “Such a tragedy for the Longbottom family. Forgive me Augusta. Let it be known, I killed them quickly and painlessly before I proceed with my plan,” he told himself. Lucius arrived to meet Blaise and Theo, who had just finished digging two graves. Theo spoke out loud to both Lucius and Bellatrix. “The grandmother isn’t here. We checked the home. Blaise had the Malfoy house elf follow her. Augusta left to spend the night with Neville”.

“Good, dig a third hole,” ordered Malfoy as he pointed to a spot in the distance.

With furrowed eyebrows, Theo made a confused face, but did as he was told. “A third hole?” asked Pettigrew. At the moment the rat man asked, Bellatrix sliced Pettigrew in half before he could finish his sentence. She sliced Peter starting from head all the way down to his groin with a powerful spell. A perfect halved human. It was such a quick and violent death. Bellatrix didn’t want the rat to see his death coming. Peter couldn’t suspect anything or else he’ll slip out of their hands like the traitorous rat he was.

Bellatrix saw the horrified faces of the two boys that appeared as if they wanted an explanation. She answered, nonchalantly, “The rat had to go if we were to go forward with our plans. We can risk a rat running around the Manor with our other two prisoners free to walk around”.

The witch waved off her hand as if it was no big deal what she had done. She explained further, “I’ll tell the Dark Lord, the rat was caught mourning for his old friends, Frank and Alice, when he thought no one was looking. A rat who cries for the same friends he betrayed isn’t a rat worth keeping around. I’ll use legilimency to make a false memory for tonight's memory retrieval. The Lord isn’t as skilled as he thinks he is”. Accepting her answer, the boys nodded before continuing to dig a third hole.

“Must you be so violent in front of those boys?,” Lucius whispered in a harsh tone.

“I want my fun too. I’m not going to let some minors hold me back. They know what they got themselves into. Besides, the spineless rat deserved it. The light side can say whatever they want about us. We’re the worst of the worst, but one thing they can’t say is we are not loyal to our family. Pettigrew signed his death date when he gave up James and Lily’s location. If I was a decent witch, I would be angry on behalf of the Potter’s for how easily the rat squealed. I hadn’t even tortured the rat before he screamed for mercy as he gave up his friends. Pettigrew earned the Dark Lord’s loyalty for being a traitor when I spent my whole youth in Azkaban never wavering for the cause. And for what? For scraps”.

As Luicus had no choice to agree with her logic, the witch did not wait for a response from her brother in law. Instead, she went inside the house to find a meal with Regulus following right beside her. Shaking his head in disbelief, Lucius strolled over to Theo and Blaise after they dug the hole. “Go inside. Bella made herself home. I’ll take care of the rest. This next part is gruesome for young minds like you”.

Without hesitation, they sprinted as they went to find Bellatrix. Lucius first grabbed the remains of Pettigrews, putting them inside the hole. However, he went over the body and used a transfiguration spell to change the body into two whole coins. Malfoy didn’t consider Peter worthy to be found. He had been a coward in life and should be remembered as such.

Next, Lucius went over to the trash bags, taking out the limbs of Frank and Alice. Before coming here, Lucius had chopped up the body of the two patients like a butcher, who worked in a slaughterhouse. The elder Malfoy made sure to use a butcher knife instead of using a wand. He wanted Bellatrix to give a memory of him butchering the Longbottoms like farm animals to the jury and the Dark Lord. He had chopped the body, starting from the joints of the limbs before also cutting the hands and feet of their poor victims.

Both Longbottoms corpses were limbless with only the full torso and head left alone. Lucius planted the torso upright and deep enough that only their heads stuck out as if he had planted a couple of seeds that needed to grow. The chopped up limbs were left out as he made smaller holes to plant them. Hands and feet stuck out from the dirt upright.

As Lucius flicked his wand, he transfigured vegetables from leaves he had found on the property, planting pumpkins, cucumber, and bell peppers next to the body parts. Finally finished, he grabbed the knife that was on his belt and carved a smile on both faces. By sunrise, Lucius' group left the cottage home for Augusta to find a vegetable garden for the missing vegetative Longbottoms. That was the true pain they wanted to inflict on the Longbottoms. Lucius’ plan was to torture the remaining members of the family and scar them permanently. That was how he would find his way back to Voldemort’s inner circle.

When Augusta came back from her visit with Neville at the Hogwarts medical center, she noticed dishes were used in the sink. “How odd,” the aged witch thought to herself. She was certain she left a clean kitchen behind. The more she walked around, Augusta found someone had also made themselves home on the couch. A blanket that was previously folded was undone.

“Nana, where do you want these groceries?,” Neville came over to his grandmother. He was exhausted from the long hours at the clinic, using his grandmother as an excuse to escape for the weekend before going back.

Distracted, Augusta ignored her grandson, walking towards the opened back door. Someone had been here. She was sure of it. Going outside to investigate the rest of her property, she let out a scream. The birds nearby flew away while the other crows picked out the eyeballs of her son and daughter-in-law. Fearing for his grandmother, Neville sprinted to her. “What’s wrong, grannie?”. A cold chill went through his body as he looked at what his grandmother’s eyes were stuck on. Stunned, Neville dropped to his knees at the sight of his dead parents in the garden.

~

After the Death Eater trials, Lucius had gotten the position he desired and needed. His group had placed first in the Killing Games. No one else among the recruits killed using the muggle method of weapons. The way Lucius used the bodies of the Longbottoms to mentally torture and weaponize against Augusta and Neville had been comical to Voldemort. It was what made the loss of Peter Pettigrew easily forgiven as he now viewed Lucius as a genius in mental warfare. The Dark Lord had even teased Lucius, “It was all the years he mentally tortured his only born son, that made him good at it”.

The man was so amused by the kill that he had all the hostage newspapers report on the deaths of the Longbottoms, detailing everything. It was Voldemort’s way to hit the morale of the Order as he was now parading the missing bodies of the lost patient for the world to see. The missing patients that the Order had failed to protect.

Lucius and the two boys were now in charge of housing special war prisoners. Voldemort had clapped with joy as he watched the memory from Bellatrix’s mind. He even pulled the memory to show his followers. Since Voldemort was impressed by how Lucius and the boys decided to kill their prisoners, he agreed to make the Malfoy Manor into their designated “Slaughterhouse”.

There were many slaughterhouses around Europe, disguised as rehabilitation centers, but Voldemort had made Lucius’ Manor as the official one. Lucuis has become Greyback’s replacement, bringing fear among the public. Lucius, Theo, and Blaise were in charge of processing captured muggleborns, half-bloods, and dark magical creatures. Occasionally, the Dark Lord would threaten all in his inner circle with the possibility of sending them to Malfoy Manor. Since the Killing Games, Lucius had created a new name for himself among the Death Eaters: Malfoy the Mad.

After their interaction near the fireplace, unbeknownst to Lucius, Bellatrix came into his bedroom every night. The mad witch did not do anything for many days. She stared menacingly at the elder Malfoy, determining if she should use Legilimency on him. No matter how hard she tried to forget about that strange night, the image of Lucius shouting Regulus’ name never left her mind. In the coming days, she would see Lucius talk to an empty chair. Bellatrix longed to see her brother one more time even if it was inside Lucius' mind. She wanted to see what Lucius Malfoy saw. How long had her brother been haunting their enemy?

With all his energy, Regulus came behind his sister, who could not see him, whispering to her ears, “Do it, sister. I know, you want to. I’m dead. I won’t stop you from hurting Lucius this time. Hurt him where it will hurt the most. His name. See what I see”.

Chills ran down Bellatrix's spine, hearing Regulus' cold ghostly voice appear out of thin air. With Regulus’ blessing, the mad witch walked to a sleeping Lucius. As her heart warmed knowing Reggie was beside her, she used Legilimency so effortlessly that the poor fool before them did not feel it. She spent the rest of the night going through every single memory so sharply like a clean knife. It did not hurt Lucius at all, stealing all of his secrets as her own. When Bellatrix came back from reading his mind, Regulus witnessed the hateful expression painted across her face. She left the room planning her revenge for her family.

Once Voldemort gave Lucius his approval of “slaughtering” incoming prisoners at his home, the very next day he spoke to the children: Percy, Theo, Blaise, and Luna. It was time to proceed to the next steps of his plan. They needed to create a network to assist others in escaping the war. Lucius had asked Theo for all of Draco’s notes on the vanishing cabinet found in the room of requirements. He was reminded of how in the first Wizarding War the vanishing cabinet was popularized before the technology was lost. The United Courts of Magic at the time had failed to come to an agreement surrounding the mass production and regulations of the cabinets. As a result, it created a shortage of cabinets after the first war.

It was when he reviewed Draco’s note while remembering his son that he decided they would create the largest network the world would ever see. A network that not only crossed neighborhoods but whole countries and borders. If any wizard could succeed, it was him. He had the wealth to buy all the materials to make a vanishing cabinet network. And so, Lucius put Theo and Luna in charge of making the vanishing cabinets. Percy was perfect for that role of managing the finances of the Malfoy Estate. He was also assigned with the logistics of buying and bringing back all the materials to the Manor.

Lucius had more than enough wealth to last multiple generations. Generations, he no longer had after Draco’s death. Weasley's intelligence was also perfect for creating a path for all the cabinets as the young man figured out the spacing and the location of every cabinet and where one was needed. Not fighting his status as Luicus’ partner and prisoner, Percy spoke anonymously to every rebel and a country’s rebel representative, creating a deal to place a Vanishing Cabinet in areas they wanted.

During all this, Lucius placed Percy in the care of Bellatrix with the clear instructions of not harming the boy. Her presence was to remind Weasley not to run away or else. Blaise, with his experience of helping his mothers cosmetic empire, was in charge of distributing food, potions, and medical supplies through the cabinet network.

One of the many nights at the Malfoy manor, Lucius, Theo, and Blaise held a small meeting with everyone in attendance. In the corner, Percy took notes with Luna listening beside him. During this meeting, Lucius had notified the children of Voldemort’s plan to exterminate magical creatures, specifically werewolves, after the attack of the British ministry.

Although the Golden Trio were responsible for the attack and angered the Dark Lord, every werewolf and magical creature found in Britain were ordered to be killed on sight at the processing centers. Werewolves weren’t originally a part of the list of species to help escape but Lucius felt a responsibility to help them. The werewolves, who were rounded, were individuals who didn’t want to join Voldemort’s army initially. Theo and Blaise were hesitant at first with the large number of people they would help escape. It wasn’t a question if they wanted to help more but a question if it was possible. The duo knew Lucius was thinking that could have been Draco out there, if he was still alive. He could be one of the many werewolves being rounded up to be killed because they too had the same thought every time they came across a werewolf.

Bellatrix spoke up, surprising the group, “Voldemort has plans to take over the ministries in Germany, Spain, and many more. He already has Britain and France. If you want to do something, you need to act fast”.

After she was done, she went back to ignoring the group. Percy griminced at Bellatrix's carefree attitude, who just sat painting her nails black, before he raised his eyebrows at the empty chair beside Bellatrix. Much to his dismay, she had become highly protective over that spot. The chair that she allowed no one to sit on. Blaise, who rarely talked, suggested, “How about we send all the werewolves to Ireland? They have a long history of resistance. The Irish people won’t decline to help us nor would they ask us questions about who we are. They’ll allow werewolves through their borders”.

Although every person in the room had a right to be concerned with extending the Network bigger than it already was, Blaise also wanted to extend it for the missing Greengrass sisters. With every cabinet built by Theo and Luna, Blaise held hope that the sisters would find one and escape through it. Theo added, giving in to both Lucius and Blaise, “It would also help lessen the amount of traffic we have in our cabinet network. The Dark Lord will never catch on, if we send them all to Ireland. He has to take over Scotland before getting into Ireland. By then, we would be long gone, if it did come to that”.

Clearing his throat, Percy prepared to give his input, “Mr. Malfoy, as your personal adviser, I must point out the flaws. If we were to extend the Cabinet Network, I recommend we have an emergency shutdown in place. According to the pathways I have created for the network, the manor is the center of all the roads in and out of Europe. Every cabinet up the chain eventually goes to us. If we’re captured, it’s important to destroy the connection. Your home is the heart of the network. We can’t let his army get a hand on our creation. Imagine the Death Eaters having a direct connection to every hideout, rebel house, and bordertown. It would be the end for the Order”.

Dwelling on what was said, Lucius murmured, “Indeed that is an issue. Thank you, Percy. I’ll work on a plan. Anything else before we finish this up”.

“Ah, yes!,” Percy went on as he scrambled to look inside his notes, “We also have the issue of resources and material on making a vanishing cabinet. It’s been really helpful since the rebels have provided us some materials as we build up our network. They have sent the furniture in pieces up the chain, but I’m finding it is difficult to find the exact same cabinet. If we don’t make the same cabinet, we would need to modify the formula for each different type of furniture to account for the difference of space inside, which sets us back each time”.

Luna answered Percy, for her solution was quite simple, “Don’t worry Percy. We can have our friends in the dungeon to help us. One of them has an extraordinary mind that we will be able to extend the type of furniture we can use. People may need to crawl through our network but it will work. Any furniture that has a closed door, I’m confident we can use”.

~

Lucius was called in for a meeting at the Lestrange Manor. It was going to be a quick one surrounding the status of the war and plans to attack certain locations along the Scotland and British border. Voldemort and Alastor Moody were both fighting along the borders with neither side giving in. Voldemort had told his followers to do anything necessary to get Scotland under his full control. It was necessary that he regained access to Hogwarts. His new empire would fall if they couldn’t get Hogwarts back. Voldemort used the excuse they needed to take out every single rebel and Order member.

As long as they existed, the world would not be purified in their image, but Lucius and Bellatrix knew the real reason why Voldemort was desperate to get back to the school. A Horcrux was housed somewhere at Hogwarts. Voldemort had confided in Snape of his concerns the day he felt the locket was destroyed. Bellatrix watched on as Voldemort voiced his worries to Snape. Every confidential meeting she had with Snape and Voldemort, she spilled what she learned to Lucius.

On their way to meet the Dark Lord, Bellatrix laughed into the echoing hallways of the Lestrange Hallways. The witch cheered, skipping inside her home. Bellatrix had stopped sleeping here after the trials, deciding to emotional divorce from her husband. “I got a secret! I got a secret!,” the witch cheered all the way to the meeting as Lucius rolled his eyes at Bellatrix. She pulled Lucius to the side, whispering.

“Want to know my secret? I don’t mind telling. It’s not my secret to keep. But if it came to be known, it would puncture a hole inside our shared enemy’s ego. Snape is staying in my old room. Snape's dirty secret is upstairs”.

With a snicker, Bellatrix kissed Lucius cheeks as she continued to whisper into his ears, “Consider it your pay back for Snape making you kiss his foot. Unlike us, Snape cares about the image and respect others give him. You're welcome”. Bellatrix walked away with a skip in her step. Another man would be taken down a peg on her account.

Lucius froze in place at her words. The secret Snape could not tell the jury was upstairs? Bellatrix must have known what the secret was for a while. She wanted to give the elder Malfoy the opportunity to discover it. The mad witch wanted him to use it against Snape. Give him the opportunity to get even with the coward who killed Draco. The Lestrange clan must have known if Rodolph laughed at the unknown secret.

“What are you waiting for? I certainly have been waiting to know his secret since the courtroom,” Regulus replied as he went upstairs first.

Lucius sighed as he followed the young man. It was more than Regulus nudging the elder Malfoy to see what was upstairs. It was the temptation to discover what Snape was hiding that attracted Lucius to find Bellatrix's old room. He knew no one was allowed upstairs. Rodolph Lestrange had forbidden it, but Bellatrix, who was still a member of this house legally, had just given Lucius permission to go upstairs.

What juicy secret had her sister-in-law dancing? A million things went though Lucius' head as his feet went up the stairs. What could it be that was worth killing a child, Draco, and betraying the Order for? At this point, Lucius and Bellatrix had a joint understanding in helping each other take down Voldemort together. It was obvious to them as they collected intelligence through their networks and had direct contact with the Order itself that Snape was a triple spy before he turned fully to the Dark Side.

In the former professor's life, he had been spying for both Dumbledore and Voldemort. And spied back for Voldemort to spy on Order’s innergoings. What was upstairs to make Snape fully commit to Voldemort? What did Voldemort give Snape? In all his years of working with Voldemort, Lucius was never gifted anything. He had only been given a troublesome Horcrux that almost had him caught by Aurors during the pureblood raids.

In front of Bellatrix's old room, Lucius sweated in anticipation, thinking about what was on the other side of the door. Then he realized it was stupid to be nervous. If it was as dirty as everyone said it was, it was Snape’s fault for hiding such a disgusting secret. He got himself into position to be judged. Whatever Lucius found, he was sure Snape was right in feeling shame of whatever was behind the door. The former professor had the audacity to look down on him and Draco when he was no better than the rest of them. Snape needed to embrace that fact.

“Go on, let’s see,” Regulus pushed Lucius. Just like that, Lucius kicked the door down with Regulus looking over his shoulder.

To their horror, it was nothing what they imagined. They gasped as they took in what they saw. There was a naked redheaded woman tied to the bed. Both hands were tied to the bedpost. Her private area was exposed and easily accessible. Sickened, his nose scrunched up as his gaze landed between her legs. She was left uncleaned as Snape’s seed dripped out of her. Lucius peered away, covering his mouth in shock.

As he gazed around the room, there were items to aid in pleasure on the drawer next to the bed. Snape’s poor victim appeared as if she was in her early 20’s. Lucius’ disgust grew as it dawned on him who the redhead girl looked like. She resembled closely to Lily Potter. She was the same age as when the real Lily died. As Lucius made an expression of revulsion, he made note of how the poor girl was drugged but otherwise appeared well taken care of and fed. No violence was inflicted on her from what he saw.

His eyes went towards the hairbrush beside the woman. It had strains of red hair that made Lucius wonder if Snape spent his night brushing his victim’s hair as if she was his sex doll. On closer inspection, the girl was in fact pampered as if she was the real Lily to Snape. Stuck in place, Lucius couldn’t look away as Regulus stepped into the room. The scene reminded him of a rumor that had been going around. Voldemort had given Snape a Lily look alike back in July after the fall of Hogwarts to use her as he pleased. The girl was to be eaten by Nagini that day but was saved by Snape.

Death would have been a more merciful fate than what she had been put through with Snape. Any respect he may have had left for his enemy was gone for Snape. This poor woman was supposed to be dead months ago. Yet, Snape was torturing her, forcing her to stay alive. It now made sense why Snape never left his room every time Lucius came to visit Voldemort.

As Regulus walked up to the prisoner, he stood over the poor girl, hovering his hand over the prisoner’s mind. “Her soul passed to the other side. She gave up on life long ago. Only her body is alive and being tormented. It’s rare but it does happen. Her mind died, leaving a healthy vessel behind. We can only hope the girl passed over early in her capture,” Regulus commented but it was obvious to Lucius that it was only wishful thinking on Regulus’ part. The girl must have suffered for a long time.

The ghost turned to Lucius. “Give her dignity back. It’s the right thing to do”.

Nodding back, Lucius used the killing curse on the girl, putting the fake Lily out of her misery. He gave her a quick and painless death. It was what she deserved. “Mippy!,” Lucius called out to his Malfoy house elf. When she popped in, the elder Malfoy replied with desperation, “Prepare a bath for me when I get home and lay out a new change of clothes. I feel dirty and I need to clean what is left of my soul. Let the boys know what happened here. If they have even an ounce of respect for Snape left, I need them to get rid of it”. Mippy complied with Lucius' wishes as she returned to the Manor.

Satisfied with what he had discovered and he did, Lucius finally arrived at the meeting. Annoyed, Voldemort stared at Malfoy, “You're late. I don’t like to be kept waiting”.

With a mischievous smile, Lucius eyed Snape as he responded back, “I’m sorry my Lord. I lost my way around the manor. I came across a redheaded cockroach in Snape’s room. Since I take my responsibility to cleanse the wizarding world from dirty blooded creatures very seriously, I had to take care of it right away”.

Sharing his joy, the Dark Lord replied, “You are forgiven, Lucius. What a thoughtful man you have become since your time in Azkaban. Snape, what a great friend you have by your side”. The room began to chuckle as Snape could only peer down at his lap. He clenched his fists as it sank in what Lucius did.

Lucius waited for the horror on his enemy’s face before continuing on, “Don’t worry Snape. I’ll send my house elf to fetch some potions for you. You never know what diseases Muggle girls can carry. If I come across another Lily look-alike at my slaughterhouse, I’ll be sure to send her over to you”.

Overjoyed, Bellatrix was hysterical at what she had indirectly caused. Everyone at the table now knew Snape’s secret. The meeting hosted around 16 high ranking Death Eaters branched all across the continent. They had witnessed Snape’s shame. Wanting to add to Snape’s humiliation, Voldemort replied, “Great work, Lucius. Thank you for leading Snape to the right path of what a Pureblood should act like. If I would have known Snape was obsessed over a girl who never gave him an ounce of attention in his youth, I would have never given him the prostitute”.

Chapter Text

“What's wrong with the boy?,” one of the Death Eaters asked the others. The Death Eater that had caught Hermione and Harry had to land in a nearby forest when he noted how Harry was having an emergency mid air. In a panic, he called in his other partners, who also had burned down the Lovegood home, over.

Although Hermione was going in and out of consciousness, she quickly snapped out of it when she saw Harry seizing across from her. She laid on the forest floor faced down with her hands tied behind her back. The second Death Eater pressed one knee against her while putting his body weight on her to prevent her from escaping.

The second man stood, shouting, “What did you do?! I told you to stop being rough with runaways and prisoners in the air. You better start praying Harry Potter doesn’t die on us or else the Dark Lord will have all our heads”.

The other Death Eater responded back, “I swear to Merlin I was careful with him. Look, the girl has no splinched injuries! That's proof enough. He’s doing this on his own”.

The two stared at the chosen one unsure what to do. As her vision cleared, Hermione took a better look at Harry now that she was able to move her head. She breathed with relief. Harry wasn’t having an emergency but was in the middle of having a vision but that did not bring her much comfort. Harry had stopped receiving them. After the fall of Hogwarts, Voldemort and Harry no longer had access to read each other's minds. It was the lessons with Draco that finally helped Harry close his mind during their Occlumency and Legilimency training. Her stomach dropped the longer Harry remained in his vision. He breathed heavily as his body shook uncontrollably and twisted into a fetal position.

A third Death Eater came from behind the group with Hermione’s handbag. Ignoring the scene around him, he dug inside the purse grabbing anything he could and throwing it out to the forest floor. Everything from food, potions, clothes, and maps were all thrown out. Hermione silently gasped as the deluminator landed next to her. Seeing all three of their captors were distracted, Hermione rolled over, still tied up and grabbed the Deluminator. Chunking it up her sleeve, she guessed if her book that Dumbledore had willed to her indeed was a clue after meeting with Mr Lovegood then they couldn’t afford to lose the Deluminator.

“Hey, check this out. Should we keep this?,” asked the third death eater but went ignored. He chucked up the Sword of Gryffindor up in the air as if he had claimed a prize for all to see. The third man gave a toothy grin while admiring the beautiful shine coming off the sword. His fingers rubbed up against it while he assessed out loud, “Goblin made and pure silver too! Are you two even listening to me?”.

Now annoyed, the third man placed the sword in his belt before turning to his two colleagues. “What the heck are you morons looking at! Fuck….…Look what you’ve done!” he panicked. It was then the trio screamed amongst themselves. Suddenly as the Death Eaters were fighting, Harry’s spasms stopped, catching the group's attention again. Still, they felt uneasy as Harry stopped moving, freezing in an awkward twisted position. “Was the boy dead?,” the men thought to themselves.

The second man hurried to check Harry’s pulse before telling the others, “The Potter boy is alive, but we can’t take him to the Dark Lord like this. He gave very specific instructions not to harm the boy. We’ll get blamed for this”.

“What do you expect us to do? We can’t abandon them either. The army has been looking for them this entire time. If word gets out we found them but did not report it, we're still as good as dead. The Dark Lord can read minds,” the first man fought back as he assessed the situation more.

“SHUT UP! I’m thinking here!,” the second man shouted back.

The third man paced back and forth in deep thought before an idea came to him. Alerting his other two partners, he suggested “We’ll take them to Malfoy Manor. Their special prisoners aren’t they? That's their speciality. We’ll still be following orders. It will be Lucius and Bellatrix’s problem. If indeed the boy is injured, the Dark Lord will blame Malfoy not us. Besides, I would rather face Lucius than the Dark Lord”.

“Are you insane! That’s just as bad! He’s known as Malfoy the Mad for a reason! Death Eaters, who are proven to be useless are sent to the Manor. People don’t come out of there. Malfoy slaughters any who enter!,” the first man explained as he grabbed the collar of the third one.

Frustrated, the third man pulled away before explaining his reasoning, “Let me ask you this instead. Would you rather face a noseless snake, who has no humanity left, or Malfoy the Mad, who slaughters people but still has the ability to shed a tear for his son? We’ve all seen him stare at his family portrait in the dining hall. He’s there every night. Mad or not, I’ll take my chances with him”.

All three paused before coming to an agreement at the same time, “Malfoy it is”.

~

The snatchers, including Hermione and a floating Harry, apparated on the edge of the Malfoy Manor property. They walked down the long pathway to the home. It was the largest home Hermione had ever laid her eyes on. “So this is where Draco grew up. This is what the home of a Pureblood family home looks like…. No, this is where the richest family of the wizarding world lives,” she thought to herself.

12 Grimmauld Place could not compare to the Manor. This was pure wealth Hermione was witnessing. It seemed they were in a secluded area of England. No neighboring homes for miles. All the surrounding lands were owned by the Malfoy family. If Hermione remembered correctly with her late night talks with Draco, his home was located in Wiltshire. It was an area where only noble muggles lived in the past. The land had been seized from a local landowner centuries ago by the first Malfoy to live on. After arriving in England with William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England, Armond Malfoy had settled here as a part of the king’s invading army.

During the centuries, Malfoy ancestors annexed the surrounding land from the upper classes of muggles. With every home obtained, the Malfoys collected every treasure, rare art, and gold found inside these upper class homes. All treasure was added to the Malfoy vaults, making his ancestors owned half of the Wiltshire land. But after the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1689, the Malfoy family denied any involvement in the muggle world even if their close partners were the wealthy or royal muggles, adapting to the changing times. Draco’s ancestors had no issues cutting their ties with influential muggles. Instead, the family had set their eyes on holding influence among the inner circle of the sacred 28.

Hermione looked up as they walked down the long walk way. The manor did have a historical ancient feel to it, Hermione thought to herself. The hedges stood high as if they could touch the heavens. These hedges seemed to close off the home wards, warding off unwanted wizards and witches.

At the end of the runway was a giant gate. It was an impressive handcrafted wrought iron gate that blocked the entryway to the Manor. Hermione's mouth hung seeing Draco’s childhood home. She knew he had grown ridiculously rich but seeing it was different. In the distance, a flock of pure white peacocks could be seen, gathered at the front lawn caring for their young in the watering hole. Who had peacocks as pets? Apparently her husband did.

Sensing a dark presence at the gate, her eyesight drifted away from the magical looking birds as her eyes were drawn to the individual. Her blood went cold seeing who it was. Before her, Bellatrix stood at the gate, waiting to meet them. “What do you want? We’re not scheduled to have any prisoners to come today,” Bellatrix spat in a venomous voice. The Death Eater, holding Hermione, grabbed the back of her neck before smacking her against the gate, giving Bellatrix Lestrange a better look. It was only when the Golden Girl’s face was centimeters away from the infamous mad Black sister did Hermione really see how much damage Bellatrix took from Draco’s spell.

The right side of the mad witch was burned to the bone with only a thin layer of scar tissue. Harden and stiff muscles were visible to the eye. Where there should have been an eye in the socket was empty instead. Her nose burnt off with the skin on the right side of her lips gone as well, enabling Hermione to see the whites of Bellatrix teeth.

Horrified, Hermione couldn’t help but to stare too long at the monstrous face. “What are you looking at!,” the mad witch yelled at Hermione but it was watching the young girl, squirming in the hands of the Death Eater, did Bellatrix realize who it was. Her eyes widened as she turned to see the floating body in the air. It was the chosen one unconscious. Gathering herself, Bellatrix peered at the Death Eaters before asking, “You’ve given us the Mudblood and the Potter boy?”. The mad Black sister grinned ear to ear, scaring the three death eaters. Without waiting for them to respond, Bellatrix opened the gates as she went on, “Bring the prisoners in and remember no take backsies”.

As they entered the home, the hallway of the manor was dimly lit. Every inch of the house was decorated and magnificent carpet covered most of the stone floors. All the gigantic doors were wooden that seemed to be from the Middle Ages. The manor was castle-like, similar to Hogwarts. A home fit for an ancient bloodline. The only light source of the manor were the cathedral windows. If the light from the sun shined through the window at a perfect angle, it lit the walls in a variety of colors.

Hermione took note of the portraits. They were noticeably different to what Draco had described. No portrait talk nor acknowledge the visitors. She wondered what they had seen to be silent like the portraits at 12 Grimmauld Place. Although the portraits were quiet, their eyes followed wherever the guests went. “Bring the prisoners inside the dining hall. The Potter boy can lay on top of the table. And don’t touch anything or else I’ll cut your hands!”, ordered Bellatrix.

The witch walked away to the other side of the long echoing room as she shouted. “LUCIUS! I HAVE A PRESENT FOR YOU”.

Bellatrix chuckled over the fireplace while they waited for Lucius to appear. Nervous, Hermione scanned the room, landing on the family portrait of Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco at top of the fireplace just like the Death Eaters mentioned earlier. “This is where Lucius thinks about his family,” Hermione thought.

Peering at the same portrait, she wondered if the family portrait shared many mournful nights with Lucius. Studying the painting, Hermione didn't recognize Draco. That wasn’t her husband yet. That was the old Draco. It showed her how far they both had come. The stern expression on Draco’s face portrayed how cruel he once was. Draco’s eyebrows frowned with his father's hand over the shoulder, showcasing how fully committed he was to the Pureblood ways. However, the eyes of the boy in the portrait told a different story. It told how broken and detached he was. It was the eyes of someone that wanted a way out. There was no life nor true happiness behind them. It was a scene that made Hermione want to reach out to embrace the version of her husband in front of her.

“Is that what Lucius sees when he’s here? Draco's lifeless eyes?,” Hermione couldn’t help but question. Suddenly, the golden girl felt a heavy set of eyes on her. It was Bellatrix, who had caught her watching Draco inside the portrait. “Like what you see, Mudblood? The boy you fucked into falling in love with you”.

In an instant, the witch glided across the room in a black cloud, gagging the three men from pure fear. As she flicked her wand, Bellatrix pushed the Death Eaters away from Hermione, making the men fall to the ground. Taking this chance, Bellatrix whispered into Hermione’s ears, “Watch closely. The war for power has only just begun,” giving the girl chills down her spine. “Watch us ruin everyone who has ever wronged us”. Satisfied with the young girl’s reaction, Bellatrix slowly pecked Hermione’s cheek as she finished their one sided conversation. “Today is the beginning of the end,” she commented as Lucius walked into the dining room.

“Get away from the prisoners, Bellatrix. You know how I don’t like it when people touch my gifts before I can”.

Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix glanced back at her brother in law. Despite her annoyance, they both shared an understanding that they had one singular goal in mind. The goal of taking down everyone that had ever wronged their family houses. It was undeniable Lucius and Bellatrix knew what it was like falling so far down that there was no hope of returning to their former life. They had each wronged their own family.

While Lucius' revenge was more connected to the death of his wife and only born son, Bellatrix’s revenge was more complicated. Narcissa’s death woke Bellatrix up from her slumber. Her younger sister’s passing had opened her eyes to realize she had failed to be there for Cissy, the only sister who stayed behind, while Andromeda betrayed them both.

There had been so many chances for Narcissa to run away but she hadn’t. Instead, she stayed for the Black family, which Bellatrix acknowledged and respected her for. Her sister’s loyalty though was also a salt to her wound for Bellatrix failed her. While she didn’t know her nephew, Draco, well as she had been imprisoned for all of his life, she still tried to save the boy. That had been the only thing Narcissa had asked of Bella in all their years of sisterhood. It was what Reggie would have wanted from her.

Now that Narcissa is gone, the only family she had left, it made Bellatrix reevaluate everything. She had been so blinded by power, she abandoned her family. Although Lucius’ words at the court had angered her, they were true. The mad witch was no better than Andromeda or Sirius. After the death of Regulus, she had forgotten the House of Black’s way of life. Family was first. Family for the Blacks was everything.

How did she get here? This was not how she imagined her family would be. Their legacy had died when Regulus did. Everything Bellatrix had hoped to achieve was impossible. Bellatrix wanted power among the elites. She wanted to lead her own house without having to be married. She wanted to gain a seat at the ministry, but was denied by both her family and Wizarding world. The magical world she lived in had been created in man’s image for men.

Although she wanted to be free from marriage and motherhood, society was set against her. The men in her life always seemed to get what they wanted without deserving it. They received respect from birth when she had to work for it but never really obtained it. Truth be told, Bellatrix’s life was harder because of her sex. All she had wanted was power but was only obtainable for man. Slowly, Bellatrix grew resentful towards the men around her. Particularly towards one: Sirius Black.

Her rage for her cousin intensified until she finally killed him. If there was one thing Bellatrix hated more than anything, it was wasted potential. Sirius was set to be the heir and the Lord of the Black fortune based on the fact he was first male heir. He wasn't expected to marry any time soon. Unlike her, Sirius had time. Being a woman in the House of Black was different than being a man. The men in her house had voices. Sirius had it all yet wasted his life. Threw it all away to live a life full of irresponsibility. He had the privilege of walking away without any consequences so she ended his life. She had decided to give him the consequences that no one else gave him.

She would find a path to get power since her family had denied it to her. To get respect, Bellatrix carved her own path. That was how she meant Voldemort. He had shown her the way. The path forward. After graduating from Hogwarts, Bellatrix became a Death Eater. The mad witch made a name for herself as the most dangerous and sadistic of Voldemort’s followers. Every campaign she won was in the name of Voldemort. There was a fair social ladder to climb up. A structure Bellatrix could follow. In due time, the Dark Lord would see her loyalty.

With pure talent and hard work, she had been able to rise through the ranks until one day, she had reached a glass ceiling. She never did get offered the position of being the Dark Lord’s second in command. After she had wasted so many years in Azkaban, Bellatrix saw how things really were. Bellatrix was the most loyal and faithful member of Voldemort’s inner circle yet he overlooked her. Instead, it was Lucius, who was rewarded as Voldemort’s hand.

When Voldemort disappeared the night the Potters died, he was gone as if he never existed. The majority of his supposed loyal followers never searched for him, including Lucius. It was Barty, the Lestrange brothers, and Bellatrix, who searched for the lost Dark Lord. While every Death Eater sighed with relief that he was gone, it was her group, who went mad looking for Voldemort. They captured and brutally tortured the Longbottoms for any information on Voldemort’s whereabouts. They went to Azkaban for the Dark Lord, yet she received nothing in return.

Instead, Voldemort had stepped on her pride, giving Peter Pettigrew the title of his most loyal and faithful follower. Peter seeked him and succeeded in helping him return to the world of the living. The Dark Lord had put his faith in others such as Lucius, who failed him in the Department of Mysterious, or Snape, who was obsessed with a dead girl.

Most of Voldemort’s success was hers. It was her campaign. Her plan. It was Bellatrix, who had planned the capture of the Ministry and the Destruction of Hogwarts. She did everything. Yet, what was her reward? A crucio for failing the Dark Lord at the Astronomy tower. That moment had broken something inside her. It was there Bellatrix decided she was done pleasing Voldemort. He was just the same as the other men in her life. He had used her.

Done being faithful, she was going to destroy everything she had built for the Dark Lord. She was going to bring down Voldemort for denying her power. If she helped him get to where he was today, Bellatrix could take it all back just as easily. Who better to work with than a man who had failed at everything in life. Everything he touched, he ruined. Luicus was the perfect partner to assist her with her plans.

As the room turned to look at Lucius, the door slammed shut behind him. Every footstep Lucius took echoed in the large dining room, stealing all the attention. The three Death Eaters held their breaths. The aura of the room switched from day to night. The manor went from being an enchanted castle to a nightmare. It was hard to breathe around Lucius as if he sucked up all the life around him. He was different from what Hermione remembered. Lucius had aged a decade from the last time she saw him at the Department of Mysteries. The bags under his eyes were deep. It seemed as if he hadn’t showered in days. His facial hair was unlike most clean cut Purebloods. The luxurious long blonde hair he once sported was cut a choppy length where it was only long enough to tuck behind his ears. He filled the room with a strange scent. Hermione tried to pinpoint it. It was similar but then it came to her. Lucius smelled like blood. She knew the smell from being with Draco on the full moon.

With only the clicking of Lucius’ heels against the stone floor heard, the elder Malfoy asked, “Well, what do we have here?”. As he made his way towards the table, he went on, “Harry Potter. The chosen one. The hero of the Wizarding World. He has come to save us all from the Dark Lord”. He laughed, allowing the Death Eaters to have a false sense of security.
Walking up to Harry, he moved Harry’s hair from his forehead to get a better look at his scar.

“Don’t touch him!,” Hermione screamed as she stared at the dried blood underneath his fingernails.

Scowling, Lucius stared at the girl as one of the Death Eaters pulled her hair back to shut her up. While Hermione moaned in pain from the force, Lucius held up his hand. “What did I say about touching my gift before I can play with them?,” making the Death Eater quickly let go of his grasp on the girl. “Good, now untie her. She is to be an honorary guest of the Malfoy family”.

Confused, one of the Death Eaters asked, “But we just caught them both”. Lucius gave a deep sigh as if he had just had a long day. “There’s 20 Death Eaters currently roaming around the manor. The girl has to be incredibly stupid, if she tries to escape. Now untie her. That's an order,” he said through his teeth as he grabbed a wine bottle from the middle of the table.

As Lucius poured wine into a glass, the room stayed silent, watching him while Hermione was at a loss of what was happening. “Wine?,” the head Malfoy asked, peering at the bright witch. When Hermione said nothing, he continued, “I can ensure you. It hasn’t been tampered with. What kind of a host would I be if I poisoned my own guest?”. It was only when he drank from his cup, did the others do as well. From a side glance, Hermione watched as Bellatrix circled the three Death Eaters like a hungry vulture, waiting for the men to make one wrong move.

While Lucius swirled the contents of the wine before taking a zip, he walked closer to get a better view at Harry. “Make yourself useful and hold my wine, Ms. Granger,” ordered the aged wizard. He pulled out his wand to get the diagnosis on the boy’s health status going over his entire body. He was pulled towards Harry’s head as his wand lingered there. “Will he be fine? This has never happened before. Harry’s never been out cold,” Hermione asked carefully.

“Yes, he’ll be fine but those bloody fools over there prevented his brain from getting oxygen. It triggered the body spasms. I also see smoke in Potter's lungs. He only fainted,” Lucius said as he grabbed his wine back to pour over the boy’s face, making Hermione gasp. Although it worked and Harry woke up, Hermione frowned at Lucius.

“Welcome back, Mr Potter. It’s a pleasure to have you join us”. When Harry opened his eyes, his heart froze at the sight of Lucius, realizing how much danger he and Hermione were in. “I’m afraid, Mr Potter, you’ve arrived at the wrong place. The Dark Lord is at Nuremberg for the Elder wand, but you already knew that,” Lucius commented, once again touching Harry’s scar while Hermione moved her eyes between the two wizards. She quickly pieced together Lucius knew what the vision Harry just had was about. “Tell me, did he kill Grindelwald?,” the head Malfoy asked while Harry was too frightened to respond. Unable to find his words, Harry nodded a confirmation. Catching both children off guard, Lucius whispered low enough for only them to hear, “We’re running out of time”.

Before Hermione and Harry could respond, Lucius walked over to the three Death Eaters. He eyed the sword on the third man’s belt. He had almost missed it but the light from the fireplace made the sword shine. Without asking, Malfoy took the sword from the belt and used it as a cane, leaning on it. “Are you three morons? You had very specific instructions to find the location of the Quibbler. Not to find it and burn it down. Were we not in the same meeting? I don’t remember hearing anything about setting a fire. What do you think the Dark Lord would do, if he found out his orders were disobeyed and Harry Potter almost burned to death?”.

With a shaky voice, one of the Death Eaters spoke up, “We we we weren’t thinking. We got too excited. It was an honest mistake”.

“Why did you come to me? It was made clear that if anyone found Harry Potter they were to bring him to Lord Voldemort. Did you all hope I would be blamed if Potter was injured or did you think I was weak and would overlook your mistake?”.

“No!,” they all yelled at the same time. The second Death Eater explained, “We all came to you instead of the Dark Lord because we look up to you. We weren’t sure what to do when we saw the boy unconscious. We panicked. It was your advice we wanted”.

“I don’t think so. You hoped I would get blamed for injuring Potter and Granger. That is the real reason why you gave me the boy. You're incredibly lucky I’m in a good mood today otherwise I would have killed you all. So which one will it be?”. The room went dead. Unsure of what to do, the first man asked,“Which one?”.

“Yes. Which one? Which one among you is going to die today? I don’t have time so choose wisely. I will even be kind enough and take responsibility for Potter and Granger myself for your mistake”.

As it sank in what Lucius had said, the third and second Death Eater pushed the first man down onto the floor, “Kill him! It’s all his fault”. Fearful, the first man begged for his life. “Wait! Wait! I swear it was an honest mistake. I didn’t mean to almost kill the boy!”. With an expression of indifference, Lucius raised the sword, slicing clean the heads of the second and third men. In the back, the two children gasped in shock, with Hermione’s arms around Harry. “I let you live from the kindness of my heart. I heard your begging and responded. The others gave you up without a thought”.

Lucius thought back to when Snape visited him at Azkaban. He remembered the words clearly when Snape told him it was he who killed Draco. The elder Malfoy dropped the sword before giving it back to the third man. “Thank you, Malfoy. I’ll never forget this,” the lone survivor replied as he was dragged across the floor by a wordless spell. As the man peered back, his eyes widened, seeing he was headed straight for the fireplace.

With an urgency, the unknown man screamed out, “You said I can walk away!”.

“I did, but I never said Bellatrix would let you walk,” Lucius shrugged his shoulders as he turned his back to the man. Hermione and Harry closed their eyes as the man dragged his nails against the floors in an effort to hold on to anything but it was no use. His nails ripped off. Over it, Bellatrix used a stupefy spell at the man before giving one final push into the fireplace. The screams of the dying man ricocheted into the dining hall, bouncing off every surface of the room.

“Mippy,” Lucius called the Malfoy house elf over. When the elf popped over Lucius and Bellatrix, Lucius gave his final orders. “Tell Blaise and Theo to come. I need them to accompany Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger to the Dungeon”. The two children couldn’t stay here anymore, Lucius thought to himself. Percy and Luna would aid the duo in finding the correct cabinet for them to escape through. He had seen the Dark Lord’s unusual quiet demeanor to know the two were up to something. They needed to get away if the wizarding world would live to see another day.

“You’ll never get away with this! The Order will find us,” Harry shouted as he held onto Hermione. The two were paralyzed in fear after witnessing the blood shed before them. Doubts filled Harry as he yelled at Malfoy. Remembering Lucius’ words from earlier, it felt like Lucius was helping them, but Harry wasn’t sure. Lucius had confirmed Voldemort was after the Elder wand, willingly giving up the information. Why would Lucius Malfoy help them? After the vision of Sirius being tortured turned out to be false in 5th year, Harry didn’t trust his visions even after his lessons with Draco. The two didn’t know what to think with Lucius’ contradicting actions.

~Harry’s vision from earlier~

Voldemort had gone to Nurmengard Castle to ask Grindelwald for the whereabouts of the Elder wand but the dark wizard had only laughed at Voldemort. Unlike others, he was unafraid as if he waited for this day to come, using the Dark Lord’s real name, Tom Riddle. Instead he welcomed Voldemort as an old friend, like death itself had come for him. “Tell me where the Elder Wand is, Gellert! Unless you wish to meet death!,” shouted Voldemort in pure anger.

Never letting go of his stare of the snake-like man in front of him, Grindelwald snickered. Not even a threat could make an old man like him ask for mercy. The old aging man was well over the age of 114. Grindelwald had lived his life. Now he was rotting away in what was once the most secure prison before Voldemort broke in. The dark wizard was ready for whatever came his way. Whether it be death or suffering. He had seen much darkness at his advanced age. Certainly more than Tom in front of him. The man before him was merely a child to him, throwing a temper tantrum. Resting his head on his chin, Grindelwald chuckled as he studied the wizard that had been wreaking havoc on Europe.

If Voldemort was as powerful as others said, Tom would not stand before him, begging for a stick. A wand did not make a wizard. The magic that laid dormant within a person was what separated the average magical caster from the greats. If Tom needed the Elder wand, Grindelwald knew that the child had not obtained the purest kind of magic that laid within one’s soul. Tom had it all wrong. True power did not stem from placing fear among others. Power came from infiltrating every aspect of society, mind, and daily life with an idea that rooted itself among the masses. Power came from belief. An influence that slowly grew under an opponent's nose until one day they were surrounded by their rival’s supporters.

Grindelwald in his youth had taken Europe by storm, becoming one of its top politicians. The masses had welcomed him. Opened their doors and invited him. Tom was no one to him. He would have taken total power, if it were not for Dumbledore’s cold feet. His undoing was love but Grindelwald found himself okay with that. His former lover occasionally visited him throughout the years, keeping him company. Voldemort was no one, if he had to force his way to the top. Despite his loss, Grindelwald’s influence could still be felt today, among the Purebloods and the practicing of the Dark Arts. A type of magic that was once threatened to be a lost art, was revived and thriving today because of him. He was the father of Dark Magic. In a way this boy before him was created by Grindelwald, himself.

With an amused expression, the aging wizard peered at an increasingly frustrated Voldemort, who was coming to the realization there was nothing he could do to make him talk. “Kill me, then. Thomas. I welcome it but know that my death will not bring you what you seek. That wand will never be yours. It will never hold allegiance with a child who knows nothing. Tommy, you know nothing of what makes a great wizard”. The old wizard laughed again, each time he purposely called the infant before him by the wrong name. He hadn’t had this much amusement since Dumbledore last came. Voldemort grew red from the names. A past he tried so hard to eradicate. It was the only evidence that proved he was a halfblood and not an elite among the sacred 28.

Seeing how this so-called ‘Dark Lord’ was easy to belittle, Grindelwald tore at the child’s insecurities. This man was so easy to read. “Words of advice from your elder. Your childish games for power will be your downfall. No matter how much you try to run away from your past you will alway be Tom Riddle, the dirty half-blood child. Never LORD VOLDEMORT. You will always be the little boy who came from an orphanage. Abandoned by all. Loved by no one. Not even your own blood family wanted you”. Voldemort flitched at Grindelwald’s words. Very few people knew the beginnings of his life.

Almost as if he read the boy’s mind, Grindlewald answered, “I heard a great deal about you from my beloved Albus. He told me stories of your days at Hogwarts. He had high hopes for you but you turned out to be a disappointment. I thought Albus was being harsh. There must have been some potential in you but I see he was right. Your pursuit for the Elder wand proves it. Your obsession with the chosen one proves it”.

The Dark Lord tightened his fist as he tried to remain cool, but Grindelwauld pushed further, wanting to join his lover on the other side, “You hate the boy because he reminds you of yourself. Both orphaned and abused boys yet Harry Potter found acceptance among us. You found nothing but hatred in the magical community. Jealousy isn’t a good look, Thomas. Such a pity”.

Grindelwald peered past Tom. Instead he focused on something behind them as if he was speaking to the wall as he said the next words. “Has the man gone mad?,” thought Voldemort. As the old wizard waved at the wall, Voldemort knew who Grindelwald was speaking to. He was speaking to another person. A person who was always with him since that night. A person he had access to but in turn meant, they also had the ability to peer into his life. Harry. Grindelwald was speaking to Harry Potter. He could sense him? What kind of power did this man have?

Having felt the true difference in their magic, Voldemort grew fearful. If they dueled, he wasn’t confident if he could win even in that man’s advanced age. A chill went down the Dark Lord’s spine as Grindelwald reached out across continents, following the strings of magic that connected the two as Grindelwald passed on a message to his enemy. “Tom will fail, my child. Worry not. He is no one”. Having had enough, Voldemort screamed at the old man, as he held up his wand. It infuriated him, knowing he would only defeat the greatest wizard of HIS generation because Grindelwald allowed it. The man had belittled him.

“The boy is still relying on a wand,” Grindelwald noted as he shook his head in disappointment at Tom. The ancient wizard threw his head back with his arms open as he accepted the killing curse Voldemort threw at him.

~end of vision~

Lucius peered back at Harry only to ignore him as he walked back to the fireplace. Turning his back to the room, he continued to stare into the fire with the burning of the man inside the flames. Instead of acknowledging Harry Potter, Lucius let Bellatrix talk to the boy. The two shared the same goal and had become one in mind. Bellatrix walked to the duo, looking at the two children. With her long nails, she touched Harry’s scar, gliding her nails from temple to his jaw with the intention of striking fear into the boy one more time before showing all her cards.

With force, she grabbed Harry’s chin with her hand, almost clawing it. Some part of her thought how easy it would be to end him right now and be in Voldemort’s favor again. It would be easy to betray Lucius and the team they had formed, but the memory of her late sister would never let her. Bellatrix hated Voldemort more than she hated the chosen one and the mudblood. Her hand moved to the boy’s neck, wanting to choke the boy to death. Harry did not move, facing her with his fear well hidden. Hermione watched the interaction, almost as if the girl knew the mad witch wouldn’t hurt Harry with Lucius here. There was something at play here.

As Bellatrix stared into Harry’s eyes, she read him with her hand wrapped around the boy's neck. He had so much power yet he ran away from it. He was named as Voldemort’s equal but the boy did not want power. Perhaps, that was what made the boy an equal opponent. He valued friends and family over power. Unlike the Dark Lord and her. Bellatrix, who only ever seeked power but lost her brother, sister, and lover in the pursuit of it.

At the same time, she saw fear inside Harry’s eyes. The fear of ending another life. The boy wanted to run away from his destiny. After almost ending Draco’s life, Harry was fearful of killing again. She had read him accurately. “Such a coward, just like my cousin, Sirius. He ran away from his fears, just like you are right now. Be better. You're afraid to fulfill your destiny but one must die. Remember that”. It was only after she gave the advice did Bellatrix let go and turned to Hermione.

To Hermione and Harry’s astoundment, Bellatrix handed her wand to the girl before plucking a few strands of hair. As she handed them over, she explained, “There's a Horcrux inside my vault, the Lestrange family’s. I don’t know where the others are, but the Dark Lord has been restless with getting back to Hogwarts”.

Hermione swallowed the surprise on her face, trying to understand what had come over the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange. The witch whose very name caused nightmares. “Had Lucius and Bellatrix turned their backs on Voldemort?,” Hermione wondered as she said in a shaken tone, “Why?”. She didn't know what was happening anymore. She had never been as confused as she was now and did not like the feeling of it.

Bellatrix touched Hermione’s curly hair, twirling inside her finger. “I wanted power. Time and time again, I was denied it. It was given to men, who deserved it less. If I can’t have it, no one can. That includes our Dark Lord. As for Lucius, his reasons are different”.

The two women turned to glance at Lucius Malfoy. He watched the portrait of his son that sat on top of the fireplace. There was a clear expression of shame and guilt written on the man’s face. Before Lucius could speak, another Death Eater came in. One of the many that roamed these halls. The man tilted his head as he stared at Harry. Without a word, the Death Eater gave Lucuis a sinister smile as he apparated out of the wards. “He’s gone to tell the Dark Lord. Many have been waiting for me to make a mistake to gain his favor. Voldemort will come here himself to see if indeed you are here,” Lucius commented with a blank face. Still watching the fire, it was as if the chaos that would come did not affect him.

Before either Harry and Hermione could reply, Theo and Blaise came through the doors as Bellatrix walked away. “I’ll take care of the Manor. The Dark Lord will ask us questions and search the dungeon for the boy and girl,” said Bellatrix as her heels clicked against the floor. In a flash the Black sister began to set the Malfoy Manor on fire before disappearing in the dark halls of the home.

Moving away from the fireplace, Lucius turned to the boys, “Change of plans. The Dark Lord is coming here for Potter. We’re burning down the manor and killing all his followers in this home. Take our guests to the dungeon”.

Without question, Theo and Bliase nodded, taking in the new orders. “Come on. There’s no time and our friends are waiting,” Theo said, as he tried to pull Hermione to the opposite direction that Bellatrix went. Curious, Harry perked up as he asked, “Friends?”. As her eyes skimmed the empty floors, Hermione brushed off Theo’s hand. In a panic, she ran towards the dead bodies of the two death eaters. “It’s gone, Harry! The sword of Gryffidor is gone. It was just here!,” Hermione yelled in distress from across the room.

Lucius walked up to the girl. In a silent demeanor, he studied her. This was the young lady that caught his son’s heart. He wondered if the young witch made Draco’s last few months more bearable when he was still alive as he answered her, “It disappeared itself to secure its own safety. The magic of the sword only allows users worthy of it to use it in a time of need. The Death Eaters and I were not worthy of keeping it. It belongs to no one but itself. It will come back to you and your friends when you need it again”. Still unsure what to make of Draco’s father, Hermione accepted the answer. Without a word, she grabbed her hand bag from the third Death Eater’s belt, trying to ignore the gruesome scene.

Hermione ran back to Theo and Blaise but paused at the doorway. Lucius had helped them in so many ways than he would come to realize. Although the bright witch didn’t know why, she wanted to show her gratitude. Lucius' face of sorrow when looking at his family’s portrait had affected her more than she wanted to admit. Before she could change her mind, Hermione let Lucius know, “He’s alive. Draco’s alive”. The Elder Malfoy froze at the confession. He didn’t want to believe it but why would the girl lie? It had to be true.

Shocked, Theo pulled on Hermione's sweater, “What did you say!,” but went ignored as Lucius snapped his head towards the group in realization. The gravity of Hermione had admitted it had set in. Expecting Lucius to smile, Hermione saw panic inside his eyes instead. Worry set in thinking that perhaps she had made the wrong move.

In an instance, the Head Malfoy apparated into black cloud over to the group kids. “He can’t be alive! If he is, he needs to stay hidden! The Dark Lord will hunt him down if he discovers he’s alive! His death inhibited Voldemort’s plans and he would kill Draco as a message to the other Purebloods”. He shook Hermione’s shoulder in an attempt to get her to understand the situation they were in. “Voldemort will get that Elder wand very soon. He has everyone out looking for it. You must tell the Order the wand is already lost. Our only hope now is to find the rest of the Horcruxes. Now go! We have no time left!”.

Lucius turned away. He pulled the fire from the fireplace with his wand. Like a snake slithering out from its bed, the fire burned the room down as it followed Lucius’ wand. The portrait of the Malfoy family fell with the force of the fire before bursting into flames. Pushing through the chaos, Blaise grabbed the duo’s attention, “FOLLOW US! You and Harry need to get out of here! The entire Manor is going down. If what you're saying is right and Draco is alive, he needs you both more than ever”.

Putting their trust in Draco’s friends, Harry and Hermione ran down the halls of the Manor, trying to avoid the falling debris. The flames grew stronger as they went deeper into the home. Harry asked Theo and Blaise as the group spinted, “Why do we have to burn down the Manor?”.

Still facing ahead, Theo explained, “Because we've been compromised. The manor is the heart of the Cabinet Network. All cabinets lead to the Manor. When we take in prisoners, we take them through the network. Burning the Manor is the fastest way to destroy our connection to all the safe houses and rebel homes. We can’t let it fall in Voldemort’s hands”.

“Don’t worry, the network will still be there for others to use in our absence. Only Headquarters will be gone,” Blaise interjected as they all came to a halt, making a stop and breathing heavily into the smoke heavy halls. There was a familiar Death Eater at the end of the hallway. “My father,” Theo said in a furious voice.

Without warning, he ran forward, screaming, “I’m going to kill you!”. Thinking quickly, Blaise pushed Hermione and Harry into a different direction, “Go down this hallway. Down the stairs, to the right. Keep going straight. It’s the long way to the dungeon but you can escape from there. Leave us. There’s too much for Theo and I to do here. We have to kill everyone. No one must survive this fire, if we want the Cabinet Network to stay a secret”.

Blaise watched as Hermione and Harry headed towards the dungeons before going to help Theo. Tonight was the night Nott Senior’s life would end and Theo would avenge his mother’s death. “Confringo!” shouted Zabini, pushing Nott Senior back, but the skilled wizard recovered quickly with a protego spell. Spells flew off the walls. All three wizards shot spells back and forth as if they were playing a game of quidditch. Each time the two boys gained an advantage, Nott Senior dodged it. Despite being older than Lucius Malfoy, his body still moved as if he was still young. The fight was dragging out too long as more smoke filled the hall. Theo and Blaise struggled to breathe as smoke filled their lungs. They needed to end this quickly.

Throwing a larger fireball at Nott Senior, Theo distracted his father enough for Blaise to shoot a Defodio spell right behind the large fireball. It would give Nott Senior no time to shield against a second incoming spell as he blocked the fireball. As the Defodio spell hit Nott Senior at the side of his torso, it took out a large chunk off as if a cannon had impacted and made a hole. Theo’s father screamed in pain before going on his knees. As the man began to bleed to death, Blaise shouted over the roaring fire, “NOW!”.

Theo’s wand dripped like blood. The wand felt the strong emotions from its master. Taking power from the heightened emotions, the wand oozed out pure magic. The two were united in the anger of cold revenge along with the grief of losing a mother. No mercy was found for its own master's father. Theo’s wand went to make Nott Senior feel the same hurt Theo and Christina Nott had endured for so many years before her death. It assisted in Theo’s wishes as it gathered all the magic it contained for the final blow.

“Crucio!” Theo screamed as the spell hit directly on his father’s chest, hitting his heart. He continued the spell even after Blaise shook his shoulder. “Theo,” Blaise said as Theo peered at his friend. “He’s already dead,” pointed out Blaise. Clearing his mind from the rage, Theo placed a better look at his father. Blaise was right. There was a burnt hole in the middle of his father’s chest where his missing heart should be. The crucio spell had been so powerful it had made a hole through the body, burning away the flesh and heart where Nott Senior was hit. “Let’s go get the rest of them,” Blaise replied as he redirected Theo’s anger to the rest of the Death Eaters roaming around the Manor.

~

Hermione and Harry ran down the stairs, heading towards the Dungeon. They didn’t know who was downstairs, only that they were friends. As they hurried their steps, they heard the cracking of the fire above them. The house was rumbling under the heavy weight itself as one by one the pillars were collapsing. When the two arrived at the metal bars door, it became dark. “I don’t see anything. I thought they said people were down here,” Harry whispered.

“Hold on! Let me get the Deluminator out," answered Hermione. As she pulled out and opened the device, a light shot out from the Deluminator over to a nearby fire torch that hung on the wall of the dungeon.

“I still don’t see anything,” Harry commented as he squinted in hopes that his vision would improve.

“No, someone is here. Something stopping us from seeing. I can hear muffled footsteps in the distance,” Hermione realized. Acting on a hunch, the bright witch walked forward with her hand out. She came upon a wall of energy, blocking the real appearance of the room. “It’s a force field,” shouted back Hermione in surprise. She poked the wall as it bounced back, responding to the girl's touch. “It’s like a bubble. It’s protecting whatever is inside and mirroring a false image”.

As Hermione took out her wand, she chanted the words a spell to uncover whatever was hidden behind the wall. “Revelio!”. The wall of energy shattered, gently falling to the ground like glittering stars.

When the duo peered around again, it was a lively factory-like room, about the size of the quidditch field. There were never ending aisles of cabinets of all different sizes and shapes. All different colors of pink, purple, green, and yellow. In awe, curiosity got the best of the curly brown haired witch as Hermione opened one of the cabinet doors and saw carved star shaped glasses on the door. “Spectrespecs?,” Hermione thought to herself before it clicked together. “Oh my god, it’s Luna. She’s here!,” the witch shouted in excitement as she turned to Harry for a reaction but he was distracted.

Wanting to know what caught his attention, she followed him. Together they walked forward, seeing beds on the other side of the dungeon. To the right side of the beds were tables set up to appear what looked like an office with countless notes and newspaper clippings. A radio sat down on a bench with a stack of every Quibbler newspaper since Draco’s death. On the wall of the dungeon was a large map of every single cabinet in Europe connected like a spider web. The lines intersected and crossed each other creating a maze but it all led to Wiltshire. There were hundreds of lines on the map. Hundreds of dots that must have represented a single cabinet.

Harry's mouth dropped, “It’s the entire Cabinet Network. Look how gigantic and amazing it is”.

“Better be! I helped build it along with Malfoy, Nott, and Zabini. Do you have any idea how stressful it is to work with the most ambitious yet insane man Lucius Malfoy is during a war? Working with my family’s greatest enemy has been weirdly eye opening. We're alike when it comes to career ambitions,” a voice came up behind them.

As Harry and Hermione looked to see who was speaking, they exclaimed, “Percy!,” before each running over to hug the second eldest of the Weasley Clan. “Percy! You're alive! Everyone has been looking for you,” Hermione said, holding on to the hug for a few seconds longer. It was good to see him. Percy was alright.

“Really? That’s surprising. Didn’t expect anyone to miss me after I turned on my family,” Percy commented with a mixture of surprise and contentment.

“Of course, they miss you! How did you get here?,” the two asked before someone else interrupted.

“We have my uncle to thank. He saved us. If Uncle Lucy didn’t pull us out, we'd both be dead. While we were here, he gave us the opportunity to help the Order,” a soft angelic voice came out from the distance.

“LUNA!,” Harry and Hermione cheered as they wrapped their arms around the blonde witch. Luna gave a tight embrace back. They hadn't seen her since the failed evacuation of Hogwarts. After an emotional reunion with the Ravenclaw, Luna interjected, “I hate to cut this happy social gathering short but why is there smoke coming from the dungeon door?”.

“Shit! We have to get out of here! Tom Riddle is coming! Lucius has ordered everyone to burn everything down,” said Harry as he glanced at the ceiling. The room appeared to be getting hotter, worrying the boy.

“What about the others? We can’t leave them,” Luna asked as she gestured to behind her. From behind Luna, appeared Mr Ollivander, Griphook, and Dean Thomas, surprising the duo. They hadn’t known Dean was missing but the boy was captured by snatchers a few weeks ago. He had been on the run since the fall of Hogwarts since he was raised by a single muggle mother. There was no way to know if his biological father was a wizard or not, so he had no choice but to hide like so many other muggle born wizards and witches as his name would be under Muggle Born Registration commission. There had been many rampant rumors that the list was actually a registry for the labor camps. Not wanting to take any chances, Dean left during the summer.

“We all can come but we need to leave!,” Harry said, as he peered around for an escape as the fire above grew.

“Hold on a moment. Before we leave, we need to activate the emergency shutdown,” Percy ordered as he ran over to the cabinets.

“I'll send a patronus to our friends,” Mr. Ollivander replied, moving to the sideline. He conjured a patronus as he sent a mass message to their allies in the networks, “Attention friends, family, and allies. Headquarters has been compromised. We are breaking up our connection to the rest of the network. From this moment on, you are on your own but all paths will remain open. The path to freedom will still stand. Use the cabinet network at your own risk”.

Griphook, the cranky goblin, meanwhile folded his hands unwilling to help the others. Hermione ran disappearing in the background to see how much time they had left while Luna and Dean ran to a different aisle to help Percy. Together each member of the Cabinet Network pointed their wands before murmuring a spell. One by one each cabinet cracked, falling downwards on top of each other like dominos. As the cabinets touched the floor, the furniture exploded, rendering it useless.

Hermione ran back, coming from the dungeon stairs as she shouted, “We waited too long. The fire has completely consumed the first floor”.

“What do we do?,” Dean asked with rising panic in his tone.

“How about we go through the mirror Hermione and Harry brought with them?,” Luna replied, getting the attention of the entire room.

“What mirror?,” Harry asked while Luna tilted her head to the side, pointing to the mirror on the further side of the room. It was on the same wall the fire torch was lit. Hermione gasped, seeing who was imaged in the mirror. It was Draco sitting at a table. He appeared skinnier but was fine. When the fire torch had been lit by the Deluminor, it had crystallized the wall as if it had been frozen ice. The device had mirrored the wall, sensing its user was in need of transportation.

According to whoever wielded it at the time, the deluminator showed a reflection of their heart’s desire, reflecting the home of the user’s heart. Since Hermione had lit the room, her home was where Draco was. As the group walked closer to the mirror, the reflection became more clearer. Around Draco was Ron and Lavender at an unknown location. The three sat around the table. It appeared as if they had just finished eating and were holding a conversation.

Connecting the dots, Hermione said with excitement in her voice, “Harry! The deluminor isn’t just a night light like Ron liked to say. It’s to guide us wherever home is. Dumbledore must have known we might be separated during the run”.

“I’ve never been more thankful that you're with Draco. Your home must be him. We don’t need to look for Ron and him after this”. As Harry went to touch the mirror, he laid his hand flat against it, slowly testing it for everyone. It felt like liquid but it had a bounce to it. Harry's hand went in like quick sand. Harry grinned as he peered back at the others, “I feel air on the other side! It’s real. Let’s go!”. One by one each individual followed closely behind Harry into the mirror’s reflection, making their great escape from the burning Manor as it became nothing more than ashes.

Chapter Text

“Draco, is it just me… or do you see that light too?,” asked Ron as he stared at something behind the werewolf. Draco, who was ignoring Ron, was too preoccupied with cleaning the dinner table to hear the redhead. It was the end of February going into March. The trio had just arrived at Bill and Fleur’s Shell Cottage a few days ago after spending the full moon and much of the month of February in Ireland in order to allow Draco to recover. When the young werewolf had arrived at the sanctuary, the volunteer medical staff had diagnosed the boy as extremely underweight and suffering from magical fatigue. Under the strict recommendation of the staff, the werewolf was made to stay until he improved healthwise.

After being discharged, the group took on Bill and Fleur's offer, traveling to the shell cottage. It was a convenient and short trip from the southeast of Ireland, where the sanctuary was. Located in Tinworth, Cornwall Scotland just across the ocean, they agreed to regroup with Bill and Fleur at the cottage until they found a way to track down Hermione and Harry.

Before the Order spent weeks without a word from the children. The campsite was always on the move, never spending very long in one location. With various Order members scattered across the country and Europe it was difficult getting a hold on anyone. Careful with their next move, the trio couldn’t step into Britain, whenever they pleased as the country was deep in Voldemort’s control and den. It was safer to pinpoint their friend’s location before going to find them.

“What light?,” replied Draco, who glanced down as he picked up the used plates.

Standing up from her chair, Lavender tilted her head before she pointed at the light, “I see it too! It's getting brighter. Won Won, I thought you said the cottage was protected by a Fidelius Charm”. It was the nervousness in Lavender’s voice that finally made the young werewolf look up. She was never nervous.

“What the fuck? Ron! Lavender! Get behind me!,” the Slytherin yelled as the two quickly hid behind Malfoy, using the boy as a shield. They grew tense as the light grew massive, which only made them more nervous. “It looks like some sort of portal. Someone’s coming here,” the young werewolf noted as he aired on the side of caution. He stepped back. Preparing for whoever came out, the young werewolf’s claws and fangs grew. The light was blinding, preventing them all from seeing as they shielded their eyes from the brightness. Still, Draco with his enhanced smell and hearing could tell there was a crackling fire beyond the light. It smelled of burnt wood.

With the sound of a rumbling of a building in his ears, Draco’s werewolf zoned in a familiar scent. It was the aroma of pumpkin juice, sweet caramel, and parchment paper, making the hairs on the back of his neck raise. A scent he has missed from the moment it was taken from him. One, he went without it for way too long. With a rush in the pit of stomach, a mix of excitement yet fear overcame him as his stance softened. It was Hermione but the smell of a raging fire caused him alarm.

Among the confusion, the young werewolf had the urge to run towards the light as figures appeared before him. Without delay, the Slytherin ran forward, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Hermione!”.

Passing a few unknown individuals, Draco scooped up the figure that had Hermione’s scent. As the light died, Hermione wrapped her arms around him as the young werewolf twirled her around in a circle before letting her down again. Even as the Slytherin tried to pull back to look at her, Hermione did not let go as her arms tightened around him. With tears in her eyes, the bright witch cried out, “Draco! I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have left Ron and you alone. We should have stayed together!”. It had been almost two months since the incident at Godric’s Hollow. She rambled on more apologies, not allowing her werewolf to speak. To make Hermione quiet, Draco rested his hands on the side of her cheeks, bringing the focus back to him.

Gaining her focus, the Slytherin Prince spoke, “Shhhh, it’s okay. You had to fight. Don’t apologize for trying to survive”. As he wiped her tears away, the young werewolf continued, “I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere,” as a steady stream of tears fell from her face. Draco ducked down to kiss her, letting it linger a little longer. “I missed you,” Hermione whispered between pecks. He grabbed her neck and brought her head to his chest. Taking in the scent, he laid his head on top of hers while Hermione allowed herself to fall apart inside his arms. He smelled every inch of her hair, hoping she had been okay while they were apart but there was one scent that made him pause.

Pulling away from Hermione, it was a scent he hadn’t smelled in almost 2 years. One he never thought he would come across again. Hermione looked bewildered. “Why do you smell like Lucius?,” Draco said through his teeth. The scent of Lucius alone made the young werewolf’s blood boil as a growl came out

Furious, he felt his claws grow as all the emotions he had held inside all these months came spilling out. Since his father has been sent to Azkaban, he had avoided the topic of Lucius but the thought of that man being near Hermione had sent him in a rage. “Had Lucius hurt her?,” Draco questioned himself as he remembered the ways his mother had been treated by Lucius growing up. Before, he had withdrawn any feelings he had for Lucius, avoiding the reality he had been disowned. Now that he was away from that man, safe with Hermione and the group of friends he made, the feelings he had buried were slowly creeping back up. The rejection had hurt. A realization that he hadn’t known until the scent of Lucius came upon him. He had spent his entire childhood trying to be the golden child that Lucius had wanted him to be but had never gotten it.

After everything Lucius had put his family through, the greatest pain he had given his son his was rejection itself. More than any abuse Draco had received over the years. Unlike his physical scars, the emotional pain had taken root inside his soul. Life at the manor was a constant state of vigilance of constantly being on guard for his parent’s emotional well being. Memories of spending time with his mother in the garden after Lucius had upset her came to Draco as well as memories of ensuring Lucius was in a good mood as if it had been his occupation. It was only now when he looked back that the young werewolf saw the brokenness of his mother’s eyes every instant he told her everything was going to be fine.

During the horcrux hunt with much time to think, Draco had come to realize he was only a child forced to be a protector for his mother but humor Lucius. All he had wanted was to be loved and to be a son to Lucius. Now, Draco did not want anything from the man who had a part in his conception. Even less with Remus by his side. With Hermione to think of, Draco could no longer overlook Lucius' past actions. He had done that before in the name of a false peace at the manor. Since Hermione had come into his life, Draco had come to experience true peace that he no longer wanted to pretend he had.

Harry, who had his arms around Ron, let go at the mention of Lucius. The room went silent, seeing how Draco’s expression darkened. With sudden tension in the room, Harry approached the werewolf, carefully finding the right words. The Golden Trio knew the topic of his father had been a touchy subject for their friend. “We came from the Manor. Lucius helped us escape actually but we’re still a little… uncertain what happened exactly”.

In disbelief, Draco’s mouth hung open before shaking his head in disagreement. “No. He would never do that”. He pulled away from the bright witch as he took steps back.

Concerned, Harry and Hermione peered at one another before Hermione this time spoke in hopes of easing the tension. “He’s on our side. He’s been helping the Order in secret. Lucius, Theo, and Blaise are the ones behind the Cabinet Network. It’s been them the entire time”.

The young werewolf grew more furious once he heard Lucius was fighting for the Order as his werewolf slipped out. The pupils of his eyes enlarged as he shook his head in denial. “No, you're lying. That’s not who he is. It was someone else. He’s not a good person”. He stared at the floor as he realized Lucius had indirectly saved him. The man had led him into Ireland, getting the medical attention he needed after Ron, Lavender, and his imprisonment. The Lucius he knew would never help his son in any way. There had to be a reason that Lucius was personally benefiting from this. Was it to get an easy sentence once the war was over? That had to be it. He could use the fact that he saved Harry and Hermione to get out of getting the kiss.

“It’s true. He saved everyone here. Luna, Percy, Dean, Mr. Ollivander, and Griphook. He’s been helping people to escape out of the country,” Harry interjected, pulling Draco out of his thoughts.

Draco licked his fangs more irritated, “He chose himself over my mother and I for 16 years. He didn’t save you. One selfless act can’t undo a lifetime of pain he caused my family he chose to abandon. My mother and I suffered under the hands of the Dark Lord while he was safe behind bars. He saved his own skin at the cost of mine and my mother. My mother is dead because of him. That is the real Lucius. He only cares about himself”.

Walking to the front, Luna spoke softly to Draco. It almost reminded the Slytherin of the way his mother used to speak to him. He didn’t have any memories of Narcissa raising her voice or expressing any anger much like Luna before him. “You have the right to be hurt, cousin. People tend to hurt those closest to them. It’s often easier to ask forgiveness from strangers than their own blood. You have every right to hate him, but you should know something. Everything he's done was in your memory. His intentions were always for the son he failed”.

His fists clenched but hearing Luna’s word made his werewolf calm down as his pupils went back to normal. His crawls and fangs were gone. Although the hairs on his head weren’t standing up anymore, his breathing was unsteady. “Fuck that bastard,” Draco whispered in a broken voice as he went outside, leaving the group inside the shell cottage.

~

“Should we all go out and look for him? It’s been hours and Draco hasn’t come back inside," asked Ron as he peered out the window. Harry bit his lips, “I don’t know. This might be what he needs. Time to be alone. That’s what I do when I need to gather my thoughts”.

Meanwhile, Hermione had been restless since Draco had left the cottage. She paced back and forth in place as Bill and Fleur came down from the stairs. They had arrived a day after the Trouble Trio came. After Bill sensed the wards were activated, the couple decided it was best to come back home. When the group from the manor came Bill was ecstatic seeing his lost brother, Percy. However, the Cottage wasn’t big enough to house all the guests here. And so they called Kingsley to see if they could house some people.

“Alright we received a message straight from Kingsley himself. They’re opening the wards at Hogwarts for us to enter. They can provide more shelter, medical aid, and food than we can at the moment. Who is coming with us?,” Bill said as he peered at the room full of people.

Remembering what Bellatrix had said, Harry spoke up in a rush, “We need to speak to Mr. Ollivander and Griphook! They can’t leave. We also need Remus to come. Can you get word to him? Tell him it’s important. He needs to be here in person”. While Bill nodded in agreement, Percy stood up from the living room. “I’ll go. As much as I like to stay, I know mum is worried sick. It’s best if I go see the rest of the family. Let them know I’m okay”.

“I’ll go too. I want to find Seamus while I’m there. I lost contact with him months ago,” said Dean.

“I volunteer, as well. I have to speak to Neville about something important,” Luna replied as Percy thinned his lips, knowing why Luna wanted to see her friend.

“I’ll go with you, Luna,” Lavender added as she joined to stand next to her. “You can’t go. We just reunited,” Ron interjected.

“I can’t stay, Won Won. You and Draco would have to leave soon with Harry and Hermione. And I can’t go with you on your secret mission. Remember, it’s the whole reason why we came here in the first place to find them. It won’t be forever”. Lavender leaned forward, giving Ron a tight embrace as they prepared to separate again. The red head stayed quiet, knowing she was right. Seeing who was coming, Bill clapped his hands as he said, “Great! We leave in 10 minutes”.

Although she appeared distracted, worried for Draco, Hermione had been listening to the conversation. Realizing Bill was leaving too, she stopped pacing and came forward. Alarming everyone, she pushed herself to the front of the crowd, “WAIT! YOU CAN'T LEAVE EITHER! We need your expertise for our next mission”. In curiosity, Bill raised his eyebrows, wondering why the Golden Trio would need him for. As Fleur pecked Bill on the cheek, she whispered into his ears, “I’ll take them all. Don’t worry Bill. I need to see your father and mother too. We have been in France for too long. I can update the Order on our work in France”.

Once everyone left, Draco still hadn’t come back, worrying Hermione more. Having had enough of waiting, the bright witch told Harry and Ron, “I’ll be back. I’m going out to find him”. Without waiting for possible protests, Hermione left. It was almost night with the sunset coming in the horizon. Draco had been out for too long. Although she had clue where he went, Hermione walked forward, allowing their soul bond to lead her. Draco was still near. It didn’t take long to find her husband. There was a tiny figure in the distance on the beach.

She walked down the beach for 10 minutes until the figure grew. Draco had found a spot near the shore line to sit on the sand. His shoes were next to him while he soaked his feet in the ocean, letting the shoreline soak his feet. Sighing in relief, Hermione took off her own shoes to join him. The young werewolf didn’t move a muscle. He must have heard her coming. Taking a seat beside him, they listened to the waves coming from the coastline.

The waves gently kissed their toes as it splashed against the couple. The wet sand coated their feet, getting stuck between their toes. Together, they listened to the waves as the sea meeting of the shore echoed into the salty air. The salty air smelled crisp and clear mixed with the sandy dunes. Seagulls flew overhead, singing to the sunset. The two remained silent as Draco rested his head on her shoulder. Holding his hand in hers, the grass growing on the beach danced to the wind. They were reunited. The calmness of the sea soothed the inner souls that were still anxious after being separated for so long.

Hermione would wait for Draco to speak. If he didn’t, that would be okay, as well. She only wanted to be there for him. Be there like he had when she grieved her parents not knowing her. Draco and Hermione were each other's only family now. A family they made together. Their family of two. Draco didn’t glance away from the sunset. As the sun was set, the sky was filled with colors of soft fiery embrace while the sun hugged the earth. It gave the sea a beautiful crystal-like glow. It was a promise of a new day as it ended. The sky once again was promising an eternal dance of sun and moon for those who would stay and watch it.

It was Draco that broke the moment between the sea and them. He was still lost in his thoughts but the sea gifted him the peace he needed to speak to Hermione. “I don’t understand,” he whispered as Hermione turned to peer at him.

All the emotions were slipping out, unburied from its tomb that Draco had buried before the start of the war. Draco huffed, giving Hermione insight into how he was dealing with the new information he had learned. “I hate that man with my entire being. I don’t consider him my father anymore. He made my life so difficult. He took the life I could have with my mother and my father, Regulus. I could have had a happy childhood but Lucius took that away from me. I have so many reasons to be furious at him, so why do I still want his acceptance?”.

As his eyes welled up, Draco blinked them away as his voice cracked, “I don’t understand why you and Harry were worth saving but not his only son. Why not me? He made my life miserable and made my mother cry every night only to play hero for everyone else. Everyone gets to have the best version of Lucius Malfoy but we don’t. Why?”. He turned to Hermione as he gained confidence to release more of his inner thoughts to the one person he knew wouldn’t judge him. He didn’t really want a response from Hermione but it was nice knowing she was listening as he went on, “It’s insane that Lucius would work together for the Order and go against Tom. I thought I knew everything about him but he goes and does this. It makes me understand him less. Maybe I never will”.

“Why do you want to understand?,” Hermione finally added as she helped him unpack more words.

Draco stayed silent again but only for a few seconds as he tried to recognize what was hurting him. “It’s hard to live with the reality that Lucius had it in him the whole time. If he went against you know who, that means he could have always. If he chose to do good now, that means he could have before. It means he chose not to when he still had my mother and me in his life”.

The Slytherin gave a painful chuckle as he glanced up at the sunset. There was an expression of annoyance as he spat, “What a fucking joke! Why wait until he heard his family was dead? Is that supposed to impress me that he made a whole Cabinet Network in my honor? Because it doesn’t. It’s insulting. Lucius had good inside him the entire time, Hermione. That's what hurts the most. It would have been easier to accept, if he was horrible. If he was an unredeemable man, then I never have to question why weren’t my mother and I weren’t worth it. Why weren’t we worth fighting for when we were all together? Why wasn’t I worth changing for when I was ‘alive’? It’s all total bullshit”.

Hermione hummed, while watching the sunset. Taking a deep breath, she didn’t know if this is what Draco was looking for but it was the best she could give him. While watching the waves together, she offered him her words, “I wish I had all the answers you were looking for, my love. If it helps, I don’t understand what happened back there either. There was no time to think. I’m still processing it all but I suppose that’s life, isn’t it? Maybe not having an answer is an answer itself”.

Draco scrunched his eyebrows together while making a frown, “Not having an answer is an answer itself? Now that’s an oxymoron. I don’t get it but I’ll take it”.

Chuckling softly, Hermione kissed his forehead. “Yes, not having an answer is an answer”. She continued to laugh at herself for her response. It wasn’t that long ago that the old Hermione needed to find the answer to every question at whatever the cost. Last year the two of them were strangers. Now she couldn’t imagine not having Draco in her life. Time had changed both her and Draco.

As the witch scooped the sand into her hand, she let it fall to the ground between her fingers. She made a pile next to her and Draco before she continued, “That’s what makes life so tough. There are too many answers for all of life's questions. Too many answers for one single question. Life isn’t like our school exams that we loved to compete for, where the answers are simple. Back then, we could ace every question. Life gets tougher as we grow. Sometimes there are no answers. It’s what split us from childhood into adulthood. Once you see how complicated the world really is, you can only offer empathy sometimes. The world is gray and it’s easier to accept life for what it is. We don’t have to be happy with what life throws at us but we can find our peace with it”.

Draco helped Hermione with her pile of sand, bringing it water. As he took in her thoughts, he molded the sand into a small lopsided castle. Watching her husband, Hermione played along with him in the sand as she poked windows and a door into the sand castle. “I don’t think Lucius was helping the Order because he wanted to be good. He and Bellatrix have personal motivates. What kind of motivates? I’m not sure”.

At the mention of his aunt, Draco peered up in surprise. He hadn’t thought of her since their fight at Hogwarts but since he discovered his family’s secret, the young werewolf wondered about Bellatrix's role in it. She was there at the blood ceremony. Draco found himself reevaluating everything about the mad witch in a new lens. Her hatred for Lucius had been well known for years. Now Draco had come to understand why his aunt wanted to wipe Malfoy out of him. Regulus and her must have been close too.

Taking this as a cue to go on, Hermione explained, “Your Aunt Bellatrix told us where the next Horcrux was willingly while Lucius was burning down his own home to save us. I don’t know if they're doing everything to repent for their mistakes but it seems they want to bravely face the ones they betrayed. It can also be as simple as they both want to watch the world burn.

Whatever their reasoning is, we’ll never really know. One thing is certain, the Death Eaters aren’t united as we thought they were. They're cracking and Lucius and your aunt are digging their knives into it further. All I know is I saw a broken man back there, Draco. That wasn’t the Lucius we knew. That version of your father is gone. That was someone else”.

“It doesn’t matter if the new version of Lucius is different from the old one. I don’t want anything to do with any version,” Draco stubbornly replied as he dug his face further into the crook of her neck. He felt safe with her as Hermione put an arm around his shoulder. “I think you should acknowledge Lucius. Not for him but for yourself. He’s trying. You don’t have to forgive him or forget all the wrongs he did to your family, but acknowledge his actions so you can move on because the five year old Draco deserves to heal. He deserves to know nothing was his fault. It was his father’s fault. That little boy deserves to know he was worth fighting for”.

Draco tilted his head as he looked into Hermione’s eyes. “Why do you have more sympathy for Lucius than I do? He’s always called you that…… word. I know he still does. Him working in the Order doesn’t make him a decent person”.

Hermione turned as she brushed her fingers in his hair, she knew what word he wanted to say. Mudblood. Taking in as much of Draco as much as she could to make up for lost time, Hermione gave him a light kiss. Perhaps Draco was right. There was a chance Lucius still considered her as a dirty blooded witch, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t feel sorry for the man. The man was alone on his own path. He had made his decision and was suffering the consequences of it. Lucius knew he couldn’t go back even if he wanted to. Whatever he was doing, it was his way of repenting. The man she met at the Manor was going to take Voldemort’s inner circle and army down with him.

“I think I feel compassion for Lucius because he had to lose everything to change into the new man I saw at the manor. He had to have hit rock bottom to be the broken man I saw. He never changed for you and Narcissa because he had everything. There was no reason to change. When he lost both you and your mother, his world was shattered. Sometimes you have to lose everything to know what you had before. I share that feeling with your father. I didn’t know how much my parents meant to me until I lost them. I didn’t know how precious my family was until I broke my family apart willingly. He loves you in his own way. He looks at your family portrait from what I heard”.

Draco sat on the beach, thinking about the heaviness of Hermione’s words. They flowed gently into the ocean breeze like nectar meant to warm your heart. Her words were graceful like silky petals. They were the blanket to what was needed to bring comfort to the werewolf. She was right about everything as she usually was. He needed to acknowledge his father, at least. The Slytherin didn’t have to forgive him but if he wanted to move on he had to accept all that had been done to him, his mother, and his father Regulus.

“You always know what to say. It's the many reasons why I couldn’t stop staring at you for so many years. The way you can just find compassion for those around you even if they don’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve it. You see what others don’t or even refuse to see. If you didn’t have empathy for others, we wouldn’t be on this beach together, Mrs. Hermione M— Black…”. He scrunched up his nose at their shared last name. It still sounded foreign to his tongue. At times, Draco forgot he was no longer a Malfoy.

“We’ll have to work on our last name,” he added as Hermione giggled beside him.

“You deserve everything good in your life. Don’t question it. You’re always lifting up Harry’s and Ron’s spirit in ways I can’t. I’ve been trying to get through those two knuckleheads for years. They both have the emotional rage of a teaspoon but you got through them in the short time we all have been together so don’t sell yourself short. My words to those two boys come out as nagging,” chuckled Hermione as she shook her head at that last part.

As they went back to their sand castle, Draco worked on the third floor, insisting their castle needed more space to live a proper lavish lifestyle. A single family home wasn’t enough for the Slytherin. Hermione rolled her eyes at the spoiled prince. He was broke but he didn’t act like it. Hermione smoothed walls to make it sturdy while Draco made towers next to their make believe family home. “You see that window here?,” asked the snake, pointing to the tower he made as Hermione nodded curiously. “That’s your library. I’ll buy out all the books known to man for you. And this window right here is my potion laboratory but no wives are allowed unless I need your help. This is where all the dark and blood magic experiments will happen”.

The amused witch pointed out, “Slow down there. We need money before we can start planning the layout of our house. Last time I checked you don’t have a penny to your name”.

Giving a wolf-like grin, Draco sang in a humorous tone, “Don’t worry your pretty little head of yours. Your werewolf will take care of everything, my love. If there is a way to lavish in riches again, I will find it. After all, I am a Malfoy. Blackmailing and questionable ways to gain wealth is what we Malfoys do best. We’re meant to be rich”.

“Not on my watch you're not”.

“I thought you said I should acknowledge Lucius. He was the best in the business when it came to fraud. He didn’t train me to work for the Ministry of Magic for the good of the Wizarding World. The plan was to go in and squeeze all the money we can from the corrupt politicians,” Draco teased his Gryffindor wife.

“That's definitely not what I meant, Draco!,” Hermione gasped while laughing. She splashed Draco in the face.

Seeing a war of their own had started, Draco responded by playfully picking her up over his shoulders, “Put me down! I will make you regret it if you throw me in the ocean,” but it was the threat of Hermione getting even with him that encouraged the Slytherin to throw his witch in the ocean. “I’d like to see you try. Come and chase this big bad wolf”.

Wet from head to toe, Hermione gasped as she tried to recover from the sudden cold water. Determined to catch him, she ran after him along the shoreline. Water splashed at their feet as they both ran. Realizing she was never going to catch him with his werewolf abilities, Hermione took out her wand and chanted, “Carpe Retractum!”. A rope shot out of the tip of her wand, tieing Draco’s legs together. The magic pulled Draco towards its caster. Laughing at what Hermione had done, Draco was drenched from being dragged in the water.

When she came closer, he untied the ropes around his legs before darting for Hermione. He wrapped his body around her as he tackled her into the sea. Too entertained by their water fight, the couple failed to see Harry and Ron, from a distance. Ron hadn’t planned on going outside for a two man search party but Harry had guilted him into finding their friends. Ron and Draco had spent a whole month in Ireland together. He knew Draco was more than fine because they were similar in that sense. Ron went because like Hermione, Harry was worried. “What did I tell you? You were worried for nothing,” Ron said.

Chapter Text

~start of vision~

Harry tossed and turned in bed, trapped inside an unpleasant nightmare. He shivered from the cold that ran down his spine yet he sweated as if he was feverish. Sweat ran down his face while his hands were clammy. The boy had soaked through the bed and his clothes. The bedsheets clung to Harry's body. No matter how hard he tried to wake, Harry couldn’t. It was as if he was glued to the bed. The harder he tried the more paralyzed he became. An unseen force held him down. Frozen from pure fear itself, his rapid heart pounded so hard the heartbeat rang inside his eardrums. As he struggled to breathe, Harry gasped for air but it was no use. The air inside the room choked him as if it had been sucked out like a vacuum. Harry's nightmare drowned him in despair.

Inside the darkness of the dream, there was a sense of hopelessness inside this body of water he was in. Harry saw himself, drowning in a black murky colored lake. Trying to get to the surface, he had never swam so hard in his life as the water pushed against him. He kicked his feet repeatedly, trying to get out of the deep depths of what felt like a bottomless lake. When he finally reached the surface, Harry gasped for air like a fish out of water. As Harry crawled to the shore on his hands and knees, a cold gust of wind hit his face, making the boy tremble for warmth. It all felt real. He coughed out water as he felt the dirt and pebbles under his fingers. Harry noted how real the rocks inside this dream felt. The taste of fresh water was strong inside his mouth.

As Harry studied his surroundings, it was then Harry realized it. This wasn’t just a nightmare but it was a vision. This was a real place, happening in real time. He peered around, memorizing anything to recall for when he would wake from this. Any clues, even the tiniest, were too important for the Horcrux hunt. The boy glanced for any landmarks that could help locate where he was. It seemed Harry was on an island in the middle of a lake. He knew that much. Despite the fog around him, making it difficult to focus, Harry saw something far away.

As his vision cleared, he was able to see that on the other side of the lake was the Hogwarts castle. “I’m at Great Lake, but why?,” the gryffindor asked himself but before he could say anything else, Harry snapped his head to ghostly whispers behind him. They echoed all around the boy like sharks circling a prey in blood soaked waters. He swallowed, trying to remain calm. It was almost as if the whispers were mocking him. Like icy treacherous fingers, the ghostly whispers trickled up his spine.

“Harry…” a distant voice called out to the boy. Recognizing who was calling, Harry ran towards it. It was the voice of his late godfather, Sirius.

Another called, “Harry”. He paused. Although he had no memory of this person, Harry knew it was his father’s voice that now called to him as he followed the path of the island.

“Harry”. It was his mother. Trembling, Harry stopped when he saw a white marble tomb. His face paled as he realized where his deceased loved ones had led him too.

It was the final resting place of the late headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. His grave was the only one located at the castle. “That's right,” Harry whispered as he remembered Remus had mentioned it was one of Dumbledore’s final wishes to be buried at Hogwarts ground. The few surviving members of the fallen ministry had pushed back, saying no other headmaster had ever been buried at the castle before. The Order remained silent for they knew what kind of man Dumbledore really had been in life. The public argued it was only right for he had been a good man. In the end, only a small private funeral was held the day that the Order had laid the former headmaster to rest. They decided against a large open funeral for the wizarding community like Dumbledore had wished.

With the ministry falling and the same day of the failed evacuation, it was deemed too dangerous to have a public funeral. Even if they did, most had already gone into hiding or were holding their own child’s funeral. The final deciding factor were the parents of the Ravenclaws that rejected honoring the old man. No ceremony official ever came to give an eulogy.

The headmaster's grave was also unmarked to respect the wishes of the parents, who had lost a child that day the castle burnt down. Only a large white marble tomb was laid in the middle of this island. An island far away to be forgotten away from the tragedy Dumbledore had caused. Never to be visited or honored.

As Harry nearly approached the tomb, he saw Voldemort come over from the other side, making Harry take a step back and hide behind a couple of trees. Quiet, the boy stood still as he heard his own heartbeat once again, beating loudly against his chest. While he watched on, Voldemort pulled out his wand. With a flick of a wand, Tom levitated the cover of the tomb into the air before violently throwing the marble into the water. Ducking his head, Harry almost gasped, hearing the crashing of the water and broken trees. Unsure if Voldemort had taken notice of his presence, Harry covered his own mouth, making sure his heavy breathing couldn’t be heard.

Voldemort with his naked feet slithered over to the open tomb. As his foot stepped on the white marble, his overgrown nails clawed the tomb. The Dark Lord leaned over to whisper into Dumbledore’s ears, “You’ve lost, old man. You may have had good intentions when you tried to stop me all those years ago, but somewhere along the way you lost your path. The fame and glory, waiting to be written down in Wizarding history was too great to pass on. And now look, our end goal for the boy is the same... How does it feel to have lived long enough to become me?”.

With a sinister grin, he reached over to grab the elder wand from Dumebledore's cold lifeless corpse. He grabbed it so lightly almost in disbelief it was really with his grasp. The long awaited item he had searched for was here. Voldemort studied the wand up and down with both hands as if it was to be worshiped with eyes so hungry for power. Pleased, he closed his eyes to feel the power of the elder wand.

Once done, he raised it before pointing the wand up in the air to shoot thunder at the sky. Lightning shook the earth from underneath Harry. The sky went from being dead of night to day in a matter of seconds. The thunder coming from the wand made the sky scream out in pain. The sky cried as rain started to pour down onto the island.

Despite Voldemort’s success of acquiring the wand, Harry was surprised to see that it appeared Tom was furious. The snake man before him kept touching the wand over and over again, gripping it harder every time until his knuckles turned white. He had an expression that made Harry think that Voldemort was trying to figure out what was wrong with the wand. As suddenly as he came, Voldemort dispersed into a black cloud and apparated out of the area.

With the island empty, Harry walked over to the tomb. Before him, Dumbledore laid as if the man was just sleeping. Sorrow did not appear as he just studied the old man. His appearance may have been the same but Harry didn’t recognize the deceased headmaster. Dumbledore wasn’t the same man he once idolized back in first year. This Dumbledore was different now. The version that had been hidden from everyone. One where Harry wasn’t sure if he liked.

There was something about this Dumbledore he was seeing that made Harry distrust him but the boy didn’t have any real reason to harbor these feelings for the old man. A person’s past was their own. It didn’t mean anything. Did it? While Hermione, Draco, and Ron had their own personal reservations against Dumbledore, Harry hadn’t found anything yet.

Seeing the headmaster without his wand, Tom’s conversation came back to mind. “What did Voldemort mean when he said their end goal was the same?,” Harry asked himself as he reached down to move a strand of hair away from the late headmaster’s forehead.

The moment he brushed away the hair Dumbledore’s body combusted into a fire, making Harry gasp. Horrified, Harry peered around, trying to find a way to stop the fire until he remembered this may be only a dream. Still, there was a sense of urgency to stop the flames engulfing the body but as he turned back, the fire had died down. In its place, someone else was inside the tomb. The man in the grave was a blond haired man. Hair so blond it was almost white in color. His locks were long enough to be tucked behind his ears and a beard as if he had forgotten to shave. This familiar man had robes of a Death Eater with a mask protecting his identity. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as Harry removed the skull mask to see who it was.

“Draco?,” Harry whispered in confusion.

The dead man almost appeared like Draco but it wasn’t him at the same time. Something was off about his friend. This Draco was aged. A pile of skin and bones. Lifting up the man’s sleeve, Harry checked to see if there was a soul bond mark like the one around Hermione’s arm but instead there was a dark mark in its place. Lost, Harry wondered if this Draco was a version of a different time. One, who had proudly taken the dark mark. Another universe where they weren’t friends. A universe Hermione and Draco had never crossed paths. It would explain the lack of soulmates marks on Draco.

Filled with curiosity, Harry went to touch the dark mark, wanting to almost rub it off his friend's body. It didn’t belong there. When he went to touch the dark mark, it felt as if someone was watching him. It was Draco. He had woken up. He stared at Harry with haunting blue eyes. “You're scared to take another life. You mustn’t be afraid. You must do it again. It’s your destiny. Either Voldemort or you must die at the hand of the other”.

Startled, Harry shook his head in disagreement with tears forming, “I can’t. I’m not sure if I even can anymore. Not after all that I did to you. I almost killed you, Draco. I can’t... I know what it means to take a life now and it scares me”.

“Let go of your guilt, Potter…… You didn’t kill me. He did”.

“He did? Who? Is Voldemort going to kill you?,” Harry asked, wondering if this was a glimpse into the future.

Malfoy didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed forward with the reason he was here. “You must carry out your task. You must kill him. Voldemort must die”.

“It’s not fair. Why me? Why must everything be on me? I never asked to be a hero. I never asked to be marked as his equal. I just want to be normal. All I want is to be happy with all my friends. With you, Hermione, and Ron”.

Malfoy shook his head as he drilled into Harry’s stubborn will, “Life isn’t fair, Mr Potter. Don’t let your fear prevent you from saving your loved ones. This is bigger than all of us. Many great wizards and witches have reached enlightenment without the use of bloodshed. And many more have made a name for themselves without tainting their own soul. But for people like us, we can never do that. Our fate is to the world. The cost of freedom requires self sacrifice. Don’t be afraid. I will share your burden”.

Taking a few steps back, Harry shouted,“‘No! You’ve already saved us so many times. It won’t feel right to have you carry anymore of my burdens. You have enough to worry about”.

With an expression of determination, Draco stood up, forcefully grabbing onto Harry’s hand. Malfoy's grip on Harry tightened. Restrained, Harry couldn’t help but panic. He felt the blood flowing from his arm stop from where he was being held. The boy screamed at his friend, “Stop, you're hurting me. Let go!,” but it was no use. The more Harry struggled the tighter Malfoy held on. With his opposite hand, Draco grabbed something from his robe. An item to give to Harry but the boy was too terrified to see what Malfoy’s intentions were. He closed his eyes, wanting to wake up from this terrible dream as he felt Draco put something inside his hand.

“Take it,” urged Malfoy. His grip strengthened around Harry’s arm, almost breaking it as Harry pulled at his arms with force. “To save us all, you must kill again. You’ve taken a life before. Do it again, Potter. Become a killer once more. Don’t be afraid. It’s our burden to bear”.

He pulled, almost taking his arm out of its socket. Still, he kept his eyes closed as Malfoy repeatedly screamed, trying to get Harry to look at him. This Malfoy wanted to get to him. “Don’t be afraid! It’s our burden to bear! Take it!”.

“Don’t be afraid! It’s our burden to bear!”.

“Don’t be afraid! It’s our burden to bear!”.

“Don’t be afraid! It’s our burden to bear!”.

“Take it! Take it! Take it! Take it! What are you doing! Take it, Potter!”.

Finally opening his eyes from the pain, Harry found he was back in his room. He hadn’t seen what Draco was trying to give to him but it didn’t matter. This strange vision… dream was over. No longer on the island, he breathed heavily, gasping for air.

~end of vision~

“HARRY! Thank god, your wake! We’ve been trying to wake you,” Ron said before he turned towards the doorway, shouting,“Draco, Hermione! He’s awake!”.

While everyone around Harry was scrambling around the cottage trying to help the boy, Harry was lost in his thoughts. He was frozen. Harry may have been back at the cottage but the words echoed inside his ears, forcing the boy to remember. The words imprinted itself into Harry’s mind. The words echoed, sewing itself into every fiber of Harry’s soul. The words that previously screamed at him now gently wrapped around his soul like a blanket. It carried his soul to the correct path, insisting it on its final journey. “Don’t be afraid. It’s our burden to bear. Take it”.

The married couple came rushing into the room, but it was Hermione that came running to wrap her arms around Harry. She let go briefly to pull out her wand to cool Harry’s body. “Go get Bill. He’s burning up”. While Ron ran out to get Bill, the elder Weasley was already looking for medicine for Harry, since no one was able to wake the boy before. It was 3am but the house was awakened from Harry’s screams.

“What did you see? You saw something didn’t you?,” Draco asked as Harry glanced back at the black haired boy. Hermione had just dyed Draco’s wavy locks. As Siruis’ voice echoed in his mind, Harry couldn’t help but see Regulus in Draco’s face. Why did Sirius call out to him? Still speechless at what had just happened, his nightmare felt real. No, it WAS real. He rolled up his sleeve to see a visible red hand print burned into his skin. It was the mark that Draco from his dream gave him.

With eyes widened, Harry ran to the window to verify a suspicion. “A thunderstorm... The rain storms are coming from the direction of Hogwarts,” Harry whispered to himself. As he turned to the group, he asked but deep down he knew the answer, “When did it start raining? Was there any mention of the rain forcasted before?”.

“Well, no. It was forecasted to be clear skies until the end of next week,” answered Draco with one eyebrow raised in curiosity at Harry’s sudden interest in the weather.

“Enough about the weather. Harry! You're hurt. How did this happen?,” Hermione replied in a worried tone as Bill and Ron entered the room. The Weasley boys gave each other a look, seeing the increasingly bruised arm before Bill analyzed the hand print to see if he could stop some of the swelling. Without any thought, Harry answered Hermione's question, “Draco wouldn’t let me go,” causing the room to peer at the young werewolf with confusion.

“Me? Your fucking lair, if I ever saw one. I thought we passed you accusing me of everything bad that happens,” the Slytherin gave a laugh of disbelief.

Seeing his error, Harry shook his head, fixing his answer, “No. I mean… it was another version of you. A version of you that never sided with the Order. You were trying to give me something…”. His voice trailed off as he peered at Bill. “We can't wait for tomorrow morning. Call Remus now. This is too important. Tom has the Elder wand. I saw it in my dream. He’s on the move and he’s not happy and I think Draco’s in danger”.

~

Remus Lupin had come in the dead of night after Bill sent his patronus. It didn’t take Remus more than a couple of minutes to apparate in the Shell Cottage Wards. He arrived in his pajamas pants but used his knitted Cardigan to appear he hadn’t been in bed when he received the call to come. Luckily for Remus, who was at Hogwarts, it wasn’t a far trip to the Cottage when he got word. The older werewolf had been in Romania before, organizing which troops were to come and protect the battlefront between Scotland and Britain.

It was a struggle of balancing their armies as Romania needed many troops to stop Voldemort's goal of capturing the dragons. Admittedly, Madeye was struggling to hold the line as he and his soldiers have been defending the border since the fall of France. At the mercy of their own exhaustion, the Order figured a new rotation of troops should help strengthen the border.

Back from Hogwarts, Bill came into the kitchen drenched in rainwater, “I just came from the Great Lake. I can confirm Dumbledore’s grave has been robbed with my own eyes. It’s just as Harry said, the cover was thrown into the water”. Trying to gather his breath again, Bill paused while Ron pulled out his wand, using a drying spell, exaresco, on his big brother before continuing, “Kingsley’s leading a whole team of Aurors. They’re scouting the area for clues on how Tom may have entered the wards. It shouldn’t have been possible with the amount of soldiers at the border but Moody is furious that you know who snuck past his army and even more angry that the wand was right under our noses”.

Once Bill got himself situated, the older werewolf went in with his line of questioning for Harry. “Okay tell me everything you can remember about your vision. Every detail is vital”.

Around the table, the group settled down. Even Mr Ollivander was up as he heard the screams coming from Harry. Seizing the opportunity, Hermione had updated everyone in the safe house about what they had learned at Mr Lovegood’s home before they were captured and what had happened at the Malfoy Manor. Everything from the tale of three brothers to Voldemort wanting to collect all three Deathly hallows to become the Master of Death.

Meanwhile, Remus stayed silent, listening to the events leading to the burning of the Manor. Lupin's eyes would also widen as Bill and him were shocked to hear that Lucius Malfoy was the founder of the Underground Cabinet Network. They both were stunned at the sudden turn of events that Bellatrix gave the location of her Horcrux that she had promised the Dark Lord to protect. It seemed the tides were beginning to turn in their favor. At the impending doom of knowing Voldemort had the Elder wand in his clutches, there was no point in hiding the knowledge of Horcruxes anymore and the children’s mission with Bill and Mr Ollivander. Time was of the essence from that moment on.

“I told you everything I know that was in my dream. Word for word,” stressed Harry. He cursed at himself for waking up. What had the Draco in his dreams wanted to give to him?

Remus leaned closer to Harry as he asked one more time, “I know we have been over your dream already but I need to know what kind of vision this was. It’s not that I don’t believe you. I do my dear boy and I trust Draco’s lesson has protected your mind from false visions, but the fact you have been harmed inside your dream and woke up being hurt is what concerns me. We all need to figure out what this dream means”.

“How about this, Harry? Tell us what made this vision so different from all your other ones. The three of us have been together for years and even I can see it was different. I never saw you in so much pain. You wouldn’t wake up,” Hermione suggested.

“Well, I don’t think my visions are that simple anymore. The one I had before this… I swear Grindelwald spoke directly to me instead of Tom before he was killed. I felt his magic reach out to me before I had that seizure. Grindelwald said not to worry. In this one, I wasn’t watching from Nagini’s perspective nor Tom’s. I was transported to the Great Lake in real time”. Harry sighed, as his thoughts went back to his dream. It felt so real. “As crazy as it sounds… I really was drowning. I tasted the water inside my mouth. I felt the pebbles at the lake. The earth shook under my feet. It was a vision that allowed me to know what was happening without Tom knowing I was there. It also felt like…….” the boy hesitated, still feeling a little shaken as he peered around the room. He felt almost insane admitting this outloud.

“It also felt like what?,” asked Draco. The younger werewolf had also wanted to know every detail. He was in Harry’s dream and there was something Harry was hiding. The young werewolf had a guess but he wanted to hear directly from the boy.

“I think I saw a glimpse of the future. I really don’t know but it involves Draco somehow. I saw Draco inside a grave. The same grave the Elder wand was in. It was like my dream was warning me Tom was going to kill Draco for it. The Draco in my dream told me Tom killed him. His words…..I can still hear them. It meant something, but I was too afraid to open my eyes to see what Draco wanted. I think…… somehow Draco is going to save me but he will die at the hands of Tom in doing so”.

Touching the back of his neck, Harry avoided Hermione’s eyes. He was stressed even saying the words out loud. “I could also be completely wrong though. It was the future but I don’t know what I saw either. I do know one thing. Tom is mad. I’ve never seen power like that wand, but it didn’t feel right to him”.

“That’s because he is not truly the wielder of the Elder Wand. The wand only answers to its true master. You know who can use the wand but its allegiance is elsewhere. It will never feel right to him. It will long for its true wielder for the rest of its days until they reunite. Of course, that’s if what you say about how you spoke about the wand is true,” said Mr. Ollivander as he moved to the forefront of the group. Although he was usually a quiet man, he still captured the attention of the entire room as he spoke for the first time since waking up.

“You speak about wands as if they have feelings,” Harry questioned back in a curious tone.

The old wizard turned to peer at Harry with eyes full of wonder and passion. All the timidness that man emitted was gone as he lit up at the topic of wands. “It’s the wand that chooses the wizard, Mr Potter. That much has been clear to my family lineage. My family, the Ollivander line, specializes in wand making and have been studying wand law for centuries. We’ve been selling wands to the wizarding world since the birth of the ministry. I know everyone's wand who's ever come into my shop. I know their relationship with their wand and the kind of person they are. In fact, I can even say I know some of your colleagues better than you. A wand is very personalized to its chosen master. To touch another person’s wand is to sense another wizard’s soul in a way”.

“So this is good right? I mean you know who is still dangerous and more so than before, but if the elder wand is longing for its true master. Then we have a chance to beat you know who,” asked Hermione.

“Yes, it’s good but also bad news, Ms Malfoy. The wand won’t always answer him. We have that going for us,” Mr Ollivander paused, almost as if he wondered if he should admit the next part but he did, “My family has come across the wand many times over the centuries… It was my family's greatest well kept secret, keeping the knowledge of the wand to ourselves. The Ollivander line has met many masters of the wand over the centuries. The elder wand comes and goes into my family’s shop like an old friend. In fact, I was there as a little boy when my father sold it to its previous master before Grindelwald stole it”.

Hearing this, Harry sat up straighter, commenting “And that’s how it came to be in Dumbledore’s hands after that”.

As the wand maker nodded in agreement, he continued, “The day the wand was lost to a false and dangerous master I shook in fear at the consequences, but it was my father who eased my mind. He assured me the wand would seek a new master itself and slowly rejected whoever stole it. It's the only reason why Grindelwald lost to Dumbledore. Dumbledore isn’t as powerful as many people think. It was that battle that cemented Dumbledore’s status as the most powerful wizard and made him into the man we all know today, but my family knew the truth. It was the Elder wand that undermined Grindelwald to get out of its relationship, not Dumbledore's own power”.

“Then, did the wand answer Dumbledore? It had too, right? He stayed with him for years,” Ron spoke up next. While he was never inquisitive, the topic of wand making was a lot more intriguing than he expected.

“Your clever one, Mr Weasley. You ask the questions no one else thinks to ask. It’s why your wand picked you. You don’t have as much strength as your friends in this room but you have always thought out of the box. That is your greatest strength,” responded Ollivander as he took a seat in the middle of the room.

“You’re trying to avoid the question. Why?,” Draco finally spoke up. He had been quiet the entire time, studying the man. If his family has kept the secret of the elder wand until now, it wouldn’t be far-fetched if Mr. Ollivander was keeping something from them at this moment.

The wand maker sighed, seeing he had no choice but to be honest. The young werewolf had seen right through him. The room witnessed the change on his face. It went from wonder to hesitation. Still no one said a word, hoping the wand maker would answer. A pin drop could be heard. “Dumbledore eventually came to me and my father after his fight with Grindelwald… He had us see if the wand answered to him. When we touched the Elder wand, it wanted to stay with Dumbledore. However, it wasn’t loyal to him. Usually when a wand doesn’t align with the wielder, we take it back and give the wizard a new one try. The Elder wand, interesting enough, asked to stay with Dumbledore because it was waiting for its true master. The wand foresaw Dumbledore taking it to the next master when he would need it the most. When the time was right, the wand was going to fail again for the headmaster to save its true wielder…”.

There was a look of discomfort and guilt as Ollivander peered around the room. It was as if he still didn’t know if his family had done the correct thing as he finally admitted, “We didn’t tell Dumbledore any of that. We lied and told him what he wanted to hear. We knew the Elder wand would play a part in his death to be with its true wielder. The wand told us Dumbledore was merely a stepping stone, one of many it killed over the centuries to be where it is today”.

“Woah! Dumbledore wasn’t a true wielder of the Elder wand. It used the headmaster like a broom. Kinda hilarious if you ask me,” Ron chuckled but Draco stayed silent. He thinned his lips as he felt his stomach drop. Noticing the boy’s anxiety, Remus shifted his eyes to Draco, trying to read him.

“That doesn’t sound like very good news to me. If we’re going by what you said, all Tom has to do is kill Snape in a wizard's duel. The wand is still aligned with the enemy. It was Snape that killed Dumbledore. The wand hopped on Dumbledore only for it to be Snape,” said Hermione with a hand on her chin in thought.

Following his instinct, Draco pulled his wand out before walking over to the wand maker. As he gave his wand, the younger werewolf asked, “Can you look at my wand, Mr. Ollivander? Our bond has evolved again. I can still hear it speak to me but it’s distant now. Almost sounds sick to me. I was away from my wand for two whole months when I got captured so it might be that but last summer I turned into a werewolf and Tom took my wand away during that time. Our bond grew stronger that same summer but I don’t know what changed the second time”.

“You can actually hear your wand?,” asked Harry.

Draco gave a bittersweet smile, “Yeah, I was always able to talk to it even as a little boy. It knows me and I know it. We share the same feelings. We’re one of the same…... At least we were before”.

Without hesitation, the wand maker studied the wand curious about the wand's new feelings for its current master. If he was honest, Ollivander had been wanting to analyze the young werewolf’s wand for time. “What changed,” Mr Ollivander wondered as he twirled the wand in his hands. There were many reasons a wand after many years of a bond could reject its master, but these cases were rare. Sometimes a wielder had conflicting feelings. As a result, the wand slowly stopped working as a response to force its master to face his true deepest fears but the wand always sided with its master in those instances still. For Draco’s wand to have a new stance on the boy was strange even for the wand maker.

When the wand maker had the wand fully grasped inside his hand, Ollivander gasped, alarming everyone. Stunned at what he found, he almost dropped the wand but managed to save it from falling to the floor. This reaction from the wand maker captured everyone’s interest as Ollivander closed his eyes with so much sadness. A tear fell from the corner of his eyes the more he felt the wand.

Seeing Ollivander tear up, Draco shifted uncomfortably. Although he couldn’t explain it, the Slytherin felt exposed. The more Ollivander touched the wand the more Draco felt he was being undressed. The wand maker stripped every feeling and thought the wand and the boy shared until both bonds were naked. The old man heard the whispers coming from the wand. When the wand maker finally opened his eyes, Ollivander had streams of tears rolling down his cheeks as both his hands shook.

“You both have suffered greatly,” Mr Ollivander replied, causing the room to peer at the snake. Remus put his hand on Draco’s shoulder, squeezing it as he had suspected before what the wand maker saw. The day Draco playfully mocked the old werewolf that he could do wandless and wordless magic already at the age of 16, earlier than he did, Remus at that time guessed it was a gruesome violent act that helped Draco strengthen his bond with his wand. Because in truth be told, it wasn’t natural for a wizard to be proficient in both wandless and wordless magic at such a young age. Only a trauma so deep could strengthen a bond that quickly between the wand and wielder.

“Did you see the so-called wizard’s duel between Draco and Greyback through the wand?,” Remus asked.

The wand maker slowly nodded, “Yes, I saw everything. I felt everything. I heard the wand screaming for you when Tom Riddle stripped you of your wand. I heard your wand screaming when Greyback attacked you without it. Your wand screamed inside the hands of that monster as it was forced to watch you helplessly duel without it. I sensed it as your wand was violated inside his hands and as you were dying on the ballroom floor. It feels deep shame for failing its own master. That day not only changed you but it changed your wand, as well”.

The Slytherin took a step back as he glanced away. He shook his head, hoping to rid himself of that day as Ollivander explained further, “The wand was assaulted when it was forced to commit cruel acts on you every night by He Who Must Not Be Named when he tortured you. That summer wasn’t only traumatic for you, Draco. You have to understand that it scarred your wand deeply too. It was this core event that helped you both become one. It has tried to make it up to you ever since that day. This is why your bond strengthened at such an alarming rate, out of survival. It ensured by the end of summer you would become proficient in wandless and wordless magic. It helped every way it could to ensure you lived. It is one of the most loyal wands I have come across in all my 111 years of living”.

As the room went dead, the room’s occupants either avoided looking at Draco to prevent deepening the painful memories or looked at the werewolf with sympathy. After a few seconds of silence, Draco spoke wanting to break the ice inside the room. “I’m sorry but I don’t understand. If it’s still loyal to me, then why is it so distant with me”.

“I’m afraid your wand has retired, Mr Malfoy. The trauma the wand suffered is too great. But it is also because of the great bond you share, it wants to retire out of loyalty. It wants no more masters after you. Your wand will stop answering you once you reunite with your new wand. It will slowly fade out after you meet your other wand again, for it has served its full purpose. Its final purpose was to help you live”.

The group gasped as no one present had ever heard of a wand choosing to die out. They hadn’t known that was possible. Remus and Bill both leaned forward to hear more. The study of wand law was a closed practice to only a few families around the world. It was knowledge that was closed to the masses but wand making families as they often preferred to pass the knowledge to the next generation over inviting an outsider into their inner circle.

“My wand is dying?,” Draco whispered as a deep sadness came over him. Although he felt silly, it felt as if he was losing another loved one after the death of his mother and father Regulus. This wand was so special to him. It was the first he received as a boy. They had been together through the trenches. Draco owed his wand for being by his side all his life.

“Don’t worry. You can still get some use out of it before it burns out. It tells me it’s holding out until you reunite. It will stay by your side until the end,” replied the wand maker as he interrupted Draco’s thoughts. He observed the boy with deep grey eyes, reading every expression on the young werewolf’s face. After studying the boy’s wand, Mr. Ollivander had a guess about the boy. “You're the master of the Elder Wand. That's why you asked about this one because you already knew the elder wand is looking for you”.

Overjoyed and with the inability to read the room, Ron snapped his head to his friend, “Merlin! Please tell us it’s true, Draco. This changes everything. It’s the most powerful wand in the world and it’s yours! The Elder wand used Dumbledore as a broom to get to you!”. As Ron laughed, Hermione peered at Ron disapprovingly for mocking a dead man. Seeing the bright witch's disapproval, Ron crouched down in his seat. “Is that all you got out of this conversation? That Dumbledore was used as a broom by his own wand,” lectured Hermione with her arms crossed.

“I don’t hear any denial in your voice,” Ron fought back.

Exhausted, Harry gave a look to the duo that there were more important questions to answer. The chosen one cleared his voice, grabbing the attention of everyone once more. “Draco’s the wielder of the Elder wand. It answers to him. If we stick to what Mr Ollivander told us, Ron is right. This changes everything. We have the element of surprise. Tom thinks he’s dead. He’ll come for Snape instead since Snape was the one that killed Dumbledore in the end. He’s going to kill Snape to force the wand to ‘become’ his”.

Draco sighed, feeling the heavy burden of being the master of the Elder Wand. His chest felt as if someone was sitting on it as he processed everything they had all learned. “Yes, you're correct, but I didn’t know the wand was mine until now. When you spoke about wands longing for its master it got me thinking. You spoke how it was waiting for its true master until the moment was right. Then it all came back to me. That day on the astronomy tower I had my back turned. I had no intention of disarming Dumbledore. Why would I? I made up my mind. I was going to kill everyone but the old man. I went to the tower with the intention of dying. I had said my goodbyes and I was ready to be killed”.

“But you disarmed Dumbledore in the end,” Remus interjected as Draco confirmed, “Yes, I used Expelliarmus on the old fool. I heard a call and I answered. It’s hard to explain… but I felt a third presence aside from Hermione and Harry watching us from below. It was a call but it was so luring. It just felt so right to answer who was calling for me. After I disarmed the headmaster, someone was longing for me but it had to hide itself before it could claim me. At that point, I was too high off my own anger to really understand what was happening”.

The group were all amazed that a wand was able to call for the master it wanted. It had seen its future wielder years before his birth and waited in dormant for decades. There was so much the wizarding world didn’t know about the laws of wands. As Hermione jumped into the conversation, she was grateful for the knowledge Mr Ollivander was kind enough to share with.

Not knowing the next time a wand making family would ever be this open, Hermione took the opportunity to fish for more information. “From what we learned today, it sounds like wands are sentient beings, who can store memories and feelings like a history book? It has free will to serve its master but also the ability to fade itself out. It can make choices for itself as well as aid its master in his endeavors”.

“Yes, wands have a will of their own. My family has studied the field of wand law for centuries yet we haven’t even scratched the surface. There’s still so much we don’t know. The idea we have power over wands is an illusion. Wands are not accessories nor possessions to control. They create bonds out of love to those they deemed worthy of it and try their best to fulfill their master’s wishes. That is why Tom will never win this war. He and the Elder wand will never be one. The wand belongs to Draco. It has waited years for him and will wait more if it has too. A few months is nothing for the wand but I do wonder though”.

“You wonder what?,” asked Harry.

“How does Tom’s original wand feel? I am guessing he can never go back to using his old wand either. That’s why You Know Who was furious. He betrayed his current wand by using another. We can assume it has stopped answering him out of betrayal”.

“Wow, he wounded himself. Both wands have rejected him. We really have a chance to win this war, don’t we? We were always going to win it but now we all can see the end,” Draco responded.

Bill turned to Remus, the only other high ranking Order member. With everything they had learned, including Harry’s dream, this was too crucial of information not to do anything with it. If they informed Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, it could turn the tides because Draco was right. The end of the war was near. Everyone was suffering from exhaustion. Supplies were scarce. The soldiers at the border were losing the will to fight. The war had gone on too long. To tell what they learned would reignite the Order’s morals.

“Remus, what do we do now with this piece of information? We know the wand will fail for him as it did for the battle between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. History is repeating itself again. We can guarantee the Order that the wand will reject Tom when Harry has to confront you know who in the end,” asked Bill.

Remus rubbed his chin, trying to determine the next few steps. They had to be careful because the final days of war are what would decide the fate of everyone. “Well, first we have to inform Shacklebolt and Moody everything we learned today, including what happened at Lovegood’s and Malfoy’s homes. Once we’re all on the same page, we can start planning for the final battle. The children will proceed with going to Gringotts for the Horcrux. Once we destroy whatever is in the Lestrange Vault, Tom will certainly feel it and go to his last remaining Horcruxes. The last battle will be at Hogwarts. As for the vision about Draco’s…”.

Remus stalled not wanting to mention Draco’s death for fear that if he did the prophecy would become a self fulfilling prophecy. Instead, he changed the topic, “On the day of the final battle, we’ll have everyone on high alert. Only our inner circle will know that Draco is the master of the Elder wand”.

“If the final battle is to happen at Hogwarts, we’ll use the chance to retrieve a Basilisk fang from the Chamber of Secrets since we lost Gryffindor’s sword,” Hermione interjected with unease. She knew what Remus had almost said out loud but she also didn’t want to dwell on a vision that may or may not happen. With exhaustion overcoming him, Lupin turned to Bill, patting his shoulders, as he left to go upstairs, “I leave the planning of the break in of Gringotts over to you. I'll get some sleep before I head out and update Kingsley and Mad-eye”.

Bill turned to the children as he shifted his concern over to them all. Once all eyes were on him, Bill then snuck a glance towards the stairs, making everyone nervous. He whispered in a tone so only the people in the room could hear, “I’ll tell you everything you need to know to break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank. All the ins and outs but you need to be careful. Most curse breakers work for wizarding banks so I can tell you how to break curses on objects and the basics for disarming the alarm system but it will come at a cost”.

Seeing the alarm on Harry, Bill quickly explained, “Listen. You’ll have to make a deal with Griphook. He won’t just let you rob the bank from a vault that doesn’t belong to you. Goblins have a long bloody history with wizards dating back to the 16th century. Many goblins still hold grudges from the loss of the Goblin Rebellion. The war that prevented them from having a seat at the Ministry for equal rights and many more died during the first rise of You Know Who. They see him as a representative for all wizarding kind so many goblins aren’t open to us, as a result. They will always side with their own kind even when they're wrong. Whatever deal you all decide to make with Griphook, you must be exceptionally careful to live up to it. His kind won't be so forgiving, if you betray them”.

“We’ll use the Malfoy ring as a bargaining chip. He’ll take it. The Malfoy and Blacks have the finest 15th century goblin wrought silver. My ring won’t be a loss. It’s one of many. He would be mad not to open the Lestrange Vault for it. My ring dates back to the first Malfoy of our line. I can guarantee you that Griphook would be the richest being in the country, if he were to make a trade for it,” the young werewolf commented as he peered down his hand that lacked any ring.

“You can’t. We won’t let you. It’s your family's ring. The only thing you have left after the fire. We'll find another way. It’s all you have left of the Malfoy line,” Hermione responded as she turned down Draco’s offer. Although Draco hated Lucuis, Hermione could very much tell the Malfoy family ring meant so much to him but she knew he was as stubborn as her. The young werewolf had made up his mind already. Even if Draco had hard feelings of his disownment and disinheritance, it was a part of him. He wore it everyday religiously the first day of school, first year, until one day he had stopped wearing it.

“Hermione is right. We can’t let you. Besides based on what you said, you can sell it yourself to be the spoiled prince we all know you are,” urged Ron.

Draco showed off his hand with a bitter smile. “It’s fine. I still have the Black family ring. I can’t have it even if I wanted the Malfoy ring. The ring burns any family members who have been disinherited. Any children I have will be considered bastards to the Malfoy line and the ring will burn them too. It’s only a reminder of my old life. It only makes sense to give it to Griphook. Plus, we have nothing else to bargain with. We can’t afford not to use it”.

Bill turned to Draco, “Are you certain? You have to be absolutely sure because you can’t take back your words when you start the process of barging with a goblin. Once the deal is done between a goblin and a wizard, it’s magically binding by law. They are famously known to be cheats in the wizarding world. To a goblin, the rightful owner of any object is the maker not the purchaser. Therefore all goblin made objects are rightful theirs in the eye of a goblin. Griphook will see your ring as a win for his kind. A lost treasure returned back to his species”.

“I’m sure. And if we all go by your goblin knowledge, it’s not mine either to keep. The ring belongs to the heir to the Malfoy estate. This can be my last fuck you against my disownment. It’s just sitting inside Hermione's handbag collecting dust anyway”. The others peered at each one another. They all tried so hard to think of another way, but Malfoy was right. They had lost their belongings when the Death Eaters had taken them after the fall of the Lovegood house.

~

It was late afternoon when Draco woke up. Everyone had gone back to bed after they finished the conversation surrounding Gringotts. The Slytherin was the second to wake up. He knew this because as he passed the rooms the young werewolf could hear everyone still sleeping under the covers. While Draco walked downstairs, he saw it was Harry, who was alone in the living area. He looked at Harry up and down. The boy’s hair wasn’t messy nor did he have the sleepy face of somebody just waking up from bed. “Don’t tell me you never went back to bed. You've been up this whole time?”. As Draco said that sentence, Harry threw something at him. The werewolf caught the ball shaped item with ease as his animal instinct and eyesight zoned in on it.

“I couldn’t sleep after all that talk. The nightmare also didn’t make my bed appetizing to climb back into,” Harry explained.

The young werewolf studied what was inside his hand. His eyebrows rose curiously. It was the golden snitch. The one willed to Harry after Dumbledore’s death. He remembered Dumbledore had given Harry the first Golden Snitch he ever caught. While he rubbed the golden snitch with his thumb to awaken it up, the golden snitch opened up with its wing out, allowing it to float midair. Intrigued, Draco tickled the golden snitch as it came towards his face. “I can’t figure out what it means. We figured out the real usage of the Sword, the Deluminator, and the book after we all thought Dumbledore’s items were useless. I thought of everything it could be but nothing comes to mind”.

The Slytherin prince grabbed the golden snitch once more before throwing it back to Harry. “Catch”. With Harry’s quidditch reflexes, he caught it beautifully as if the two boys were back at the quidditch field. Harry couldn’t help but to think what it would be like to play quidditch again. It had been so long. Even longer for Draco as the boy skipped his 6th year to focus on his mission Tom had assigned to him.

“That’s because you have never been smart. There’s nothing going on in your empty mind. You’ve only gotten this far in life due to that Potter luck,” Draco teased as Harry snapped his head towards Draco. He muttered under his breath “Asshole” as he playfully threw back the snitch at the werewolf.

“In all seriousness, have you tried opening it? You have a bad habit of thinking too hard. It's all that second guessing everything that makes you fall behind Hermione and I in all our classes. It might be as simple as just opening to see what’s inside. LITERALLY. I can sense there’s more to it”.

“What do you mean you can sense something?,” Hermione questioned as she was walking down the stairs. She had overheard the boys talk and had decided to join them.

“The golden snitch feels weighted to me. I can also hear something trapped inside it with my werewolf hearing”.

Harry, who was laying flat on the couch, quickly got up. With pure excitement in his voice, he asked, “Wait, Really? Why haven’t you mentioned any before? We’ve had this golden snitch since September and now we’re going into March”.

The Slytherin’s mouth hung open at the question. He felt slight embarrassment as it never occurred to him to acquire more about Dumbledore’s items. The young werewolf tried to shrug it off but his red ears said otherwise as he said, “You never threw the snitch at me before. It’s my first time touching it”. As Draco threw the golden snitch back to the chosen one, Hermione joined them on the couch. “Merlin, I was going to make us all something to eat with the house waking up soon but now we have to figure out what’s in it. Do you mind if I touch it, Harry?,” the bright witch asked.

“Go ahead”.

Hermione hummed, trying to think back to every single reading material on Golden Snitches she had ever read. She sat on the couch, watching intently at the snitch before speaking up, “I was never interested in Quidditch. I find it incredibly dangerous and boring, but I had a short phase our first year reading everything I can about the sport to prove I can understand the inner works of Quidditch to Ron without flying”. The two boys chuckled at Hermione’s response as she went on, “But I do remember one thing about golden snitches, they have flesh memories”. She threw it back to Harry with the golden snitch now in a game of catch between the three teenagers.

“That still doesn’t help us. I’ve been touching it this whole time,” Harry complained as he rubbed it harder with both his thumbs. If the snitch hadn’t been important, Harry would have smashed it against the floor in a fit of rage long ago. Amused, Draco laughed, judging Harry harshly at this moment. “Wow, you're so simple minded. It’s hard to watch you. Have you ever thought about using your critical thinking skills?”. Over it, Harry glanced at Draco with clear annoyance while Hermione tilted her head in confusion. “This is the exact golden snitch from your first ever game, right? You never catched that particular snitch with your hands, remember. That golden snitch was nearly swallowed. I remember because I was fuming in jealousy that the already famous Harry Potter, survivor of the killing curse, not only was the youngest seeker player in a century but caught a golden snitch on his very first game”. The young werewolf rolled his eyes at the memory. Life was really unfair it seemed.

At the comment from Draco, Hermione and Harry stared at each other with realization. After months of trying to figure out the secret of the golden snitch, it really was as simple as that. Hermione softly nudged Harry, “Go on, Harry. Kiss it”. The couple held their breath waiting for anything to happen as the chosen one brought it to his lips, kissing the golden snitch gently. When nothing happened, Hermione and Draco sighed in disappointment. The golden snitch didn’t open after all but Harry had his eye on something on the object in hand. “I open at the close,” Harry read as he peered at both his friends in confusion. “That’s what it says. The words revealed themselves to us,” Harry explained as he showed them both what was found on the golden snitch.

Hermione scrunched up her nose in frustration that nothing had been solved. Instead, the mystery of the snitch grew more complex. “What’s that supposed to mean? I open at the close?,” she said with her arms crossed.

“Will you look at that? A riddle behind a hidden secret. Leave it to the old man to make a fool out of us AGAIN. He really made sure to leave this life torturmenting us one last time. How thoughtful of him,” Draco huffed sarcastically. This new development solidified his hatred for the former headmaster as the werewolf stood up, leaving Harry behind. “Come on love. Let’s make lunch. I’m starving”. He kissed Hermione on the lips as he passed her as well.

“You're not going to help me figure out this riddle?,” asked Harry in shock that they had given up that quickly.

“No. You’ll never get smarter, if we do all the work for you. Use that brain of yours. It needs to exercise more, but don’t worry. Dumbledore willed it to you. He trusted you enough to figure it out,” the snake snickered with his head thrown back in laughter.

“But it took me months to get this far and only with yours and Hermione’s help just now”.

Draco sighed, “Sorry but I won’t be of any help. I’m as stumped as you are. I open at the close, my ass. Like a fucking ghost, that old man had only made our lives harder since he died so I’m not going to even try to understand that idiotic riddle as pay back. Dumbledore should have remembered that we’re all hormonal short tempered teenagers with a limited attention span. It’s going to take us all forever. Hate to say this but we’re not solving that riddle today”.

Harry paused but accepted the snake’s answer, “Fair enough. I’m hungry anyways,” before throwing the golden snitch back in Hermione's bag as he went to the kitchen with the couple.

Chapter Text

The group stood on the sandy beach. The boys had a hand on a polyjuiced Hermione’s shoulder, waiting for Griphook to come. With a deep scowl painted on his face, Ron whispered to the others, “I don’t like the look on his face. Are you sure we can trust him?”. Sighing, Draco muttered under his breath, “We have no other choice. A deal is a deal even if it's a bad one. We might as well make use of our investment and prepare for the hit,” as Bill and Fleur stand in the background with worried expressions on their faces. Fleur, who just arrived, rubbed Bill’s back to calm down his nerves.

She whispered into his ears, “Don’t worry Bill. They’re all smart kids. They’ll be alright. They’ve made it this far on their own, haven’t they?”. As Bill held her hand tighter, he decided to say nothing despite every instinct telling him he needed to stop Ron from running into danger. Obtaining a Horcrux held priority over everything else. Finally arriving, the Goblin approached the group with a glare that could stab them.

With his patience wanning, Harry turned to Griphook, “We're relying on you. If you get us past the guard and into the Lestrange’s vault, the Malfoy ring is yours”.

“Let me see the ring. I want to see it before we go,” snickered the goblin in a menacing tone. There was a glint in his eye as his hands with claw-like nails reached for it. Despite no words exchanged, Hermione peered at Draco then at Harry nervously as Draco pulled out a folded handkerchief. Forcing his hands, the young werewolf unfolded the handkerchief with care to show the Malfoy ring as he was fearful of getting burned.

Allowing the sun to showcase the ring, the sunlight made it sparkle. Griphook hungrily gazed at the ring. His mouth salivated before he lunged forward to steal it but not before Draco pulled it back. The snake grumbled, shoving the handkerchief back into his pocket as he shouted, “Get your hands off my ring! It's still mine until you hold true to your words. You know better than all of my friends here how much this ring really is worth, so I better see profit out of our temporary partnership”.

Anger spilled out from him as Griphook snarled at the werewolf. Offended at the children’s doubt, the goblin replied, “I have never broken a magical contact with a magical wizard before. You will bypass the guards and break into the vault. I promise it, on my kind”. Before Draco or the others could fight back, the goblin grabbed onto Hermione, apparating them out of Tinworth, Cornwall.

~

Their stomachs flipped as the group arrived at the entrance of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Ron and Draco dressed up like death eaters, wearing black robes with a silver skull mask to hide their identities. Harry hid under the invisible cloak with Griphook on his back as the boys tried to gather themselves. “Remember, just as we practiced. Act like the elites of high society, not your typical peasant selves,” whispered Draco in a serious tone, with no hint of ill intent. This time he meant it as genuine advice though the delivery of it was off. The Slytherin looked ahead with a mixed look of determination and worry.

Next to him, Hermione strolled like Bellatrix just as she practiced the night with Draco the night before. With a fast course on Pureblood etiquette completed last night, Hermione walked to the front desk. Her heels clicked against the floors, emphasizing how powerful her steps were. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

The goblin, sitting on the side desk, peered up. Disturbed by the slow clicking of her heels, he whispered in hushed tones to his colleague next to him. Seeing the fear her polyjuiced form had created, Hermione raised her chin up, soaking it all in and used it as fuel to become Bellatrix. She smirked with playful intentions before peering over to Draco, who was walking beside her. Her strange actions grabbed Draco’s attention as he also felt a mischievous mood coming from his witch. As she leaned against his arm, Hermione placed a peck on the mask’s cheek.

“Stop! You're freaking me out. People are looking and you look hideous!” a disgusted Draco shouted in a low tone. The boy had to fight the urge to push Hermione to the floor, who currently appeared like his aunt.

The witch wiggled her eyebrows as they all walked together, “What am I not allowed to kiss my dear husband”. She was enjoying teasing Draco. She assumed this wasn’t out of character for Draco’s aunt, as she settled into being Bellatrix. From what she heard, the woman despised her husband. There was a possibility that Bellatrix would cheat on her marriage out in the open, Hermione told herself as she continued to mess with Draco.

“Definitely not while looking like that,” the snake pulled away as the fake Bellatrix threw her head back in laughter, scaring the rest of the goblins. Hermione was way too into this, Draco thought to himself while wiping his mask clean.

Anxious, Ron spilled out, “I'm with Draco. Please stop. I think I’m going to be sick. Our luck is going to run out and we’re going to get caught”. Watching Draco and Hermione make a joke out of this while their lives were on the line, Ron gave into the hopelessness of the mission. This wasn’t a time for games.

As an invisible Harry walked up from behind, he interjected, trying to get everyone’s focus back, “Come on. Front desk is this way”.

Hermione strolled to the front desk of the bank teller with a pep in her step. When the goblin before her did not notice the group, she slammed her palm against the desk as she yelled, “I wish to enter my vault!”. Still, the bank teller remained where he was, continuing to work on his papers. He didn't care at all. No mere witch could scare the goblin into speeding on the work they had to do. Who did this human think they were?

After the fall of the British Ministry of Magic, Voldemort had made a deal with all the goblins at Gringotts. For every death of a wizard or witch, they could keep whatever Goblin Silver or valuables were inside the vault's and in exchange Voldemort received all the gold left behind to fund his war. Anyone among the goblins, who opposed Voldemort’s cause, were sent to the rehabilitation center. With the wizarding bank on the brink of collapsing upon itself, those who sided with Voldemort only did so to hold up what was left of it. Voldemort had been threatening to seize enemies assets and wizarding accounts to get his way, which included all who supported the Order.

Frightened they would be the sole reason why the Order lost due to the Dark Lord’s threats, the goblins negotiated to freeze all foreign monetary exchanges with other ministries overseas and specific accounts of interest for Voldemort, which was what happened to the Black and Potter estate. These vaults had been seized by the state to protect all other vaults from going into the hands of Voldemort. Once the wizard or witch died, their wealth would also go to the state which was under the control of the Dark Lord.

“Identification,” the bank teller replied in a neutral tone. Hermione took advantage of who she was at the moment, using her wand’s magic to slam close the book and forcing the goblin to peer up at her. “I hardly think that's necessary," replied Hermione with a snarl. The goblin, alarmed by his book slamming on itself, studied Bellatrix, the deadliest Death Eater around. Indifferent, he blinked as time passed. Hermione began to doubt if she had spoken until the creature finally responded to the witch, “Madam”.

“Hurry up, you damn goblin! I don’t like to be kept waiting!,” Hermione hissed at the bank teller yet the globin moved with such a slowness, the bright witch did not need to fake her annoyance at the sloth-like bank teller. She burned a hole in the goblin’s skull. Hermione did not have a vault at Gringotts thus it was her first time interacting with them in such a capacity. The only time she came to Diagon Alley was to exchange muggle money but that was done at various shops throughout the location.

As he organized his papers across the desk, the goblin asked, “Madam LeStrange, would you mind presenting your wand and key?”. Taking a deep breath, slammed Bellatrix’s wand against the desk without the LeStrange family key. She prayed that her actions and the wand would be enough to trick the teller.

Meanwhile, Ron peered around the bank for an escape in case their plan fell through. As he counted the number of guards and goblins, the redhead noticed a Pureblood leaving the establishment with his house elf. His eyes landed on the house elf, capturing the boy’s full attention. Ron watched the elf closely before looking back at Draco. With his eyes going between the two, an idea formed. Ron was grateful his mask was hiding his snicker but a chuckle slipped out from his lips. Quick on his feet, the Slytherin pinched Ron’s side, reminding the boy to behave.

With their attention back on Hermione, she snapped back in a cold icey voice, “And why would I do that? I’m Bellatrix LeStrange. I don’t need any Identification. My presence should be enough”.

“Well, madam it’s the bank's policy,” the goblin tried to reason with the witch but stopped as the witch made a displeased expression, eyeing the bank teller up and down. “I don’t have to listen to you. You're below me”. Hermione summoned the goblin with Bellatrix’s wand, lifting him from his seat over to their side. Grabbing the goblin’s tie, she whispered into his ears, “Get me inside my vault. Now, if you know what’s good for you. How dare you question your master in front of other Purebloods. Do you want my lap dogs behind me to send you to the rehabilitation center?”.

A long pause filled the room. All the goblins, who had seen Bellatrix and her two Death Eaters walk in, waited to see what the head bank teller would do. After all, it was him, who was profiting out of others' demise. It was the head bank teller, who was taking the valuables inside the vaults for himself as the rest tried to stop a financial collapse. “Right this way, Bellatrix LeStrange”.

As the group followed the bank teller, Draco leaned over to Hermione, whispering half offended but half attracted, “Lap dog?”. He was surprised that she had called him a lap dog so publicly. The golden girl glanced at Draco, apologetically mouthing the words, “Sorry” but grinned realizing her husband was not at all offended. Feeling on top of the world in this body, she held her head high, putting a good distance between all guards at the hall and their group. As a chance opened, an invisible Harry quickly whispered “Imperio” into the bank teller’s ears, ensuring the ride down underground would go smoothly.

~

Accompanied with the two goblins, the children rode in the mining cart. Griphook drove the cart while the hypnotized bank teller sat in the back, enjoying the ride down to the riches of vaults. With an empty stare, the bank teller hummed and kicked his feet. The mining cart darted forward as the winds hit against everyone's faces, making it hard to see without squinting. Hermione’s hair was a jumbled mess, getting in the way as her hair slapped against her face.

To the side of her, Draco leaned his head back, taking in the various scents coming into his nostrils. He closed his eyes, soaking in the ride. The werewolf made a mental note that once the war was over he should consider getting back into quidditch. Ron, on the other hand, had lost his Death Eater mask when he first got onto the cart from the sheer force of the speed.

Like the Slytherin, Ron also enjoyed the ride but for a different reason. This was his first time at both Gringotts and the mining carts down to the vaults. For the boy, the Weasley family was too impoverished to meet the bare minimum of having a vault at Gringotts. His family did have a vault for a short time but after their trip to Egypt, his father had spent everything for it.

Left with no choice and never financially recovering after the trip, the Weasley family closed their account. With eyes full of awe, the red head peered around as he took in the hundred vaults from the rich. After a few minutes on the mining cart, Draco snapped his head once they all passed a certain ground level, catching the attention of Ron. Seeing the young werewolf no longer entertained by this Gringotts ride, Ron tilted his head in curiosity. What was the snake doing looking at the bottomless caves down below? Draco mumbled under his breath as he counted every level they passed.

Ron shouted against the winds, wondering what had caught Draco’s attention, “What’s wrong?”.

With furrowed eyebrows, Draco screamed as he complained to Ron, “I can't fucking believe this! The LeStrange vault is further down than both the Black and Malfoy vaults! The Black is vault is 711 and the Malfoy’s vault is 105. Anything below us should be the wealth of the corporations or ministries. That's not fair! No way all that gold isn't money laundering. I should be the richest among all the Purebloods”. He crossed his arms in frustration.

“You spoiled Slytherin! Are you really complaining about vault locations? My family doesn’t even have an account at Gringotts. Our money is under my mother’s mattress,” Ron spat in a judgemental tone. In disbelief, he peered at Hermione almost as if he was asking her if this was really the person she chose to be with.

Unable to help himself, Harry grinned, “I don’t think you're even in this bank Draco with your disinheritance. Out of the three of us, you're currently the poorest,” as Draco grabbed his chest in pain at what he was reminded of. “No! My heart! I can’t live in poverty like a peasant! I was born to be rich! I’ll get it all back, if it's the last thing I do!”.

Now playing along, Ron added, “I can’t believe I lived long enough to be richer than a Malfoy,” stabbing Draco’s ego one last time.

Hermione, who was ignoring them all, saw the obstacle ahead of them. Just as Bill had described, there was a waterfall hanging over the train tracks. This waterfall was known as the Thief’s Downfall. This far below underground, the water’s purpose was to wash away any enchantments and magical concealments. Bill had warned the group not to let the water hit them. Their magical properties would derail the mining carts to prevent them, the thieves, from going further and fall to their deaths.

“Shut it! Look down there. It’s the waterfall Bill warned us about,” pointed Hermione as she scolded the boys behind her. The witch watched the boys struggle to reach for their wands inside their pockets as the mining cart sped towards a levitated train track. They were heading upwards towards a hill sized track. “Hurry, it’s going to sound the alarm system!”. When the cart went faster as it descended, the mining cart shook from the vibration of the rush, causing its occupants to hold. They failed to reach for any wand.

“Griphook, pull the leaver! We're going too fast!,” shouted Harry as he and the others failed to bring out their wands. To add to the heightened mood, when the goblin reached for the leaver and pulled, it did not work.

Ron, frightened, held on to the rails of the mining cart. “Now we really did it. This time for sure we’re getting caught”.

“I have an idea! Everyone let go of the rails!,” yelled the Slytherin. It was the craziest idea he ever had up to date. “These Gryffindors were rubbing on him,” Draco thought to himself. The young werewolf closed his eyes tight, trying to reconnect with his dying wand once more. He had been struggling to do wandless magic ever since coming back from Ireland. Now that he knew why from Mr Ollivander, he pleaded to his wand, asking for help. Draco held onto his knees while whispering to himself, “Please, old friend. Don’t fail me now”.

Everyone's seats started to shake forcefully, scaring all those in the cart. “What are you doing?,” questioned Harry, but he went ignored. When Draco, who was still closing his eyes, felt a shiver down his spine the werewolf knew it was from his wand that alerted him. “Alarte Ascendare!”.

Suddenly the group and the two goblins were vaulted into the air like a rocket into the open. The mining cart left them all as it continued down its descent under the waterfall. The children screamed in horror, thinking they were all about to fall to their deaths. “DRACO YOU IDIOT!,” screamed Hermione. The wind picked up, blustering against everyone's skin as the wind howled into their ears. Draco waited until they were about to hit the ground to yell, “ARESTO MOMENTUM!”. Gasps were heard as the group made a sudden stop inches from the floor. The spell wore off, dropping the kids and the two goblins safely onto the ground.

Draco was the first to get up, dusting off the dirt off his robes, “Shit, that was still scary the second time,” thinking of his time when he fell off the tower. He peered up at the cave. Success. The alarm system was still off. As the empty mining cart went through the thief’s downfall, there was no one inside to trigger the alarm.

Angry and shaken, Harry got up and walked over to Slytherin, “That was your brilliant plan! You could have warned us!”.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?! The alarm is still off!”.

Weasley pushed Harry aside grabbing the snake himself, “You suicidal manic! You're just as bad as Harry! You could have killed us! Was falling from the astronomy tower not enough for you?”.

“But I didn’t kill us, Ronald! Look around. We're all breathing, aren’t we? I bought us time. They won’t be looking for us anytime soon. You two babies should be thanking me”.

Hermione, shakened by her near death experience, took a big breath in and released it. She wanted to be mad at Draco for not warning them but they had a mission to finish. Making a mental note, Hermione decided to scold Draco later for not at least telling her. She couldn’t get too upset because he was right. He had bought them time, which was worth so much now.

The golden girl calmly walked over to the two goblins, “Griphook, is there any way out of here?”. The hypnotized goblin swung his arms around. The Imperius curse was still active as he didn’t feel a flinch when they had almost fallen to their deaths.

“No. The carts are the only way to get around and back up to the surface,” grumbled a furious Griphook. He glared at Draco while he answered at Hermione.

“Great, now what do we do? We’re stuck down here," complained a worried Harry.

Draco, sensing the anger from the goblin, growled at him, “No, isn’t an answer, Griphook. You and your little goblin friend over there are GOING to find us a way out if you want your precious ring from me”.

Snapping back, Griphook replied, “I said, I’ll get you all into the vault. I never said anything about getting you all out. That part of the mission is your problem to figure out”.

“What!,” the Golden Trio shouted at the same time.

“WHY YOU SNEAKY LITTLE SHIT HEAD! I’m losing my family ring. Don’t you dare back out on me! You're getting us all out,” the werewolf snarled with his teeth all out. Griphook jumped back in temporary fear as he watched Draco teeth grow in.

Hermione jumped in front of the Goblin to stop her husband, “Draco, I know how mad you are. I am too but we still need Griphook. We don’t have your aunt’s family key”. She sighed as Draco’s teeth were going back in. “Griphook is right. We asked him to get us all in the vault. We forgot to mention in our deal to get us out. Bill had warned us. We only have ourselves to blame”.

Ron had a frown, watching the interaction between Draco and Griphook. Hermione was right. Bill told them to negotiate with him carefully. They were known as cheats in the wizarding world. He thought back to their dealing, analyzing the wording of it.

“We don’t need Griphook. We’ll find a way out ourselves. We always do,” Hermione continued as she tried to give a comforting smile at Draco. The werewolf held himself back from his revulsion. Hermione, still in her polyjuice form, was freaking him out but he sensed Hermione’s aura and accepted the smile. He needed to feel Hermione at the moment and this would do. She always knew how to make him feel better. Just as Draco was about to thank his witch, a roar came from depths of the cave, catching everyone’s attention.

At the noise, the group turned in that direction. “That doesn’t sound too good,” Ron muttered.

Harry walked down a path that was nearby, as he led everyone, “Come on, this way. We can’t waste the time Draco got us. We’re still a long way from reaching the LeStrange vault”.

“And you're following the roar?,” Ron asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” answered Harry. Draco, not questioning the chosen one, followed him alongside the two goblins. This left just Hermione and Ron to follow.

Hermione passed a stunned Weasley, rubbing his arm tenderly. “Close that mouth of yours. Is it really a surprise? Nothing goes according to plan ever. Our plan always ends up being no plan”.

The group walked towards the direction of the roar, only to find a sleeping dragon. He snoozed despite them entering his territory. Malnourished, his ribs cage could be seen as the dragon breathed in and out. “Bloody hell, that’s a Ukrainian Ironbelly! My brother Charlie has told me everything there is to know about dragons,” said Ron.

Griphook was the first to approach the area of the sleeping Dragon, who was now wide awake. He walked over to a box nearby as he grabbed a rattle. The goblin gave the second rattle over to Ron but not before the redhead asked, “I gotta be honest. I was expecting a fiery and fierce beast. It’s too tiny to be a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Is it another species?”.

Before the group could react, the dragon cocked its head as it peered at Draco in curiosity. Wanting a closer look, the beast leaned forward, smelling the werewolf and spraying mucus on the boy in the process. Not wanting to offend a dragon that could eat him, Draco stayed frozen. The Dragon opened its mouth as it inhaled the Slytherin Prince’s scent. Even despite the intense heat coming from the creature’s mouth with sparks of fire flying, Draco did not feel it. Beside him, Hermione gasped at the dragon’s teeth as it was her height. One wrong move, they could be burned to a crisp.

“What a strange dragon. I wonder if being in the cave for so long is messing with its mind. It’s strangely calm around you, Draco. Charlie says dragons don’t like wizards or any magical creatures for that matter. Their solitary animals who only interact with their own. It’s why being a dragon’s keeper is a high skill and dangerous job,” Ron commented as he peered at the creature who seemed to have taken a liking to Draco. It seemed the dragon was on the verge of rubbing its head up against the snake before the goblin walked up to it.

“Don’t move. I’ll take care of this monster. And yes, it’s a Ukrainian Ironbelly”. Without any warning, Griphook shook the rattle, scarring the dragon.

The sickly beast screamed in terror as he backed away from the group. When the dragon moved away, the children came to a realization as they saw the poor condition the dragon was forced to live in. The dragon was shackled to the floor by a heavy chain. The shackles were tight that they cut into his hind legs and neck, leaving it all bloody and raw. As the dragon moved away, it showed itself under the sunlight, allowing the others to see how pale and sickly it was. Its scales were dry. The eyes of the beast were also discolored, making Hermione wonder if it was partially blind. His face was scarred, making the witch believe it had endured whipping.

Griphook shook the rattle with a huge grin, enjoying the pain it was causing the dragon. “It’s been trained to expect pain when it hears the noise”. Hearing this, Ron dropped his rattle that had been given to him by the goblin, seeing the dragon cry in pain.

Hermione, who was no longer under her Bellatrix LeStrange disguise as it wore off on climb down from where they fell, told Griphook with so much sadness in her eyes, “That’s barbaric and cruel! You all outta be ashamed of yourself”. She no longer had the restraint to not judge Griphook or the goblins at the bank. After Griphook showed his true colors earlier with Draco, she tried making excuses for the goblin. The witch even soothed Draco’s feelings on losing his ring, but finding abuse on another dark magical creature was where she drew the line. She would not tolerate the goblin anymore.

Griphook snapped his head at the girl but held his tongue for they were very close to the vault. Soon the ring would be all his. Trying to gently hold Hermione back, Harry noted the anger in the golden girl's eyes, but it was too late. Hermione, not caring anymore about protecting the goblin from Draco, pushed further, “I hope you're proud of yourself. Not only are you a cheat but an abuser too. Once the war is over, I’ll be the first to stand outside Gringotts for dragon’s rights. This is outrageous! As the founder of S.P.E.W, I can positively guarantee you're breaking so many rights and laws right now”.

Sensing her anger bubbling over, Draco pulled Hermione to the side. He rubbed her arms up and down, helping her calm down as he told her, “There’s no use in arguing with a grumpy goblin. Trust me, I’ve seen Lucius too many times lose an argument against them over Goblin Silver”.

Hermione had a frown as she folded her arms in frustration. He was right but it didn’t make her feel any better. Draco saw the devastation as she looked back at the dragon so he made a promise to her. “Listen once I find a way to become the richest wizard again. I’ll be the first investor to fund all your equal rights projects”. This cracked a smile on Hermione’s frown. She found Draco’s determination to be rich again both endearing and hilarious. “Fine, but we’re coming for everyone. Me and you against the wizarding world. Including the Ministry for the treatment of Werewolves. I’m taking them all down”.

“I expect nothing less from you,” said Draco with a smile.

“We’re here!,” shouted Harry from a distance. The couple ran over to the two boys. Since the gang didn’t have a family vault key, it was up to the goblin to do their end of the bargain. They waited in anticipation at the thought of another Horcrux inside that room. As Griphook went to the front of a gigantic door of the LeStrange Vault, he forcibly grabbed his happy yet hypnotized colleague and laid his hand out flat on the door. Clicks and metal pipes could be heard, moving around behind the vault doors. As it opened widely for the group, the metal door creaked loudly into the large cave system. Harry was about to enter the vault but Griphook went in front of the chosen one, stopping the boy and his friends from entering.

“I did my part, now it’s your turn to hold your promise”. The goblin stretched his hand out, waiting for his ring. When the group paused from the rude attitude the goblin was giving, he shouted again, “Give me the damn Malfoy ring!”.

Malfoy walked slowly toward the goblin. Every footstep was heavy for the werewolf. It felt wrong to give his ring away, but a deal was a deal. Griphook had taken them this far even if he omitted the fact he wasn’t going to help them get out. As Malfoy reached for the ring wrapped in a handkerchief inside his pocket, he put the wrapped ring between his thumb and pointer finger before giving it away. Griphook grinned as if he was a large child receiving a Christmas present, but his grin was wiped away when he saw Draco struggling to hand it over. Regret unexpectedly came over the boy as the werewolf and goblin were both holding the ring in a tug of war.

It should have been a done deal but the moment he let Griphook touch his ring. He realized he didn’t in fact want to give it away. Yes, he was disinherited and the ring burned him, but it was HIS family ring. It was part of him. This ring was a piece of his family history. It was proof of the longevity of the Malfoy family. The ring represented how they had survived thousands of years and generations inside the wizarding world before Lucius caused the downfall of their family. It had the name of what was once of the greatest wizarding family on the ring, Malfoy. The Slytherin couldn’t give his ring away. It was his to have!

“Draco….” Harry said with clear sadness in his voice. Harry didn’t want to say plainly, give it away, since they did need the horcrux in the vault so he delicately said his friend’s name. It was strange for Harry to witness. It made him appreciative of all the sacrifices all his friends were making. Hermione lost her parents, Ron’s whole family in the war were separated, and now Draco was essentially giving away the last part of his identity for him.

“Draco…..”.

The young werewolf held on to the ring until his fingernails were white. Giving a deep, Draco finally gave the ring to Griphook when Hermione put her hand on his lower back. Overjoyed, the goblin snatched the ring away, immediately complaining under his breath before walking over towards the cursed goblin. “It’s alright. Everything will work out for us,” whispered Hermione as she kissed his temple. He was glad Hermione was back to normal and the polyjuice potion had worn off. He really needed to see the real Hermione.

The four stayed silent, waiting for Draco to move. When the snake collected himself, he joked with a bitter smile, “I know what will make me feel so much better. A room full of gold. Let’s go and get that Horcrux”.

When the gang entered the vault, it revealed a gold filled room from the floor to the ceiling. The room had to be the size of two quidditch fields. The LeStrange vault had mountains of gold waiting for them inside. The gold inside the vault was lighting the whole room alone as some light hit it. There was everything you could think of inside such as gold coins, gold bricks, ancient treasures, jewels, diamonds, and even limited edition robes and dresses worth a single Wizarding home. The wealth made the golden trio stop and gaze at it while Draco remained unimpressed but noted the size of the room. The treasure in the room was organized in rows and aisles. One could easily get lost inside the vault.

Three of the four children’s mouths were dropped to the floor except Draco. He had forgotten about what happened moments ago. With hands around his back, he analyzed the gold with furrowed brows. The spoiled prince mumbled under his breath for no one to hear but him, “Definitely money laundering. There’s no way they could be this rich”. He did not notice as Hemrione and Harry walked away from him on their way to find the Horcrux. It would take some time to find it with a room this large, the duo used Lumos to light their way into aisles of gold. Draco, on the other hand, made his way through the treasure in a different route than the golden trio, disappearing among the golden hills.

“Remember what Bill said. All vaults like this one are enchanted. We have to break the curse before starting our search for that Horcrux,” Ron reminded everyone.

Hearing what Ron had said, Hermione walked over to a random part of the room. She took out her wand and used a Revelio spell, one that was used among curse breakers. Just as Bill taught them how, the revelio spell succeeded in identifying the curse. “We have to be careful. The room has been cursed under a protection spell. Everything here is cursed with a Flagrante and Gemino spell. If we touch anything without breaking it, everything we touch will multiply and burn us until we’re all crushed by hot metal”.

Harry swallowed hard as he responded back to the witch, “Well, that’s one way to go out. They definitely took precautions to protect that Horcrux”.

“Luckily for us, we won’t be roasted. Bill gave each of us a fast course on curse breaking. You all remember how to, right?,” asked Hermione as the two boys nodded yes.

Ron spoke up this time, “What do you think this Horcrux looks like, Harry?”.

“Don’t know. It could be anything really. So far, I can’t think of a connection to relate all the Horcrux we found so far”. Hermione and Harry joined together in the hunt to find the Horcrux. They broke any curses they needed to avoid touching anything while the duo drove deeper in the vault. They were so focused on breaking down so many curses they didn’t notice Ron wasn’t behind them.

Meanwhile, Draco found himself on the opposite side of the vault. The sneaky snake looked behind him, making sure no one was around before breaking the curse on everything in the area. Once the curse was broken, he picked up a sword made of goblin silver. It wasn’t as rare as the Gryffindor sword. It appeared to be just a random sword, but it was rarer than anything in the market right now. He slid his fingers against the clean steel sword, suspecting the sword was from the 17th century, the 2nd Goblin Rebellion. The snake smudged fingers together as he told himself, “Those shameless dirty rats, taking advantage of a civil war. The LeStranges got rich from robbing all those goblins. That’s how they made their riches. Why didn’t the Malfoy’s think of this first. How embarrassing”. Shaking his head, he reached down to grab a diamond before pocketing it.

“Good thing I don’t have any shame either. There’s nothing like washing away all your troubles with more gold,” Draco said out loud. The werewolf pulled out Hermione’s handbag. Before they all had come, he offered to carry her bag using the excuse a good gentleman never lets his lady carry their belongings. The sneaky snake had already planned on robbing Gringotts the moment the group alerted him they needed to break in for one single Horcrux.

In a rush of all the excitement, he bagged all the nearby gold inside the enchanted purse. Grabbing handfuls of gold, some was falling to the ground from the large amount he held so the werewolf used his both arms to drag the gold into the bag instead. On the lookout, he kept peering back in case the golden trio came looking for him. Certainly those goodie two shoes would make him put it all back. Those three were too Gryffindor for their own good. Doing everything they believed was right.

“This was for the good of the group,” the Slytherin told himself. He was only obtaining the commission the golden trio rightly deserved for their service of ending Voldemort on behalf of the Wizarding world. Saving the Wizarding World for the greater good came at a cost. Like Lucius had told him all his youth, nothing is free in life. While he was in the middle of picking a ring from a collection of engagement rings he found, he grinned, “I can finally give my love a ring she deserves. This one would do”. The Slytherin Prince lifted the ring towards the light to see it better. However, his excitement didn’t last long as he heard someone behind him. On guard, Draco grabbed his sword from his belt and swung to the direction of noise, pointing the tip only to see it was Ron.

Draco dropped the sword looking guilty as ever as he noticeably hid Hermione’s handbag behind his back. Caught red handed, the werewolf was at a loss of words as he tried to come up with a way to explain himself but nothing came to mind. He couldn’t read what Ron was thinking. The redhead had a facial expression of betrayal. Draco had never felt so embarrassed. Of course, this was a horrible idea. Not only did he shame himself but judging from Ron’s reaction he had betrayed the trust the Golden Trio had given him.

Ron walked over to the werewolf, folding his arms together, as he asked about Draco’s crime. “Are you really window shopping at a time like this?”. Ron waited for an answer but nothing came out of Slytherin. The redhead judged the boy harder. He couldn’t believe Draco would do this. As Ron waited for an explanation, Draco had decided to stay quiet before confusion set in. With a huge smile on Ron’s face, the redhead said, “How could you do this to me? Going window shopping without me. Unforgivable!”. Returning back a wolfish grin, the snake shook hands with Ron, agreeing to a life of thefts.

“You start breaking curses as I come behind you. We can rob this whole back section of the room, if we work together,” Draco advised. One after the other, they broke any curse they came upon. Ron was using the spell Bill had taught them as Draco bagged everything. “Wait, you're moving too fast for me,” Ron exclaimed in a stressed tone. Draco glanced at the redhead as he continued, “Since we broke the enchantment on this pile, do you think we can just accio everything into the bag?”.

“There’s only one way to find out”.

Draco pulled his wand out and to both of their astonishment it worked. They shared another snicker before getting back to work. In no time, with the accio spell, they had emptied out half the room on their side. As Ron went to pick up Hermione's hand purse from the ground, it wasn’t lifting. “Hey! I need help. It’s too heavy”.

“What do you mean it’s too heavy? It has a weightless charm on it,” Draco declared. He went to investigate the handbag to confirm the weight of the bag himself. Indeed Ron was correct. The Slytherin lifted the bag, using his werewolf strength but he fell right back down on the floor.

“Crap, it’s too heavy,” a worried Ron muttered to himself.

“Nonsense, this is an easy fix. I’ll just make all the gold inside the bag weightless. Weightless gold for weightless bag”.

“Brilliant! I would have panicked and never thought of that”.

After solving their issue, the handbag was easy to shovel back into Draco’s robes. The boys shared another look of contentment. A job well done. With their arms over each other's shoulders, the two appeared proud as if they had won the quidditch cup. “That fixes our family’s problems, Ron. Mine disinheritance and your poverty. Who would have thought it would be a pleasure to rob a bank with a Weasley”.

Holding back a laughter, Ron responded, “Who would have known when Malfoy and Weasley joined together, they make one good team”.

~

Hermione and Harry searched through the aisles with no success. “Maybe we should move to another area. Can’t you hear Horcruxes too? If you're not hearing anything, then it’s not in this section”.

“You're right. It looks like Draco and Ron have that side. We should go this way”. The duo went deeper into the vault until they reached the very back of the room.

“Wait! I can feel it,” Harry said to Hermione as his finger went up to signal to stay quiet. They paused and listened together. While Hermione heard nothing, Harry could hear a ringing. He followed the noise, letting it ring louder and louder as they got closer. When he felt like he walked close enough, Harry peered around, trying to see what among the gold could this Horcrux be. After all, they still couldn’t figure out what did the Horcruxes have in common. It could be anything. While he was lost in thought, his eyes caught a shiny golden cup.

“That’s it! Right there!”.

Hermione ran over, breaking the curses around the area of the Horcruxes. It took a while to break the curse on everything since it was on the very top of the shelf away from reaching hands. “Okay, I think I cleared out everything. Try calling it now”.

Harry stepped forward, blocking Hermione’s view, as he approached the Horcrux. “Accio Horcrux”. The golden cup flew over to the chosen one’s hand, bringing a smile to the boy's face. “We got another one! We’re this much closer to taking him down”.

Hermione cheered as the witch finally got a good look on the golden cup. Her eyes linger on the cup a little longer than Harry realizing it oddly appeared familiar. She paused, thinking where she had seen it. Harry caught on, and asked, “What?”.

“Let me get a closer look at it,” she explained as she held the cup. The shiny golden cup had two wrought handles on either side. On the surface of the cup was a badger engraved. The badger clicked everything for the bright witch. It was the animal of the Hufflepuff. This cup could only be one thing. “It’s the Hufflepuff cup! I knew I recognized it somewhere. I saw it inside my book, Hogwarts: a history. It has a whole chapter about the founder of the Hufflepuff house, Helga Hufflepuff”.

Harry pondered on that until he came upon a conclusion. “Hufflepuff cup? That can’t be a coincidence. We both found the Salazar Slytherin locket and now the Hufflepuff cup. You don’t think the next one is something related to Ravenclaw?”.

“That’s interesting. We’ve found 3 famous artifacts relating to the founders of Hogwarts. If the sword didn’t only show to those who deserve it, I’m betting it would have become a Horcrux too. The next one has to be the Ravenclaw Diadem. It wouldn’t be so far-fetched for Tom to have tainted the founder's artifact to feed his own ego or show how powerful of a wizard he is,” Hermione muttered to herself as the dots were connecting.

“Let’s find Draco and Ron. We can talk about this when we’re not in the middle of robbing Gringotts. We still have to find a way out”.

“Right! This isn’t a good time to discuss it,” Hermione responded back as she put the Hufflepuff cup inside her robes before running alongside Harry.

Hermione, who was still unaware of the trouble the two brain cells had gotten into, glanced through the aisles for Draco and Ron. It wasn’t more than a few minutes in their search for the two boys when the alarm for the bank went off. The candles and lights went red to match the sounds of the alarms. An announcement echoed inside the caves. “INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! ALL EXITS AND ENTRANCES HAVE BEEN BLOCKED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! PROCEED WITH FOLLOWING ALL PROTOCOL! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!”. Out of time, the duo ran to the entrance of the vault. They’re eyes searched frantically for the other two. Hermione turned around every few steps to make sure she also didn’t lose Harry in the maze that the vault was.

As she turned to check on Harry, she screamed out of fright when she bumped into something. She rubbed her knees from the hit she took when she fell down. When the bright witch peered at who she ran into, it was Draco and Ron. It didn’t take the witch long to realize they had done something really bad. They had guilt plastered over their faces. Draco wouldn’t look at her directly. “What have you boys done! I can see it on your faces. You set the alarm off, didn’t you?,” she screamed over the alarm.

In a panic, Draco and Ron peered at each other, afraid to admit what they were up to. Luckily for two brain cells, Harry jumped in to save them, “There's no time! We’ll deal with them later. The goblins are coming with reinforcements!”.

The group found a column to hide behind while the guards were a level above them. When Draco peeked out to see how many there were, he saw Griphook was the lead as a security team consisted of 30 wizards and goblins. Griphook had an expression of pure fury, when Draco connected eyes with him. Griphook pointed to the werewolf as he screamed into the air, “YOU! GET HIM! I WANT HIM DEAD!”. One of the guards shot a spell at the werewolf, almost hitting Draco, if he hadn’t leaned back on the column in time.

“We're outnumbered. Griphook, that scumbag, brought everyone down here with us,” shouted Draco to the Golden Trio. Soon more spells came to fly over to the location of the children, making them all duck for cover as more guards were able to pinpoint where they were.

At the scene of the chaos, the dragon was angered by the number of people in his territory. The guards stood back from the dragon as they tried to get closer to the group. Griphook tried to scare it away with the raddle but it was no use. The dragon was too enraged with the amount of spells it was taking from the guards. As the dragon opened his mouth, it made a clicking sound before breathing out fire onto the security team. The fire consumed all who was nearby including Griphook, who had failed to realize how dangerous the situation was becoming. The werewolf glanced back at the Golden Trio. Harry’s arm covered Hermione's body to cover her from the falling rumble of the spells that were being shot at them, while Ron had his hands over his head.

The bright witch looked up. Her eyes connected with the Slytherin Prince. “We can’t just stand here. Does anyone have any ideas?,” she asked out loud.

“You're the brilliant one between us,” Draco said as he shook his head no. The group had only planned on entering the bank with Griphook and had counted on the goblin to help them escape too.

“I got something, but it’s insane,” Hermione replied.

“Can’t be madder than jumping off the mining cart, so whatever it is. We’ll take it”.

Hermione pointed her wand at the railing before shouting with all her might, “Reducto!”. The stone railing turned into dust from the impact of the spell. The golden girl stepped away from the boys before making a run for it. She jumped from the second floor and managed to hop on the dragon, who was busy burning all the guards and goblins. Unfazed by the witch's actions, Harry and Ron turn to look at each only to shrug. They were used to it all at this point of the Horcrux hunt.

Draco shouted, scared out of his mind, “You can’t be serious! We’ve riding on that dragon out of here!”.

Harry nodded, looking at the direction of the dragon. He prepared himself to make a run for it. “Well come on then. She’s waiting for us,” Harry gestured as Ron followed right behind him, also making a jump for it.

Left alone on the second floor, Draco whispered to himself, “I need my snake pit back. These Gryffindors will be the end of me”. Giving in, he leaped down, grabbing onto the dragon.

The Slytherin groaned as he climbed closer to the neck of the dragon. He tried to find a better position to hold on to. The scales of the dragon flaked off so that when Draco grabbed any part of the beast, it fell off. In the end, Draco settled for grabbing onto the pikes of the dragon that went along his spine.

Once Hermione saw all three boys had a good spot to hold on, she looked behind her and used her wand to free the dragon of its chains.

Feeling its chains loosened, the dragon peered up towards freedom, a single beam of light it only had to accompany him in its slavement. This beam of light was the only friend it had in the darkness it was forced to live in. It was this light that kept this dragon alive.

Still too weak to fly straight up, the dragon climbed up the walls of the cave to support itself. It used every possible strength it had to dig its claws into the walls. Occasionally, the dragon would slip when the wall shattered, falling down to the ground if it dug its own claws too much. The dragon might have been underweight but it was weak and malnourished. It couldn’t support its own weight. It switched between using both the train track and the wall, making the used tracks fall below. Any guards that were called as backup for the security team soon fell to their deaths with no more tracks leading to the vaults.

Finally, the dragon shot itself up from beneath the Gringotts marble floors, demolishing everything in its path. The goblins that were still working behind the desk all ran for their lives, while only a few were unable to look away and stayed in their spots. The beast fell onto the floor when it couldn’t find anything else to dig its claws as it shook off any rubble it had on its body. “Keep moving!,” the dragon heard one of the guards shout out. It peered around as it walked a few steps. These were the first steps it walked since it was forced into captivity. Every shaky step was like a newborn calf.

The dragon took a few more steps, stretching its body parts. The creature forgot how it felt to move muscles it hadn’t moved since it was chained. Seeing the goblins and security, the dragon decided to burn them all by fire. It went on up on its two legs, bumming its head on the diamond chandelier before it hooked its claws on the rim of the dome windows as it wrecked the window. The beast had half its body inside the bank and half out. It took a moment to itself, savoring the wind. It was finally free to fly. Free to live as a wild dragon. Free to go back home. It stretched its neck towards the sky, letting out the biggest roar.

“How do we know he can fly? It can barely hold itself up,” Ron asked.

“We don’t,” Hermione answered. When she replied that, all three boys grabbed on tighter to the dragon. She used another reducto spell to free the last of the heavy chains connected to the dragon. Hermione had figured any weight off should help the weakened dragon out. She was right. With the heavy chains off, the dragon was encouraged to continue its escape. It climbed onto the rooftops of London homes, ruining the roof as it flapped its wings. It fell back down, struggling to fly again. Trying once more, it jumped roof top to roof top as it practiced how to ascend back up into the skies. It used the city like its own trampoline. On the last jump, the beast was successful in taking flight into the clouds.

“This is amazing! We’re flying on a dragon!,” Draco screamed. He looked at the city below in awe, forgetting he was the one that was hesitant to hop on the dragon. It was a sight he would never forget. The London skyline and its beauty.

~

After flying in the air for some time, they finally reached the countryside. Harry saw a lake below them as he shouted into the wind, “Should we drop off!”.

Ron squinted his eyes at the lake as the wind made it hard to get a good look. “I say we jump! It’s now or never”.

“When?,” Hermione asked with her hair blowing behind her. Before anyone could answer her, Draco was the first to jump off the dragon this time. He didn’t wait. It seemed he was too comfortable jumping off of great heights now.

“Now!,” Harry replied, following right behind the snake.

They all dropped like flies, splashing into the lake. The freed dragon was soon out of sight as the children made their way to the shore. While Draco crawled on his knees and arms tired from the day they all had, he flipped on his back to lay on the ground to recover, but it didn’t last long. Hermione walked over to Draco and Ron, who also decided to join the snake. The witch with a look of accusation lectured, “Spill it, now! What did you two do?”.

Harry joined the curly browned haired witch to lecture them as well, “Yeah! I want to know why the alarm went off. Bill taught us all how not to set it off. What the hell happened back there?”.The Pureblood duo did not speak up, which only made them look guilty. They were afraid of what Hermione and Harry would think once they found out what they did.

Hermione turned to her troublesome werewolf, “You first. What did you do?”.

“Me! I didn’t do anything. I swear it,” Draco lied as he avoided her eyes. He tried to fool himself into believing this as well but Hermione's stare of disappointment made Draco break under pressure. “Fine! We might have taken more than a Horcrux. I robbed the LeStranges empty but it was a fool proof plan. I swear Ron and I didn’t trigger anything! I followed everything Bill told us too. We should have been fined. It wasn’t us who triggered it. It was you two!”. Sure of himself, the snake decided to change tactics and shift the blame onto Hermione and Harry. It won’t work but he had to try.

Harry threw his arms up in frustration, “Unbelievable! You risked our lives for gold! You really couldn’t handle being poor? I would have given you half my wealth, if it really mattered to you”. Harry turned away, unable to face the spoiled prince, while Draco with a hand over his heart was touched Harry would even consider sharing half his fortune. Who would have thought the chosen one was a good person? A good person, who happened to always get into trouble.

“You robbed a bank! You can’t just rob people, Draco. It’s not right. We can get into big trouble,” Hermione added as she walked back and forth in deep thought. “But if you're sure you didn’t set off the alarm, then you're basically telling me it was Ron’s fault. Is it Ron’s fault the security team came for us then? That's what you're telling me?”. The bright witch peered back at her husband, reminding Draco he was in the middle of an argument.

“No, it's not Ron’s fault either. He’s innocent, love. I basically forced him to be my accomplice. He tried to stop me, but I refused to listen. He’s innocent, blame it all on me!,” the young werewolf interjected but paused as he noticed how silent the red head was. When Ron avoided his eyes, the werewolf turned in surprise. “Why did the boy look so guilty? Did stealing all gold really affect his good conscience?,” Draco wondered to himself.

Hermione made her way to Ron, looking for an explanation. Ron couldn't look straight into the witch’s eyes. With everyone including Harry eyeing Ron, he admitted with his hands up in defeat, “It was me! The guards and goblins came looking for us because of what I did. I switched Draco’s family ring with a transfigurated rock I found on the cave floor when everyone was distracted”.

“What!,” Hermione and Harry shouted at the same time but Draco's eyes lit up.

“Is that why Griphook singled me out? You're mad!,” the Slytherin Prince replied as he laughed in pure joy at what Ron had done for him. It turned out Ron was a good person along with Harry too, Draco thought to himself. Touched by Ron’s actions, Draco made a mental note to teach the boy the ways of what it meant to be a rich man now that they have stolen the LeStrange’s wealth for themselves. Teach the redhead what the finer things in life were. No good friend would allow their friend to act like new money.

Although he should be mad, Harry was secretly impressed that Ron could transfigure items. He was the worst of all of them when it came to magic. To transfigure an item into a very realistic and detailed looking jewel was next year's lesson. It must have been all the reading they both did at the beginning of the Horcrux hunt to avoid the honeymoon the couple was having.

“Ron, do you know what you’ve done? We could be in big trouble now. You broke a magical contract with a goblin. It’s magical binding by law,” Hermione sat down on the floor in defeat. She shouldn't be surprised by this. Nothing ever went according to their plans.

Amused, Ron stood up, feeling like the intelligent one of the four the first time. He smiled when it appeared that no one but him found a loophole. “Nope, we didn’t break any contract. Bill said any bargain between a goblin and a wizard was magical binding by law. Draco isn’t a wizard by law. Remember, he’s a werewolf. That scrumbag of a traitor was so cocky he forgot Draco isn’t a human in the eyes of the law anymore. The contract can’t hold up so we COULD steal it back. That's what he gets for leaving us with no escape”.

Hermione's mouth dropped. She didn’t want to admit it but that was a genius move on Ron’s part. If she praised their actions, she would only encourage more bad behavior from Draco and Ron. “That still doesn’t excuse you and Draco from robbing Gringotts. Why did you think that was a good idea? It’s wrong and you both know better!”.

Deciding to return the favor, Draco jumped in to justify his and Ron’s actions, after all he had Ron to thank for getting back his ring. The spoiled Slytherin Prince turned to face Hermione with his chin high. “In case you have forgotten, my love, we are in the middle of a war. A lawful life no longer applies to anyone after the fall of our government. Anything is up for grabs. We’re technically breaking the law by rebelling against the Dark Lord. We should be allowed to steal from the LeStrange Vaults”. Draco turned to smile at his new best friend, Ron.

With a cocky smile and licking his lips, the snake added, “You should be happy for us. We have made history. We four will all go down as the first wizards and witches to successfully rob from Gringotts and escape with our lives on the back of a dragon”.

The curly brown haired witch wasn’t feeling any better as they almost lost their lives back there. She crossed her arms, looking more upset at both Draco and Ron. Seeing Hermione needed to be more convinced, Draco had just the thing to have his witch on his side again. “Cheer up love, I just got you the most beautiful ring for the most beautiful witch in the wizarding world. A ring worthy of my wife and love for you”. He scooted closer, gently holding both her arms and kissing her on the lips, “I told you back at the shell cottage. I will take care of everything. If there is a way to lavish in riches again, I will find it. Let your husband provide for his beautiful wife. It’s in our vows”.

Snickering, Ron saw what the young werewolf was doing, so he backed Draco, “Yes, let your dear husband provide for you. It’s stolen money so it cancels out”.

At the sight of the ring, the witch gave in. She was touched that Draco even in the middle of robbery had thought of her and picked out a ring for her. With the corner of her lips slightly raised, Hermione told her husband, “Let me see my ring. And I’ll decide, if I should let it go, what you two did by the look of the ring”. Draco grinned as he dug into the handbag and pulled out the ring. Pleased, Hermione snatched it out of Draco’s fingers before wearing the ring on her engagement finger. She let the diamond ring twinkle in the sunlight. No longer hiding her smile anymore, Hermione was fully admiring it in the sunlight.

Harry was at a loss of words at the scene in front of him. He spoke up to all three of them, “I think hanging around a Slytherin has rubbed off on us a little too much”.

Draco went to Harry with the determination of pulling the last Gryffindor to see the right of his wrongs. Apprehensive, Harry glanced at the Slytherin in confusion as the young werewolf dug inside the handbag one more for something. He didn’t know how to feel if Draco had remembered him too as he robbed the bank.

In a teasing mood, the foolish werewolf pulled out a crown. With the opposite hand, Draco grabbed an imaginary sword from his belt to tap on each of Harry’s shoulders. “From this day forward, you are all honorary Slytherins. And with being one with my house, we shall protect our own, staying true to our motto. Slytherins always take care of their own. Harry, I present to you a crown”. The werewolf proceeded to get on one knee, presenting the crown to its new owner and making Harry blush in embarrassment. “A crown worthy of the chosen one!”.

Harry grabbed it reluctantly from Draco's hand but followed along with the light heart mood as he put the crown on top of his head. It grew dark outside as the group spent an hour counting the stolen gold by the lake with Harry watching from the background. Shaking his head in amusement, Harry couldn’t stay mad at how everything almost went wrong for them at Gringotts. Harry was just glad to see his friends were happy and together again.

They were half way through counting down all the stolen gold, when Hermione remembered something important. She jumped up, surprising Draco and Ron, “We need to speak with the Order immediately to confirm that we secured the Horcrux and tell them we know the next one”. Harry went unnoticed as he went to sit down dazed in another vision. He shivered as he did everything possible not to faint.

“Really? What is it?,” asked Ron.

“The next Horcrux is the Ravenclaw Diadem. As soon as we tell them we found the one inside the vault, we can head straight to Hogwarts for the final confrontation. Tom will be coming for us after we stole the cup from him. Remus and the Order are already planning the final details to protect the castle as we speak”.

“How did we come to that conclusion? I thought the Horcruxes could be anything. We couldn’t find a connection with them all before,” Draco added as he continued to count coins.

“This is what we know so far. The diary was his first Horcrux. It was only a test to see if he can successfully make one, which is how Moaning Myrtle lost her life. The Gaunt ring was made with the intent of revenge on killing his whole family for abandoning him in the orphanage. We found out back at Godric's Hollow, Nagini was one too. The next two Horcruxes we found on our own just happened to be Salazar Slytherin Locket and the Helga Hufflepuff Cup. Therefore, the next one has to be the Ravenclaw Diadem. And that is located back at Hogwarts. Bellatrix Lestrange told us you know who was desperate to go back to the castle. I’m betting the Ravenclaw Diadem is still there”.

Draco thought about what Hermione said, but he still had questions, “Okay, but we still have two problems. Slughorn’s memory told us there’s 7 Horcruxes. Unless I can’t count. There’s still one out there, lost. Which means, our final confrontation with Tom is all meaningless, if we can’t destroy the last one. It can’t be the Gryffindor sword because we had it and we used it to destroy two of them. The last one could be anything. And—- that Rowena Ravenclaw diadem has been lost for centuries. If you know who got to it first then, it’s for sure even more lost than it already was”.

Hermione bit her lips, “Crap, I forgot about that. We don’t even know the last one”. The curly brown haired witch turned to look at Harry for guidance. Finally the group realized something was wrong with Harry. He was still sitting on the grass unable to focus and breathing heavily. Hermione went to him, aiding the boy, “Harry! What’s wrong?”. Draco and Ron went to his side too.

“He’s having another vision!,” Ron commented.

When he came back, Harry peered at the trio. As he tried to catch his breath, Harry explained in a shaky voice, “He just found out. You know who, knows we broke into Gringotts and knows we took the Hufflepuff cup. Tom knows we’re hunting them all. He killed every last goblin in retaliation. They're all dead. He’s even torturing his own Death Eaters army. I’ve never seen him so furious before”.

With a concerned face, Hermione asked, “I’m sorry Harry, but I have to ask for extra precautions. Did you let him in?”.

Understanding, the chosen one shook his head, “No, I haven’t broken my concentration since my lesson with Draco. It was him this time. I think our connection is more complicated than Tom knows. It's a two way street. I saw everything he didn’t want me to see. He was the one that accidentally let me in”.

Taking a deep breath, Harry explained further, “He knows we’re close. If we find and destroy them all, we’ll be able to kill him. I reckon Tom will stop at nothing to stop us from finding the Ravenclaw Diadem. We have to go to the castle immediately. He’s making his way there at this moment”.

“What about the 7th Horcrux? We still know what it could be or where it is. That’s still a problem,” urged Draco.

“It doesn't matter now. We're running out of time. We’ll figure it out as we go. It’s just as we always have said since we started our hunt, the plan is no plan this time. Every time we plan, we get here, and all hell breaks loose,” Harry replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay but here’s another problem. How are you going to enter the castle? The Order doesn’t know we’re coming. Everything is happening too fast. The final battle isn’t for another few days. The wards won’t let us enter today,” Draco still interjected. Although the other three may have accepted their ‘no plan’ philosophy, he needed to know the details of where they were going and doing. They couldn’t just go in there blind.

“He’s right. We can't just enter the front door. The Order has made the wards stronger since the evacuation. Not even a mouse can come in,” Ron added, backing up the snake.

“We’ll have to go through Honeydukes. There’s a secret passage in the cellar. Hermione will send a patronus on the way there”. Harry turned to look at Hermione, trying to understand what was going on. “What?,” asked the witch. Harry continued, “Something is wrong with Tom. I’ve always been able to follow his thoughts and now everything is disconnected”.

Draco eyed Harry with his eyebrows scrunched together, analyzing what the chosen one had just said. He came into a sudden realization as Draco peered at the Hufflepuff cup before going back to Harry. He had always thought it was weird Harry could read Voldemort’s mind even after the Golden Trio had explained to him that it was normal for Harry since first year. After what they said, Harry had always been able to see visions and read thoughts from Voldemort, but it took an outsider like Draco to acknowledge that definitely wasn’t normal.

While the Golden Trio ignored it, accepting it as their usual, the werewolf never truly let it go. The Slytherin also thought back to when Harry admitted he could hear the locket as well. Memories of when Harry was in the same room as Nagini and for some odd reason his friend couldn’t snap out of it, came back up. Whatever the reason was for Harry’s connection with Tom, Draco was willing to bet it was also how Harry was able to find the Hufflepuff cup this morning. The truth was Harry shouldn't be able to hear all the Horcruxes. Draco only heard them because of his enhanced werewolf hearing but what was Harry’s reasoning?

Finally the answer came to him as Draco opened his eyes wide in disbelief. “None of them know,” he thought to himself.

“Maybe it's the Horcruxes? Maybe he’s getting weaker. Maybe he’s dying,” Ron thought out loud.

Harry was about to answer Ron but Draco spoke first, “He’s wounded. When I heard the locket get destroyed. I could feel that my werewolf sensed a piece of you know who was dying with it. I know what his aura feels like from my last summer with him. We’ve destroyed 3 of the horcruxes. He can feel how close we are to destroying the Hufflepuff cup this time. Harry’s right. We have to get to the castle right this second. He’s more dangerous than ever with death at his door”. Draco looked at Harry again, but with a worried expression. He had an idea what the last Horcrux was but the Slytherin was hoping he was wrong. For now, he decided to keep it to himself.

“What about the 7th Horcrux? You were the one that was telling us we needed to figure it out. How are we going to the final battle without it?,” asked Hermione. She suddenly was confused why the snake had changed his mind. Draco was stubborn as she was when it came to lack of knowledge. This wasn’t like him. He was the one that had urged them that the 7th Horcrux was too important to gloss over. There was something Draco wasn’t telling her.

“I know what I said but Harry’s right. We’re out of time. We’ll figure it out as we go”.

Unconvinced, Draco had a sudden charge of heart, Hermione watched Draco’s facial expressions closely for any signs he was hiding information from them. To her surprise, he was. It must have been too essential to avoid telling the group, so she decided not to push it for now. Finally on board, Hermione reminded the boys, “Okay, let’s go to Hogwarts but we have to go to the Chamber of Secrets while we’re there. We need a Basilisk fang to destroy the cup”.

Chapter Text

flashback to middle of the war

At the manor in France, women from various sectors of high society gathered around for a council meeting of the Black Cat Society. Despite being out of view and seen as property under the law, these women played an important role in this war unknown to both sides. Many thought these women were only devoted wives to many of the Death Eaters on the field but in the shadows they worked as spies.

During the first Wizarding War, Pureblood women had failed to act or respond. Instead they took the side of comfort and security. There was no need to ruffle feathers when the system worked for their families. Security was still possible. They had bigger issues of their own than to worry about the muggleborns and half bloods. Living in a world unknown to many outsiders, these secluded women and children found it difficult to leave their marriages. They lived in a world where it was normal for one of their friends to disappear overnight. Husbands often announced new marriages the following month.

Even if they cared, there was nothing they could do to change the results of the first Wizarding War if they had sided with the Order of that time. Pureblood men were the heads of household. They led their families and had chosen to side with the Dark Lord.

With a madman like Voldemort leading them into the so-called new world, the women of Pureblood society hands were tied. Accepting the role of loyal wife, it was all they knew at the time. Their mothers and mother’s mothers had all been taught to follow the words of men. Another way of life was not known. A life where they were seen as people was a mere distant dream.

When Voldemort had come back from the dead, many women still were unable to react to the incoming war. Like the last war, the women once again were expected to say their goodbyes as their sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers went off to war and waited. The wake up call was when they had seen one of their own, Draco Malfoy, duel with a man eating werewolf. The boy stood no chance. Seeing the cruelty of what could have been their own child, they knew they couldn’t stand aside again. The horror of the wizard’s duel had, had the opposite effect that the Dark Lord had wanted. It had woken up a sleeping beast within the women. If Draco Malfoy, the golden child of sacred 28, or the once untouchable Malfoy’s was not safe from that man then none of the other Purebloods were.

Unwilling to enter the second war blind and have the future decided for them, the mothers and grandmothers, who were in the deep trenches of Voldemort’s den, decided to become the soldiers that could turn the tides. If it was anything like the first Wizarding war, many of their daughters would be forced into quick unhappy marriages like the previous generation had endured. All in the name of providing a legacy to their husband’s house. This would not do. Their daughters would not suffer the same fate. If following Voldemort only afforded cruelty, it was time to be the deciders of their own futures. Especially since the men could not be trusted to lead their families with safety in mind.

As the leader of the Black Cat Society, Narcissa sat at the head of the table with grandmothers as her council. Narcissa, the youngest in the meeting at 37, relied on the elders of her community. Many of her sisters of her generation needed to hide their association with Black Cat Society from their own husbands that were still alive and well. Only two women of Narcissa’s age sat among them all. Despite their absence, the others worked as spies, listening in on their husbands’ meetings with the Dark Lord instead. They were the ears on the ground. However, the grandmothers were an unexpected ally that Narcissa never saw coming. The perfect ally to fight against Voldemort as these women had more freedoms than the typical younger member due to many of their husbands dying of old age. Although they had been deemed useless in their community as they were unable to give birth to more Pureblooded children, their status as the forgotten had become useful now.

“Lady Malfoy,” former lady of Parkinson, greeted as Narcissa took her seat. Like the Greengrass family, the grandmother had joined Narcissa to protect her only granddaughter and grandsons. Pansy's brothers’ young age had protected them from joining Voldemort’s army. However, Pansy’s sex and age did not exclude her from potentially being married off.

“It’s Black. Narcissa Black. It’s what I should be known as going forward,” she said as she nodded as a greeting towards the council before taking her seat.

At her response, all but one stayed quiet. The oldest woman, former Lady of Crouch and the last Crouch alive of her house, had tilted her head and immediately referred to her as her birth name. The rest of the table were unsure how to react, not knowing what this meant.

Seeing the confusion on the rest of the older women’s faces, Narcissa clarified, “I’ve been declared dead by the ministry and news publications. In other words, I have been relieved of my marital duties as a Malfoy. From now on, I am to be a full member of the House of Black. I belong to the House of Black and I have always belonged there”.

The rest of the council nodded in acknowledgment. The room was heavy with sentimental emotion. The only two young mothers in the room felt this more than ever. It was a recent pain that was very real for them, being forced to belong to another and to be stripped of your name and of your identity. Narcissa wasn’t only taking back her family name but publicly declaring herself as divorcee even if it was only between them ladies. During a time in their social circle, where killings were well practiced and covered up, women who wanted to divorce, like Narcissa, were killed among them. A divorced woman in the pureblood community would only bring shame to both families name and reputation according to the rules set by man.

“Where are we?,” Narcissa asked as she requested an update on the war. She turned at the former lady of Parkinson.

“Alastor Moody has received our message. He’s decided a full evacuation of France and Germany. Last we heard he and his army are headed to protect the borders of Scotland and Britain to secure the safety of Hogwarts”. Lady Parkinson took a pause before continuing, “Although I carry heavy news of many being left behind in the chaos of evacuating witches and wizards. Magical Creatures have all been forgotten. In the weeks after, our daughters have steadily been making our packages to support Moody's army filled with medicine and food for the front lines. We sent them up the Cabinet Network”.

Lady Greengrass and her daughters had been taking charge of making care packages filled with medicine and food at the French Manor. With their father finally taking the Dark Mark as the only male representative of their family, the ladies had taken responsibility for overseeing the disruption of the packages inside the Cabinet Network as well as finding more help for the assembly of these supplies. With the men on both sides being sent to war, the demand for war material was increasing. Narcissa quickly saw a need to gather a labor force from an unlikely group, women, to combat Voldemort's increasing power and the Order’s losing battles.

If they wanted to ensure the Order’s win, Narcissa had to light a second fire, another war separate from the war against Voldemort. The war Bellatrix had always mentioned over the years before but went ignored as many laughed at her ideas. The war against men. It was unexpected for Narcissa to take Bella’s ideas. For so long she had been lost in her sadness at the Malfoy manor, but after the threat to Draco’s life she wanted to get rid of the man, who had hurt her son and killed her Regulus.

With her leading the charge, the women of her class had decided to go against their own husbands for a promise of a new world for witches after this war was over. Narcissa studied the muggle world at the start of the war, taking inspiration how they had started their war against men. The wizarding world's refusal to modernize but commercialize magic by the men of ministry had never made sense to Narcissa. She realized her sister was right. This new era was needed.

If the men in their lives refused to progress, then the women had no choice but to leave the men behind as they fought for control over their own lives. Many of the volunteers of this new workforce were made up of women from high class society and non-Pureblood women that had been saved on the field. This unexpected mixing of groups gave a glimpse of what life was like for others. Unlike the women and children they saved, this was the first time the Purebloods had worked a day in their life, giving them all an insight of what life would look like, if the men of their circle did not have tight grip on their world. The windows in the prison of their life were beginning to grow in a sense.

The former lady of Rosier, spoke up, adding the urge to support the Order, “If we want to secure the victory for the Order of the Phoenix, we must do something about the werewolves. They're not in support of you know who and are being targeted. If the Order continues to abandon them, this will only solidify the Dark Lord’s agenda to ‘cleanse’ our community. Today it’s the werewolves but tomorrow it may be us. We cannot allow the Dark Lord to push the line and get more ideas. There must be a way to help them escape, if we are to weaken you know who’s support”.

“I heard whispers of Mr. Lupin traveling the continent to gain allies and is securing a safe passage for the forgotten magical creatures. Perhaps, we can have the kittens follow him along his journey to ensure no danger comes to him on his travels. He’s already on his way to Ireland as we speak,” said the last surviving member of the Mckinnon family.

Although her support of her Pureblood sisters was the least expected as her son had married a half blood thus ending her connection to the sacred 28, she herself was still as Pureblood like the rest of the grandmothers. At first, the council were hesitant in having Mckinnon join them as their family famously fought for the Order all while her granddaughter had criticized their way of life. Her granddaughter had gone on to kill the most number of Death Eaters during her young but short life in the first wizarding war. The individuals she killed were family members of the ladies in this very room. Tragedy had no favorites though. Like many of the Pureblood women, who lost sons in the first war, the war had taken the entire McKinnon family, ending the wizarding line entirely with the grandparents being the sole survivors.

Despite their complicated history, Eliza Mckinnon, grandmother to Marlene Mckinnon, had every right to sit with them at the council. She wanted to have a part in killing the madman, who had killed her entire family in a single night. The women had a lot in common. Like her, there was no love lost for Dumbledore. The former Headmaster had failed to protect the McKinnon family. He had had the resources to protect the Potters but not her granddaughter. Eliza McKinnon spent many nights over the decade, asking why didn’t her family receive the same care as the Potters, if Marlene was quickly becoming famous for killing many Death Eaters of that time until it occurred to her on the day she read the news of Cerdic Diggory’s death in the daily prophet. Dumbledore never cared for the children on both sides. They were all collateral damage to print his name in wizarding history.

“Ireland?,” questioned Narcissa.

“Yes my dear, Lucius is networking a path to Ireland while Remus is in negotiations with the rebels. A temporary home for all the magical creatures including werewolves,” answered Lady Mckinnon.

With her hand folded against her chin, Narcissa leaned back against the chair lost in thought. The grandmothers stayed silent, waiting for their next few movements. “Mckinnon, sent Dobby to travel with Lupin. I trust Dobby can handle the responsibility of protecting Remus Lupin, but tell him to stay in the shadows. He cannot make his presence known unless Lupin’s life is in danger. The secrecy of our group is what gives us strength against our enemies”.

Narcissa then turned to Rosier, the former lady of her house. “What's the news of our lost children?”.

“We cannot say. Our kids have been scattered across Europe. Good news though. None of them have been found or sent to the camps. Wherever they are hiding, they are hiding well. We have kittens on the ground looking for these camps”.

Quick on her feet, Narcissa had made a decision, ordering Rosier, “Form a separate group of freed loyal kittens. It is essential we find every Pureblood child. Anyone who hasn't claimed loyalty to the Dark Lord after the fall of the three great ministries are certain to be considered traitors by that man and killed. And too many on the Order’s side will not stop and consider not all our children are not fighting for the Dark Lord”. Many of the women around the table nodded in agreement as she went on, “We can’t let any more of our kids get caught in the crossfire. Any half blood and muggle born child found are also to be brought into our care. My family, the Blacks, have a third manor located in Britain. The blood wards make it relatively easy to defend and impossible to find”.

“What of the ladies on the ground, looking for the locations of the camps?,” asked the former lady of Parkinson. Her daughter along with many housewives of death eaters were the ears for Narcissa as they tried to gain information on where the camps were. Single witches not yet cuffed to a husband were actively looking on the ground for the rumored labor camps.

“Make it a second priority. Moody has a team of his best trained Aurors looking for them as well. The future of the wizarding world lies with the younger generation, blood no longer holds meaning. He is killing everyone. We must do everything in our power to secure a new path for our children”. Narcissa paused, remembering how their parents' generation had failed them by supporting someone like Voldemort, but she could not stay bitter with her parents. She had no room to talk. Her own generation had failed their children by enabling Voldemort to rise to power once more. “Our children have inherited our war. We must pay the price of our failure at any cost necessary,” Narcissa said with a dejected tone.

The former lady of Greengrass nodded as it was her turn to speak up, “Next in our agenda…”.

With the pause in Lady Greengrass' voice, Narcissa peered up. Whatever it was, it was not good news. Lady Greengrass glanced around uneasy with a pained look. “We have lost all contact with Lady Zabini. Her country is on strict lockdown with the fall of its own ministry. There is nothing we can do except tell her to lay low and wait out the war”.

Lady Zabini was one of many mothers, hiding rebels in their houses. Many mothers on both sides had started to use their own places to house civilians that opposed Voldemort. Civilians, who if they were caught on the run, knew the wizarding world would never see them again. Zabini, like many, got stuck in Italy after the closing of her home country's borders. Unlike many countries, Italy quickly folded to align themselves with Voldemort's cause, ordering a forced recruitment of all their men to fight for Voldemort no matter what background the men had.

The council had various guesses why the country sided with Voldemort but they could only suspect Voldemort had made them empty promises. Others thought Italy had complied with the Dark Lord to secure their country’s safety if Voldemort won in the end. This was a heavy blow for the Black Cat Society as Lady Zabini was their link to the Cabinet Network. Her son, Blaise, was deeply involved in the Underground Cabinet Network and was their set of eyes in the deep den of Voldemort. The women could still gain valuable information from their kittens, the house elves, who were in every Pureblood house among Voldemort's inner circle but due to the long chain of communication, it was slower.

“We have lost a great ally. She was our direct communication to the Cabinet Network with her son Blaise Zabini being a double agent. It will take longer to hear what activities Lucius and Bellatrix are up to. This is a massive step back,” Parkinson commented with a sigh. Moving to the next area of concern, Narcissa moved the conversation in hopes of lightening the mood. “What’s the news from our kittens and our sisters on the field?”.

With more unfortunate news, Greengrass moved her shaky hands underneath the table though her voice and expression gave no indication of her nerves. “Romania is in dire need of our support. They need protection for their dragons until they can figure out plans to transport them all. Poachers on the ground are closing in to capture the creatures for you know who. The Dragon Tamers can’t get them out of the country without being targeted”. These were the same poachers, who had made a living on hunting and selling werewolves carcasses and other rare magical creatures despite it being outlawed, before the war. Under Voldemort’s regime, the group’s activities had moved out in the open with many targeting the dragons. With Voldemort’s desire to use the dragons for himself, he had hired poachers to go to Romania.

“What’s the issue? Why haven't we sent them our support? We have the resources and our sisters on the ground. This organization might be made of elves and women but we are equal, if not more deadly than you know who. We’ve successfully infiltrated he who must not be named most inner forces and Moody’s too. We have ears in every corner of this continent,” Narcissa asked confused.

“I am afraid, my dear, we are being spread too thin with the situation in Spain. I fear any week now they will too fall into the hands of the Dark Lord’s new regime. Our daughters have estimated the ministry will be no more by the end of the month,” replied Greengrass.

Mckinnon didn’t wait for Narcissa before speaking to the council, catching Narcissa off guard. “We must take a vote on which country we want to save. We have too much to lose here, if we take the wrong path”.

With the tension in the air, Narcissa knew she had to be careful when speaking from this point on. Her council consisted of old witches, who had their sons and daughters on the ground with their grandchildren lost in the chaos. She could feel their emotions, wanting to cloud their judgment, due to their own families fighting in the war. Narcissa couldn’t get upset with the grandmothers, taking over the meeting as she could relate to them too. These days Narcissa thought more and more about Andromeda and her daughter for the first time since Andy left the family. It seemed so silly to Cissy now to stay mad at Andy for the life she picked for herself. Her sister had the right to be happy and make a life outside their family. She often thought perhaps Andy was in the right to laugh at her and Bella for staying behind as Cissy compared her broken and dying family with Andy’s full and growing one. Her daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, had recently married. She heard from one of the kittens that her niece had tied the knot to one of the Weasley boys.

Although her selfish heart wanted to announce to abandon Spain in favor of Romania, the country her only niece was stationed in, as the leader of the Black Cat Society, Narcissa had to put her feelings aside. It was too dangerous to act on one’s emotions. She must tread carefully from here on now and make decisions for the betterment of their organization.

“I vote for Spain,” Rosier immediately voted. Narcissa stayed quiet, watching how this conversation would turn out. She stared at the former lady of the Rosier family for their family like hers had suffered greatly in the first wizarding war. Her youngest son was killed in action with legendary Alastor Moody, killing the very young boy. Evan Rosier was freshly out of Hogwarts. The boy ran in the same circle with Barty Jr. No one could say why the boy sided with Voldemort, whether he truly believed in the cause or if he wanted to run alongside Barty to make sure his only friend was safe. With slight guilt that didn’t belong to her, Narcissa peered away, feeling it was her family's fault for the boy's tragic death.

Narcissa often wondered if Evan Rosier joined the Dark Lord to find answers on Regulus’ mysterious death. The three boys were close, being her love’s only friends. Like Draco’s two friends, Evan and Barty were like brothers to Regulus. Regulus had trusted them. Evan and Barty were the only outsiders who knew of her secret relationship with Reggie. Until the end of his life, Barty had never revealed how deeply involved Reggie and her were. When he had escaped from Azkaban, she had kept him hidden for a night at the Malfoy Manor until he left the next morning. From the knowing look he gave at Draco’s portrait, Narcissa knew that Barty had connected the dots but asked no questions.

Despite his involvement and loyalty with the Dark Lord, Barty still had never exposed her to either Lucius or Voldemort. After he was arrested after the Triwizard cup, she often visited him in his cell. She had been his only visitor. No words were exchanged but it was what Reggie would have done, if he was still alive. Life had been cruel to all three boys taking them on a path with a dead end. “No dying man should be alone like Reggie must have been,” Narcissa thought each time when she went to see him.

On the other hand, Evan was kind beyond words. Although he loved the high status his family gave him among the sacred 28, it was not enough to kill for the Pureblood ideology that had been pushed upon them as children. What if Regulus' sudden disappearance and death had pushed Evan to protect Barty from himself? These were the questions that still haunted her. Barty, like Sirius, had a complicated relationship with his own father. Barty had joined the cause as a way to rebel against his abusive father.

Done with reminiscing, Narcissa peered at Rosier once more, knowing she had much to lose in the second war. Her house had sent one of their older men as their family’s representative to this war in order to protect the youth that was left in the Rosier family. With no grandchildren due to her son’s untimely death, her nieces and nephews had become her grandchildren. Voldemort was constantly asking for more members of her house, remembering how talented the young Evan Rosier was before he died.

“We cannot vote for Spain. You say that because your grandson is in hiding there. The choice is obvious. Romania. We have too much to lose!” Greengrass shouted.

“Spain! That’s a suicide mission. Spain is surrounded by fallen countries. The very ground of this manor sits on the fallen dirt of the old French ministry. France belongs to you know who. We cannot waste any resources or people on them. We already lost our support in Italy. We cannot lose anymore allies,” Mckinnon backed Greengrass.

Charis Crouch, the oldest witch on this table at the age of 150, assisted Rosier, remembering how close their families were due to Barty and Evan’s friendship. The witch knew how Rosier felt about her family's status in the war. Rosier was afraid of losing more relatives to Voldemort. As someone whose family was extinct after Barty received the kiss, Charius Crouch felt a need to protect the house of Rosier. After all, their boys fought alongside on the battlefield in the first wizarding war. “You can not be serious? Spain is next door to us. We’re located in France. Romania is across the continent. We risk the lives of our daughters and elves each time they cross over into a new country even with Lucius' Cabinet Network up and running. We must not forget many of us are still owned by their husbands. The regime requires us to travel with our men. The very men, who have sold their own families to you know who. How much longer can we get away with having our unmarried daughters traveling in the shadows? There are not many unmarried ladies left. Every single sister or daughter is too important to endanger them further”.

Narcissa slammed her hands against the table, bringing the attention back to herself, “Romania. We send help to Romania. My decision is final”. She shared a look with Charis Crouch, once formerly known as Charis Black. The older woman was her great great great aunt. Asking for her unspoken support as the only other Black on the council, she knew half the table would reject her decision and Narcissa wanted her aunt’s support. Narcissa, like her aunt, came from a dying house. They were fighting in this war to save other Pureblood houses, knowing their own houses had ended long ago. They shared the same pain.

“I reject it! Spain is closer! It might be an uphill battle but we can still save them. If we vote on abandoning Spain, then we are agreeing to isolate them from both the Order and the Black Cat Society. You only want to send our supplies and our sisters to Romania because your niece is stationed there,” fought back, Parkinson.

Offended Narcissa, argued, “Are you doubting my capability and the quickness of my mind?”. Scoffing at the idea, Narcissa had never been more thankful in her life than at that moment that Draco had never taken an interest in Pansy.

“I'm only stating the facts to the rest of the council my dear child, so yes I am,” Parkinson replied.

All the lamps and light bulbs exploded to the rising rage, boiling inside Narcissa. With all the flames of candles growing a feet long, the grandmothers stared timidly at the youngest woman of the room as they were reminded who was in charge, but they remembered their admiration for the young girl for having brought this all together. She had brought two unlikely groups together to fight for her: the elves and the witches. Without Narcissa, the Black Cat Society would not exist. A society that had come together with the idea that women should be able to take control of their own lives.

“Every person in this room has seen more peace at your age than I have. It is your generation that has failed mine and now it is my generation that has failed our children. I have lived through more times of war than any of the elders on this very table. My former husband was deep in the inner circle of the Dark Lord while I was fighting for my life to conceive an heir. Many of my sisters are not alive at the hands of their own husband for not obeying”. Narcissa paused for a second, thinking about her only school friend, Lady Nott, before continuing, “While Lucius participated in war crimes of the first wizarding war, my battle was in bed. Regulus, Bellatrix, and I fought to keep our house alive but our house fell in my youth. At a time, where I might add, all your houses suspiciously survived but mine. The men of the sacred 28 of the last war planned it strategically for the Black’s downfall, using you who know against us. Now the tides have turned and you all have come to me to save your own families. Regulus Black, the founder of this organization, died giving us the secret to you know who’s immortality so we all might have a chance to kill him once and for all. You might be wiser in age but I have more experience fighting a war behind the scenes. I have lived more life than some of the sheltered elderly on this council”.

Rosier nodded in understanding at Narcissa, remembering Evan’s friendship with Regulus. Narcissa's mother was also one of them, a Rosier. The old witch gave a nod, singling she was going to vote for Romania.

Mckinnon lifted a hand towards Parkinson, who had started the argument, “Stop it all at once. We are weak when we fight amongst ourselves. We must remember the real fight. Our war against men of the Wizarding world. To win more rights for our children, who belong to their fathers. It is this outdated law of which our children belong to the men that made us loyal to he who must not be named. It is what helped you know who rise in power so fast in the first war. After we secure the win for the Order, OUR real battle begins. We will demand all our allies and most importantly the Order to march with us for our freedom. We cannot lose the momentum we will gain after we help the Order win”.

Women on each side of the debate froze, contemplating on what to do. Narcissa coughed out the lingering tension in the air, “I will not deny that I have a niece fighting the war in Romania. The only niece I have, but if you for one moment think I made my decision based on my emotions you're wrong. We cannot let you know who gets his hands on the dragons. If he gains them, that’s it. It’s over. He’s won. All this would be all for nothing. He already has the giants on his side, the remnants of Greyback’s pack, the snatchers, dementors, and the fallen ministries combined. We must secure the dragons for the Order. Spain will have to do with what they have and follow our Italian sisters' example. Go into hiding and wait it out until the end of the war. We’ll have to pray to Merlin that we’ll meet our Spanish sisters again on the other side. Losing Lady Zabini was a great loss but we still are fortunate. We are still getting whispers on Lucius' movement through Mippy the Manor house elf”.

Still not over Parkinson’s accusations, Narcissa turned to her, making it clear she would not let what the women said go. Staring her down, Narcissa went on, “And don’t EVER accuse me of only caring for the safety of my family. I see Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott as my own blood. As of now, they’re both working double agents deep into Voldemort’s inner circle. I have to rely on that moron of Lucius to keep my boys safe. This dreadful war is dependent on an empty headed man, who spent half his life beating me and Draco all while screwing all your daughters. My only relief is that my sister, Bellatrix, has taken the Malfoy Manor from Lucius, making her the head of household. Not to mention my son, Draco, thinks I’m dead”.

Silence filled the air as everyone watched Narcissa for her next move. The more time passed the harder it was for Narcissa to regain her composure as she breathed heavily from anger. There was still so much left to do. Unable to compose herself, she went teary eyed the moment she had said Draco’s name. Any memories she had with Draco, Narcissa had pushed them in the back of her mind with occlumency. This was the longest Narcissa had gone no contact with Draco, her only child. The child she shared with Regulus. The only piece of Regulus she had left. Sudden repressed memories of her family came back as she remembered a time where the House of Black was whole. A time there was no war, breaking them. Being surrounded by women, who she considered sisters, Narcissa missed her own blood sisters. She wanted to go back to her childhood where Andy was still by her side and Bella still had her mind intact. Her throat tightened, remembering the loss of every Black relative one after another.

They had all dropped like flies with each death too close to another as if someone had come for her family from the shadows. The sudden disappearance of her own parents pushed Narcissa to stay motionless and finally accept her life beside Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa took a breath, realizing she missed her son. She wanted Draco back inside her arms. Her baby. Finally looking at her council flustered, Narcissa had tears falling down her face. Embarrassed, she had shown weakness in front of the oldest members of her organization, she refused to let herself be upset. Too many were counting on her. Her son and Hermione needed her help to win this war. In a flash, Narcissa stood up to excuse herself, walking out of the room.

In shock at what had happened, there were many shadows on the grandmother’s expressions, remembering how truly young Narcissa had been when she was married off. She had been a child married to a grown man. A young girl, who still needed her family, before Lucius had pulled her away from her home. The women remembered the day Narcissa’s marriage was announced in the papers. It was all anyone could gossip about. Not even a day had passed after the couple married, when word spread that Lucius broke his vows. Overnight, Narcissa, just a little girl, had become the butt of the joke. She was the only one among her peers who had become a child bride. Every Pureblood man had laughed at the House of Black and even some of the younger women. All but one group of women. The grandmothers’ generation for they too had suffered the same fate as Narcissa. Many of them were just children, forced to marry men years older than them. It was the only reason they had the ability to sit in the council meetings for all their husbands had died years prior. Now they joined this very table to prevent another generation of children from falling victim to the men in their lives.

“I’ll go see if she's well and bring her back. We still have much to discuss. We cannot do this without her. She’s our face and our future,” announced Crouch. Although Narcissa had been laughed at in her younger years, through her work in the ministry and charity work in the community she had earned everyone’s respect with constant funding of various projects in the wizarding world. Lucius might have had his name attached to all the projects but the wizarding community and ministry knew it was Narcissa, who was the brain of Malfoy’s work.

Before she also went to bring her great great great niece back, Charis Black turned to the table, “This council will do well to remember we are all here because of Narcissa Black. We should respect how this organization was created. She was a one man soldier, hiding in the dark with her 3 trusted house elves before she gained an army of women. We cannot lose faith in our founder of the Black Cat Society. What she wants is what we all want. An end to this war. A way to bring our children back home. She will lead us out of this darkness. She will be the one to lead us when we go for negotiations for our rights”.

Minutes later Narcissa and Charis walked back hand in hand. The remaining members of the dead House of Black. Narcissa had walked in with no signs she just had a meltdown. Instead she wore a mask full of confidence as she restarted the meeting, “Now where are we? We need to discuss how much funding we are to add to the care packages and put aside medical aid for the final confrontation. Many of us will not be alive to see the end but it doesn’t mean we cannot aid those who we will leave behind. It will be our one final gift from us to our children”.

Chapter Text

“Do you think Ginny would be happy to see me? It’s been so long…. Ron, quickly check my teeth!,” Harry begged, but then he stopped. For a moment, he wondered to himself if he wanted to see Ginny, but before Harry could decide Ron had interrupted his thoughts.

“Forget about Ginny! I hope Lavender’s still here,” Ron whined.

“Lavender? You just saw her a few days ago!,” Harry exclaimed. His eyebrows furrowed in pure confusion. Ron had spent weeks in Ireland with Lavender. Shaking his head, Harry sighed, remembering he had spent the whole horcrux hunt surrounded by couples. The world was really unfair at times.

“This isn’t a competition. I still miss Lavender as much as you miss my ugly sister!”.

Draco, who was standing in the back, grabbed the hoodie of both boy’s jackets before pulling them back, out of annoyance. “Will you both shut it! Focus on the task in front of us! We’ve been walking through this tunnel for too long. Harry, are you sure we can trust this Dumbledore? If he’s anything like the first one, we’ve been fooled”.

“Of course, we can trust Aberforth! He’s a Dumbledore”.

Staring at Harry in disbelief, Draco tilted his head, wanting to mock the boy but decided on giving a judgemental look. “Not this again,” thought the snake. After all this time, Harry still had a little trust in the old man. The Slytherin reasoned that Harry must have felt he needed to put his last ounce of trust in the late headmaster since Dumbledore did entrust them with the secret to ending the war.

Aside from that, Draco couldn’t help but hold a grudge against the Headmaster for not telling ANYONE where to start the horcrux hunt or had left the golden trio alone to figure out what the willed items meant. However, that was nothing compared to the surprising fact Dumbledore had a brother. Draco had lived his whole life in the wizarding world yet did not know Dumbledore had a family. For all he knew, the old man just sprouted out of the ground one day. It had never occurred to him that the headmaster was human. From his viewpoint, Dumbledore was a two faced brute that had ignored anyone who wasn’t Potter. It made Draco wonder what secrets the old man kept until the very end. Holding all his cards close to his chest, Dumbledore was playing a game with Voldemort while they were all just chess pieces in it.

“Exactly! He's a Dumbledore. Don’t put your full trust in him either. My only consolation is that he has a bigger resentment towards Albus than all of us combined,” Draco argued.

Ron caught up with his two friends, walking close to them, “It’s interesting that we never heard of Dumbledore’s brother until today. We’ve known the Headmaster for 7 years but know nothing about the man”. The red head crossed his arms as he commented further, “Sad isn’t it? Albus Dumbledore's biggest critic was his own brother. I can’t imagine hating any of my siblings. It makes you wonder what really happened between him, Ariana, and Grindelwald. Like if there was more to Ariana's death than what the public knows”.

“Well…. It’s not nice to speak ill of the dead when they can't speak for themselves,” Harry trailed off before Draco intervened, “Since when did you start having morals? Where was this ‘benefit of the doubt’ when you were convinced I was a Death Eater? It would have been nice to have this version of Harry in our battle in the bathroom”.

Over it, Harry fought back as he thinned his lips, “I don’t care what everyone thinks of Dumbledore. I trusted the version of the Headmaster I knew. After all, he trusted us to finish what he started”. Seeing no one was listening, Harry said this final sentence more to himself. This shouldn't surprise him. Harry knew how everyone besides him felt about Albus Dumbledore. They all had reservations surrounding the old man. Yet, Harry desperately wanted to make himself believe this, because the reality was too harsh for him.

It was becoming too clear that Dumbledore may have not had his best interests at heart. Perhaps, Dumbledore wasn’t a good person as the man wanted everyone to believe. What did the former Headmaster want? Was it fame or the glory that came with being the most powerful wizard? It also didn’t help that Harry’s vision of Dumbledore’s grave replayed inside on the boy's mind on repeat. He couldn’t forget what Voldemort had said in the vision, “Our end goal for the boy is the same. How does it feel to live long enough to become me?”.

Draco’s inner werewolf, sensing the conflict inside Harry’s heart, had decided to push the boy into seeing the former Headmaster in a bad light once and for all, “Will you still say you trust the old man if in the end we discover he betrayed us or…you? I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to have more secrets we haven’t discovered yet. He did keep his sister and brother hidden from the public”.

Catching the strange tone in Draco’s voice, Hermione turned around, “What’s that supposed to mean? Do you know something we don’t?”. Determined, Hermione wasn’t going to back down this time. She was certain that Draco knew something. She had caught the switch in his demeanor when he suddenly had no issue surrounding not knowing where the 7th Horcrux was. He wasn’t the type to want to go into situations blind. The Slytherin was a planner. With a shared worried expression Hermione, Draco knew Hermione was close to figuring it out too. That couldn’t happen. Hermione wouldn’t take the news well.

“Relax, it's just a question. It doesn’t mean anything. Focus on the fight ahead,” Draco said as he tried to back pedal, but it was too late.

Harry grabbed the young werewolf’s shoulders, searching for an answer. “Do you know something we don’t know?,” asked Harry in an annoyed tone. The Slytherin peered at Ron and then to Hermione for help but they were waiting for an answer, as well. “There was only one way to shut everyone up,” Draco thought to himself. After all, telling the truth was out of the question. Harry couldn’t know he was a Horcrux. In the end, he needed to die for the war to be truly over. Harry had to learn that on his own. He couldn’t risk his friend getting cold feet before the final battle.

The young werewolf sighed, “I only mean it’s kind of fucked up that you put your whole trust on a scumbag when the old man didn’t have the decency to show you the same respect in return. He hid so many secrets from us that ended up hurting the Order in the long run. He cared so little for your life, only showing you enough attention to keep you alive. For god sakes Harry, he left you at the Dursley to be abused and starved. The old man really couldn’t find another distant relative? I find it hard to believe Lily Potter did not have more cousins or grandparents. You really just had to suffer inside the Dursley’s home?”. Harry’s face turned red.

Seeing him about to object, Draco put a halt to it as he continued his onslaught of criticisms on the boy, “Dumbledore groomed you for 7 years to fight for his army. He didn't give you the option not to be the chosen one. Think about it. How convenient is it that every year at Hogwarts you were in a life threatening situation. Take it from my family's long history. Hogwarts was the most protected property in the country. It was for centuries but suddenly the castle is in danger when you come along with Dumbledore as headmaster. There was a reason why the ministry and Lucius were trying to kick out the old man. He was a shady man with a hidden agenda. He selfishly put every child at risk every time he let someone, who shouldn’t be in the castle, in. In the history of Hogwarts, Dumbledore has the top record among all headmasters of endangering and losing children under his watch. He groomed you to be the prophecy. If we’re not careful, you’ll be another number on the record of children he failed”.

When Draco waited for the Golden Trio to respond he was met with silence and jaws on the floor. It seemed he had hit a nerve as Draco had pointed out what the trio failed to see from their rose colored glasses or was it fear of feeling used by a full grown adult that stopped them? The snake sighed once more, seeing the hurt on Harry’s face. “Look. All I’m saying is that it was never your responsibility to save the world alone. You're just a kid like the rest of us”. Draco turned to his wife, Hermione, “This is why I didn’t want to say what was on my mind. I made everyone feel bad. Now come on. We need to find the end of this ridiculously long tunnel. I can smell all your breaths in this closed space”. Still, Hermione folded her hands as she grew more suspicious. The snake was definitely hiding something but she had gotten the hint. She wouldn’t push further for answers.

The group walked a few more minutes when Harry decided to speak again. He had been contemplating what Draco had told him. “I know Dumbledore isn’t a good man... but I need to believe he cared for my well being. Because if I see him for the bad person he really was, it means all the trauma I got was preventable. I’ll just be another damaged kid he used for his own benefit. I have to succeed in taking Tom down to prove all this wasn’t for nothing. I didn’t want any of this. I want to live a life I should have had, an ordinary person with an uneventful boring life”.

Draco's heart sank. It was twisted to hear Harry speak of his desire for a normal life. He hated the old man more than he ever did at that moment. Dumbledore had kept the biggest secret from everyone. Harry was a Horcrux. In the end, he needed to die to save them all. It was selfish to ask that from a child.

“This needs to be said but Harry, you had a bad childhood. Accept it. Stop trying to find parental figures in anyone that gives you a speck of attention, especially those who don’t deserve that title. Dumbledore certainly doesn’t deserve your attention or respect. If you insist on finding meaning in your past, then you’ll miss what's in front of you. Your friends are here. We’ll make sure your sacrifice means something in the end. You don’t need to burden yourself with the weight Dumbledore handed to you. We’ll carry your burden together”. Draco turned away and continued to walk. He couldn’t look straight into the boy's face as he was overwhelmed with the feeling of sadness knowing Harry would be dead by tomorrow morning.

Ron, like Hermione, read Draco’s body language. Although he didn’t understand what Draco was trying to do, he understood the snake was trying to redirect their attention elsewhere. Draco was purposely attempting to hurt Harry’s feelings as a distraction. Putting his trust in the werewolf, Ron joined, fueling the fight that risked exploding between the once rivals. “That’s hilarious coming from you. You latched on to Remus the moment he invited himself into your life,” Ron mumbled under his breath while Harry agreed.

With real fury emerging for the young werewolf, Draco turned around, shocking them as he stomped up to Harry, “I never said I wasn’t going to share Remus. You're too busy looking for qualities in Dumbledore to see Remus was going to adopt us after the war. He has the papers back home waiting to be signed”.

As if he hadn’t caused the argument, Ron slapped the back of Harry’s shoulder as he congratulated his friend, “That’s great news mate! You and Draco will be like real brothers. The three of you will be a real family. You already got the fighting down”.

“Five of us,” added Draco.

“Five?,” Ron and Harry both asked at the same time.

“Yea, Hermione and Theo. Theo is a package deal with me. He’s been living with me and my mother for years. Therefore, you and Ron will be forced into a brotherhood pack with the Silver Trio whether you like it or not”.

“See a full house, Harry! Soon you’ll be fighting for rooms like me and my brothers. The arguments are already starting,” said Ron with a teasing smirk.

Once again it went silent as Harry walked behind Draco and Hermione. The three of them were acting strange, Harry thought and he remembered what Draco said, “If you insist on finding meaning in your past, then you’ll miss what's in front of you. Your friends are here”. Harry watched the back of Draco’s head as he led the group with Hermione beside him. He’s always had a family all along. Maybe not the traditional family, but a family made up of people equally dysfunctional as him.

Harry turned to Hermione, remembering the time they both watched Draco be pushed off the Astronomy tower. Dumbledore had miscalculated and failed to see Snape had turned against the Order. It was there Harry found his courage to finish what Voldemort and Dumbledore started all those years ago. “I won’t be like Dumbledore. I’ll make any sacrifice necessary. I won't let others pay for it with their life like the late Headmaster did to so many people. This fight ends tonight,” Harry thought to himself. He wasn’t going to let Voldemort or Dumbledore take anymore loved ones from him. Not anymore. He had been just a baby when Voldemort killed his parents and he was still young when Sirius was taken from him. He’s older now. Things will play differently this time.

Hermione noted the melancholy mood coming from Draco. She didn’t know what to make out of it so the bright witch turned to Harry, who she thought was the source of Draco’s sadness. Hermione grabbed everyone’s attention as she spoke up, making a promise to lift the room’s mood, “Harry, when this is all over we can all go back to school and finish our last year together. We can make your wish come true. You’ll be a normal kid in a school. The only life threatening crisis you'll have to worry about is our exams. I swear it”.

Ron added to Hermione’s playful remarks, “No one will bother looking at you since Draco will be back from the dead. He’ll be the one everyone’s talking about. You’ll be irrelevant while the snake relishes the attention. He’s so full of himself. Aren’t you, Draco?”.

Both Draco and Harry laughed at Hermione and Ron’s poor attempt to brighten the mood. Draco laughed so hard that he hadn’t paid attention to what was in front of him. He bumped into the door face first. “Ow! What the hell!,” the young werewolf complained as he felt the wall with his hand.

“It’s the entrance to Hogwarts!,” Hermione cheered. She moved her lumos lit wand over to the wall to see how to open it. It seemed easy. The witch found the edge of the door and simply pushed it open. Before them was the room of Requirements. From the looks of it, the room was being used as a shelter for Hogwarts students separated from their families. There were beds hanging between the columns and walls. A random student roamed around, giving out freshly washed blankets and pillows to the room’s occupants while a student behind her took the old ones. The room was filled up with kids, who have been displaced.

“Look who it is! It’s Harry Potter!,” called out Seamus. The Gryffindor stood up with Dean, giving a round of applause. The room joined as everyone realized Harry was back at Hogwarts. The poster boy of the war against Voldemort and his regime. “If Harry’s here, does that mean the end is near?,” a random Hufflepuff whispered to someone else.

In the distance, Ginny and Lavender make a run towards the boys they wanted to see the most. Without hesitation, Ginny hugged Harry, wrapping her arms around him. It had been too long since she last saw him or the others but as she shared a look with Harry, it felt strange now. There was some awkwardness between them that there hadn’t been before. Harry seemed like a different person since they had last seen each other at the wedding. Had he outgrown her? As they connected eyes, she realized Harry felt the same. She caught the guilty look in Harry’s eyes. The excitement Harry thought he was going to have was nonexistent when he hugged her. In truth, he felt nothing romantic for her.

With acceptance, Ginny gave a tight smile as she wasn’t mad at Harry. She had months to process everything between them. This was a long time coming. With the war separating them for months, they were two different people. Harry did not have time to have a love life or process his troubles with the opposite sex like she had. His main focus was survival and the completion of their secret mission.

Still, Ginny also selfishly hugged Harry one more time. It was intimate for her own closure. She wanted to confirm for herself that it was indeed over between them. Nothing. She felt distant from him. As she processed this, Luna and Neville joined the group, right behind them. With a weird aura lingering between them, Ginny pulled away from Harry to ask an important question on everyone’s mind as the whole room circled the group. “What are you all doing here? We weren’t expecting you,” asked Ginny.

Harry glanced at Neville. “Can you send a word to Remus and the Order? Plans have changed. We don’t have days anymore. Tom is coming as we speak with his army”. Neville's eyes widened at the news but his brows furrowed as he peered behind Harry. He recognized someone, who was supposed to be dead. But with no time to address it and the threat of Voldemort looming, Neville ran out the door as quickly as possible.

“Wait, is that Draco Malfoy?,” asked a Slytherin girl. She squinted her eyes as she studied the boy with Draco’s facial features. It must be him but the boy appeared so different with his black curly hair. The room turned to the young werewolf, who was holding hands with Hermione. The boy’s closeness to Hermione was also a dead giveaway on who it was. When Hogwarts was still open, the two were inseparable.

“There’s no time to explain how Draco is alive. All you need to know is he’s a secret member of the Order of Phoenix and he’s been helping us bring down you know who,” Harry urged everyone. He turned to Ginny with an apologetic facial expression, knowing Ginny wanted nothing else but to catch up with the golden trio. However, time was running out. “Ginny, you’ve been at the castle the longest out of everyone here. You must know who’s here and who’s not. Gather every Hogwarts student around the castle. We're going to need all the help we can get”. Nodding her head, Ginny made her way to the exit in a hurry.

Harry glanced around the room, nervous of having every pair of eyes on him. It had been a while since he and the group had been around this many people. For the longest time, his world revolved around the tent and not leaving the safety of it. Then it hit Harry. The last time he had interacted with his classmates was when they gave him so much grief for almost ending Draco’s life. Everyone had turned their backs on him.

With Draco sensing the nervousness inside Harry, he walked forward, putting a hand on his shoulders and showing everyone they had made up. With renewed confidence, Harry swallowed his anxiety, preparing to speak to the room. “There’s something we need to look for. Something hidden here in the castle that we need to defeat you know who. Something Tom hid away before he left school”.

“What is it?,” Dean asked.

“The Rowena Ravenclaw Diadem,” Harry answered. Again the room went quiet. This was an item that hadn’t been seen in centuries. Many thought it was just a legend.

“Where is it? You must have an idea what part of the castle it’s at?,” added Seamus.

“We don’t know. I know that’s not much to go on but…,” Harry paused as he trailed off. He felt a little ridiculous asking his classmates for help when he had no information to offer. It was as if he was sending them off on a wild goose chase.

“That’s all the information you have on it?,” Seamus said in a confused tone.

“Well, that’s why we need every Hogwarts student’s help. Who better to help us than the students who know every part of the castle,” Hermione backed Harry up.

“Harry, I don’t want to discourage anyone but how are we going to find it? It’s been lost for centuries. There’s no one alive today who’s seen it,” a voice from the back, pitched in.

When Harry looked for who had asked him, he felt his heart float away to the person who spoke his name. His mind copied everything about her as she stood before him. The way her eyelashes twinkled every time she blinked. Her lips had a natural pink tint to them. She had put her hair in a ponytail, which was his favorite hairstyle. Harry noted the way she was blushed at this very moment because he was staring too long, forgetting everyone in the room. To Harry, everything else had disappeared and only she existed. His mind had copied everything about Camellia, capturing this moment like a photograph. It felt like Camellia was staring directly into his heart as her voice filled the inner chambers of his soul.

Draco stared in judgement at the fool Harry was making out of himself to be. It only took a pretty girl for Harry to forget how to speak. This was the boy that was supposed to save them all from Voldemort? Unimpressed at Harry's inability to act normal in front of a crush, Draco interrupted their moment, “You can cross out the Slytherin dorms, the dungeons, Gryffindor dorms, the library, every bathroom, every staircase, and the entire 4th floor,” reminding Harry where they were at.

The crowd including the Golden Trio turned to the snake for an explanation on how he knew how to cross those rooms out. The young werewolf could hear whispering among the students. How would Draco know it’s not in the Gryffindor tower? But many remembered, he had been seen with Hermione many times during 6th year. Draco must have snuck in more than once.

While the Slytherin rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, a lie flowed out of his lips. “I’ve been searching for the Ravenclaw Diadem for a while. I couldn’t resist the pursuit of enhanced wisdom for our exams and the idea of beating Hermione”. A blush emerged across his face as he lied. To him, this was better than admitting he was a werewolf and could hear Horcruxes. The Golden Trio raised their eyebrows as they finally remembered how Draco would know the Ravenclaw diadem weren’t in those rooms.

Harry, helping Draco in keeping his werewolf condition a secret, shouted out in an awkward cheer, “Great! That just leaves us the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff dorms”.

“Yeah, and 80 percent of the castle is still left. Hogwarts is enormous. We won’t have time to search the entire castle before he who must not be named’s army comes,” Seamus interrupted.

“We’re closer to finding the Ravenclaw Diadem than we realize. I don’t think we have to search the whole castle for it,” said Luna in a soft voice. She smiled while holding her hand behind her back as she swung her body back and forth.

Harry didn’t exactly know how to respond to Luna. Sometimes she spoke very vaguely. Other times, it only made sense later. “Uhhh, That’s the spirit! See Luna is confident we’re going to find it!?,” Harry said in an uncertain voice, as he looked at Seamus. The daunting task of finding this horcrux was beginning to get to him.

Seeing through Harry, Seamus whispered into Dean's ears, “Harry can’t understand Loony Luna half the time. There’s no way we’ll find the diadem”. He thought no one had heard him but someone did. To everyone’s surprise, Draco snapped, shouting at the Gryffindor, “Hey, that's my cousin you're talking about”.

“I didn’t say anything wrong! We’re going on basically nothing here”. Embarrassed by Seamus's attempt at lying, Dean tried to quiet down his friend since he knew about Draco’s condition from being with the boy at the shell cottage. The Slytherin had heard his friend.

Hermione, the only one that saw Luna still had more to say, whistled loudly, quieting the room. Students covered their ears with their hands, looking alarmed at the golden girl’s actions. “Luna still has more to say”.

Luna smiled softly at her friend as the Ravenclaw spoke up. “Thank you. As I said, we don’t need to search the castle. It’s just as Camellia was saying, there’s not a person alive who’s seen it. It’s obvious, isn’t it? We have to talk to someone who’s dead”.

“You're a genius!,” Harry shouted, but before the group could form a plan, Ginny came back, running into the room of requirements. She breathed heavily as if she had run a marathon across the castle. “He’s arrived! You know who is at the edge of the castle. The Order isn’t here yet. Moody’s army is still at the borders. We’ve just barely sent a patronus out to them. We don’t have a chance with only us”.

The room turned to Harry and the group on what to do next. Panicked, Harry stuttered over himself. Everything was happening too fast. They weren’t prepared. Just hours ago, they had only robbed a bank but now Voldemort and his army were waiting outside the castle.

“Do you still want us to look for the Diadem, Harry?,” Camellia asked, but Harry was at a loss, unable to form words. “What should they do?,” he wondered to himself. If Harry was struggling to find words to speak with his other classmates, with her it was even more of a struggle.

Ron scooped in to save a stressed Harry. “No, let us worry about it. We have a lead thanks to Luna. Right now, we need to buy the Order and Moody’s Army more time until they can come”.

“How can we help? This is our home too. We all want to help defend Hogwarts,” Colin Creevy said as he peered up to Harry, admiring the chosen one. In Colin’s notebook that he was holding, there was a newspaper clipping of Harry on the cover of the notebook. There were still wizards and witches like Colin who still had faith in him, Harry realized. They were looking at him to lead them. He can’t fail them now. Hermione, Ron, Draco, and him have come too far to doubt themselves.

After finding his courage, Harry replied in a determined voice, “Anyone who can aid the staff come with us. We're going outside to strengthen the shields. Keep in mind, if you go outside, you're going to be fighting until help arrives. Go at your own risk. Anyone who can’t fight, help the younger ones and families find better shelter within the castle”.

~

At the great hall, the Golden Trio, Draco, and the crowd of older Hogwarts students all met with Professor McGonagall. Every student, who was older than 15 and had some knowledge of dueling, came to aid the staff. There had been some professors who had chosen to come back after the reopening of the castle. Ron’s mum, Molly, was also among the crowd. McGonagall turned to the boys: Dean, Seamus, and Neville. “I need you gentlemen to explode the bridge that leads into the castle. Burn it down. All of it”.

“Wait Professor, are you giving us permission to do this?,” asked Neville in shock.

“That is correct, Longbottom”.

“To blow it up? Like boom?!”

“Boom!,” McGonagall smirked at the boys.

“Wicked!,” finished Longbottom. They didn’t wait for any more directions from the Professor as they rushed to the back of the castle. Jumping in excitement, Seamus could be heard telling Longbottom, “I know the spell to burn it all down!”.

Luna grabbed Harry’s arm, bringing the attention back to her, “Harry, we need to see Helena Ravenclaw for the Ravenclaw Diadem. I’m quite friendly with her. I can introduce you, if you want”.

“Not now Luna, I can’t leave yet when I was the one that brought everyone outside”.

Making his way to the duo, Draco spoke up, “Luna is right. You go back into the castle for that Horcrux. We got the barriers covered”.

Still worried, Harry sighed as he peered at Professor McGonagall and Luna, “Okay, but don’t have too much fun without me. I was really looking forward to using that spell”. Harry went to his pocket, taking out the Marauder Map to give to Hermione, “Take this. That way you can find me, if you finish first, but I won’t be gone for too long”. Without waiting for Hermione's and Draco’s response, Harry and Luna ran back up the stairs into the castle.

Professor Slughorn walked next to McGonagall, informing her as they both watched Harry disappear, “You do realize, of course, we can’t keep out you who know indefinitely”.

“Yes, but as Mr Potter and his friends here have mentioned, that doesn't mean we can’t delay Voldemort. We just need to buy enough time for our army to come”.

Ron gasped, “Professor, you said the taboo word”. The redhead glanced around, expecting snatchers to get them. With confidence, McGonagall straightened her robes as she told the group, “Yes, I did. Might as well say Voldemort, if he’s going to try to kill us all anyway”.

The Professor singled out the students, getting them in formation while Draco followed Hermione out to the courtyard. There were many people here from all walks of life. Despite being refugees of the war, each person here was standing up against Voldemort. Draco grabbed Hermione’s hand to squeeze it as they watched McGonagall lift her wand. “Piertotum Locomotor!,” the professor shouted at the castle. It was a spell that brought life to every statue inside Hogwarts.

Each student stared in wonder as all along the walls of the corridors, statues of knights came down onto the castle floors from the shelves they were in. The crashing of the knights echoed as they fell down throughout the halls. Marching echoed even more loudly as Draco heard more statues were coming from depths of the castle to aid the fight. “Hogwarts has been threatened. Man the boundaries. Protect us, do your duty to our school!”.

With a bright smile on her expression, McGonagall made her way over to the children. “Does everyone remember the words to the incantations?”.

One by one every student and staff shouted yes together. As a single unit, everyone lifted their wands to the sky, reciting the words, “Protego Maxima Fianto Duri Repello Inimicum”. A glowing ball of light with a tail shot from the tip of every single wand as it flew up towards the sky, forming a magical protective barrier over the castle.

Meanwhile, Voldemort and his army, by the thousands, waited on top of a mountain near Hogwarts. A perfect spot to view the entire castle and everyone walking outside. Lucius and Bellatrix stood behind Voldemort eyeing each other. The clock for them was ticking. It was a miracle Voldemort had bought into their lie the day they let Harry escape. It was Lucius’ clean record of “killing” all who came into his manor that saved them both. Thankfully, Voldemort never asked where the bodies went as they aided prisoners of war through the Cabinet Network.

Even if the Dark Lord had, the fire had burned down everything into ashes. Instead, it was Snape that received the punishment for his failure to train his soldiers correctly. The Death Eaters that had brought Harry and Hermione to Lucius worked directly under Snape. Their orders had been clear: anyone who finds Harry should bring the boy to Voldemort immediately. The Dark Lord had seen this as a failure on Snape’s lack of leadership.

Nervous, Lucius turned to look at Theo and Blaise, who were standing behind him. He signaled to both boys that as soon as those barriers went down, they were to separate from Voldemort’s army and find safety in the Order. With the end near, they didn’t belong on this side of the war anymore.

Looking on his other side, Lucius watched Regulus go ahead first but not before the boy looked back and nodded. After years of haunting Lucius after his death, Regulus was ready to let go. There was a moment when they shared a look. A look as if this would be the last time they would see each other. Lucius couldn’t help but wonder where the former Black heir was going. It seemed as if Regulus was searching for someone. Then it all came to him before Lucius accepted it. She had never been his to begin with. Acceptance settled as Lucius turned to Bellatrix, wondering how it was going to end for them. There were only two paths for people like them. Die fighting for the right side and traitors among their peers or go to Azkaban for the war crimes they had committed in each war.

Before they had come here, Bellatrix had confessed to Lucius that she was choosing to die in the hands of her sister now that Lucius had told her Draco was alive. With Bellatrix known as the most ruthless and dangerous Death Eater in Wizarding history, there was no Azkaban for her. Not anymore. If she did survive the battle, she was certain the ministry would give her the kiss. People like her didn’t deserve a second chance. She had made Theo, Blaise, Percy, and Luna take an unbreakable vow in never revealing she had been a member of the Cabinet Network.

Bellatrix wanted to be known as a loyal follower to her Dark Lord until the very end. Her name could not be revealed among those who worked for the Cabinet Network for one sole reason. Whoever would kill her would be remembered in Wizarding history. They would be remembered forever as a hero. Thinking of the Black family name, she saw it as her responsibility to give that honor to her baby sister, Cissy. It was the only way to bring honor to their fallen house and to make her only brother’s sacrifice matter. The world would know Narcissa Black killed Bellatrix Lestrange and had a hand in the destruction of Voldemort. Their house would rise up in glory again. Draco was the future of their house, son of her lost brother, Regulus. When Bellatrix found an opportunity, she would search for Cissy among the chaos.

Lucius had been shocked with her final wish, which was very difficult to do. Before the battle, she had submitted an updated Will to Gringotts. Her tombstone was to specifically say she was a dedicated member of House of LeStange and a devoted wife to Rodolphus LeStrange. The mad Black sister wanted her body to be buried in the LeStrange family cemetery, doubling down on her relationship with the LeStranges and erasing any remaining connections to her family house. Impressed, Lucius quickly realized she was doing this to spite Rodolphus. It was an ingenious way to pin all her war crimes to his house and not hers, which brought back Lucius to his own path.

He didn’t know how history would remember him or the Cabinet Network. His actions were complex. He had been Voldemort's main supporter in the first war and it was partially his fault the war had gotten this far, rolling into a second war. Nothing would ever erase his past with Voldemort. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a legacy anymore or to be remembered at all. When he had failed his family, everything had changed. He did not want Draco to remember him. It was better if his son forgot about him and their family name. All Lucius knew was that he wanted to clean up the mess he had made and accept death with dignity. Resignation entered his body as he accepted he would not see the end of the day. This was enough for him. He would leave it to the historians on how they wanted to view him. With Lucius an enemy on both sides of the war, he was already a dead man among the living.

Voldemort walked away from Snape and over to the edge of the cliff of the mountain. “They never learn. Do they? Such a pity”. Indifferent to what was about to happen, the Dark Lord lifted his hand up, giving out the next order. “Begin”.

A thousand balls of fire came from the mountainside all at once like gunfire, whistling in the wind. The first fire of what would be the longest night for both sides. It was a sight to see. A sight the children would remember for the rest of their lives. “It’s coming,” whispered Hermione to Draco in a trembling voice. Hermione’s eyes had fear in them as she looked at Draco for comfort. “Hold your wand up higher. I won’t let anything happen to you,” the young werewolf responded back as they waited to feel the impact on the barriers.

BOOM! An explosion echoed inside the castle, scaring those who took shelter. All who were outside trembled as they struggled to hold the protective barrier in place with their wands. One after another, the gunfire came. There were hundreds of them, hitting the barrier all at once. It sounded like fireworks on a summer day. Only, it was only fireworks of destruction. The impact made a cracking sound as it hit the barrier.

“Hold your wand up! Our army is coming! Just a bit longer,” screamed McGonagall. More explosives whistled, doubling down. Draco's hands were shaking as he felt the pain of keeping a spell up against an impossible task.

There were only a few of them against an entire army. Ron’s wand was taken out from the force of the gunfire. “RON!,” Hermione screamed, full of worry. The redhead fell back but scrambled backup to hold the barriers. Ron was the first of many. Soon, students and even adults fell back. “Don’t give up! Keep going! I have taught you all well,” encouraged McGonagall to her generations of students. She had been at Hogwarts for years and trusted in the abilities of her grown and current students. They held the barriers for a full minute until they all heard the sounds of crackling egg shells echo inside their protective bubble. “This is it everyone! Get ready to fight! The barriers are coming down,” screamed Draco.

Boom! A bomb-like explosion exploded above the courtyard. It looked like sunlight raining down on them. Shimmering glitter of sunlight like little stars fell on the ground. When the crowd peered at the direction of the gunfire, they were faced with hundreds of Black Death Eater cloaks flying towards them. At the sight, Draco grabbed Hermione’s hand while Hermione used her other hand to hold Ron’s. It was only a second ago that the barriers fell but it felt like a lifetime watching Voldemort’s army come towards them.

“We're together in this,” Draco whispered to both of his friends.

“Until the end,” Ron finished.

“This is it! Hold your wands up. The Order, their coming!,” announced McGonagall. Before anyone could move another muscle, shooting stars came into the crowd’s view. Stars that were opposite of Voldemort’s darkened army. The shooting stars flew closer and closer, dropping safely into the courtyard. It was Remus, Moody, and Kingsley, who had come just in time. Soon more stars fell around the property. Stars that were made up of Moody’s army and rebels from other countries.

Arriving in front of the group, Remus ordered, “Go inside the castle and find that Horcrux. Take all the students with you”. Draco, Hermione, and Ron froze from the arrival of the Order. It had been too close of a call. Snapping them out of their shock, Remus ordered them once more, “Go! We’ll take care of the rest!”. It was watching Remus scream that finally broke their trance. Scrambling, Draco, Hermione, and Ron ushered the underaged students back inside the safety of Hogwarts.

~

Hermione took out the Marauder's map, flipping through all the pages for Harry’s name. “Have you spotted him yet?,” asked Ron. He was standing next to the group with Lavender holding his hand. After Ron, Hermione, and Draco entered Hogwarts again, they had run into Lavender. Before, Lavender did not have the strength to keep the barriers up. She had decided to stay inside the castle.

“Give me a second. There’s so many people on the property. All the names are blending together in certain parts of the map”.

Draco looked towards the staircase as he pointed out, “Hermione, there’s no need to look anymore. Harry’s right in front of us”. The group peered up. To their surprise, Harry indeed was coming towards them. As Harry rushed down the stairs, he quickly jumped off the last 4 steps before almost bumping into Hermione. Grabbing onto her arms, Harry yelled, “I know where Tom hid the Ravenclaw Diadem! It’s so brilliant it’s almost stupid we didn’t think about searching there first!”.

“Where!,” they shouted at the same time.

“In the place where everything’s hidden”.

“Huh?,” Ron interjected as Draco screamed at his own stupidity. The strong reaction caused everyone to glance at the Slytherin with curiosity.

“Merlin’s balls! I should have known! How fucking stupid could I be! I had the answer the entire time. Of course the Horcrux would be in the room of hidden things”.

“Explain,” said Harry, sensing Draco was frustrated at something more.

“Don’t you remember? I spent most of 6th year inside the room of hidden things, trying to fix that damn cabinet. Every single time I would hear the most annoying ringing, but when I heard it I just thought I was struggling with my adjustment as a new werewolf. I couldn’t control my hearing or keep anything I ate down. I would get the most terrible headaches from listening to the smallest sounds around the castle”.

“Of course, all those times we were in the room. I always thought it was weird that I could never remedy your headaches,” Hermione said with wide eyes. Everything was making sense.

Thankful for their luck, Ron padded the back of Draco’s shoulder. “Finally! A Horcrux we don’t have to risk our lives for. I’m betting you know which area of the room it’s located in”.

“Careful Ron, don’t jinx us all. Something always goes wrong. But yes, it should be simple enough to go in and grab it. I know exactly what area to look through. Although, I must admit, it might take us a while to find it. The room is huge even if I know where I’m going,” Draco admitted

“Okay, this is where we split the group. We still need someone to go down to the Chamber of Secrets for that Basilisk fang”.

“Is that smart Harry? Maybe we should stay together,” Hermione questioned as she winced at the noise of the constant incoming firebombs.

“We don’t have a choice. If we divide the group, we can quickly end this all once and for all. Every minute that passes could be someone losing their lives”.

“Lavender and I can go down to the chamber of secrets,” volunteered Ron as he moved next to his girlfriend.

“Take Harry with you if you’re going,” said Hermione.

“No, Harry should be looking for that 6th Horcrux. The more eyes we have searching for it the better. The room is too huge for only two people. You’ll find it in no time with two people that can hear them. We’ll be fine. I can speak enough Parseltongue to open the chamber of secrets”.

Surprised, Draco asked, “You can speak parseltongue? That's amazing,” before the young werewolf turned to Harry with a hurt expression, “How come you didn’t teach me? I’m the only Slytherin in our group. It only makes sense to teach me the ability to speak to snakes”. With a look of betrayal, Draco shook his head at the boy.

“Because I didn’t teach Ron. How do you know Parseltongue,” Harry questioned the redhead.

With a smile, Ron revealed to the group as they appeared baffled at his confession. “You tend to speak Parseltongue in your sleep. Always have since 2nd year. I can speak it as well as you do. Though I don't understand what I’m saying and only speak it alone to a mirror. I don’t like having eyes on me when I do it. It’s embarrassing”.

Jumping up and down, Lavender squealed, “THAT'S MY WON WON! You're the most intelligent person I know!”. She got on her tippy toes, kissing Ron on the cheek and making the boy as red as his hair.

Meanwhile, Hermione went inside her handbag, driving in with her whole arm. With the battle outside intensifying, they had to move quickly. When she had found what she was looking for, she handed Ron the Hufflepuff cup. “I’m leaving you in charge of the cup. Once you grab a Basilisk fang, destroy the cup immediately and come find us”. With each person given direction, the group separated into two, disappearing among the chaos while students, staff, and refugees ran to find a better spot to hide. Panic erupted as Moody's soldiers spilled inside the corridors as they tried to maintain the influx of Death Eaters sneaking in.

Chapter Text

Harry watched as Draco walked to an empty wall on the 7th floor. The werewolf closed his eyes and within seconds a door appeared. Draco and Hermione wasted no time as they walked through what looked like a random walkway, but the couple knew where they were going. Back in the area they had spend so many nights together fixing the cabinet, the room was filled with an endless amount of lost or abandoned items left behind every school year. There were piles of furniture, creating a maze that if not careful they would get lost.

As Harry peered around, he wasn’t sure if this room had four walls. He couldn’t see the end of this room, but that didn’t make sense to him. This was the come and go room. Of course it had four walls. It was just ridiculously big. “It's enormous like a labyrinth. I can’t believe this room is here. I only thought about asking the castle for a safe place for our DADA practice back in 5th year,” Harry commented as he walked backwards in amazement of the room. He turned around to Draco and Hermione’s side. “How many people do you think know about the room of hidden things?”.

Finding amusement in Harry’s bewilderment, Draco laughed, “Very few, I only know about it because Voldemort told me himself. I only let Hermione, Theo, and Blaise in on the secret. This room can only be found if you stumble across it by accident. The second time you try to ask for this room it never shows itself again, if you don’t know how to ask for this room”.

“I’m guessing if Voldemort knew you were alive he would be regretting ever letting you in on the secret. I didn’t even know the room of requirement had this option,” said Harry.

Hermione’s eyebrows scrunched together as she realized even she didn’t know how to call up this room. The room only appeared to her every time Hermione had asked to see Draco, “Wait, how do you call for this room? It only appears to me if you’re here and I ask to see you”.

Draco looked at Hermione with a smirk. He finally knew something the bright witch didn’t, but this wasn’t the time to gloat. The Horcrux was the first priority. “You have to ask the castle to be lost and to find a place that can’t be found. Let the room claim you as another item to be added to its collection. You need to let yourself be lost to the castle. That's the only way to find this room. Otherwise, everyone would know how to access it and it wouldn’t be called the Room of Hidden Things”.

The young werewolf glanced around the room, reminiscing on his time here. He had been able to call upon this room way too easily, almost as if the castle had sensed his delicate state of mind at the time. The Slytherin really did not want to be found again during his 6th year. If it hadn’t been for Theo, Blaise or Hermione constantly checking up on him, Draco would have never left the room. Sighing, Draco went on as he shrugged his shoulders, “It's how I lost track of time so easily here. Sometimes what was a short trip of 30 minutes to check on the cabinet always turned into hours. I swear time is more of a suggestion here. I would leave this room believing I was here for no more than one hour only to realize I wasted a whole day”.

“Damn, I wish I knew the room existed then. I would have hidden my potions book here”.

Hermione snapped her head to Harry, “The dangerous book I told you to hand over to the professors but you used on Draco instead? Ron and I were so focused on being angry at you after our big fight in the Gryffindor tower that I forgot to ask you about it. WHERE DID YOU PUT IT?”.

“I thought you forgave Harry for killing me. No need to lecture the poor boy anymore”.

“I did forgive him. I’m only concerned about the book finding itself in irresponsible hands once again”.

With his ears turning red, Harry was embarrassed of what he had done. Why on earth did he think it was a good idea to use an unknown spell with no knowledge of what it did? Scratching the back of his head, Harry admitted, “I burned the book with Ginny. I didn’t know what else to do or who to turn to. I was too ashamed to ask Remus for help because I didn’t want to disappoint him a second time. And I couldn’t burn it inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom because she banned me from there. So…. I went to Hagrid’s hut, the only friend I thought I had, to burn it in his fireplace. It was the most logical thing I could think of. No one was talking to me at the time… and I didn’t know what else to do”.

The couple stayed silent, taking in what Harry had confessed. Hermione cleared her throat first, “I think you did the right thing, Harry. Burning it was for the better. It was too dangerous to even be kept here. Now that we know what kind of a man Snape is. Who knows how many more deadly spells that book had”.

The atmosphere turned awkward at the reminder of the bathroom incident. Too quiet for anyone’s comfort, Draco could sense Hermione’s guilt setting in for ignoring Harry for so long and her anger continuing on into the Horcrux Hunt. With Harry’s embarrassment growing, Draco filled the dead silent with a reveal of one secret of his. One that would pull Harry and Hermone out of their somber mood. “I don’t think Rita Skeeter is the first person killed! I was only 9 years old, but I swear it was an accident. We didn’t mean to make the Prime Minister of Magic drop dead!”.

“What! What do you mean you might have killed the Prime Minister of Magic? What happened!,” shouted Hermione but had a great interest in what Draco had done.

“Hold on Hermione. Take a step back. I’m still on the part of DRACO KILLED RITA SKEETER!”.

“Catch up Harry! Rita Skeeter was a horrible person, who sneaked into the Shrieking Shack full of hungry werewolves on the full moon for a story. She got what she deserved. Let’s move on to what's really important, especially since I have goals of being the Prime Minister one day”.

“Fine, but once we kill Voldemort. I want the backstory on Rita”.

Although he was glad he had successfully distracted Hermione and Harry, the young werewolf did not look forward to confessing what he thought he had done. If he was honest, he didn’t like dwelling on it. Draco closed his eyes before taking a heavy breath, scaring the duo. A million scenarios ran through both Hermione and Harry’s minds. How does one even get away with murdering such an important man? Draco must have since he was still standing here and not in Azkaban. “You have to understand we were children and didn’t know what kind of power it had. We’re not proud of what we did”.

“Who’s we?,” asked the ever increasing shocked duo at the same time, leaning in to hear the story better. Harry added, “We're not judging, especially me. I almost ended your existence, afterall. Just tell us!”.

“Theo and Blaise,” Draco admitted with a heart full of guilt. Slapping her forehead, Hermione shook her head. “Of course, Theo and Blaise were involved. Together, you three are troublemakers,” thought Hermione to herself.

The Slytherin led the duo into the maze as he began, “It all started when we were at the Zabini Manor in Italy. We were having dinner with Lady Zabini and the Prime Minister, as one normally does. The two of them were on a date and he was going to be Blaise’s 4th father, so naturally Lady Zabini wanted the three of us to form a connection with the most important man of the wizarding world”. Hermione gave Harry a side glance, confirming if she had heard right. She did. Draco’s extravagant and privileged childhood still caught Harry and Hermione off guard at times.

Paying them no attention, Draco went on, “While we were in the middle of having our duck roast, the old man was bashing on Quidditch and telling us all how incredibly dangerous it was for children. Can you believe he was working on legislation to raise the age of Quidditch to 18? He was ready to bring it to all his peers at the Wizengamot hall to make it into law the very next day! The audacity of that man! We couldn’t just let that happen! It was our dream to all be Slytherin players and we did what anyone would do. We asked Lady Zabini if we could be excused. Once when we were alone, Blaise told us he knew exactly how to stop that law from passing. So… we ran to Lady Zabini's bedroom and may have pulled out her black book”.

Hermione gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. “The book was real?,” the bright witch thought to herself. She understood now how it all happened.

“WHAT! I DON’T GET IT!,” squealed Harry. “The rumored black book. I heard about it from Lavender but I thought she was joking,” Hermione whispered. “Black book? Like Tom’s diary? What’s so dangerous about a book?,” questioned Harry but paused. He knew better than anyone how dangerous books were as his eyes landed on Draco’s chest. Hermione shushed the boy, letting Draco finish the story.

“The directions inside the book were simple. Write the name of the person while imagining their face. If we wanted, it could be a specific death. We fought over the book to write in his name but eventually Blaise wrote it because Theo and I were too scared. However, I told Blaise to make the Prime Minister die in front of his peers the next day, while wearing women’s undergarments underneath his robes to embarrass the man when they investigated the cause of death and to teach the old man not to touch our quidditch”.

At the edge of anticipation, Harry interrupted, “And did it work? Did you save quidditch?”. The idea of a book having the ability to kill people by writing their names seemed unbelievable.

With a smirk, Draco nodded as he went on, “When the next day rolled around, we listened to the radio as Wizengamot seats were voting live. To our surprise, he really did die in front of his peers. We may have screamed and hid underneath Blaise’s bed afterwards though. Up until that day, we all thought the book was fake. It was supposed to be fun. Since we didn’t know if Azkaban arrested children, we hid under the bed for an hour until Theo said it wasn’t us and it was dumb luck on our side. That day, we all took an oath to never discuss it ever again and the following few weeks Cornelius Fudge won his first election by default”.

Intrigued, Hermione asked cautiously, “And did he have on women’s undergarments when they found him?”.

At the question, Draco refused to look at the duo with a guilt ridden face but his refusal to answer gave the two their confirmation. Wanting to comfort her husband, Hermione murmured, “It was dumb luck, just as Theo said. Politicians have dirty secrets all the time. I’m sure he was into women’s undergarments before that day”.

“It’s okay, Draco. He was going to raise the age for quidditch. I’m sure all of Hogwarts would understand. It had to be done. I know for certain Oliver Wood would have personally thanked you,” said Harry.

The trio walked for a few more turns and went down small pathways until Draco heard a familiar noise. “The ringing! I hear it!”. Without a warning, the Slytherin darted for it, making his two friends chase after him. “Slow down!,” screamed Hermione. “I can’t! It’s getting louder. I need to find it,” shouted back Draco as he zoned on his target. “Wait, he’s onto something, Hermione. I’m starting to hear it”.

Out of nowhere, Draco made a sudden stop, making Hermione and Harry slam into his back. “It's somewhere in this pile,” Draco confirmed as he turned back to the duo. “Harry, can you still hear it? It stopped for me once I found its location”.

Scanning the pile, Harry browsed the area, even circling around the mountain of furniture a few more times. The chosen one closed his eyes, listening to the 6th Horcrux. Whispers filled the air but only for his ears. “Do you hear that? It’s whispering. Almost as if it’s calling me”.

Draco surprised Hermione when the werewolf answered honestly. ”I don’t hear anything”. This was confirmation of his theory. Draco knew the real reason why only Harry could hear it. Harry was the 7th Horcrux. Seeing the snake’s haunted eyes, it was then that it clicked for Hermione. However, when the witch realized what Harry was, she denied the truth. It was the only way she could process it. There had to be another reason why Harry could hear them. Draco had been affected by them and Hermione was certain he wasn’t a horcrux.

Harry walked towards a round table. On top of the clothed table was a pile of dirty curtains. Underneath it, laid a small chest. Following his instinct, Harry opened the box with Draco and Hermione watching over his shoulders. He gasped as he found what they had been looking for. There it was in all its beauty, Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem. The item had a deep blue sapphire shaped oval on the tiara. The tiara itself was uniquely designed to be the symbol of its very house, Ravenclaw. The wings of the bird stretched around the crown of the tiara. Along the wing’s feathers were smaller diamonds making it shine more.

“I can’t believe it. We've been in this room so many countless nights. We even slept not too far from here only for a Horcrux to be right under our noses,” Draco complained to Hermione. As Harry picked up the diadem, he shouted in pain, grabbing his scar. Flashes of memories of Ron and Lavender destroying the Helga Hufflepuff cup came to mind in that exact moment inside the Chamber of Secrets. His mind throbbed in pain as he received another visual of Voldemort falling to his knees the moment the Basilisk stabbed the cup.

“Harry! Are you alright?,” Hermione asked with worry in her tone. Gathering himself, Harry picked up the Diadem that he dropped, “He did it. Ron destroyed the cup. We need to head back to the entrance”.

“Well, Well, look who we have here. It’s Potter, Granger, and a mutt back from the dead. Nice work finding that Horcrux. Now hand it over”. At the voice that sent shivers down all their spines, the three quickly turned around. It was Severus Snape with two cloaked Death Eaters. Tension filled the air with neither side making the first move.

Snape observed Harry almost as if it was for the first time. He wasn’t just James’s boy. He was also Lily’s son. Harry had as much of Lily inside him as much as he had James. There was a sort of regret that filled the Death Eater’s eyes with the thought of how he made Harry’s life miserable throughout the years. It was only now looking into the same eyes that were so much like Lily’s that Snape realized how difficult he had been on the boy.

Harry might have appeared like James but he was all Lily. He was no better than James when he had tormented Snape all his school years. At least James in the end was able to capture Lily’s heart and Snape assumed he had become a better person. He, on the other hand, was never able to leave the resentment that laid hidden deep in his heart. It was staring into Harry’s deep green eyes that the Professor realized who he really was to Lily. No one. He was a stranger. Yes, they had been friends during their childhood years but they hadn’t spoken since she broke their friendship during Hogwarts. The day Snape had called her a mudblood was the end. He never had a chance with her. He saw that now. Lily never considered him anything more than just a friend.

While she found warmth in his friendship for many years and thought they were genuine friends, Snape had betrayed their friendship in more ways than he would ever see. He not only called her a mudblood but took the dark mark willing to join a cause that wanted to kill people like her. That did not hurt her the most though. No, what hurt her was their friendship was built on a lie. While Lily thought she had a friendship with Severus Snape, Snape had wanted more since the beginning. He had accepted their friendship with alternative motives.

Disgusted with himself, Snape was a man that couldn’t get over a girl that didn’t look in his direction for 17 years. He was a man who chose to walk over James' dead body, walked towards Lily’s body, and ignored the motherless baby. It was then Snape realized he cried for a woman who never loved him back. He mourned her death while mocking his supposed love of his life’s only child.

“You have your mother’s eyes,” said Snape as he looked deeper into Harry’s eyes.

With eyes full of distrust, Draco yelled, “Get out of our way creep! My father, Remus told me all about you. Hermione, quickly get behind me”. The werewolf grabbed Harry’s arm, dragging the boy behind him, as well, “Especially you, Harry”.

Snape’s sorrowful eyes snapped into rage. “Why you arrogant little mutt. Don’t you ever get tired hearing yourself say ‘my father’? After 16 years of painting yourself to be Lucius’ clone, I see you have no backbone after all. You’re so quick to call that fleabag of a fag your new father. I do hope you don’t start following the man like a lost child. A downgrade in the father department if I do say so myself”.

Draco wasn’t prepared to be insulted by his former professor. The boy had always stood behind his professor while the man criticized Harry’s every move. This felt different to be the target. The young werewolf’s jaws dropped but Harry, with years of experience of being ridiculed, stepped forward. “Keep Remus’ names out of your mouth! How dare you stand there like you’ve done nothing wrong? Like you didn’t throw a child off the tower or kill the headmaster. Your betrayal on the Order speaks more about the kind of man you turned out to be. My mother would hate to see you what you’ve become”.

Filled with annoyance, Snape turned to look at Harry so slowly it caused the trio to take a step back. “Has it ever crossed your arrogant narrow minded brain that I never asked for any of this? I had no choice. Dumbledore and Voldemort each used me for their selfish gains. Is it wrong of me that I picked a side that allowed me to live a good life without any more sacrifices? I’ve had enough of being in the shadow of other men”.

“You're wrong. We always have a choice. It’s never too late to choose what’s right. It might not be the choice we want in the end or the easiest but we always have one. You betrayed the Order simply because you're a terrible human being,” Hermione responded, while thinking of Lucius. The man, who despite every wrong turn he made, still decided to do some good in the end. The man in front of her had no excuse to say it was too late for him.

Backing Hermione, Draco added, “You did have a choice. In fact, you started all of this. Remus and I saw the vials of memory inside Dumbledore’s office. It was you that told Voldemort about the prophecy that led to Lily and James' death. You were okay with anyone from the Order dying from that Prophecy until you realized it was Lily that fit that description but it was too late to take it all back. You always had a choice but you chose to side with Voldemort”.

Angered by what Draco had said, Snape bared his teeth. The boy was right. He did give the prophecy to Lord Voldemort directly. The very prophecy that killed Lily. He defended himself, “You all speak so highly of your precious Order. You all crucify me for killing Dumbledore as if he wasn’t another Voldemort, playing on the other side of the war. Tell me foolish children, has it ever crossed your mind why Harry Potter can speak to snakes? Has it ever crossed your mind why the boy, who survived the killing curse, could hear Lord Voldemort’s mind? None of that is natural. Yes, I handed over the prophecy that killed your parents, Harry, but Dumbledore has wronged you in many ways”.

Snape paused as a snicker emerged on his expression. The secret he had long kept was about to be revealed. “Dumbledore’s actions make me look like a saint. Your precious Headmaster raised you like a pig to be slaughtered, grooming you to die at the right moment. That's what your precious Order has done for you. It doesn’t matter what side I fall on. It's the same”.

With wide eyes, Draco pulled Harry back. He stood in front of the boy, defending him as the boy took in what Snape had told them. “Harry isn’t going to die today. We're all going home together as one whole family. The only person dying is you and your Death Eaters. You're going to die a bitter man, who blamed all his faults on others. Take some fucking responsibility. You want to blame everything bad that has happened on Dumbledore and Voldemort but every action in your life has been yours”.

“Mmm, I wonder what the Dark Lord would say if he knew Draco Malfoy was alive. I would receive a hero’s welcome from all my colleagues including your father Lucius. Should we find out together?”.

As Snape twirled his wand, he motioned it towards Draco, “Avada Kedavra!”. Although he missed his mark, he would have succeeded in killing the young werewolf, if Hermione wasn't faster than he was. The bright witch was trained by Draco, who in turn was trained by Bellatrix. Bellatrix, without her knowledge, had unknowingly left a legacy of her own behind. A lineage of skilled duelists that had the Golden Trio and Draco attached to her name. “Expelliarmus!,” shouted Hermione, disarming her former professor.

Draco hopped on her fast reaction time and shot a spell of his own, “STUPEFY!”. Shot directly on the chest, Snape flew back into a pile of rubbish behind him. However, the two Death Eaters Snape had brought did not go down without a fight. When the group was distracted by an unconscious Snape, one of the Death Eaters shot the diadem out of Harry’s arm and into the pile behind him while the second flipped Hermione with a flick of a wand.

“HERMIONE!,” Draco screamed out. Something snapped inside the werewolf again. The last time the boy lost his temper was when they had fought against two Death Eaters at the cafe shop. He didn’t remember what he did, only that he saw Hermione get hurt. The werewolf inside him had snapped. The werewolf slowly turned to the two Death Eaters with his eyes dilated, erasing the whites of his eyes. The hooded figures froze as they watched the boy grow a whole foot taller and claws grow out. A deep growl vibrated the air as Draco’s teeth enlarged into fangs.

“Run!,” one of the men shouted.

The half transformed werewolf got on his four limbs before chasing after them. The bloody shrieks of the two men could be heard, echoing in the large room as howls of a hunt followed behind them.

As Harry watched Draco disappear into the maze of hidden things, he jumped on the pile to look for that Horcrux. To the side, Hermione struggled to get back on her feet as the shock of being flipped roughly had made her forget where she was from the pain. Hearing items being thrown on the floor by Harry, this helped the witch come back to. In a hurry, she got back on her feet and climbed the pile with Harry. Together, they darted to the area where the Diadem was lost, removing any large furniture out of the way. “GOT IT!,” Harry cheered.

Once they got back to the floor, Hermione asked, “Where’s Draco?”.

“He’s on a murder spree on the two men that hurt you,” Harry smirked as he went on, “We don’t say this enough but having a Draco really completes our group. That werewolf of yours has saved us too many times to count”. Hermione tried not to smile widely but the corner of her lips gave her away. She had to agree but the duo's smiles were quickly wiped away as screams grew closer towards them.

“RUN!”.

Hermione and Harry leaned closer, waiting to hear from Draco. They knew those screams anywhere, increasing both of their curiosity. It wasn’t often that Draco yelled in terror. He was always the one causing fear in others. “RUN! RUN!”. Draco appeared in the duo’s view, showing up in the corner of the hallway. “Those bloody idiots set the place on fire!,” the young werewolf screamed before grabbing Hermione’s hand, not waiting for his witch to react.

Just as Draco had warned the group, a wall of fire made its way towards the group, consuming everything in its path. “Holy shit,” said Harry in a tone of disbelief. He ran finding his way back to Draco and Hermione like a mouse caught in a trap. No matter where the trio ran, fire was everywhere. The flames were like an ocean of fire, moving like a wave. The fire filled every crevice of the piles of mountain, flooding the room. Every path before them was blocked by the fire. As the trio turned, they saw Voldemort’s face with his mouth wide open, waiting to swallow them whole.

Voldemort roared across the room, stopping the children in every corner of the maze they turned too. The room rose in temperature as if it was an oven, cooking everyone inside slowly as smoke filled the air. The group could feel how hot the fire grew, making their eyes water. Panicked, they had to find an exit soon. Draco stopped to peer around as it was getting harder to run with an unbearable urge to cough the smoke out of his lungs.

“We're trapped! There's no nowhere left to go!,” the snake screamed as he searched for another exit but the fire surrounded them in a circle as it swallowed the last remnants of the room. Taking control, Hermione pushed the boys out of the way and stood in front of them. She waved her wand towards the sea of flames. A powerful shield like water emerged from her wand. When the fire collided with the water force field, it created a powerful explosion that rained on them for a few seconds. “Start climbing!,” a soaked Harry screamed.

The three of them rushed towards the top of the mountain. The furniture around them started to crumble as it creaked below them. In the corner of Draco's eyes, he saw a broom. As he lowered himself, scaring both Harry and Hermione as it appeared as if Draco was lowering himself into the fire, Harry shouted, “What are you doing!”. Hermione peered closer at what the werewolf was doing. “The broom, Harry. That's our exit!,” she nudged Harry. The two waited for Draco. Once he grabbed a broom out of the Slytherin Prince’s hand, the trio sprang into action as Draco hopped on his broom.

“Get on!,” the Slytherin yelled as Hermione jumped on his broom.

Hugging his waist for dear life, Hermione hid her face in Draco’s back as the fire was blinding them while they flew over the sea of flames. In the distance, the werewolf’s ears picked up a screeching sound almost as if the magic inside the room was dying as columns fell into the debris. When Draco recognized what part of the room they were in, he shouted to Harry. “This way!”. The two zoomed into the air to avoid any falling debris from the fire filled piles that crumbled down. As they made their way to the door, Draco and Harry could see the two Death Eaters stranded on an island with waves of fire burning its way to them. The two exchanged a look. Without any words, they decided to let the Death Eaters die.

With the door appearing before them, the group flew out of the room. The three children laid on the floor, trying to catch their breath. Hermione wiped the sweat off her forehead as she spoke up, “We almost didn’t make it”. She slowly turned to the boys as she continued, “Do you think Severus Snape survived?”.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see Snape burn in the fire,” Harry replied as Draco stood up, making his way towards Harry and Hermione. As he reached a hand out to help them up, the werewolf answered, “He’s alive. That traitor made his way out of the room before us. I can smell his scent down this corridor. Like Lucius and Voldemort, Snape can take flight without any aid. Highly skilled wizards like them can fly in the form of smoke”. He took a step forward, watching the emptiness of the hallway. Dracp got lost in his thoughts as he made a mental note to ask Remus how to fly like that remembering the older werewolf came to the battlefield in the form of a bright star-like smoke.

His concentration broke as his werewolf ears picked up the sound of the room breaking down. He turned to the wall and saw a column break through the castle walls. With great reflexes of a wolf, he pushed Hermione and Harry out of the way. The column burst into the corridors causing the foundation of the hall to collapse on itself. With Draco falling on his back, he coughed hard, trying to get the dust out of his lungs.

“Draco! Are you alright?,” shouted Hermione in a noticeable distance from the boy. When the young werewolf peered up, he saw a rubble of stones and rocks blocking his way. He stood up, wiping off the dust off his shoulder, but the dust stayed glued to his clothes. The boy was unrecognizable as if he had come from a battlefield with rubble and ash covering every inch of his body and face. “I’m alright”. The Slytherin walked closer to the wall that blocked his way towards Hermione and Harry. He could hear the duo on their side of the wall trying to remove stones out of the way, but it was no use.

It was too dangerous. The stones and rocks were packed like a jigsaw puzzle. Without knowing which one was holding the whole foundation, one could make the whole hall collapse again. “It’s completely sealed off. You go ahead without me. You have to find Ron. I’ll take the long way,” Draco said calmly after he assessed the situation. “Are you sure? We can’t leave you behind,” Harry shouted.

“I’m sure. That Horcrux is too important. Find Ron and get it destroyed. Don’t worry too much about me. I’ll find my way back to the three of you. I bit you all, remember? I can track my pack down”. With reluctance, Hermione called out once more before leaving, “Be safe!”. The young werewolf smirked, “I will”. As he heard their footsteps run in the opposite direction, he ran away from them to search for an alternative path back to them.

~

Theo and Blaise managed to get inside Hogwarts unscathed and unnoticed by the Order and Moody’s Army. It was their youth and no Death Eater mask that helped them blend in with the crowd. It seemed too simple to just take off their mask to escape into the safety of the Order but it was genius. They walked around with their bare faces to hide among other Hogwarts students. One would never know Theo and Blaise worked as double agents for both sides. To the visible eye, they were merely children caught in the middle of a battle. The duo ran across the castle with one singular goal: vengeance. They ran through every corridor and hallway, searching for their targets. They watched bodies on both sides drop like flies but they kept going. They had no time to stop and save anyone.

With a snicker, Theo pointed out, “Blaise, I see them! I recognized those two fatasses anywhere”.

Delighted, Blaise turned to see their targets but he wasn’t the only one that heard Theo. The mysterious two masked Death Eaters had also turned to see who was calling them. When they saw Theo and Blaise, there was no question who was under those masks. They ran away as if they knew very well their end was near. The two masked Death Eaters ran, disappearing into the corridors. “YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THIS TIME, YOU FATTIES! COME BACK AND FACE US BOTH!,” Theo screamed at the top of his lungs while Blaise followed right behind to catch the runaways.

The two masked Death Eaters turned to see how far behind the two boys were. One of them shouted, “FASTER!” while the second taller of the two used a spell trying to get Theo and Blaise off their trail, but failed. The second masked boy raised his wand, trying to aim the cruciatus curse at Theo. It was a direct hit. However, to the horror of the two masked Death Eaters, the crucio curse had not stopped Theo. Instead, the brown haired boy kept running, overcoming the curse. The fury inside his heart was stronger than the pain of a thousand knives and needles. “Fools! You can’t stop me. I told you we would come after you. We told you to count your days and now that day has come”.

Blaise watched his brother, Theo, get cursed so he zoned in on his targets, as well, like a lion pursuing a pair of hyenas. The targets had had their fun tormenting the Silver Trio, as if they were untouchable but now it was time to show them who was the real danger of the two groups. The truth was there was never a competition between the two groups. It was time someone showed them the difference of their strength and skills.

Blaise, zoning in on his prey, sped past Theo, leaving behind his friend. The two Death Eaters screamed at the scene of Blaise quickly eliminating the distance between them with ease. They were frightened that the two Death Eaters didn’t watch where they were going, bumping into each other, resulting in the two dropping their masks on the stone floor. Frightened, Crabbe pushed Goyle to go the other way.

“IDIOT, GO LEFT!,” Crabbe shouted as Goyle replied back, “I’M TRYING!”. They turned to see how far Blaise was, only to see he was seconds from catching them both. “SHIT!” Goyle shouted again while Blaise had a look in his eye as if he had been possessed by a demon's bloodlust. They could see Zabini's nose flare up in rage. It was Blaise's quiet aura that helped him catch up to his enemy unnoticed. Crabbe turned to quickly use the killing curse on Blaise but the curse did not stop Zabini.

Instead, the spell flashed with a force that couldn’t be followed with the naked eye. Centimeters away from hitting Blaise, a spell blue flames shielded the boy. Falling back on his behind, Blaise's breath hitched in his throat as Theo fell over him. The two boys looked past the blue fire, trying to figure out who did this. Crabbe and Goyle were trapped inside the flames as the blue fire walled both sides of the hallway, trapping the two fat boys. While Theo stepped forward to suspect the magic that saved Blaise’s life, the spell had a protective element to it, shielding the caster and them. With a grin, Theo watched Crabbe try to control the fire but the fire had an opposite effect, burning him.

“What kind of magic is this? I’ve never seen anything like this,” questioned Blaise.

“Pretego Diabolica,” whispered Theo under his breath for Blaise to hear. Theo continued, “It's a very powerful dark charm. I only know one caster to successfully cast this spell”.

“Grindelwald,” Blaise answered for Theo.

“There’s no one alive that knows how to cast it. I thought the spell was lost with the imprisonment of Grindelwald,” Theo said. “Not unless you're a part of the last surviving ancient bloodline. A lineage that has seen the birth of magic itself,” Blaise added.

“Draco?,” the two boys questioned at the same time.

From the other end of the hallway, a voice from the dead caught everyone’s attention. “Like my performance so far? I’m quite theatrical. I found this forgotten spell in the Black’s family library. I was saving this spell up for a beautiful day like this one”. An unrecognizable figure came from the shadows, scaring Crabbe and Goyle into the middle of the closed space. The figure was covered in ash and soot from head to toe but his eyes glowed from outside the flames. His glowing wolf-like eyes was the only thing that could be identified from his ash-covered individual. Menacingly, Draco walked into the fire unburnt and unscathed. The next words that spilled out of the Slytherin’s lips came from deep within his cold blooded heart.

“I was there at the labor camps right underneath your noses. I watched you from the courtyard everyday as you both taunted the Muggleborns and Half Bloods. I watched you slaughter the magical creatures like me as they arrived at the camps. You two can change your name and change your appearance as many times as you want, but I’ll find you over and over again. You can’t hide from a werewolf like me”.

Stepping up to Crabbe and Goyle, Draco bent down to face them at eye level as he continued, “My purpose in this war is to kill bastards like you. Bastards, who have killed the innocent. While you were busy becoming monsters, I am the darkness itself. I made myself into someone you can never escape from. I'll always be in the shadows of your rooms. I’ll kill you both with my bare teeth for even attempting to scratch Blaise and Theo, but don’t worry. I won’t eat you. You're my brothers’ kill, not mine. The thought of having a drop of your flesh and blood inside me is too repulsive to consider eating. I’ve never met such filthy blooded pigs in my life”.

Surrounded and terrified, Crabbe and Goyle stayed still. slowly look at Draco. At the sight of their former friends, Crabbe trembled as he realized Draco was the Greyback reborn again in this generation. Only difference was that this Greyback hunted down other monsters instead of the innocent. Protect those who needed it like he did back at that day that changed his life, the famous wizards duel between him and Greyback. The werewolf walked away from the frightened boys, over to the window to watch the war that was being fought in the sky.

There were thousands of dementors hovering over Hogwarts and fighting on the side of Voldemort. Too many of them, the Order and Moody’s Army were defenseless against the amount of Dementors in the sky. Soldiers flying on their brooms were plucked out of the sky as the Dementors sucked their souls. Soon the kissed soulless bodies fell down back to earth, horrifying the helplessly on the ground too far away to help. The bodies made a loud popping sound at the moment of impact, echoing the school grounds. There were too many Dementors for any patronuses. And with Harry not on the battlefield, there was no one powerful enough to produce a charm like Harry’s famous Patronuse.

The Dementors came onto the battlefield, feeding on the little hope there was left around the defeated soldiers. They filled the battlefield with ice, freezing everything around them. Snow started to blanket the ground. Although Draco couldn't produce a patronus for he had too many sad memories, he had something similar. Draco lifted his wand, back still turned against the four, to birth a dragon made of the blue flames. The dragon made of fire gilded its wings, burning down any Dementors it could reach and aiding his comrades. The sky once filled with Dementors was now filled with a blue lit sky that resembled a blue fiery clouds. Cheers erupted from the Order and Moody’s soldiers from afar along with revived hope.

Watching a distracted Draco with his back still turned, Goyle saw his opportunity to kill the werewolf. He ran over with the intention to push Draco to his death. Crabbe held his breath as he watched everything unfold. Goyle couldn’t reach to lay one finger on Draco before he stuck in a paralyzed stance. The short one-eyed boy, Crabbe, couldn't understand what had happened. Draco hadn’t moved a muscle or uttered out a spell. “Was he skilled in both wandless and wordless?,” thought Crabbed to himself.

Draco felt Goyle run to attack him from behind, so he used blood magic to control Goyle with his own blood, forcing the boy to freeze in an uncomfortable position. It didn’t take long for Crabbe to figure out what had happened as he too was unable to move. Desperate for a way out, Crabbe screamed at the top of his lungs. “HELP! I CAN’T MOVE! HELP! FATHER! ANYONE!”.

With a smirk, Theo walked into the blue fire, trusting Draco’s flames would not hurt him. Blaise, watching Theo safely walk into the closed space, followed behind. “Your father isn’t here to hear your cries. Now let's fix all that squealing. We can’t have anyone hear us slaughter a pair of piglets,” said Theo. Theo pulled out his wand and sliced off Crabbe’s tongue, preventing the boy from crying for help. Blood gushed out of the one-eyed boy, sliding down his chin. Theo turned to look at Blaise, “After you, I know how long you've been looking forward to this”.

Blaise grinned at the idea of finishing the boy as Theo walked to Goyle to slice off his tongue, as well. Zabini walked over, speaking to a now tongueless Crabbe, “Wipe that terror off your face. It’s disgusting. Why are you even surprised it has come to this? I warned you both, didn’t I? I told you I was going to give you a slow painful death”. Pleased, Blaise raised his wand to a paralyzed Crabbe, “Let's get to work”.

Draco never turned his back to look as he continued to aid those on the battlefield with his fiery dragon. However, he did smile widely at the sounds of blood splashing against the castle’s stone floor and the final moments of their former friends gasping as they were sliced to death. As much as Draco wanted to join in the fun, he let Theo and Blaise have this moment. He knew how long they had waited after the incident at the Great Hall. After Crabbe and Goyle publicly humiliated him, Draco saw his two brothers wanting to avenge him. They had waited on the side lines for this day.

When Draco finally finished killing the remaining dementors, the werewolf turned around to see two naked but skinned carcasses being hanged from their feet like pigs in a slaughterhouse with hands tied behind the corpse’s body. Blood leaked from the stab wound on their neck, draining the bodies of its entire blood. Draco walked over to behead the carcasses and burned the heads in the same blue flames, so that no one could ever identify the two Death Eaters. Without a name or face to link to the two bodies, the authorities wouldn’t be able to link their deaths back to the Silver Trio.

Theo and Blaise stood next to Draco as they all snickered at the sight. It felt so good to reunite with Draco again after being separated from what they thought was death. Theo didn't attempt to hide his tears as he couldn’t take his eyes off of Draco. Breaking the silence between the three of them, Blaise teased, referring back to Rita Skeeter's article the day of the Great Hall, “What a scandalous day for our wizarding community. We are witnessing the end of two pureblood lineages within our lifetime”. The three broke into laughter before Theo jumped on Draco to hug his brother with a face still full of tears.

“You jackass! We thought you died. There's so much we have too caught up on,” said Theo with a shaky voice. Draco hugged Theo back, sighing at the thought he had to leave his brothers again. Blaise sensed their friend still had something to do with the sigh Draco had given. He asked Draco, “You have to leave us again, don’t you? You still have a mission to finish with Hermione and her idiots”.

Letting go of Theo, Draco nodded “Yea, they're waiting for me. I've been helping Harry kill Voldemort this entire time. I can’t abandon Harry now when he needs me the most. We're so close”. The two boys nodded as they listened.

“Go,” answered Blaise.

“I’ll come back soon. This time faster than the first time. You won’t even know I’m gone,” Draco replied as he gave Blaise his hug too.

“You better go now before you have me crying again,” Theo said with a smile as the two boys watched their friend run to meet up with the Golden Trio again.

Chapter Text

Spells flew throughout the battlefield of Hogwarts. School papers came flying down seemingly nowhere as more magic like bombs hit the castle. Burnt pieces of paper fell like snowflakes. Remus was stationed in the courtyard, fighting off Death Eaters, giants, snatchers, and the remnants of Greyback's pack. The Order and Moody’s soldiers were outnumbered by the thousands but nothing scared the army then a castle full of civilians, refugees, and students. There was no greater fear and suffering imaginable than the innocent trapped between two armies and a war zone. The problem for the Order and Moody’s Army was that there wasn’t a place for them really to go for the innocent were caught in the middle.

After Voldemort’s army broke into the wards, all hell broke loose. It was as if someone had lit a fire to a bee’s nest. With the threat of the castle falling apart, there was nowhere to go for safety. Dozens of people, mostly the young and the afraid, ran out of the castle from the Death Eaters that had successfully entered Hogwarts.

Civilians stopped in the middle of the battlefield to look for a way out of the battle both inside and outside the castle. They turned directionless and lost. They were running for their lives. The Order could not get mad at the civilians for there weren't enough of them to combat the Death Eaters that entered the castle. There wasn’t enough of their army to both protect the innocent and fight against Voldemort’s army.

Remus’ heart pounded against his ribcage as fear filled his soul. He breathed rapidly at the disorganized chaos that was around him. In order to stay focused on the battle ahead of him, Remus found himself getting tunnel vision as his own body was responding to the fight. Around the bloody battlefield, bodies dropped quickly, piling all around him. Remus fell to the ground having tripped over something. When he looked at what it was, it was a dead corpse. It was a dead man with the bottom of his body blown up, leaving the lower stomach and up intact.

The older werewolf found himself in muddy water underneath his body. Dirty water stained with the blood of the dead. The snow had melted into puddles under the feet of many soldiers. He turned his head, looking for any movement among the piles of unresponsive bodies across the battlefield. There was none. Not even the slow breathing of a chest movement. The only movement Remus did see out of the corner of vision was more bodies dropping, adding to the already large piles. Bodies like the one Remus had tripped over smashed like ground beef. Limbs and body parts separated from its main body, making it hard to reunite or identify who it was that died. Many of the ones that died never saw it coming as they hadn’t heard the spell that hit them. That was how quickly the battle was turning volatile. Remus found himself not being able to think. Instead, he let his body instinctively act during combat.

His mind went numb from all the sounds of war happening around him. It was too loud to think. The battle was filled with cries of the dying and the screams of those who could still fight. The sounds of bombs, the cracking of the castle as it fell on top of itself, and the thunder of magic in the air was one Remus would never forget.

The battlefield quickly filled the space with a stench imprinting on everyone’s mind on both sides of the war. It was the stench of combat and war. There were no words for the older werewolf to describe it. It was a stench of the recently dead, burnt corpses, mixed with explosive magic. Human sweat, urine, and feces of the dead was what one could smell.

Disbelief and confusion filled the souls of the living at the question of how did things get this bad? How did everyone get here? The years of built up tension of both sides for this every moment had finally arrived. Could it have been avoided if discussion were held and addressed a decade before? Mayhem and fear was all anyone could see on the battlefield. Remus was at a loss as it felt as if everyone but him knew what was going on as they charged forward. Then the fear of not knowing what was going on settled down, replaced with adrenaline running through his veins.

Soldiers of the Order ran with their wands up ready to shoot Voldemort’s army. As frightening it was for Remus to see how deathly it got, it was also a strange and beautiful sight to see. The sight of the Order operating as a team and listening to orders of their commander. The young soldiers peered up to their older and experienced seniors like Alastor Moody for directions. Out of nowhere, Madeye came from behind Remus, picking the old werewolf up from the ground. “FORWARD!,” screamed Madeye. Remus, acting on his body’s fight response, moved mechanically with the rest of Moody’s army.

Before anyone could do anything, a loud explosion from a few feet away from the charging men exploded in front of them. Remus flew back through the air from the force of the explosion only to land on his back, this time in the same bloody puddle.

The older werewolf had a minor concussion added with a ringing of his ears from a bomb being blasted so near them. The battlefield spun around Remus, closing on him within four walls, but he knew that couldn’t be right. He was outside on the open courtyard. When Remus attempted to get up, he felt lightheaded as blood ran down from his head. He had a deep gash on the side of his head but he felt no pain with the shock running through his body. Instead, when he stood up on his two feet, he struggled to keep balance as if he was drunk, floating away from the war zone but his mind desperately tried to get back to the battle. As quickly as the ringing played inside his eardrums, he felt his floating body being reeled in and the sudden sensation of being in the middle of a war zone came back.

Zoom! Zoom! It was the sound of hundreds of individuals being apparated in the middle of the battlefield. “Thank goodness. More help has arrived,” Remus thought. When Remus glanced up to see who had come to aid the Order and Moody’s troops, it was a line formation of cloaked soldiers behind cat masks and house elves. Another group of cat masked soldiers appeared behind Remus preparing to enter Hogwarts. They came like a flood, washing the field of Voldemort’s soldiers. The tides had turned in their favor finally. Relieved, Remus peered closer as he realized their saviors were an army build of housewives, daughters, and elderly women. He quickly scanned the field to see one single soul, leading her army of women and house elves. All looked to her before going into battle.

Then a little house elf caught his eye. It was Kreacher, standing next to this commander as if he was second in command. The house elf, who served right under his nose at the 12 Grimmauld Place, shouted at the top of his lungs with a destroyed locket hanging around his neck. “Fight! Fight for my master! Defender of House Elves! Fight the Dark Lord in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!,” Kreacher screamed as he pointed his sword to the giants that overwhelmed the army.

The giants, who were claiming a great number of lost lives as well as the destruction of the castle, had greatly taken its toll on their side. It was the giants who were assisting the Death Eaters to enter the castle with ease as Voldemort’s army sneaked behind them while the giants broke walls and barriers. Fearless, the little house elves charged towards the giants, who towered over them, standing at an average of 20ft. They swarmed over the giants as they climbed on them like ants conquering a great beast. The house elves were the perfect opponent for they were too small to attack. Every time the giants attempted to kill them, the house elves' little bodies allowed for quick movement to get out of the way. The giants were too large for them. Forced to slow down, the large beasts were overwhelmed with the climbing and stabbing from the house elves. When the giants did grab a house elf, the elf would apparate out of its hand, only to reappear next to the giant before stabbing it to the ground. As the giant fell down, the house elves moved on to their next unfortunate target.

Once they succeeded in toppling over 7 giants, the house elves started to slow down as a flock of Acromantula scurried to attack the house elves, aiding the giants in turn. When all seemed done for the brave little house elves, who were already struggling to conquer a single giant with full numbers, a screech came from the skies. It was the other half of the house elves' army, riding on the backs of dragons. The quickest and safest way the Black Cat Society in Romania found in transporting the dragons was elf magic.

Soon after the chosen members of the Black Cat Society that had come to aid the dragon tamers, they had found a solution to bring the dragons to the battle, avoiding the poachers. With the help of their new allies, Dragons Tamers had trained their dragons to let house elves come in contact with them. These large winged creatures soon saw the house elves as a sort of symbiosis companion, who picked off dry patches in places where they couldn’t reach on their bodies. Thus, it allowed the house elves to apparate an entire colony of dragons with ease at the final moment.

Dragons swooped in, aiding in taking down the towering giants. The house elves that had apparated them to Hogwarts jumped off their backs to join their kind on the ground, resembling paratroopers. While house elves fought off both the giants and acromantulas on the ground, the dragons attacked from above, being careful not to burn their new friends. Voldemort had come prepared as he ordered the poachers to shoot the incoming dragons with a massive high powered artillery arrow for long ranges. When Voldemort had received news from the poachers that they could not claim the dragons for him, the Dark Lord had immediately ordered the same poachers, who expertly hunted werewolves and other magical creatures, to find a way to kill the dragons on the spot.

If Voldemort couldn’t have the dragons, then no one could. He deemed them too dangerous to let the Order use them against him. The dragons that had come after the first clutch were met with doom when large arrows shot them directly in the chest. The winged creatures fell out of the sky like shooting stars bleeding on the snowy battlefield below them, turning the snow red. The house elves that had apparated with them had no choice but to abandon them and parachute to safety. Dragons Tamers scrambled in vain for there was nothing they could do to stop the incoming clutches of dragons scheduled to come behind them. During this chaos, Nymphadora Tonks’ expertise in locating Dark Wizards stepped forward to locate the arrows coming from the depth of the forbidden forest. Leading as she had been taught by Moody, Tonks and Charlie gathered a group of Dragon Tamers to enter the forest with the goal of killing the poachers once and for all.

Remus caught the commander of both the house elves and women. The individual was looking straight at him. Her aura controlled the battle as snatchers tried to attack her only to be lit on fire as she continued to make her way to Remus. Showing her true strength, she never peered away from the older werewolf. When she stood in front of the werewolf, the commander took off her mask as she lent him a hand. Speechless, Remus went pale as Narcissa had seemingly come back from the dead. “No, she’s been on our side from the very beginning, hiding in the shadows,” he thought.

The witch before him smiled at the former professor. “Cat got your tongue?,” Narcissa poked fun at him. She flicked her wand over to his head injury, healing the werewolf while the Order and the army were able to regain the will to fight with the new help.

Every soldier was in awe from witnessing history in the making. The largest grouping of housewives and daughters coming to fight. A group of women that they had never seen coming, the Pureblood community. Alastor Moody grinned wickedly at the turn of events. He shouted to all his troops as he leaned over his cane, “Advance! Our allies have come to fight with our side! The fate of the wizarding world will be determined tonight! Let us fight for our beliefs! Let us fight for the fallen! Let us fight for the future! We face certain death in the name of Harry Potter!”. In response, roars could be heard from Moody’s speech as they went back into battle.

Remus took Narcissa's hand, getting back on his feet. They both smiled, sharing a look of relief and admiration. Two individuals, who have lived two very different lives. One werewolf, who lived in poverty as a half-blood man, and one Pureblood woman, who came from a rich background joined together by a single family member, Draco. To the common people, it may have seemed as if they would never fight together but they understood each other in more ways than one. Remus, with no rights as a second class citizen, and Narcissa, with no rights as a woman, were the perfect partners.

Narcissa spoke up, getting emotional in front of the werewolf, “Thank you for taking care of my boy. All of what you have done for him. He wasn’t yours to care for yet you did. After all the pain Lucius has done to you… after he made sure to ruin you, you had all reason not to help my son”.

She thought of the times when Lucius personally went to the ministry. He had been the reason Remus couldn’t hold a job after Hogwarts, slowly kicking the man out of the Wizarding World. It was thanks to Lucius’ influence in the ministry that Remus found himself looking for Muggle jobs, leaving behind everything he knew.

Understanding the guilt written on her expression, Remus gently shushed her, “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. No child should ever bear the sins of his father,” saying that with his own father in mind. He, who as a child had to bear the mark for his own father’s prejudices towards the werewolf community, understood her son’s pain more than anyone else.

In the corner of Remus’ eyes, he caught the missing Greengrass sisters running inside the school with medical aid along with a group of young girls behind them. He wondered if they were searching for Kingsley to report to duty. While Madeye was in charge of commanding the units outside Hogwarts, Kingsley was in charge of the troops inside the castle. Kingsley Shacklebolt’s job was to maintain the numbers of Voldemort’s army inside the castle, sending troops in a battle of hide and seek. Be killed or kill the invaders. When Kingsley found a new unit of combat medics in the young girls and Greengrass sisters, he paired each one with an Auror to protect them as they went to find the injured to bring them back to Andromeda’s medical bay. The young girls would soon find themselves running around the castle, providing medical aid for the fallen soldiers before moving on to the next one. Every time they found a soldier, child, or refugee, the young girls would decide if the injured were beyond help or within their reach of saving. The injured labeled as beyond help had a black ribbon tied to their wrist while the others were given white before transporting them to Andromeda and Nurse Pomfrey.

As Narcissa’ eyes followed the Greengrass sisters, she turned back to Remus. “I must be going. I got my own battle against Bellatrix,” she stated. As quickly as the witch came to the battlefield, she disappeared into the corridors of the castle. Not giving Remus a chance to get a word in to stop her, Remus thought to himself as he watched Narcissa run from him,“Perhaps in another lifetime we would have been good school friends, if she hadn’t dropped out”.

As Narcissa ran into Hogwarts leaving her army of women and house elves outside, only the sounds of her heels could be heard, echoing against bombs and blasts from other spell casters in the corridors. She paid no attention to the war happening inside the castle being led by Kingsley. Instead, she followed the magical signature of one specific person. It was her sole duty to end Bellatrix’s rampage that had haunted the wizarding world for nearly two decades. The sister that stood today next to Voldemort as a loyalist. Bella confused her though. Despite helping Lucius in the building of the Cabinet Network, she still fought for the Dark Lord. What was guiding her sister? Madness? Bellatrix was now a traitor, not the sister that had protected her and Regulus before everything went wrong.

The real Bella was lost years ago the day Reggie went missing and once she was sent to Azkaban. The Bella that came back home after the escape of Azkaban was a stranger, who didn’t remember how much she had adored their shared brother. In fact, she had forgotten him out of existence. So Narcissa thought to herself that seeing as how Bellatrix was already as good as dead with both sides of the war coming for her, she would take it upon herself to do the deed. She would stain her hands in blood because she loved Bella that much. She wanted to be the one to save Bella from the darkness that took her away from their family, but also because it was her own way of atoning for the burden that she had placed on her sister when she had been grieving for Regulus. She had left Bella alone in the aftermath of grief.

Narcissa still remembered how Bella personally went out of her way to find Regulus, seeking the boy in every inch of the country. Bella picked up every piece Reggie left behind to find answers but it was no use. Regulus had done well in hiding all his tracks before saying his goodbyes. When his body washed up on the seashores miles away from where he had died, Bella lost it. There was no bringing Reggie back alive for Cissy or their family. He was gone. Bella could not help but blame herself for the death of Regulus. She had taken Reggie from Cissy in a way. It wasn’t logical but in her mourning it was the only answer she found to explain everything. The day she took the dark mark she had killed the House of Black. Bellatrix was as guilty as the cousin, Sirius, that had abandoned them in killing Regulus in the downfall of their once great ancestral home. She was no better than Sirius in disappointing their house.

Narcissa was fully prepared to face her sister’s wrath because she thought that was what she deserved. If Bellatrix thought she failed Regulus, then it was Narcissa that failed Bellatrix in denying her own sister, who never left her and Reggie’s side, an opportunity to mourn with her to keep her from falling deeper into darkness. Perhaps, if she had only let Bella inside after Reggie’s death, they could have found another answer on how to move forward as a family. Instead, she froze and stayed stagnant, falling into her own depression. Narcissa had rationalized this deed she was about to do with wanting to save Bella from a life of further misery but some part of her still hoped for her sister’s redemption. It was an impossible dream of bringing Bella back to the light but her heart could not help but desire it.

In some twisted way, Narcissa’s determination to save Bellatrix was also fueled by her desperation to save the House of Black. The person that would kill the infamous Bellatrix LeStrange would be named a hero. She would claim that honor in the name of her house. No one else should claim that honor. At the same time, Narcissa believed that if she didn’t act, she would lose Bellatrix forever, which pushed her to take these drastic measures. While she acknowledged that she might not be able to defeat Bellatrix, one of the most wicked witches in a generation, Narcissa was willing to sacrifice herself, if it meant trying to save her. Narcissa's choice to confront Bellatrix was driven by a combination of love, a sense of responsibility, and her desire to protect her only son’s future. She would provide a risen House of Black, if Lucius took away the House of Malfoy from her son, giving Draco a new and better legacy to fall on after the war.

When Narcissa was at the end of the corridor, she heard a bellow from a person she did not recognize. Before her, Bellatrix had just finished murdering a swarm of Kingsley’s men. The mad witch turned round to face the presence of her younger sister, having a stare off. Each sister at the end of each hallway had a battle of wills. They were unable to proceed forward, for each of the two sisters were waiting for the other to make the first move. The air around them stood still like time had stopped.

Narcissa couldn’t breathe now that she was standing in front of Bellatrix. She found herself asking, “Can I really kill my own sister in the end?”. The hesitation grew inside Narcissa every second she stared directly into Bellatrix crazed eyes. The eyes could no longer recognize. Where did her big sister go? Narcissa still needed her Bella. The person before her had the look of a crazed woman. Holding onto memories, Narcissa held every deceased family member close to her heart for courage. The family of her childhood before the war had come to claim them all.

“Bella, I’ve come to kill you,” Narcissa called out bravely, trying to reach out to her one final time. Some part of Narcissa was still in denial that the old Bellatrix was really gone so she called out her sister's name in an attempt to see the other version of Bella again. The version she missed so dearly, but the moment she called her name, Bellatrix responded with fire. Bellatrix could see Narcissa still needed a reason to kill her in the softness of her voice when she called, so she would give it to her. Bringing all the storm-like rage she had to Narcissa and stomping out any love Narcissa had left for her, Bellatrix screamed in response. Her heart sank as Narcissa saw the fire boiling inside Bellatrix, “She’s really gone”.

“Well, isn’t it my little traitorous sister?,” Bellatrix smiled.

“I’ve come to save you in death,” Narcissa softened her voice like air.

Frustrated, Bellatrix exploded, “I don’t need any saving. It’s you that needs to be saved from the shame you brought upon yourself”. In an instant, Bellatrix used a spell to prevent Narcissa from saying anything else.

Narcissa dodged it, casting a shield in front of her. The spell bounced back to hit a wall of the hallway, blasting open a pipe. Water sprayed over them as the hallway soon was flooded as it rained on them. Bellatrix didn’t give Narcissa time to breath once the shield went down. She attacked her, blasting Narcissa to the ground with stupefy but it was at this moment Narcissa knew she was right to end her sister’s suffering. In defiance, Narcissa got back to her feet as Bellatrix charged at her. She used a fumos charm, producing a gray smoke to help her escape in time. When she was sure Bellatrix was nowhere near her, she created a vacuum on the ground as if it was made of quick sand in the hopes it would kill her sister quickly. When the smoke dispersed, she was met with another surprise spell, flipping Narcissa on her back.

Bellatrix slowly and steadily approached the girl like a snake, claiming its kill. “You stand before me as if you can kill me anytime”. The mad witch laughed, before continuing, “You should fear me! It’s pathetic! I will kill you like I killed Sirius! You traitor!”. Bellatrix raised her hand for the kill, directing it upon Narcissa as lighting gathered around her wand. Before the lighting could hit Narcissa, the blond witch transported behind Bellatrix, catching her off guard with an explosive charm.

The real match began between them, fueling them both like fire. The two sisters blasted spells at one another. They had both claimed this area of the castle as the heated exchange was watched by many nearby Aurors and Black Cat Society members. The sisters moved like lightning, both barely missing each other by centimeters. The very ground they stood on shook the castle at full strength, which only encouraged both parties to hurt the other more. No one could do anything to interfere for if they did, they would only get in the way of the blond witch. They might even doom her if they went to aid Narcissa. Bellatrix, with full power, lifted a stone pillar that had fallen off during their battle and threw it at Narcissa but the pillar turned to sand when it approached the blond witch.

Once again, they stood in front of each other, breathing heavily. More witches and wizards found the battle, waiting to see the conclusion. Bellatrix peered at the crowd around them before snickering at Narcissa. She brought shivers down Cissy’s spine. Bellatrix was enjoying the silence their battle had brought. She relished in the reaction of the crowd around them. There would be many witnesses to see Narcissa become a hero. Narcissa’s blood went cold to the expression Bellatrix was making. One, she never imagined she would at the end of. With veins in her neck and eyes bulging out, Bellatrix roared at the top of her lungs, “Avada Kedavra!,” but Narcissa also sped forward with full strength. Using the same spell against Bellatrix, she too yelled, “Avada Kedavra!”.

Both sides were passionate in their resolve. There was no time for either side to react at the sound of rushing death. A stream of powerful magic oozed out like blood, shooting from the tip of both wands. The killing curse clashed, illuminating the space between them in a glow of blue. It clashed as if it was met by an Invisible stone-like wall. BOOM!

At the moment of impact, the sound traveled across the castle, alerting many more eyes. Narcissa's eyes widened in disbelief. Bellatrix’s light was like hers, blue. In their souls, neither sister really had the intention of killing the other. The spell lit the hallway in blue, exposing both sisters hesitated to commit the task but it needed to be done. Bellatrix wanted to save her sister and only nephew's legacy while Narcissa wanted to save Bellatrix from any more suffering.

Narcissa struggled to hold her wand as Bellatrix's fierce power was too much for her in comparison. She gripped the wand tightly with both hands as her body started to shake violently to the pain of holding on. There was no letting go or else it would mean her own death. Narcissa looked behind the flashing glow to see Bellatrix's face. Her sweat glistened to the clashing light but Bellatrix showed no sign of slowing down. She appeared completely fine from where Narcissa stood. As she studied her older sister, she was drawn to Bellatrix’s lip as she mouthed for only Narcissa to see, “Go find Draco”.

Out of place, a bell rang in the battle just for Bellatrix. The bell made a ring as if the wind was carrying the chime over to the witch. It was signaling that death was here. The bell rang to the shedding tears of those who knew the witch from the other side. In that same moment, Bellatrix felt a hand behind her. A presence she hadn’t felt in years. The ghost spoke to her in the same voice she remembered and had held so dearly in her heart. A voice she mourned to hear in her many nights at Azkaban.

“I got you, Bella. It’s time to let go. We're all waiting for you here,” it whispered to her.

Suddenly Narcissa could feel Bellatrix weakening her wand deliberately and in a flash the killing curse hit Bellatrix in the chest. Narcissa killed Bella instantaneously and painlessly with a flashing of blue light.

Mippy apparated next to a dead Bellatrix. “You’ve done it,” said the little house elf. In shock, Narcissa responded back in a tone only for Mippy’s ears, careful of others not to hear, “No, she let herself be killed. Bellatrix was strong enough to overpower me, but she chose to die in my hands”. The two turned to look at Bellatrix’s motionless body. Her eyes soften at the sight of her older sister finally in peace. Never in the years they spent together as adolescents did Bella look so happy as her sister did now. In the tragedy of Bellatrix’s life, she appeared like the old Bella. She had been freed from her chains of the Dark Mark and her past that had haunted her in the struggle to get power as a woman. Bellatrix had lost her way home in getting power she desperately craved for but she had come back to their family in the end.

Along the way, she managed to regain her memory before Azkaban had claimed her. She remembered Regulus, her, and Draco. Bellatrix Black had died for their house. “Sleep well, sister,” Narcissa whispered one final time before running again to find the person that was her reason to fight, Draco.

She ran before any outsiders could congratulate her or see if she was okay after her big battle. Narcissa ran to save her only child. She ran for the urgency of making it up to Regulus. Not a day went by that she did not remember that he had asked for her help. The last day she saw him. She had been the last person to see him.

Still feeling guilty, Narcissa wondered what they could have done differently, if she had only been brave enough to take his hand. She didn’t exactly know how Regulus died but she knew he died to protect their little family. He died for their son. It was in Regulus’ name that she made the Black Cat Society in his to make his final act matter. She would help Regulus' dream come true as she stood among the living and the dead. A dream of taking down Voldemort in vengeance.

Thus, she ran to find Draco. The war was nearing its conclusion. Voldemort’s end was close. She felt it in her bones. Voldemort would not live to see tomorrow. They could finally go home together, along with Hermione. A new family with Remus. The man who saved Draco out of love. It had been too long since she could hold Draco in her arms. The last time she saw him was before year 6 started at the train station. It was now year 7th in March and her son still thought she was dead. Draco was somewhere in the castle, where she could feel him. She closed her eyes, only to see fire surrounding him from wherever he was trapped. She had even felt Snape leave from wherever her boy was. “I cannot lose my precious son. Not like this. Not when I’m so close to him,” Narcissa thought to herself. She wasn’t sure if she could go on living if Draco was lost today. The only family she had left. The only family that meant the world to her.

Devastated by the loss of Reggie, the day he had left this earth, a piece of her died with him. They loved each other so much she swore she could feel his soul leave this earth the very second he took his last breaths. It was after his death she could no longer see the world in color. In secret from Lucius, she had spent so many days after they found his body in the catacombs, wishing to lay next to him in death. “How could you leave me? How could you leave me to face this life alone,” Narcissa cursed at his grave but she came back to life, the day the nurses gave her a bundle of joy into her arms after she gave birth.

She found her will to keep going when she saw Draco for the first time. It was in Draco, who was a clone of his father, Regulus, that Narcissa saw the truth. Regulus hadn’t left her behind to face life alone. He had gifted her a life with Draco. He somehow knew life would be short for him. Regulus had left Draco with his Cissy to never leave his mother’s side in his absence while in turn he trusted Narcissa to care and love their only child for them both. Draco had gripped on to her finger as Narcissa cradled her newborn’s curly hair that was so much like him as Draco stared at her with the same eyes Reggie had.

Running with all her might to reach wherever her boy was, Narcissa entered the same area her son was in when she heard a loud explosion. With her stomach dropping to the floor, she stopped her tracks at the sight of a pillar falling on top of a young child. Out of instinct, she transported next to the unknown child to push him aside, taking the weight of the pillar in his place. She felt her ribs cave in, stabbing all her lungs as they broke under the weight. Narcissa felt a sharp pain stab her heart.

The young man and another individual came to her side, lifting the pillar off of her, but it was too late. She was bleeding to death internally and too quickly to get help. The boy saw the body of Narcissa, realizing it should have been him. He carried her in his arms, so that she may find some sort of peace in them. “Why did I save a stranger?,” Narcissa thought to her as death was coming for her. “I don’t know….,” she whispered but as she stared at the boy, she realized she had saved him for another mother.

The wind carried a chime to Narcissa, freeing her soul from her body. The ringing of life and death. A bell of farewell to the world of the living. To the witch, the chimes were like slow flower petals gently kissing her body. The petals melted into tears of those she hadn't seen in years. Even those who disappeared without a trace, her parents, who were waiting on the other side. Narcissa peered into the very eyes of the boy she saved as she found the last strength to speak. “Don’t cry, Draco. Don’t be afraid. It’s only death. I promise we’ll see each other again on the other side”. She reached over, wiping the tears of the shaken boy before turning to the speechless individual next to her. “You're here, my love. Do you think our son will forgive me for leaving without a goodbye?,” Narcissa asked the confused boy.

The two boys could see her eyes were focused on something in the distance as peace filled her heart. Ding Ding Ding. She gasped for air as fear grew again at the thought of leaving Draco. Narcissa grabbed on to the young boy, holding his hand tightly. “Please forgive me. I’m sorry for leaving. It wasn’t supposed to be this way”. Between her shaky breaths, Cissy felt a love flowing down on her. A hand reached out as it called out to her, “Draco is in good hands, my love. It’s time to let go. I’ve been waiting a very long time for you”.

The presence smiled as Narcissa went to grab his hand. She felt young again. Her soul found herself jumping into his arms again like old times. She WAS young again as she stared at him. He appeared the same, never aging a day since the day he left her first. “I’m here now. You can let go. I won’t ever leave your side again,” he said, kissing her on the lips. Lips Narcissa had dreamt so many nights after his death.

The confused boy held Narcissa to his chest, crying in place of Draco, “It’s okay, mother. You can let go now. I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay for the both of us”. The young boy sobbed when he realized she was cold. Fred Weasley peered up at his brother, “Do you think she heard me?”. Percy glanced down as he laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, “I know she did”. Still in shock, they turned to see Narcissa was smiling against Fred’s chest where his heart was.

Next to the boys, the presence went to grab Narcissa's hand as they walked away from the light. Confused, Cissy spoke up, “Where are we going? Aren’t we supposed to go towards the light?”.

“Not yet, my love. We have one more person to bring home. Then we can all pass to the other side together. Someone who had been lost in the darkness for a very long time. He needs us”. Her eyes lit in excitement for she knew exactly who they were going to see as they made their way deeper into the unknown.

Chapter Text

Harry and Hermione ran through the corridors of Hogwarts. The castle was in ruins. In one part, the entire stone wall was gone, exposing Hogwarts to the war happening outside. With the fallen sections of the floor, one could take a peek at the level below. Another wing on the opposite side was blown up with everyone, who was inside that wing, killed immediately upon impact when floors one by one fell on top of one another. The unlucky ones, who somehow survived, were trapped underneath the rubble until the war was resolved, dying a slow death until someone found them. The Gryffindor tower that had once hosted many quidditch tournaments after parties for the school, separated from the castle, falling down the cliff side.

While Harry and Hermione ran, various hospital staff and volunteers attempted to put fires inside as they passed. Groups of Death Eaters deliberately avoided the action outside and instead set everything inside on fire. It was the same group of Death Eaters that had committed arson on St Mungos. As Hermione turned to look at the portraits trapped on the wall with nowhere to go, the portraits moved frame by frame to avoid the fire as the flames were consuming many of them as they ran to stay alive.

The castle’s ghosts were horrified at the chaos that had come for the place they called home for centuries. The castle had become a war zone as the ghosts flew helplessly, watching Hogwarts become rubble. Many ghosts sobbed watching the staff and children they watched grow up die around them. For the first time in their eternal life, they wished they could die with the living. The blessing it was to be a ghost and live forever had become a curse as they were reminded they could not touch the physical world, but it did not stop many from trying to push objects away in a panic and in vain. They screamed, trying to lead the living into a safer part of the castle but the fear among those who were not dead was too strong. The living ignored the ghosts.

Instead, the living went through them as they fled. Some of the ghosts were paralyzed, unable to move. It was watching the living die in front of them that brought many back to a time they had died. The memory of how they passed replayed like a broken tape recorder. Distraught, Helena Ravensclaw rushed through walls, collecting all the young ghosts that had freshly arrived during the failed evacuation of the castle that past year. She wanted to find them all quickly. It was too soon. The Ravenclaw ghost went to cover the children’s eyes as they shouldn’t have to watch the castle on fire again.

On the other side of the castle, Ron ran holding Lavender's hands in his. The portraits on his side of the castle also ran frame from frame, avoiding the fires with them. Many of the screams from the portraits, asking for help, went unheard from the living as staff were busy carrying near-death bodies to the hospital wing while volunteers fought the flames of the castle. Nearby students and refugees ignored the portraits as many panicked to find a way outside the castle. Inside was no longer safe with many of the floors wanting to collapse. Many wanted to risk outside against Voldemort’s army, if it meant not being trapped inside.

Entire walls of portraits had lost their home as they hopped to other portraits nearby. The picture frames that were left were filled to capacity with everyone in the picture frame, pushing others to keep hopping to another frame as the one behind them was consumed by fire. Disoriented with the destruction around him, Ron couldn’t recognize where he was or which wing he was in. Every floor began to look the same. Fear settled in as the redhead was certain he was only going further from his friends.

“Ron, which way?,” asked Lavender. The redhead turned to glance at his girlfriend, who had a face full of terror, but being with Ron is what stopped her from hyperventilating. Unable to concentrate with the frenzy around him, it was one of the screaming portraits that caught his attention. He focused on it, looking for an anchor to reel him in from panicking with the student body.

Without considering what he was doing, Ron pulled out his wand with the intention of saving them. The flames that were inching closer to the portraits bothered him more than he realized. Peering around the ruined hallway, Lavender squeezed his hand as she spoke up, “The fire is burning the whole castle. We need to keep moving to find Harry, Hermione, and Draco. I think it’s too late for them”. Ron turned back with an expression of concern while Lavender explained, “They're not alive. Only portraits. It’s okay to leave them,” but as she said that out loud she felt her stomach fall from the guilt of saying such a thing. The couple turned to peer at the portrait in front of them. Frames were filled to the brim with frightened faces just as they felt too.

Ron thought back on what he and his friends had learned at 12 Grimmauld place. The portraits at the Black House had carried so many memories that had aided them in their horcrux hunt. While it may have been true that all portraits were just magical items, they carried so much life inside them. They witnessed history and would be here long after many of them would pass. It felt strange to abandon them now. Ron’s thoughts went to Walburga and Regulus. Those two had carried a vast amount of information from their real selves as well as what they learned as time went on. The portraits weren’t just a mere picture on a wall. Hogwarts was everyone’s home when September rolled around and the portraits by extension were what made Hogwarts special.

Squeezing Lavender’s hand for some courage, Ron spoke up after making a decision, “We have to save them. We can’t lose them. Some of these portraits have been around since the founders. We’ll lose all their stories, if the fire takes them. Even if we can make new portraits after the war, it will start recording from the date of their making. Besides, they’ve been watching over us since the first day of school”.

Nodding, Lavender gave Ron a look of understanding before the redhead pulled out his wand. He made a bubble which surrounded the portraits near him. Once Lavender caught on which spell he was using, she replicated it to aid in saving as many portraits along with him. Relieved, many of the portraits thanked them before Ron remembered he needed to find his way back to his friends.

When he got ready to leave, Ron remembered the portraits on the wall witnessed everything. Obtaining an idea, he turned around before asking the nearest portrait a question. “You don’t happen to know where Harry is, do you?”.

The crowds inside the portrait peered at one another as they murmured among themselves. A trembling knight soon recalled who Harry was, but they didn’t remember him as the chosen one. The portraits remembered the boy as Neville’s friend. Only two students had come back to Hogwarts at the end of 6th year to say their goodbyes after the mass evacuation. The portraits had been saddened when they realized the children had left them without saying goodbye. All had forgotten but their sweet friend, Neville, who had come back. He brought along a new friend with him. “Neville’s friend? The boy with the scar?,” one portrait asked.

As Ron nodded yes, another replied, “A friend of Neville is a friend of ours. Neville’s friend went that way”.

Ron thanked them all and was about to grab Lavender’s hand but to his surprise she said no. “You go on without me. I’m only holding you back. I want to stay and help save more of the portraits. I’m not strong enough to fight Death Eaters or skilled enough to save lives in the hospital wing, but I can do this”.

Flabbergasted, Ron stared at her, unsure what to do. Ron and the group were always surrounded by danger. He didn’t want to put her life at risk by association. The redhead didn’t want to leave her but deep down he knew she was right. Lavender was not a skilled fighter as he or his friends were. That was not where her strengths had laid. Interrupting his thoughts, the portraits comforted Ron, “Don’t worry, boy. We’ll watch your girlfriend. We’ll help her find the safest path as she makes her way into the castle”.

Another portrait spoke up, “We’ll push her to go to the dungeons. Everyone is heading that way for safety from the outside and the bombing from above”.

Knowing Harry and the others needed, Ron was left with no choice but to leave. Still, he trusted Lavender more as he kissed Lavender goodbye. “Please stay safe. I need you,” Ron whispered to Lavender.

“I will”.

“Hurry! Neville’s friend is getting away,” one spoke up as Lavender pushed Ron to the direction the portraits were pointing towards. Taking their advice, Ron ran along the walls full of portraits as they aided him. Each told the boy which paths were the safest and which were intact. They stopped Ron when a fire was too close. Every tip they gave, Ron thanked them by providing a bubble to keep them safe. “Stop! Not this way. The portraits ahead say it’s blocked by a pillar. The whole wall collapsed. Take the stairs! Neville’s friend is under this very floor!”.

When Ron arrived on the floor below, he saw Harry and Hermione holding hands with a half burnt Marauder’s map. They appeared rattled at the thought they had no idea where they were and where Draco or Ron were. On the map, the castle appeared different each time a bomb was dropped on the school. Every path they used to know from their years of going to class had now disappeared into an unrecognizable landscape. Many of the paths were blocked or gone from the rubble. During the bombing of the castle, Hermione had dropped the map from fright. Huge sections of the paper were missing from sparks of the fire. Frustrated at her actions and concerns on how they would find the others, Harry comforted Hermione over it. The Marauder’s map was useless anyway. The castle was too much in ruins to use it properly.

“HERMIONE, HARRY!,” Ron screamed at the top of his lungs.

They both turned at the familiar voice, bringing a look of relief to their faces. The duo ran up the grand staircase at the sight of their friend as Ron too ran down to meet them. Running into their arms, when Ron pulled away, he glanced around, before asking, “Where’s Draco?”. Worry set in. The redhead went pale expecting the worst. He knew Draco very well from the months they had spent on the run. The young werewolf would never leave them to fend for themselves, especially not Hermione. The snake had guarded them too many times, risking his own life.

Seeing the horror stricken expression on Ron’s face, Harry immediately eased his friend’s fears. “Draco’s fine. We got separated by a wall, but he told us he would find another way to us”.

Harry then motioned his eyes to Hermione, making Ron peer at a distracted Hermione. With his actions, Harry wordlessly told Ron not to worry Hermione more than she already was. The bright witch was busy searching for Draco on the map to notice Harry and Ron pointing their eyes at her. A thought came to Harry as he asked Ron, “Wait, how did you find us? You have no map and with most of the hallways destroyed, it should have been impossible”.

It was that question that made Hermione come back to the present as she commented, “How did you find us? Before most of the map burnt, there were black ink stains at every place the castle took a hit. It was unreadable at one point”.

“The portraits led me to you two. They told me which path was still up and which to avoid. They remembered you as Neville’s friend. The nice boy who said goodbye to them at the end of the school year,” Ron explained as he glanced up at Harry from the map. Hermione was correct. The map was too ruined as it was constantly changing before his eyes to accommodate the damage the castle was taking from the current battle. Ron noticed the names on the pages were disappearing from their spot as if that name no longer existed.

“That’s brilliant! I would have never thought to ask the portraits for help,” admitted Hermione. Harry might have been the leader and Hermione was the brains but Ron was a great commander. Years of playing wizards chess made the boy a great strategist in the heat of the moment. Harry peered at the portraits, who were staring at them. The castle might have been falling apart around them but it was still helping, if one knew where to look. Harry was appreciative of Neville’s friendship more than ever when he learned what the portraits had done. Especially when he thought back to Longbottom who had still wanted his friendship despite the entire school shunning him.

“Harry, Ron, Hermione!,” screamed Draco from the railing of the staircase above them. To everyone's surprise, the young werewolf leaped to a floor down, landing right next to the trio and showing his superhuman strength and athleticism. It was thanks to his lycanthropy that Draco was able to get to his friends quickly. He had tracked them down with his nose. Any path that couldn’t be jumped or pushed, Draco crawled into the dark and tight crevices, letting his bones loosen enough out of its socket to squeeze himself through. The boy had gotten used to all his bones breaking every month. Squeezing his body in tight spaces was no big deal to the young werewolf.

Ron, with his eyes widened in amazement, told Draco, “Blimey, you just jumped off that rail!”. It was only when Draco was in front of him did the redhead realize his friends were covered in soot. They all smelled like heavy smoke as if they had just escaped a fire. Ron titled his head. They shouldn’t have been this filthy. He had run through the castle with debris and ashes in the air but he didn’t appear like them.

Ron turned to Harry, “I assume things didn’t go as planned in the room of requirement”.

“Do they ever?,” Harry sighed in a tired voice.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what happened?”.

Crossing his arms, Draco answered, “Let’s just say the room of requirement no longer exists. We burned the room down”.

Hermione spoke up, getting the boys back on track, “Do you have the Basilisk fang?”.

“Oh right, here you go,” Ron offered as he handed over the fang from his pockets.

“Will you do us the honors,” said Harry as he set down the Ravenclaw Diadem in front of Hermione. A tight grip on the fang, Hermione took a deep breath. Without hesitating, she raised the fang as she stabbed the diadem with all her force, but there was resistance from the Horcrux. It appeared as if there was a force field around the diadem, preventing Hermione from stabbing it directly. This horcrux had a mind of its own just as the rest of the Horcruxes they found on their journey but there was a crack on the shield as Hermione persisted.

Assisting, Draco came up from behind, putting his hands on top of hers. With both their strengths, the bright witch stabbed further into the shield. When a second crack formed, the horcrux attempted to push the four of them away. Harry and Ron stood behind Hermione, pushing her forward. “Keep going!,” Ron screamed. A third crack appeared. Black smoke filled the air between Draco and Hermione.

“Push down,” ordered Hermione.

“Together,” responded Draco. Finally, the basilisk fang pierced the diadem as it squealed as if they had stabbed the Horcrux on its neck. The group fell back with the force of the Horcrux dying. Adjusting his eyeglasses, Harry went to help Hermione up while Ron helped Draco. “It never gets easier, does it? This is our third Horcrux but it’s as bad as the first one we did together,” Ron commented.

Before Draco and the rest of the group could reply, every witch and wizard in the castle held their ears in pain as Voldemort entered all their minds. The Dark Lord whispering to the castle felt like nails against a chalkboard to anyone, who wasn’t inside his innermost circle. As it was their first time hearing Tom Riddle’s voice, Hermione and Ron dropped to their knees. Harry grabbed onto the railing. The voice wasn’t hurting him like the rest but it felt more like the times he encountered a Horcrux. While Draco held on to Harry to make sure the boy didn’t fall over, he squeezed his eyes shut. He had gotten used to this screeching from the Horcruxes.

The Dark Lord’s haunting voice echoed through the castle.

“You have all fought valiantly... but in vain,”

“I do not wish for this drop of magic... Blood spilled is a terrible waste of my level,”

“I command my forces to retreat… in their absence… I give you the grace to dispose of your dead with dignity,”

“Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you...on this night you have allowed your friends to die for you,”

“Rather than face me yourself…There is no greater dishonor,”

“Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate,”

“If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you,”

The four stayed silent, unable to say another word. They had no idea what was the next course of action or what to say to Harry to comfort the boy. Harry was already guilt ridden from all the dead bodies they had passed to find each other again. The castle was no more. The screaming of people or portraits had made Harry feel as if it was his fault. He had brought the war to the castle. In the end, all Voldemort wanted was him. Not anyone else. Only him. His every existence threatened the lives of not only his friends, who were now family, but the wizarding world. A war that had spilled blood to the whole continent. Innocent blood spilled in labor camps and rehabilitation centers.

Voldemort had done all that to get to Harry. He couldn’t help but to feel at fault for surviving that fateful day when his parents had died for him. He should have died along with them. This wouldn’t be happening, if he had. As quickly as that thought formed, he shooed it away. He was thankful to have lived this long. Sure, Harry was burdened with many enemies and life threatening situations but he got to meet his friends. Friends, he was sure he wouldn’t have met, if he was a regular boy. They loved him with all his flaws and danger he brought with him. They protected him.

Hermione turned to look at Harry. The chosen one had a dejected look. Dark clouds filled the boy’s aura as it threatened to push down his spirits. His eyes were heavy with sadness, closed heavily to each blink. Clutching his jaw, Harry held back the tears, threatening to spill down his face. “Harry?,” called Hermione. When the golden girl went to hold Harry’s hand, he was cold to the touch. He hadn’t heard Hermione call his name as he got lost inside his own mind.

Harry thought back to what Snape had told him. “Has it ever crossed your mind why you can speak to snakes? Why could you hear Voldemort’s mind?”. These words played repeatedly in his thoughts. Harry then asked himself, “Why did he survive the killing curse? There had to be more to it than a mother‘s love”.

The memory of Snape’s voice played again, “Your precious Dumbledore raised you like a pig to be slaughtered and groomed you to die at the right moment”.

Connecting the dots, Harry slowly sat on the stairs, scaring the others around him as they waited for Harry to speak.

He glanced up at Draco’s gray eyes. The only other person in the world who could hear Horcruxes with him. He thought about how strange it was that Draco had stopped asking about the 7th Horcrux. It was no coincidence that he felt Voldemort get weaker with every Horcrux they destroyed. The diadem they destroyed together made Harry weaker and somehow he knew Voldemort was weaker too. The conversation they had in the tunnel flooded to the front of his mind. “Dumbledore hid so many secrets from us”.

Certain, Harry sighed as accepted he was the 7th Horcrux.

“Harry, you're scaring me. Speak to us,” Hermione tried again, but it was unheard.

Harry used his knees to help himself back up. Without any words exchanged, the boy started to make his way down the stairs. With a defeated look, Harry walked down, trying not to look back at his friends as it would only make it harder to leave.

“You can't seriously consider going to the Forbidden Forest to die. It’s mad!,” Ron yelled, attempting to get through Harry. In disbelief, Hermione followed closely behind Ron, grabbing onto Harry’s jacket to try to stop him. Meanwhile, Draco was staring at Harry from the side lines with his eyes welling up. When Hermione pulled Harry, forcing the boy to stare at them all, Harry closed his eyes before he could lay an eye on them.

“You can’t give yourself up to Voldemort…” Ron tried one more time.

“What is it, Harry? Why won’t you look at us?,” Hermione questioned. Her frustration was growing at his silence. She had a hunch from the exchange in the tunnel and the room of hidden things, but Hermione didn’t want it to be true. Until Harry said it, Hermione was in denial. It would hurt too much if her instincts were true.

Harry turned around, not wanting to look up. “There’s a reason why I can hear them... The Horcruxes. I think I’ve always known deep down all these years. I think you have too”.

A sob escaped Hermione as she covered her mouth. The same sobs she had for Draco in the bathroom she now had for Harry. “I made Hermione cry again,” Harry thought to himself with his back to them. Blinded by her own tears, Hermione wiped them away so she could look at Harry while Draco made his way down to the distraught Golden Trio.

In a shaky voice, Hermione weeped, “You can’t be a Horcrux. You're supposed to come back with us to school next year. I promised you a normal school year”.

“I’m sorry”.

“We had plans to go back home with Remus in Grimmauld as one big family”.

“I’m sorry”.

“We have one more summer left before we graduate”.

Harry remained quiet.

As tears streamed down his cheeks, Ron whispered in a broken tone, “Why won’t you look at us?”. He wanted to desperately scream at Harry but Ron was scared of bringing more fear into Hermione. Someone between Hermione and him had to remain strong. Draco walked towards Harry, leaving Hermione and Ron behind.

No one uttered a word. Memories flashed through Harry’s mind behind his eyelids. Every memory they made since his first year came to him. All the memories of the past 6 years, including the ones he made during the Horcrux hunt. A chuckle escaped Harry’s throat as he thought about how the three of them, thanks to Hermione, adopted a Slytherin into their circle. “I can’t bring myself to stare at my best friends. I don’t want my last memories to be of my friends crying. I want to remember all the good times. And I don’t want your last memory of me to be of me scared. I want you both to remember me as your impulsive friend, Harry,” he laughed again at that last sentence.

“I’ll go with you,” sobbed a sincere Hermione. Harry nodded no immediately as he knew deep down, if he agreed, Hermione would. She was willing to go with Harry, who she saw as a brother. All so he wouldn’t have to be alone. That was the type of friend she was. Harry was grateful to have met her in his short life. The bright witch knew more than anyone what it was like to grow up alone and misunderstood by all the adults around them. Like him, she knew what it was like to be an outcast. Hermione was the first person who loved him, and Harry knowingly loved back.

“No, I don’t want you or Ron to see me die. I already made you watch Draco die. I won’t burden anyone with more heartbreak. You shouldn’t see me that way. I know how tiring it is being my friend and exhausting it is always being in danger. I know because I’m tired of it all too. Let me walk away. Let me do this. Let me die for you”.

Silence filled between the four of them until Ron spoke out with Hermione crashing to the floor. “Being your friend never tired us out, Harry. You gave us so much more. Without you, I wouldn’t have met Hermione or Draco. Without you, I wouldn't have made all the friends we made along the way. You were never a burden to us. Ever”. Seeing Hermione on the floor, Harry swallowed down a knot in his throat. Hermione and Ron were making this goodbye difficult.

Tears threatened to spill from Harry, but he fought them back. “Kill the…Kill the snake, and then it’s just Voldemort”.

“Draco, can you stand next to me?,” Harry asked. The Slytherin Prince complied, standing next to the Gryffindor. Harry surprised Draco by turning to look at him. They shared an understanding. Something Harry didn’t share with Hermione and Ron.

He continued to stare at Draco while the Slytherin peered back at Harry. The boys, who were once enemies, were now family. Despite all their differences on the surface, they were one of the same. Their childhoods were very similar, growing up in bleak and abusive homes. Both from old wizarding families. The two boys shared the same pain, not many could relate to. They carried the same burden on their shoulders. The burden of having the fate of the world on them. A pressure too much to ask from a child. They both carried the burden long before they knew why. Draco and Harry were chosen to walk on the same path to defeat Voldemort. Picked by Voldemort themselves. One child from the light and a second from the dark. The chosen children, along with Neville, were picked by cruel twisted fate to end it all once and for all. Destiny had forced the trio to walk a deadly, heartbreaking path. A path none of them wanted to be on to kill Voldemort. The three, who had lost everything. The chosen children of the wizarding world.

“Take care of Hermione and Ron will you? Tell Remus…I’m sorry I had to leave first,” Harry muttered as he peered down thinking of Remus. Remus was going to lose another friend after the many losses in his life. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” Harry thought to himself but this was war. War waited for no one. It had no loyalty for either side. It took souls from men willing to fight for what they believed in for only blood can be the payment for the freedom they seeked. The young werewolf only nodded. Nothing could make this situation better.

“We’ll meet again but you’ll have to wait a while for us though, mate,” Draco murmured as he attempted to bring humor to Harry’s face. Death wasn’t the end. It couldn't be. The group wanted to desperately believe they would all meet again on the other side or even another lifetime, if they were fortunate. Harry responded with a bittersweet smile.

Before it got more difficult, Harry walked away before Hermione could stop him. The Slytherin turned around to the sounds of Hermione crying as he wrapped his arms around his witch, letting her cry on his shoulders. Upset, Ron stared at the ceiling, trying to hold his tears back, but his defense was sweeped away as he felt Hermione hold his hand. Only then, did Ron sit down with Draco and Hermione. The three wept as they watched Harry’s back go further from them.

~

Before Voldemort called the retreat of his soldiers

Lucius walked through Hogwarts lost and at a stand still. He felt like a wandering soul among the many dying around him. Before, it was almost easy to forget he was an enemy on both sides of the war in the safety of what was once a great home, the Malfoy manor. It wasn’t until he arrived here as one of Voldemort’s top soldiers did Lucius realize he belonged nowhere. He felt alone even in the war zone where thousands were fighting for their lives, where thousands were fighting for either the freedom to live or to conquer in the name of Voldemort. Half the men here were fighting another man’s war. They fought for a madman, who did not care about any of his men. And the other half were fighting for their children’s future with their own blood.

Lucius wandered with his mask off, showing his bare face. It was wrong to wear the Death Eater mask that was the symbolism of Voldemort’s loyalty. It was strange to walk slowly as he carried himself through this battlefield. He recognized no one. Not one familiar face. Not even Bellatrix. The one comrade he had when he escaped Azkaban. Gone. Lucius felt her magical signature leave this life the moment she was killed. It seemed she had accomplished what she wanted to do. At least that’s what he had hoped. Lucius had no idea if indeed she had found Narcissa. As he continued to walk with no end goal, Lucius knew today was the end for him. Neither side was acknowledging him. No one claimed him for he did not look like one of them. He was like a lone wolf.

As he looked around, the battle scene was soaked in blood. No child should have to see the horrors of this war yet this castle is full of them. Dead bodies scattered around the stone floor. The scent of blood was strong in the air. It was nauseating to be able to taste it through the heavy air. Lucius went to cover his eyes as explosions went off all around him. The smoke blinding his eyes shut. The noises of bombs and magic turned soldiers deaf for one moment with the ringing of the aftershocks. The ringing of the explosion made Lucius cover his ears from the pain. When he dropped his hands from his head, the bomb had claimed the lives of those around him on his floor. Hogwarts, the home to many, was quickly becoming a place of death.

Hearing screaming in the distance, he peered up to see who it was. Was it a Death Eater or the Order? It was neither. Instead, it was an innocent child, who was to die under the wand of one of Voldemort’s men. On impulse, he ran towards the child faster than he could think. Faster than Lucius could process that he was about to expose himself to all his comrades to which side he served. In a flash, Lucius raised his wand, using the killing curse on the Death Eater. The child froze in shock, unable to move or understand what had occurred. The little girl couldn’t be more than 12 years of age. Lucius went to ask for the girl’s name but she did not answer. Her eyes were that of a dead person, frozen like a deer caught in headlights. In pure fear, she trembled. Lucius inspected the girl closer, seeing her eyes were having trouble adjusting. The black of her eyes were dilated. As he slowly went to grab the child’s hand, like a frightened animal she came back. The girl gasped, realizing Lucius was wearing Death Eater robes. Acting on instinct, she ran from him, assuming he was one of Voldemort’s men.

Lucius used his knee to get back up as he went to look at the little girl who ran away. To his horror his heart shattered like glass against the castle floor at the familiar figure before him. Neville stood at the end of the castle hallway. Ashamed, Lucius stiffened with guilt as he shared a look with the boy. A thousand emotions ran through his heart. Emotions that were trampling Lucius under its hooves. The once powerful and nosy battle field was now silent just for the two of them. Lucius wanted to run but his feet wouldn’t move. As quickly as he wanted to get away, Lucius decided to stay.

Looking at Neville Longbottom, it was as if he was watching the devil walk towards him. His demon had come to take his life. Take him into the depths of hell where he belonged, to carry out all his sins in eternity. The guilt of wronging the boy rose within him the closer the boy walked to him. The feeling of guilt made Lucius float away but his heavy footsteps chained him to his earth. As Longbottom raised his wand, Lucius closed his eyes. “This would be how he would go,” he told himself. A death under the boy he ruined. A deserved death.

“Avada Kedavra!”.

A jet-like blue light shot from the tip of Neville’s wand, illuminating the whole hallway. The spell shined in blue light, summing up Neville’s resolve and intent. He had used the killing curse without the malicious intent of ending a life but instead with a heavy mix of hesitation and necessity to save a life. It was to save Lucius' life. Behind Lucius, was another Death Eater who had too seen the whole interaction of Lucius Malfoy killing one of his own to save a traitorous child. Lucius had revealed himself to be a spy to Voldemort and his cause. He revealed himself as another fighter for the other side and its cause for freedom. The body of the Death Eater blasted in the air as the spell hit him directly on the chest. The man flew back like a rag doll. Stunned, Lucius looked at Neville confused.

While Neville walked closer, facing Lucius directly, Lucius' mind scrambled at its lack of understanding of the situation. Neville glanced down at his wand then back to Lucius. “Luna told me. She told me everything you’ve done for the Order. She also told me the reason you killed my parents. To secure a spot under Voldemort’s inner circle and to build the Cabinet Network”.
There was an obvious grief written on the boy’s face mixed with confusion. Neville waited for Lucius to respond but when he hadn’t, the boy continued, “I forgive you”.

Neville peered down as he wiped his tears away with his sleeves. “I should hate you. I should kill you but I don’t have any cold blood for you. I don’t know what I feel but you did something me and my granny were afraid to do for so many years. We spent years trying to let them go but didn’t. You did though. You ended their suffering for us. A life spent in a room is not the life I wanted for my parents. They weren’t coming back. You gave my parent’s death a meaning with the building of the Cabinet Network…. So I thank you”.

“I don’t deserve this forgiveness,” Lucius thought to himself, unable to respond back. Instead, he was crushed that Neville had. The boy had even found it in his heart to thank him. Lucius felt worse about taking his parents away from the boy but there was a sort of wonder as the two stared at one another. “Such good hearted people did exist in the world,” Lucius said to himself.
He didn’t deserve the kindness Neville was giving him but the boy had still given it. What Neville deserved was revenge but instead the boy had saved him. Lucius had been prepared for everything from Neville but not forgiveness. Not when he wronged Narcissa, Regulus, Bellatrix, and Draco. Not when he killed the House of Black. He had accepted that the wizarding world would hate him. Neville should have hated him like Narcissa and Draco did. What was he supposed to do with a single soul showing him compassion? The worst part of it all was when Lucius stared at Neville's eyes. The boy wasn’t mocking him. He had truly meant it all.

Lucius struggled to get the word out as he shook from shame. He breathed heavily with eyes full of tears. “I’m not worth saving. I think you made a mistake in saving my life. I’m not a good man. I’m not the hero of the war. I’m a fraud, who’s trying to clean the mess I created in the first war. We're all here because I gave power to the wrong man”.

Neville stayed quiet, taking in what Lucius had said, “That might be true but you’re trying. That's what really matters in the end. You found your way back to the light. Not many can say that”.

Before Lucius could respond back, Voldemort had called in a retreat of all his soldiers. The Dark Lord had ordered Harry to come to the Forbidden Forest alone to face his fate. Death.

The two individuals stared at each other once again. Then it came to Neville why fate had brought him to Lucius. He understood why fate had wanted Neville to save this man. The person who killed his parents. It wasn’t to forgive him. No, fate knew Lucius was a lost soul. Fate knew Lucius needed someone like Neville just as Harry had needed Neville at the end of their 6th year. Neville was exactly where he needed to be at the right time. The chosen child of one of the three picked for a specific role. He needed to guide Lucius onto the right path.

Neville pushed Lucius, directing the man who had killed his parents, “Go save, Harry. He needs you”.