Disclaimer: I do not purport to own any of the harry potter universe. That's all JKR!

Draco laughed, picking up the plastic toy and handing it back to the child for what must have been the hundredth time that afternoon. Almost immediately, the toy sailed across his head again. The little girl smirked, causing Draco to laugh even more.

“Louisa, do you enjoy making me run after your toys?� Draco asked, ruffling her mounds of brown curly hair. The little girl’s smirk changed into a full toothy grin. She wrinkled up her nose in concentration and suddenly, the green plastic cow whizzed high in the air, leaving bright sparkly trails, before coming back into her hands.

“Louisa, Louisa, no, don’t do that, Sweetie.� Draco looked around rather nervously.

“You know that you’re not supposed to do magic here at the park, love.� He sighed, grateful that no one else seemed to notice a flying plastic cow or the now-fading waves of color above them. He could see disappointment in the little girl’s face as her bottom lip started to quiver. He cringed, knowing how frustrated she was because she was unable to explore her magical abilities. He made a mental note to look up some kind of spell that might hide magic from muggle eyes so that she could have some space in which to safely play.

“Louisa, Dearest, I’m going to see what I can do about finding a safe way for you to do some magic, okay?� Her smile returned and she vigorously nodded her head when he said, “But you must promise me that you won’t tell ANY of the other children and especially not those dreadful Muggles back at the home.� He took her hand then, helping her up off the ground where she’d been playing. He brushed off the dirt and grass from her new dress, again sighing. It was time to return her to those muggles. He found a small smile for her, though, and he lifted her up in his arms and starting walking towards the home.

He was quiet as they returned to her home. Home, he sneered to himself. Some home this is. Draco knew that the place was the best of its kind. He’d done his research- well, maybe he hadn’t actually done the research- but he trusted the person who had. This place was bright and cheery and full of other children from situations similar to Louisa’s. Not that anyone could ever be truly like Louisa, he thought, or understand what she is and where she came from. The thought made him shudder for a moment and he gave the child in his arms an extra squeeze.

Louisa was still holding her toy cow and chattering rather nonsensically to it as Draco carried her home. When they were just a few blocks away, she quieted down. She put her head on his shoulder, wondering when he’d come back to see her again.

Draco felt her mood change but said nothing. When they got to the porch, he placed her on the porch swing. Kneeling down so he could be at eye-level with her, he grasped her little hands in his own.

“Louisa, I have to go now. But I’ll be back very, very soon. You know what Friday is, don’t you?� The child looked at him for a minute before she smiled. “It’s your birthday, love. You know I wouldn’t miss that. Now I want you to think about something special that you’d like to do for your big day,� he said.

“Anything?� she asked, smiling mischievously. He laughed at her impishness, knowing that he’d do anything in the world for her.

“Anything,� he said.

She looked thoughtful for a moment, “Okay, Daddy, I’ll tell you when you come back on my birthday.� With that, she jumped up into his embrace. He held her close to him, breathing in her delightful childish smell- just a touch of irises mingled with fresh earth. He thought nothing could smell better.

At that moment, the front door opened and a rather portly woman with graying brown hair stepped into the doorway. “Dinner,� she said. “Mr. Malfoy, will you be joining us this evening?�

“No thanks, Ms. Dorothy. But may I talk with you for a minute before I take my leave?� With one last hug for Louisa, he playfully scooted her inside the door. She giggled and ran down the hall towards the sounds of playing children. Draco waited for the matron to settle herself on the porch swing before speaking.

“Ms. Dorothy, Friday is Louisa’s fifth birthday. I’d really like to get her pet- an owl, actually. I think it’d be rather easy for her manage.� He held his breath and the older woman looked at him.

“Hmmm… well, that’s an interesting pet for a young child, Mr. Malfoy. But Miss Louisa is a rather interesting child, isn’t she?� She smiled at the tall, good-looking young man in front of her. “You know, she’s not the first one in my charge to have a pet owl.� She saw the look of relief come over his face. “Of course, she’ll be the only one right now to have a pet owl,� she said with a small chuckle.

“Thank-you, Ms. Dorothy. Good evening.� Draco turned and walked off the porch, heading back towards town. The old matron watched him, clicking her tongue. That man loves his daughter, I know. I’ll never understand why he doesn’t just take the child. She sighed to herself, walking back into the house.

Draco always felt so empty when he left Louisa. He thought about his conversation with Ms. Dorothy. She wasn’t so bad, really- for a muggle. She was strict, to be sure, but she knew that Draco was a wizard and that his daughter was surely a witch. She didn’t punish Louisa for “magical� accidents. Her sister, Ms. Nancy, was a different story altogether. He winced, hoping that she didn’t know about Louisa’s abilities. He consoled himself with the knowledge his daughter was safe and well taken care of by both women. The other children were fine, too. He had noticed that they sometimes gave Louisa strange looks and whispered behind their hands when she wasn’t paying attention. He just hoped that she didn’t feel too out of place.

When he was a few blocks away from Louisa’s home, he ducked behind a tree and Apparated back to his apartment.

He had no idea that a woman with brown eyes and slightly bushy hair had been watching him. Indeed, she’d been observing Draco Malfoy the entire afternoon as he played with a lovely blue-eyed brown-haired little girl- and this was not the first time she’d watched him with the child, either.

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Harry Potter Universe!

Draco hung up his muggle coat next to his wizarding robes in the hallway before heading into his library for a drink. His apartment was far too quiet. With a flick of his wand, he turned on the Wireless Wizarding Network. Since when do I need noise? he thought. But he smiled because he knew that it was yet another way that his daughter had changed him.

There were two letters waiting for him on his desk. His smile evaporated when he saw who the first one was from- his mother, Narcissa. He grimaced and finished his drink in one swift gulp. Better get this over with.

Draco,
I expect you for dinner this Friday evening. I have invited your friend, Pansy, and her family to join us.

I have something important to speak with you about.

Seven, sharp.
Narcissa

Draco crumbled the parchment in his fist. With his wand, he lit a roaring fire in the grate. Muttering a few choice curses, he threw the letter from his mother into the blaze. He hated the idea of a “family dinner.” He hated Pansy, too. Mostly, he hated the thought of sharing Friday with anyone other than Louisa. They didn’t know about her. And they never will, Draco thought.

He sat down in a deep leather chair, another drink already in his hand. He looked into the fire, thinking about how bifurcated his life had become. On the one hand, he was Draco Malfoy, son of the infamous Death-eater Lucius Malfoy. On the other, he was Draco Malfoy, father to the most amazing child in the world- at least in his opinion, he mused.

Inviting Pansy and her family to dinner could only mean a handful of things. He sighed, knowing his mother expected him to marry soon. She’d already hosted several such family dinners, inviting other potential pure-blooded witches. His thoughts lingered on her last sentence- What could Narcissa want now? he wondered. What is so important?

He went back to his desk to pour himself a third drink when he saw the second letter. This time, however, he did not cringe. Instead he felt a little jolt in his stomach. He recognized that neat blocky handwriting. Setting down his glass, he took the letter and walked back to his chair. Lazily, he unfolded the parchment, a small smile playing around his lips.

To my friend-in-need,

I know that a special day is coming up for you and your daughter. Please accept this gift and my wishes for your happiness.

As always, please let me know if there’s anything I may do to help with your situation.

Yours,
Hermione Granger

Attached to the letter were two tickets to the Grand Theatre’s Puppet Show. He smiled, knowing that Louisa would be thrilled to see the puppets. He felt comforted by Hermione’s thoughtfulness. It’d been a long time since he’d pondered about how his feelings for a certain muggle-born witch had changed. He walked back to his desk to compose a reply.

Dear Hermione,

Once again you have surprised me with your kindness. I shall tell my daughter of the generosity of her “benefactress” on her birthday.

Thank you for your offer of help. At the moment, things are going well. I believe that I will soon be able to take my daughter out of the home that you helped me to find. I only need to be sure that I can provide her with a safe and stable environment. Right now, that’s not an option, I’m afraid.

Oh, there is one thing. I would like to find a space, away from the wizarding world, of course, where she may play without checking her magical abilities. I guess I’d also like to be able to take her for a ride on my broomstick, too- she’d really like that! Can you think of a charm that would hide magic from muggle eyes? It’s just not safe for me to take her out of the muggle world, yet.

Sincerely,
Your friend-in-need

Folding the parchment, he addressed the letter to the woman he had despised and teased when they were back at Hogwarts. He felt his conscience prickle at some of the things he’d said and done to her. For the hundredth time, he wondered if she would’ve helped him if she’d known who he really was- and if she’d known who Louisa was.


No time for such thoughts, now. He attached the letter to his eagle owl’s leg. With a mighty hoot, the owl flew out the window. Absentmindedly humming to something on the wizarding wireless network, he poured a fourth drink and settled back into his chair. Allowing himself to sink into a bit of a stupor, he replayed some of the day’s highlights with Louisa in his head. Before passing out, he briefly wondered if other people were both incredibly happy and sad at the same time.

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own any part of the Harry Potter Universe!

---
He felt that hand- was it really a hand? - move into his chest- it was like a burning flame sweeping through his body. He felt himself start to shake as fire seemed to pump from his heart and heat coursed though his veins. When the force left him, he fell to his knees, still violently shaking.

“I am finished with him. Bring me her blood, now,” an icy voice said from somewhere behind Draco. He shuddered, wondering what was happening. Slowly, he turned around to watch the rest of the ritual.

He gasped at what he saw next. Floating above a blazing fire was some kind of swirling cloudy form- something that looked very much like a ghost of himself. Draco shook his head, trying to clear some of the dizziness. How could he be hovering over a fire if he was lying back here on the ground?

“Maybe I’m dead,” he sputtered to himself. With a monumental effort, he kept his eyes open. He heard a cracking noise, like the breaking of glass. Then he saw trails of red liquid snaking through the air, creeping towards the ghostly figure. Slowly, the liquid flowed through the wispy shape, giving it some kind of spidery skeletal form. The icy voice whispered, “From the essence of my kindred and the blood of my enemy, let life come to end death.”

Suddenly, the fire roared, its flames extending up into the night sky. Draco wanted to close his eyes to the searing brightness. But he found that he couldn’t look away. Mesmerized, he watched as the Dark Lord reached into the fire and pulled out a screaming infant.

With that, he felt a huge spasm in his heart and passed out.
---
Awakened and drenched in sweat, Draco reached for the glass of water by his bed. His hands trembled as he drank the cool water. He was always so parched after this particular nightmare. He fumbled around for his wand in the dark. “Lumos” he said, when he’d found it. “Accio Louisa’s picture.” The framed picture zoomed from where it was hidden within the top drawer of his dresser. Lovingly, he looked at the picture of his daughter- she’d grown so much since she’d been born on the night of Voldemort’s ritual.

Hermione Granger was feeling quite pleased with herself. She’d be seeing Draco and his daughter on Friday at the puppet show. Well, they wouldn’t be seeing her as she’d stay out of sight. But still, she relished the thought of spending time with them anyway. She wished she had the courage to tell Draco that she knew of his precious secret.

Hermione was not a stupid witch. No, she’d known and kept Draco’s secret almost from the beginning of their correspondence. Of course, he’d charmed his handwriting so she wouldn’t recognize it. He’d tried to be subtle and not give away incriminating details. But she’d figured it out with just a touch of her “detective work,” as she liked to think of it.

Smiling, she remembered how just about 5 years ago she’d begun getting letters, signed only as “your friend-in-need,” requesting her help with finding a home for a refugee baby. The very first letter had been written in such desperation, she’d skipped Charms class just to draft a response. That’d been in her seventh year, her N.E.W.T.s year. Frowning slightly, she thought that probably was the only class she’d skipped the entire year!

That first letter had outlined the beginning of a very stark situation. Someone, a pure-blood- and she’d suspected a very young- wizard, had become a father. He’d described a pretty sad set of circumstances. The mother, who was Muggle-born, didn’t recognize the child as her own. The child had been a mistake. He didn’t want any of his friends to know so he couldn’t ask them for help. His own parents wouldn’t help him- in fact, and she shuddered remembering this, he’d said that his father told him to “kill the mudblood bastard.” The emotion within the letter was overwhelming. He’d pleaded with her to help him figure out a way to ensure the child’s safety and welfare- and he’d insisted that the child be placed in the Muggle world.

She’d never really understood that last requirement. She made many suggestions about placing the baby with childless wizarding families. In fact, she tried very hard to place the little girl with her friends, Remus and Tonks. They both wanted a child but were unable to have one because of the Ministry of Magic’s eugenicist policies on human-werewolf breeding. But the father had been insistent. He thought the baby would be gravely endangered if it remained in the wizarding world. So, she’d helped him find a special home for unwanted children in Muggle London.

She smiled as she thought of Ms. Dorothy and Ms. Nancy. She’d met them several times before recommending their place to the father. They ran a special kind of house- one for unwanted children who couldn’t be placed for adoption, for whatever reason. When she’d visited, Hermione had noted that many of the children were very well-dressed and played with expensive toys. The two matrons conspiratorially shared with Hermione that their home was for “accidents”- the illegitimate children of the super-rich, celebrities, or even royalty. She knew that this was the kind of place for her friend’s child because by then she’d already realized that her friend-in-need was none other than Draco Malfoy.

She chuckled to herself, before sitting down to write another letter to Draco. She had looked up a charm that would allow him to hide his daughter’s magical activities from passersby. However, she decided she wouldn’t tell him that only non-magical folks would be blinded. Thus, she’d be able to enjoy another day of watching the two of them.

As she shuffled about in her seat, Draco couldn’t help but smile at Louisa. She was trying hard to really pay attention to the puppets. She didn’t want to miss a single word. When the audience laughed, she shushed them so she could hear the puppets unimpeded. She was leaning so far out of her seat, Draco worried that she might fall out of the box. Hermione had certainly given them wonderful seats for the show. He and Louisa had an entire compartment to themselves, just above and to the right of the stage. He was glad that he’d sent some fresh wildflowers to her this morning to thank her again for the tickets.

They weren’t the only ones enjoying the show, either. Hermione was sitting in the box across from Draco and Louisa. She had angled herself behind a family of four. She couldn’t really see the puppets, but she had a great view of a certain blond haired man and his beautiful daughter. She had braided her own curly mop and worn large glasses as a disguise. She really didn’t want Draco to know that she knew his secret- at least, not yet.

Then when, she asked herself. Why should I tell him, anyway? Why does it matter? Hermione had no answers for herself. Though Draco had long stopped his snide remarks to her, he had never indicated that he’d even wanted to know her. Technically, she hadn’t interacted with him since their Hogwarts graduation, four years ago. He’d dropped by Order Headquarters from time to time, but never when she was there.

I’m a bloody stalker, she mused. She always came back to this point. Though she felt uneasy and even guilty about how she followed the two of them around, she couldn’t seem to make herself stop. She felt drawn to both of them in a way that she just couldn’t explain. Oh, it’s like a project- I’ve helped him for so long with her, how can I not care? she thought. And furthermore, there are still so many unanswered questions about this little girl…

At that moment the curtains dropped, signaling the end of the show. Louisa jumped up out of her seat, vigorously clapping her little hands together. Draco leaned down to retrieve her little purse and jacket which had spilled onto floor. Hermione stifled a giggle while watching Draco pick the contents of a five-year-old girl’s purse. The lights came up in the house, and then she realized that she was being watched. Louisa was staring right at her. After a few seconds, she waved at Hermione, giving her one of those glorious toothy grins. Hermione held her breath, feeling a tremendous warmth flood through her body. How had she known to look over at me? But the moment passed as Draco helped Louisa with her jacket and Hermione ducked behind the family once again.

She watched Draco and Louisa leave the Grand Theatre. She pretended to be looking at the various street notices affixed to the parking lot gate while she watched Draco and the child walk down the street towards the park. Keeping a good distance between herself and the two she felt drawn to, she followed them. Once at the park, she saw Draco quickly pull out his wand and mutter the Disillusionment charm that she’d sent him. Had she not been so enthralled with watching the two of them, she might have thought to perform her own disillusionment spell. For Louisa’s sharp gray eyes continued to sneak glances at the lady following them.

As the afternoon wore on, Draco and Louisa tired themselves out playing, giving no heed to Muggles around them in the park. Indeed, the Muggles certainly took no notice of a lovely child zooming around with her father on a shiny new Firebolt broomstick. They didn’t discern when the swings and slide seemed to almost fly up in the air when a cute brown haired little girl was playing on them. And they definitely didn’t see a petite brown owl flying out of the sky to gently perch on the arm of the tall handsome blond man. Only one other person knew of their day’s adventures and she kept her distance by sitting on a bench at the edge of the park.

I don’t even know this child and I am smitten with her, Hermione thought. It was not the first time she’d thought that, either. For that matter, she mused that she might be just a bit taken with the child’s father, too. He’s certainly changed since Hogwarts, she thought. She watched as the father and daughter began to pack up their belongings. With another flick of his wand, Draco transfigured his Firebolt into a miniature replica and placed it into the pocket of his muggle suit. He whispered something to the little owl, which then took off, heading down the street towards Louisa’s home. Hermione sighed rather contentedly. It had been a wonderful day. She felt some of that warmth that had overwhelmed her earlier when she remembered meeting eyes with the little girl.

Just as Draco leaned over to pick up his daughter, Louisa waved to the woman sitting by herself at the edge of the park. He didn’t notice her wave or the woman. But Hermione saw. Tentatively, she waved back, feeling like her heart might just explode.

Draco sighed heavily as he left Louisa’s home. It had been a fantastic day. She seemed to have really enjoyed Hermione’s gift of going to see the Puppet Show. Playing in the park had been wonderful, too. She got along very well with her owl, one of many presents Draco had given her that day. But her last request was what had him feeling down now.

He had promised her whatever she wanted for her birthday. And what had she wanted? To know about her family. He remembered how her face had scrunched up in concentration as she must have tried to think of the best way to ask her questions. She had been sitting next to him on the porch swing. Then she asked what he’d known must eventually be asked, “Daddy, do I have a mother?� Draco pulled his daughter closer, wording his answer very carefully.

“Louisa, you know you are not like other children. You have me. You do not have a mother that I know of. One day… you were mine- you were made from … me – and then given to me. I don’t know how else to explain it you, sweetheart.� She had been quiet after that. She hadn’t argued or cried as he feared she might. She just seemed to be thinking. After some time she said, “It’s because I’m magic, isn’t it? Whenever things don’t make sense, I just think it’s because of the magic.� Draco smiled a bit.

“I think that’s as good an explanation as I could come up with, my love.�

But now, as Draco walked to a safe place to Apparate, his thoughts wandered to a more sinister explanation. He’d never known whose blood was used in the ritual of Louisa’s birth. Collecting it hadn’t been his responsibility, thankfully. He’d often wondered if the blood belonged to a woman who was no longer even living. Knowing Voldemort, his father, and the other Deatheaters, that’d be the most likely scenario. He supposed that whoever supplied the blood, though, was indeed Louisa’s mother.

He tried to think of brighter subjects. The circumstances of Louisa’s birth gave him some of the most frightening thoughts of his life. When he let himself think of the likely fate of her mother, he inevitably concluded that she must have been killed. But that wasn’t the worst of his thoughts, for when he thought about the mother, he thought about the horrific ritual. If I’m Louisa’s father, and the blood belongs to her mother, then what role did Voldemort play? he thought, shuddering in the cool summer evening breeze.

He stopped behind a rather large elm tree. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his mind. Apparating without mental clarity was downright risky. But showing up at Malfoy Manor with any outward vulnerabilities was even more dangerous!

Instantaneously, Draco was outside the gates of his family’s estate. He stood there for less than a few seconds before the great iron gates opened. Brusquely he nodded to the bushes on the right side of driveway where he knew a house elf would be hiding. With a quick stride, he walked up towards the mansion. As he approached the front of the house, another house elf was already opening the enormous wooden door.

He felt the oppressiveness of the house as he walked into the foyer. Briefly he wondered whether or not Louisa would ever see this grand entrance. He nearly smiled thinking about how she might slowly approach some the ancient artifacts and hideously grotesque suits of armor that lined the walls. But he didn’t smile. And he pushed thoughts of his daughter to back of his mind. It wouldn’t be safe to think of her here in this accursed place.

Narcissa called to him from the library just off the main hall. She had a drink in her hand and was facing the fireplace when he walked in. She didn’t say anything right away. After she finished her drink, she slowly turned around to face her only son. Her welcoming smile did not reach her eyes.

“Draco, my love. Good of you to find time for your mother.� Draco inwardly winced at her tone. He knew what was coming so he braced himself for a diatribe on his shortcomings as the single heir to the Malfoy line. But instead of yelling, she just poured herself another drink and sat down on the chaise in front of the fire. She gestured for him to sit in the high-backed chair to her side. He got himself a drink before he sat down.

Several minutes passed by without either of them speaking. Draco felt himself becoming a bit languid in the heat of the fire. If he wasn’t careful, he would start thinking about Louisa. In an effort to maintain his mental composure, he made himself think of the board meeting he had attended yesterday. What had the goblin liaison said? Oh, yes, the goblins securities analysts had strongly recommended that he invest more money in his muggle portfolios, especially the oil stocks- something about a war driving up global prices… he stopped thinking about stocks when he heard his mother gently clear her throat.

“Draco, you know why I have invited the Parkinsons this evening. You know what is expected of you. Your father and I- your father would have wanted,� she paused, clearing her throat again, “you know what I’m going to say.�

“Mother, I know my duties to my family. I see no benefit in hastily entering a contract of marriage, though,� Draco said firmly.

“We have been through this before, my son. Without a wife or heir, our entire estate will go to the likes of our nearest relatives,� she said, choking on her final word. “Need I remind you of who would inherit your birthright?� she seethed. Draco remained expressionless. His mother trusted him to handle most of the estate matters. Therefore, she had no idea that lying inside his personal Gringotts’ vault was a will that specified that the entire Malfoy estate would be Louisa’s should anything happened to Draco. Rather, his mother believed that without an heir, the estate would be forfeited and thus divided by the two closest relatives.

Her voice much louder now, “That disgusting creature Nymphadora Tonks, born of my own blood traitor sister, would inherit all of this- she and her filthy pet werewolf walking around the halls of our ancestors,� she said while waving her arm around the opulent room. “But even worse, that despicable halfbreed who is responsible for your father’s demise would share it with her.� Draco nodded, they had been through this many times now. Thanks to Sirius Black’s own will, claiming him as sole heir, Harry Potter was now in line for the Malfoy estate.

Narcissa was breathing heavy now. Draco regarded her from his position to her side. She was still so lovely. He could see resemblances between her and Louisa, especially in their profiles. They each had high cheekbones and delicately pointed chins. He wasn’t aware that his own face had softened in his thoughts. Suddenly, Narcissa looked directly at him. He’d been caught looking anything other than disgusted by the thought of Tonks and Potter stealing the Malfoy honor and wealth. She quickly stood up directly in front of him.

“I don’t know where your thoughts lay, my son. But I will know your secret. Too many times have I observed you wearing that face. Your heart has changed. You have changed. You no longer honor your family responsibilities. I must speak with your father about this.� She turned and quickly walked out of the room.

Stopping at the doorway, she addressed him without turning around, “The Parkinsons will be here shortly. You will act in a manner that is appropriate to the expectations of this family.� And then she strode out of the room, presumably to go and talk to Lucius.

With a deep sigh, Draco closed his eyes. He cursed himself for letting his thoughts wander to Louisa. She loosened his control over his life. She was a liability for him. He mused that any child must have that effect on her parent. Was she really going to talk to Lucius? he wondered. He never really knew what his mother meant by this. He knew his mother had always vacillated between reality and her own dreams and thoughts. He supposed it was in her blood. Her own mother was a Seer after all. But Lucius had been dead for more than two years now.

He heard the house elves quietly scurrying in the halls. He put his thoughts of both his mother and his daughter away. The Parkinsons had arrived. Draco knew what was expected of him. As he walked to the hallway to greet his guests, he steeled himself for his family duty.

“Earth to Hermione,� said a good looking black-haired man while a rather tall red-headed man waved his hand inches from Hermione’s face.

“What? What did I miss?� she said, rather lamely.

“Well, you didn’t really miss anything. It’s just you nearly drank out of the sugar dish instead of your coffee cup,� Harry said, chuckling good-naturedly. “I think it’s time that you tell us what’s going on in that brilliant head of yours,� he finished, still smiling broadly at his best friend.

Hermione took a deep breath, looking from Ron to Harry. She wondered if she should tell them about her latest correspondence. She desperately wanted to talk about the letter she’d received just this morning. She felt like she might burst with excitement.

“Okay. I’ll tell you,� she said, taking another deep breath.

Ron and Harry looked at her rather expectantly. This was going easier than they had expected.

“Well, I got a special letter this morning. And, I must confess, I’ve been thinking about it ever since,� she said, smiling somewhat shyly. I’ve been so distracted, it’s a wonder I’m even wearing matching shoes, she thought to herself, still smiling at Ron and Harry.

Immediately, her two best friends began laughing. Harry squeezed her hand and Ron leaned in to tousle her hair a bit.

“Hermione, it’s about time, you know� said Ron.
“-yeah, go on. Tell us who he is,� interrupted Harry.

“No, no. It’s not like that. Not like that at all,� she said. “It’s not even from a guy- the letter was from a girl.�

Ron choked a bit on his tea and Harry just goggled his friend.

“Oh, please,� groaned Hermione. “You two!� She eyed them both for a minute before continuing.

“The letter is from the child I’ve been helping since our seventh year- you know, the refugee! She owled me for the first time this morning,� she said breathlessly, her smile broadening.

Ron cleared his throat and looked at Hermione. “You’re excited and extremely distracted because you got an owl from a little girl whom you’ve never even met... wait a second- if you’ve never met then how could she know to send you a post?�

“Well, Ronald. She addressed the letter as ‘My Benefactress’ – which I guess I am, you know. And her owl found me.�

Harry looked at his friend intently. He knew there had to be more to this story. Ron’s right- she’s awfully flustered- too flustered for just some kind of recognition of a good deed, he thought.

“Hermione,� he slowly started. “How old is she?�

“Five,� She smiled.

“And where does she live?� he continued.

“Muggle London- a special sort of home for illegitimate children- took me ages to find just the right place, you know,� she said proudly.

“And what’s her name?�

She faltered. What’s the harm in telling them her name- well, her first name, anyway? she mused to herself.

“Louisa.�

“And how do you know her name?� Harry pressed.

“Hmmm… well, I figured it out, okay. He didn’t tell me, if that’s what you’re after,� she quickly said.

“He?� Ron interjected.

“Yeah,� said Harry. “Who do you mean by ‘he’?�

She looked from one to the other. How much of her secret should she tell, she wondered. Keeping her two best friends in the dark about an increasingly important aspect of her life had been tough. She really wanted to talk about Louisa- and Draco, too, for that matter. But some of that will have to wait, she thought, letting a soft sigh escape.

“I mean Louisa’s father, of course. He’s tried to keep her identity a secret- not just from me but from everyone. He maintains that she’s not safe in the wizarding world,� she said. “And before you ask, let me just remind you that I think he’s a rather young wizard from a pureblood family- one that encouraged him to kill the child, too. I have no idea who the child’s mother is. He told me a long time ago that she was a Muggle-born witch who, and I quote, ‘did not recognize the child as her own,’� she said.

“What does that mean? Not to recognize the child as her own?� Harry asked, frowning slightly.

“Maybe it means that she rejected the child- that she thought the child was a mistake,� Ron offered.

“I’ve spent so much time thinking about that cryptic statement. I don’t know if it means what you’ve suggested, Ron – that the child’s mother thought she was a mistake or if it’s something else, all together,� she said. “After all, if someone charmed her memory, she wouldn’t recognize the child as her own, would she?�

“Uh, Hermione, don’t you think someone would be able to tell her that she’d been pregnant for nine months, though? Seems like that’d be a tough thing to cover up,� Harry suggested.

“She could have been kidnapped. She could have taken a year off to have the child. I’ve read accounts of using magic to speed up pregnancies, too.� The three were quiet for a few minutes.

“She could even be dead,� Hermione said softly. “But what makes the most sense, I guess, is that she didn’t want the child and forced the father to deal with it.� The waitress came back to their table then, refilling Hermione’s and Harry’s coffee. Harry spooned some sugar into his coffee, stirring it thoughtfully.

“One more thing, Hermione. Do you still keep in contact with Louisa’s father?� he said. Ron looked up from his own cup of tea, watching for her reaction.

A blush crept over Hermione’s cheeks. She didn’t answer. When she nearly reached for the sugar dish instead of her coffee cup for a second time, Harry gently took her hand.

“Hermione, you do, don’t you. You do still write to him,� he said, taking a pause before continuing. She met his eyes. “And you know who he is.� It wasn’t a question.

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione. When she tilted her chin down, he took her other hand in his own.

“And you like him, too, don’t you?� Ron said in a quiet tone.

“Yes.�

Hermione sighed again. “Yes, I like him. But that’s not really all of it. I really like her- Louisa – too. I like them both. I feel connected to them – and I just can’t satisfactorily explain it, either. I’ve been helping her father – and no, I won’t tell you his name! - I’ve been helping him for five years now. I guess that’s why I’m so drawn to them.� She looked at the questioning faces of her two friends.

“And there’s just one more thing- and then I’ll have told you everything I’m going to tell,� she said, breathing in deeply. “I follow them around sometimes. I love to watch them. I love to feel like I’m a part of the two of them,� she confessed.

“Wow,� said Ron.

Harry smiled, still holding her hand. “You must feel so relieved to tell us about this, Hermione. You could have told us before, you know. This is clearly very important to you.�

She blinked back grateful tears that had been threatening to fall for a while now. “I’ve wanted to tell you both. Really I have! It’s just that I can’t explain it- I feel like a stalker. But today something changed- something changed because she reached out to me. She wants to write to me- and maybe to meet me.� She paused. “And I’d like that, too. I’m tired of this secret.�

Ron handed Hermione his handkerchief which she used to wipe away her tears. After a few minutes, Harry decided that it was probably best to change the subject.

“Dumbledore has called a meeting of the Order for tomorrow night, as I’m sure you both know. Any ideas on what’s up?� Harry asked.

“Yeah, I got the summons this morning,� said Ron. “My guess is he wants to deal with the Muggle-baiting that’s been happening lately.� He paused. “Of course, that’s the Ministry’s job but maybe he thinks there’s more behind it. I'm going to give a report about some of the cases I've been working on.� Indeed, it was Ron’s job at the Ministry for Magic to investigate instances of Muggle-baiting.

Hermione nodded as she said, “Muggle-baiting... That’s what I thought, too. From what you’ve been telling us, the attacks have been picking up lately- in both numbers and intensity. I know that’s nothing to joke about, but I certainly hope there’s nothing worse going on.�

“Me, too,� said Harry. “So I’ll see you both there, then. Maybe we can go for a drink afterwards?�

“Sounds good to me,� said Ron.

“I wonder if the entire Order will show,� Hermione whispered. “And yes, let’s definitely hang out after the meeting. Maybe we can invite Remus and Tonks, too- I haven’t really seen them in ages.� She leaned down to retrieve her purse. “Let me get the drinks, you two,� waving away the protests of her two dearest friends.

When they were out on the street in front of the café, she pulled both Ron and Harry into a hug.

“Thanks so much. You are my family, you know.� She couldn’t say anything else. Harry squeezed her hard in return and Ron patted her on the back, feeling slightly flustered.

“Well, I’m off to see about one of those Muggle-baiting cases now... an incident with some children, I'm afraid, � Ron said as he pulled away from Hermione.

“I’ll walk that way with you. I need to check on an order at the Quidditch Supply shop,� he said with a huge grin.

“See you tomorrow night,� said Hermione, as she waved to her departing friends.

“And I’ll be seeing someone else, too,� she said, this time so softly that only she could hear herself.

The bright morning light filtered in through the blinds, resulting in groans from a disheveled lump on the couch. Raising his arm over his eyes, Draco tried to shut out the cheery sunlight. When he finally conceded victory to the sun, he slowly sat up. Immediately, his head started pounding, an after-effect from multiple fire-whiskeys he had consumed the night before.

“Bloody alcoholic,� he muttered to himself, looking at the empty decanter and dirty shot glass on the table in front of him. He leaned his head back onto the couch, willing his headache to stop. When that didn’t work, he began looking around for his wand, with the hope of casting a sobriety charm on himself.

“Ah ha.� He picked up his wand, chanted the appropriate words and felt the headache lesson almost immediately. He stood up, treating his entire body to a full lingering stretch. Heading towards the shower, he began casting off his rumpled robes from the night before.

“Ahhh,� he moaned as he felt the hot water coarse over his body. He stood under the water jets for several minutes, trying to clear his mind of the images from last night’s dinner party.

What a disaster that was, he snickered to himself. He’d certainly been a gracious host- well, gracious for a Malfoy, he thought, snickering again. He went through the motions with Pansy Parkinson and her parents. He’d inquired after the family businesses, laughed at the expected “mudblood� jokes, related various pieces of Ministry gossip, and tolerated Pansy’s insipid flirting. At the end of the night, he bid a polite, if cold, farewell to the Parkinsons before helping his mother up to bed. His mother had been barely coherent by that time. He sighed, knowing she’d probably needed a much stronger hangover charm than the one he’d given himself this morning. The house elves do have the best cures for hangovers, he thought with a smirk.

When he finished his shower, he stepped out and toweled himself dry. He could have used any number of various drying spells for his body or his hair. But a towel works, too, he thought. He walked into his bedroom. Looking over at his perfectly made bed, he tried to remember the last time he’d actually made it to his bedroom to sleep.

“I’m bloody pathetic,� he said aloud. He opened the top drawer of his dresser, looking for clean undergarments. He smiled as he also took out Louisa’s picture.

“Maybe I’m not so pathetic,� he said, looking intently at the picture. He placed the picture back in the drawer and finished getting dressed. He knew Louisa would be expecting him soon and he’d never keep her waiting.

Now dressed in comfortable muggle jeans and a rich brown jersey shirt, he walked back towards the kitchen. With a tap of his wand, his magically-enhanced espresso machine instantly produced the highly charged drink he needed to be fully awake. He was on his second espresso when the post arrived.

He recognized both birds immediately. One was Dumbledore’s magnificent phoenix, Fawkes, and the other was the petite brown owl, “Toof,� that now belonged to Louisa. Fawkes deposited his letter and then departed without even pausing for a drink of water. Draco could see that he had other letters to deliver as well.

“Must be Order business,� he mumbled, laying the letter on the counter. He turned his attention to Toof, untying the clumsy knot that attached the letter to the owl’s leg. When he freed the owl of its little burden, he offered it some water. It didn’t seem to want to go anywhere, so Draco assumed that Louisa expected an answer to her post. Smiling, he took both letters into his library.

Louisa- always first, he thought, unrolling her letter, noting that it was only addressed to “Daddy.�

“Smart owl,� he said aloud before looking down again at the childish scrawl.


Dear Daddy,

Thanks again for giving me Toof! I have been thinking about what adventures we might have today. I think you should bring your broom and that we should fly over the world. What do you think? Ms. Dorothy suggested that we take a picnic lunch, too, though I did not tell her about the flying idea.

Please tell me if this is okay with you so I can wear the right clothes! I’ve asked Toof to stay there until you send an answer.

Love,
Your Louisa


Draco chuckled aloud at her demands. Louisa certainly is a Malfoy, he thought. He rummaged through his desk to find a quill and a fresh piece of parchment. Quickly, he replied to his daughter and then sent Toof on its way.

“As always, my love, you will get whatever you want from me,� he said softly as he watched her little owl fly off into the crisp morning.

He sat back down at his desk. Opening the seal on the second letter, he felt himself tense ever so slightly.

Voldemort was gone. Well, no one really knew what had happened to Voldemort. Though he didn’t like to talk about it, Draco suspected, like most of the other Order members, that the Dark Lord was biding his time, as he had done before. As far as he knew, though, there had been no substantial Dark activity lately. He kept up with that kind of knowledge- not only because he was a spy for the Order, but also because of Louisa. There was no way he’d let Voldemort find her.

Draco shook his head, trying to drive away that particular thought. He looked down at the letter, surprised to see that his own hands were shaking ever so slightly.


Dear Draco Malfoy,

I request your attendance at a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix Sunday night at 8 o’clock. We will convene at the usual place.

Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore


There was no need to send a response. He’d be there and Dumbledore knew it. He sighed, as he continued to look at the parchment. She’d be there, too.

He tried not to think of her too much. When he did, he inevitably wound up feeling guilty for being so hateful to her for so many years. He stifled the urge to knock everything off of his desk.

“I am such a jerk,� he said loudly. “She’d never think any different of me.� And why should she? he thought, not daring to say it aloud. He used to hope that his participation with the Order might win him a few points. But he always concluded that he could never really undo the damage he’d inflicted when they were still at Hogwarts.

I can’t think of this now, he mused. Louisa is waiting for her adventure, after all. He went to the hallway to grab his muggle coat. It appeared to be a warm day but he knew how chilly it could be when flying on his broomstick.

Disclaimer: Who owns Harry Potter? JKR, that’s who!

Hermione hurried out of her office. Madame Marchbanks had kept her there a bit longer than she’d anticipated. She sighed as she thought about her latest client’s problems. Madam Marchbanks had hired Hermione to research magical and muggle methods of quelling motion sickness. As she needed to travel quite a bit for own work, she couldn’t afford to always arrive feeling sick and haggard. She’d tried different means of traveling, too, including riding the Knight Bus, using the Floo Network, and flying on both broomsticks and even carpets. Hermione’s latest effort for her client was a charmed bicycle. She’d just finished giving a demonstration to Madame Marchbanks when she realized she’d have to really hurry to get to the Order meeting on time.

As soon as stepped out of her building, she ducked into the alley and quickly Apparated to the neighborhood of 12 Grimmald Place. She always Apparated to a point behind a small shed at the edge of a nearby park. She glanced at her watch as she hurriedly walked towards the Order headquarters. When she got to numbers 11 and 13 she stopped and concentrated on the address that Dumbledore had given her years before. Within a few seconds, a large old house materialized right in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and marched up the sidewalk towards the front door.

Before she could even knock, the door opened to reveal a craggy old face staring directly at her. After a sweeping look at her and then behind her out onto the street, Mad-Eye Moody beckoned her inside. He grunted something that could have been a greeting or an admonishment for nearly being late. Hermione wondered which it might be and giggled slightly at the thought.

She headed downstairs to the large kitchen that also served as the main meeting room. She smiled as she remembered something her grandmother had said so long ago: “The most important events always happen in the kitchen.� As she came down the stairs, she looked around the warmly lit room. Her eyes immediately found two bright emerald green ones and she smiled a greeting. Then she waved at the red-head sitting next to Harry. She wanted to sit with them but the room was already quite full. She headed towards the back of the kitchen, to sit near an ancient set of cabinets. At that time, Dumbledore cleared his throat and she sat down before she noticed who she was seated next to.

“Welcome my colleagues. Thank you for giving up your Sunday evening. I am glad to see you all – especially some of you whom I have not looked at in some time,� his eyes twinkling as he scanned the room. Hermione thought that he might be looking back at her or maybe just around her. She glanced to her side and bit her lip in surprise. Right next to her was none other than Draco Malfoy. She saw him give a small nod to Dumbledore though he didn’t seem to notice her at all.

She didn’t hear the rest of Dumbledore’s welcoming speech though she kept her eyes directly on the old wizard. She was too busy trying to suppress the unexpected burst of anger at being completely ignored by a man she’d been helping for five years.

What did I expect? she mused. That he’d give me a big hug and thank me for all my work? She felt some of her anger begin to dissipate. No, he has a secret to keep and so do I, she thought. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on anything other than the handsome blond man sitting about five inches away from her.

She wasn’t the only one trying to maintain her attention on the task at hand. Draco had nearly replayed the last board meeting in its entirety in his head in an effort not to openly stare at the bushy haired woman who’d sat so near to him. He’d been instantly aware of her when she’d come to the bottom of the stairs. He’d watched as she quickly scanned the room, undoubtedly looking for Potter and Weasley. He’d felt a rush of jealousy as he’d watched her face immediately break into a smile when she’d waved at her two friends. Then he’d watched her start to fumble through the small crowd, waving and briefly chatting on her way to find a seat in the back. He’d tried to make himself as small as possible so she wouldn’t notice him as she looked for a seat. He wanted her to sit by him but was afraid that she might choose not to if she realized he was right there.

Dumbledore had turned the floor over to Ron now. Hermione felt like a silly schoolgirl when she recognized that she’d missed just about everything the old wizard had said. With some effort, she forced herself to listen to Ron’s words.

“Er- well, there’s been quite an increase in Muggle-baiting lately. Of course, the Ministry fixes whatever’s broken, performs memory charms when needed, and keeps records of repeat offenders. I’m sure you’ve seen all this in the Daily Prophet.� He paused briefly, and Hermione noted that many people were nodding their heads.

“Well, we’ve been following a series of incidents that we’ve managed to keep out of the papers- and that’s what we need to talk about tonight.� Ron’s words were followed by silence.

“I personally have been investigating a series of magical crimes against Muggles that seem to target their children.� The silence was now broken by slight murmuring. “At first, I thought I was dealing with the usual vandalism of schools and parks and dangerous enhancements of toys. However, it’s really quite apparent that these incidents are actually traps- traps designed to catch young Muggle-born witches and wizards. Disillusionment charms prevent Muggles from seeing the traps but curious children who have yet to be identified for their magical nature are drawn in,� he paused again, allowing the implications of his words to sink in.

Dumbledore nodded to Ron, who then sat back down next to Harry.

“While there have been no deaths, there have been several injuries to young Muggle-borns. Because of the insidious nature of these crimes, I have called you all together. I believe that the remnants of the Death Eaters are working towards a common goal of terrorizing innocent magical children and their Muggle families. We must protect these children- they have no one else who would recognize their unique vulnerabilities.� With that, Dumbledore leaned back into his chair at the front of the kitchen. He seemed to be waiting for questions and comments.

Hermione looked around the room. Though the other members were murmuring to themselves, she knew that no one wanted to ask the question that was really bothering them. She didn’t want to ask, either. But she had a very personal interest in preventing someone from hurting young magical children residing in the muggle world. She stood, squeezing her hands into fists to calm the shakiness that she felt.

“Why would anyone target these children? What is it about them that makes them dangerous for Death Eaters?� As she sat back down she could have sworn that she heard a small sigh from the blond man to her right.

“Well, Hermione. That is the question to which we must find an answer. We’ve had no substantial trouble from Death Eaters in more than two years. Now we are noting an alarming trend- a coordinated attack on Muggle-born children. It behooves us to identify the perpetrators of these crimes and their reasoning for the attacks,� Dumbledore said. He paused before saying, “I do not think these crimes are without purpose, my friends. And I shudder to think what that purpose may be.�

For the rest of the meeting, various members of the Order gave briefings and led brainstorming sessions and discussions. By the end of the evening, the group had formulated a few resolutions. Some members would be working with Dumbledore to identify magical children living in Muggle London. Once their identities were known, others from the Order would keep watch on them. Still another group would work on mechanisms for protecting the children and their Muggle families. Hermione had wanted to work with each of the groups but Dumbledore had asked that she work on a different task.

At end of the night, Dumbledore walked towards the back of the room. He stopped in front of Hermione.

“I want to ask you to do something in particular, Hermione. Your research skills are needed to identify why Voldemort would want these children harmed- in other words, you must find the answer to your question from earlier this evening,� he said quietly.

“V-Voldemort!� Hermione gasped. “But I didn’t think he was involved or suspected- I mean we haven’t- well, no one’s seen him,� she stuttered.

Dumbledore continued to look intently at Hermione but his gaze also included the man still sitting next to her.

“I want to help with this task, sir,� Draco said, surprising even himself. Hermione whirled around to face him but he was looking directly at Dumbledore.

“I was hoping that you would be of assistance, Draco,� he said, looking from Hermione’s shocked expression to Draco’s resolute one.

“I trust you both will work together to find the truth.� With that, Dumbledore turned around and walked back to the front of the room.

After about a minute of studying his shoes, Draco willed himself to look at Hermione.

“Um,� he began, his voice faltering immediately, though he kept his gaze locked with her’s.

“Er- so we’re going to need to do some research, then?� she said, cursing herself for squeaking out the last half of her question.

Draco nodded. He suddenly pictured Louisa’s striking gray eyes and toothy grin.

“So to a library, right?� he said firmly, finding needed strength in thinking of his daughter.

“Well, actually, I have a lot of research materials in my office- we- we could access most of the magical texts in Britain from there,� she said, unable to hide the nervousness in her voice. He nodded his head.

“All right, then. I’ll be there tomorrow morning. Eight o’clock?� he asked.

She nodded, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. They both stood at the same time, giving an onlooker the suspicion that each was trying to escape from the other. However, rising at the same time within the confines of the back row and large wooden cabinets proved to be a bit difficult. Hermione successfully knocked Draco back onto his chair with her briefcase. He barely landed on the edge of his chair and was definitely now headed for the floor.

“Oh! Oh, oh, I’m so sorry,� she said, leaning down to offer him her arm. He grabbed it without really thinking, pulling her harder than she was expecting. She nearly fell down with him but managed to hang onto another chair for support.

She giggled, unable to suppress all the tension and anxiety that had been building up inside of her during the meeting. She wanted to cry or yell in frustration at the thought of Voldemort hurting muggle-borns but instead she watched Draco Malfoy struggle precariously and giggled.

When Draco finally was able to stand, he looked at the giggling brunette in front of him. He was a bit miffed because she was laughing at him. But he found that he couldn’t stay angry. There was something about her laugh- something that didn’t indicate any teasing or even happiness. She sounded a little bit sad. He regarded her while she continued to giggle.

At that moment, Harry and Ron approached the back of the room. Harry had noticed his best friend knocking over his former school rival and then her subsequent laughing when she tried to help him up. He had cringed, half expecting some kind of backlash from Malfoy. After all, he’d tormented her throughout Hogwarts. True, Harry knew that Malfoy spied for the Order, but he doubted that he’d changed so much that he’d resist being spiteful to Hermione. When he didn’t say anything to her, but stood there calmly looking at her as if she was some kind of new species, Harry decided to interrupt.

“Hermione, remember we have plans now. We’re going for drinks- come on,� he said.

“Yeah, Remus and Tonks are waiting upstairs,� followed Ron.

“Oh, sure.� She paused, looking at her two friends and then back at Draco who still hadn’t moved from her side. She took a breath and turned back to Draco.

“Malf- um…Draco, would you like to join us for drinks?� she asked, hesitantly. Ron’s shock showed clearly on his face while Harry eyed Hermione and Draco closely, watching for their reactions.

“No, no, thank you. I really should be going,� he answered, his words in a rush. Then he quickly walked past the three friends. When he reached the foot of the stairs, he turned back and said, “But I will see you tomorrow morning, Hermione.� And he ran up the steps before she could say anything back to him.

“Well, that was interesting,� said Ron, still watching the now empty stairway.

“Let’s go,� said Harry, putting his arm around Hermione and steering her out of the kitchen. He wanted to ask her more about her encounter with Malfoy but he figured that a more appropriate time would come up a bit later.

The three headed upstairs to where their friends, Remus and Tonks, were waiting for them.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe!


“Geez! Get a grip, girl,� Hermione practically shouted at herself, hastily trying to clean up the coffee that was now threatening to drip off the counter and onto the kitchen floor.

“Zup? ‘Mione, whaz goin’ on?� said Ginny, between yawns, as she walked into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway, letting her eyes focus on the crazy scene unfolding in front of her. There was Hermione, her usually incredibly put-together flat-mate, on her hands and knees, cleaning up spilled coffee with an old rag. She giggled, taking her wand out of the pocket of her bathrobe.

“Parchevate,� said the redhead, rather lazily. Hermione stood up, watching Ginny’s charm evaporate the brown liquid from both the counter and floor. Then she heard a faint whizzing noise and looked down at her robes as the coffee stains disappeared.

“Thanks, Ginny. I’m running late ‘cause I had to write a letter. I guess I’m just having one of those mornings,� Hermione said in a somewhat frazzled tone. Ginny still stood in the doorway, eyeing Hermione, taking in her friend’s haphazard appearance.

“I guess so. You’re the only person I know who does work before she even goes into to work,� she chuckled back. “You look like you didn’t sleep a wink,� she said, still laughing. “Hold on. I can’t let you go like that,� and she looked at Hermione for a few seconds before flicking her wand again.

“Neatus,� she said in a clear tone. Hermione’s moppy curls began to lose some of their frizz and her robes straightened out of their wrinkles. With one more flick of her wand, the bags under Hermione’s eyes disappeared and a healthy rosy glow lit up her cheeks.

“That’s much better, Hermione,� Ginny said, now stepping into the kitchen to fix her own coffee.

“You’re the best, Ginny,� Hermione said gratefully, pulling up her sleeve to look at her wristwatch.

“Oh, I’m going to be late!� She grabbed a stack of now coffee-free parchment from the counter, shoved it all her briefcase, and hugged her friend.

“See you for lunch, right ‘Mione?�

“Absolutely!� came Hermione’s answer, as she raced out the kitchen door to Apparate away from potential muggle eyes. She stood by the trashcans in the alleyway, trying to calm her mind. It was rather difficult this morning, considering whom she was going to be meeting.

“And in less than ten minutes,� she muttered aloud. She forced her breathing to slow down to a normal pattern. She pictured the foyer of her office building. Within seconds, she opened her eyes to a brightly lit room. Taking off her heavier outer robe, she hung it up on the coat stand just outside her office door. She gathered her briefcase and then walked into her office.

She was immediately greeted with the wonderful scent of the flowers that Draco had sent only a few days before. She placed her briefcase on her desk and leaned in to smell their heady fragrance. Irises, she thought. My favorite.

She sat down in her chair, wondering what she should do to prepare for the meeting. With her elbows on her desk, she tilted her head into her hands. She closed her eyes and tried to take deep relaxing breaths.

I am so nervous, she thought. This is Order business. I have got to get a hold on myself. She quickly thought of Louisa’s toothy grin and how she’d waved in some sort of recognition after the puppet show and then again in the park. She thought about the childish handwriting and sweet sentiments of the letter she’d sent on Saturday. She felt herself begin to calm down.

I will never let Voldemort or any of his evil Death Eaters hurt her – or any other child, for that matter, she thought, feeling that the firm conviction of her resolve had fully returned. I can face him- and we can work together. We have to do this, she thought.

She was pulling out some of the parchment from her briefcase when she heard light tapping at her window. It was Draco’s eagle owl.

Interesting, she thought. He always charms it so it doesn’t actually look like his own owl. Maybe he’s sending me a letter from himself. She smiled at the complicated subterfuge. She opened the window at took the rolled parchment from the owl. She sat back down her desk. Before she could read it, she heard shuffling from the room just outside her office. She quickly hid the letter inside her briefcase. Taking a deep breath, she got up from her desk and walked over to the door.

On the other side of her office door, Draco was trying desperately to quell his own nervousness.

Draco had barely slept the night before. After he rushed out of the Order meeting, he’d Apparated quickly back to his apartment. He had a drink in his hand before he’d even slipped out of his robes, which he supposed were probably still laying in a heap in the living room. He headed directly to couch, propping up his feet on the expensive coffee table. With his wand, he summoned the bottle of firewhiskey. Usually he reserved the strong stuff for recovering from visits with his mother. But tonight he wanted to dull another kind of pain- the kind of pain that comes from unrequited longing coupled with intense self-loathing.

She asked me to have drinks, he thought, taking a swallow of the burning liquid.

“No, she called me by my given name and then asked me to join her and her friends for drinks,� he clarified to himself aloud.

“Well, what does that mean?� he muttered. It means she’s a better person than me, he thought. Well, that’s nothing new.

Another part of him wanted to think about what might have happened if he’d agreed to join her and her friends. It was that part of him that he was trying to drown out with the firewhiskey, though.

He’d been through this before so many times. Well, maybe not this exact situation- after all, he hadn’t technically interacted with her in more than four years. But every time he wanted to reach out to her- to reveal his true identity as Louisa’s father- to show his heart-felt gratitude in person- to just take her hand, and apologize for every hateful word he’d ever said to her- he balked. He was convinced that she’d reject him.

“And why wouldn’t she?� he asked. She has real friends. Friends who have always seen her for the amazing person that she is. She doesn’t need me, he mused.

“Though I need her,� he whispered.

He poured himself another drink in an attempt to wipe out the traitorous admission. When he began to feel the effects of the numerous drinks take their toll, he mumbled a wake-up call charm to his wand and then stretched out onto the couch. He slept fitfully, tossing and turning. In the pre-dawn hours, he finally nodded off into a deep sleep.

When he awoke, he felt the telltale signs of a hangover. He gave himself the usual charm and headed to the shower. He then spent a good amount of time considering his clothing options for the day. He’d be seeing Louisa for lunch and he didn’t want to risk being late just to change his clothes. He settled on a pair of khakis and an olive green sweater. He could wear it under a plain set of robes that he could then transfigure into a Muggle jacket for his lunch date. He made sure he had his still-miniaturized Firebolt in his pocket before walking into his kitchen.

Once he had a strong double-espresso in hand, he walked into his library. He still had forty-five minutes before he was expected at Hermione’s office. He sighed as he looked down at a blank piece of parchment. For several years now, he’d written to Hermione at least every Monday – just to check in, he told himself. As he dipped his quill into some ink, he heard a tapping at the window behind him. He looked up, unaware of a small smile surfacing on his face. Hermione’s owl was perched on his windowsill.

He opened the window and then relieved the owl of its letter. The owl didn’t wait for a treat but turned around and flew back towards the city. He took the scroll back to his desk.

To my friend,

I do not wish to alarm you but I need to put you on your guard. I have become aware of some rather evil plots to terrorize magical children living in the Muggle world. As a precaution, magical children are being identified so that they can then be better protected. I know that you wish to maintain the secrecy of your daughter’s identity. However, I implore you to consider confiding in at least one person who could protect your child- Albus Dumbledore. I know that he would keep your secret. The alternative is that your daughter may be identified and thus, your cover may be unwittingly revealed.

As always, I am here for you- and your child.

Yours,

Hermione

Of course, he thought. She’d want to warn me after last night’s meeting. She doesn’t know that I already know all of this. He looked at her letter again- there was something a bit different about it.

She addressed it only to ‘my friend’ and not ‘friend-in-need’ and signed it as just ‘Hermione’ without her last name, he thought.

“Does that mean anything?� he wondered aloud. He then chided himself for thinking like a schoolboy. She was in a hurry, that’s all, he thought. And now I need to either write something back or be on my way.

He put his quill to the parchment. He considered what he could write to her. He usually tried to be honest about as much as possible in his letters to her. He respected her intelligence and knew that she’d see through most lies.

Dearest Hermione,

Thank you so much for your concern.

Please let me assure you that my daughter is well protected. I, too, have heard rumors of Dark activity against magical children in Muggle London. Her home has some of the best protection charms on it that galleons can buy. Also, I told Dumbledore years ago of my child’s identity. He knows who she is and where she is, as well.

Again, my thanks for your intentions. You have been the most thoughtful and caring friend that I have ever had.

Most sincerely,

Your friend

He rolled up the parchment before he lost his nerve. He’d taken some risks in the letter. He’d told her about Dumbledore, indicated that he heard rumors that supposedly have been sequestered away from the media, and allowed some of his feelings to show in his wording. He tied the letter to his owl’s leg and sent him on his way, unable to suppress his excitement at taking those risks.

He took out his pocket-watch. He still had time enough to get to Hermione’s office. He felt like a brisk walk was just what he needed to gain some composure. He locked the door and walked out into the crisp morning. With a confident stride, he headed in the direction of Hermione’s office. The closer he got, the more nervous he became.

He willed himself to think of Louisa rather than the woman he was on his way to meet. Louisa was a source of strength whereas Hermione made him feel like the recipient of the Jelly-legs Curse. Thoughts of her toothy grin, her mad brown curls, her disarming giggle, and her loving gray eyes soothed him. By the time he was in front of the neat old building that housed Hermione’s office, he felt like he had reclaimed some of that trademark Malfoy confidence. He could get through this.

No, I must get through this. There is no way I’m going to let anything happen to Louisa, he thought, as turned the knob to the front door. He walked into the main hallway. It was brightly lit. A quick glance to the sign on the wall told him that Hermione’s office was on the first floor at the end of the hallway. He walked towards the back of the building. He came to a red door with a golden plaque hanging on it.

Hermione Granger, Special Consultant was all it said. He opened the door and stepped into a cheery foyer. It was now two minutes until eight o’clock. He took off his robe and hung it up next to a pretty dark green one on a coat rack. He stood in front of the door to her office, taking a deep breath, feeling some of the nervousness begin to return.

She opened the door. Gray eyes met brown. For about thirty seconds, they both stood there, just looking at each other.

“Er- please come in,� Hermione finally squeaked. He followed her in as she closed her office door. Unbeknownst to each other, they each took a deep breath and confirmed their resolve to get through the meeting for the love of the same little girl.

Disclaimer: It’s all JKR. You and I both know that!


“So,� began Hermione.
“-so,� Draco overlapped.

Hermione smiled at Draco then, gesturing to him to sit at the couch by the hearth. He sat down, not daring to lean back or to get too comfortable. Hermione noticed this as she sat down in the comfy armchair opposite to him. She couldn’t help but notice- and rather absurdly, she thought- that he had to have been the best-looking man to ever sit on her couch.

“Tea? Coffee?� she offered. He shook his head. She laughed then, causing him to look up at her.

“Oh, I guess I don’t want any either. I’ve already had too much as it is- in fact, I was wearing quite a bit not too long ago,� she rambled. Draco continued to look at her, noting that she was clearly as nervous and uncomfortable as he was. He nodded his head at her.

“Maybe later,� he said in a husky tone, though not without a small smile. They sat in silence for another minute. Hermione was staring at the rug, chiding herself for her rambling admissions. Draco allowed himself to notice how the bright sunlight bounced off – no danced off,- of her mounds of brown curls.

“Well, er- I guess we should get started,� she said, finally looking up at him.

“Right,� he said. “Right, so we need to understand why Voldemort would want to mess around with wizarding children in the Muggle world.� Hermione noted the sharpness of the way he said the Dark Lord’s name. She realized then that she’d never heard him say the name aloud.

“Dumbledore seems to think that the latest series of incidents are coordinated enough to indicate some kind of a plan. If there’s a plan and Death Eaters are behind it, we must assume that Voldemort is connected as well,� she said, shivering a bit despite the warm sunlight.

“There’s never been a plan without the Dark Lord. The Death Eaters can’t think for themselves past the usual despicable Muggle-baiting,� Draco answered. Again, Hermione noted the harshness with which Draco said ‘Muggle-baiting.’ She realized that she was a bit surprised. He’d certainly done his share of Muggle-bashing all throughout their time together at Hogwarts. She remembered back to the summer of the Quidditch World Cup. He’d laughed at the way the Death Eaters, including his own father, were terrorizing three Muggles. He’d even threatened that she might be next.

Draco sighed aloud. She’d been looking at him rather intently for a few minutes now, not saying anything. He wondered if she believed that he really wanted to help Muggle-borns. Have I given her much reason to believe that? he mused.

“Er- Hermione?� he said, still testing out her name aloud. Whereas he’d been on a first name basis with her in his own mind for five years, he’d only said her name aloud less than a handful of times and only twice now in front of her. She shook her head, coming out of her reverie. A bright blush crept along her cheeks as she realized she’d been staring at him.

“Look, Hermione,� he began again. “I need to say something to you- actually a few things.�

She bit her lip in anticipation.

Is he really going to tell me about Louisa? she thought wildly. She couldn’t believe it. After all this time, was he finally going to trust her? She took in a quick breath and turned her full attention to him.

He stood and walked towards the fireplace. Absently, he ran his hand along the top of the mantle, stopping it on the edge of a framed picture of Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Seeing her smiling among her friends renewed his conviction to speak his mind to her.

He turned around and looked down at her. Seeking out her eyes, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

“Hermione, I really want to ask your forgiveness.� Her mouth dropped open in surprise. When she didn’t say anything, he continued.

“I was an ass when we were at school. I was worse than an ass. The things I said to you – the cruel things I called you- I was horrible to you and your friends- I was a jerk to you and any other Muggle-borns. I am so sorry. I can’t really offer much of an explanation. My behavior- my ideologies were inexcusable. For all of that, I ask for your forgiveness. Though I’ll understand if you don’t ever give it to me.�

She still sat there in stunned silence, now gaping at him.

“I am saying this to you for two reasons, Hermione. One, as I’ve already said, I am so sorry. And two, I want you to understand that I fully intend to do whatever I can to protect Muggle-borns or anyone, for that matter, from the likes of Voldemort and his Death Eaters,� he finished, sitting back down again on the couch. This time, he leaned back, as though exhausted, all the while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

“Why?� she asked. Though she could have said any number of things in response to Draco, she wanted to hear one thing in particular. She always suspected that Louisa had changed him- more like saved him, she thought. She wanted to give him another chance to tell her the truth about his child. I need to hear it, she thought.

“Why, indeed?� he asked, though rhetorically. His thoughts were jumbled now. He had seized the opportunity to apologize to her but hadn’t wanted to divulge anything about Louisa. Not yet, he thought.

“I have come to know someone- come to love someone- who helped me understand that bloodlines and parentage just don’t mean anything. This person is so perfect, just the way she is. I met her towards the end of school. She’s of mixed-blood. But it doesn’t matter to me. She’s a witch, just like you’re a witch, just like my own mother is a witch. She’s a human being. I don’t even know how I believed some of the crap that I believed before I met her,� he said, still looking directly into Hermione’s eyes.

“She changed you,� Hermione whispered.

“Yes,� he answered, thinking, she’s not the only one who changed me, either.

Hermione got up quickly and nearly ran out of the room. She didn’t want Draco to see the tears that were now spilling out of her eyes. She had needed to hear what he said. She wanted for him to know that she did forgive him- and that she did believe his intentions towards Muggle-borns. But she was so touched by his sentiments regarding Louisa that she feared he would realize that she knew his secret if she stayed in the room. She sat on the small cabinet in her bathroom, letting the tears fall silently onto her robes.

She had desperately wished he would confide in her. But he didn’t and she wasn’t going to risk him knowing her own secret. She feared that he would take himself and Louisa out of her life. She knew that she’d be crushed without them. Taking a deep breath, she stood up in front of the washbasin. She splashed some cool water onto her face. With a small sigh, she looked at her own reflection. Ginny’s spell was still covering up her now puffy tear-swollen eyes. She braced herself and reached for the doorknob.

Draco was pacing in front of the window of her office. He felt like a selfish fool. He had really unloaded a lot of pent-up feelings and frustrations onto her. What did I expect? This is the first real conversation that we’ve had- and what do I do? Blow it by reminding her that I was the biggest ass ever and then asking her to just look beyond it- like it didn’t matter, he thought.

Something else was troubling him a bit, too. He knew he’d been vague when describing how Louisa had changed his way of thinking. But he now realized that maybe he might have made it sound like he was love with another woman. He couldn’t risk telling her the full truth just yet, though. Maybe I can say something just to clarify that I’m single, he thought. Of course, why would that matter? She just ran out of the room. She certainly doesn’t want to go on a date, he mused.

Hearing her turn the doorknob, he looked up. She walked back into the room, this time choosing to sit behind her desk.

Okay, he thought. She’s trying to change the mood. I have really blown this whole thing.

“Draco,� she began. “Please come sit down over here. I have some accounts of the Muggle-baiting incidents that we can look at,� she said. He walked over to the chair in front of her desk. She handed him a small stack of folders. He took them and then leaned back in his chair. He was feeling a bit exhausted after his outburst earlier. But now the true work was starting.

“Draco, before we begin,� she said, faltering just slightly. “Before we begin looking at these cases, I want to respond to what you said earlier. I do believe you, you know. I do think that you’ve changed and that you want to prevent Voldemort from hurting Muggle-borns or anyone else,� she said, with a small smile. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she quickly said, “And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for telling me why you’ve changed. It means so much to me that you can tell me this.� She paused. “And one last thing, Draco, I’m here for you. If you need anything, I’ll be here for you.� Then she looked down at the folder in front of her.

“So, this first case is about a charmed swing set. Seems like the swings ensnare any children with magical abilities,� she said.

Draco just nodded at her. He was unable to speak about swing sets or anything else for several minutes.

The morning hours passed quickly. They worked their way through half of the cases, taking notes on similarities and differences. They plotted the incidents onto a map of Muggle London. They brainstormed. When the noon hour arrived, Draco leaned back into his chair. He took out his pocket watch and realized that he would need to leave soon to meet Louisa. At that moment, they both heard someone Apparate into the room outside of Hermione’s office.

“Mione, let’s go, girl. I hope your day has gotten better- you were a total wreck this morning,� she said, coming into the office. She stopped when she saw Draco sitting across from Hermione. She muttered something sheepishly that might have been an apology and looked from the good-looking blond man to her friend.

“Right,� said Hermione, frantically trying to keep her cheeks from turning the same shade as Ginny’s hair. “Right, it’s time for lunch.� She looked at Draco, who had now stood up as well.

“Ginny, you remember Draco. Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley.� Ginny quickly covered up any shock she may have had at the incredulity of Hermione courteously introducing her to Draco Malfoy. She held out her hand to him. He took it in a polite but firm handshake.

“Of course,� Ginny said, giving Draco a small nod. He nodded back but didn’t say anything. Still arrogant, she thought to herself.

“Draco, would you like to join us for lunch?� Hermione offered. Ginny nearly blanched for a second time in a matter of minutes. Draco didn’t seem to notice as his eyes were on Hermione.

“Thank you for the offer, Hermione. I really appreciate it. I’ve got other plans, though,� he said with a small but genuine smile.

Hermione nodded. “Maybe another time?� she asked.

“Definitely,� he said. “And shall I return tomorrow morning to get through the remainder of the cases?�

“Yes, eight o’clock works for me,� she replied.

With that, he gave a slight bow to both women and walked out of the office, stopping only to retrieve his robes from the outer room. Ginny noted that Hermione watched him the entire time, her mouth slightly open. When the door closed to the outer room, she heard a small sigh escape from her dearest friend’s lips.

“Okay, lunch now. But you are sooooo going to spill it afterwards,� Ginny said, grabbing Hermione by the arm and leading her out of the office.

“Spill what?� she said innocently, while pulling on her dark green outer robe.

“Yeah, right. Now let’s go to the little café on Camden street. I love their noodles,� Ginny said, Apparating seconds later.

Disclaimer: Nothing’s changed. JKR still owns HP!


Hermione returned from her lunch date feeling satiated. She’d indulged in her favorite curry noodle dish and then divulged most of her secret to Ginny. She hadn’t felt quite right confiding in Harry and Ron and not Ginny, after all. So now Ginny knew that Hermione was pretty much obsessed with a single father and his lovely daughter. Ginny had also asked her about how her work with Draco was going, clearly intimating that she suspected something was up between the two former enemies. Hermione had dodged Ginny’s insinuations, shrugging off her own confusion in the process.

It was one thing to confess to having feelings for an anonymous, good-looking wizard. It was quite another to name that person as the infamous Draco Malfoy.

She walked into her office. She had a busy line-up for the afternoon. Madame Marchbanks would be coming in soon for a follow-up with her charmed bicycle. Then she had to finish some contract work for the Spell Research group at the Ministry for Magic. She decided to have a cup of coffee before plowing into her work.

Walking into the little kitchenette, she noticed a strong scent of something very nice. There, on the counter, in front of the open window was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, many of them irises. She smiled as she leaned in to smell their heady fragrance. There was no note but she knew they were from Draco, or rather from her “friend-in-need.�

“This is really confusing,� she muttered aloud, taking out the coffee from the cabinets. If anyone else sent me flowers on such a regular basis, I’d assume that that person liked me. But those kinds of rules just don’t work with this relationship, she thought.

She tapped her wand on her percolator. Instantly, the aroma of coffee was competing with the perfume of the flowers. She got a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. She picked up the bouquet and took it back to her desk.

“I hardly know this man,� she said aloud. But a small voice in her head quickly contradicted, That’s not true at all. You’ve been writing to him for five years now. And you’ve been watching him with Louisa for nearly as long.

She sighed, absently touching the petals of one of the fuller iris blooms. Here was a perfectly lovely bouquet of flowers on her desk from a man she cared for quite a bit. Yet this same man had refused her invitations twice now. He was also keeping a pretty large secret from her. No larger than the one I keep, she thought.

Suddenly she remembered that Draco had sent her a letter this morning. She fished it out of her briefcase. She was feeling a bit excited about it because Draco had sent it via his own eagle owl- without the usual charm to hide the true identity of the owl. Meaning he must have sent it as himself rather than ‘friend-in-need’, she thought.

Dearest Hermione,

Thank you so much for your concern.

Please let me assure you that my daughter is well protected. I, too, have heard rumors of Dark activity against magical children in Muggle London. Her home, the one you so graciously found for her, has some of the best protection charms on it that galleons can buy. Also, I told Dumbledore years ago of my child’s identity. He knows who she is and where she is, as well.

Again, my thanks for your intentions. You have been the most thoughtful and caring friend that I have ever had.

Most sincerely,

Your friend


She gasped at all the letter revealed – both implicitly and explicitly. He hadn’t disguised his owl or his handwriting. He’d already told Dumbledore about his child and he’d said that he heard about the Dark plots against Muggle borns. And some of his wordings were definitely different- More intimate, she thought.

She reread the letter several more times. Is he reaching out to me? she wondered.

“This is ridiculous. If he wanted me to know, he’d tell me. He was just in a hurry to get here this morning.� She rolled up the letter and leaned over to open a small inconspicuous drawer at the bottom of her desk. Muttering a rather complicated unlocking charm, she carefully placed the letter on a deep stack of parchment. She’d kept every letter that he’d ever written to her.

She heard someone in the anteroom. Madame Marchbanks had arrived. It was time to get back to work.



Draco was walking to his usual apparition point behind the large tree. He’d had an enjoyable lunch with Louisa. She had wanted to go for another ride on his Firebolt. This time he’d let her steer a bit. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before she’d want to try to fly it by herself. The thought made him laugh and shudder at the same time. He was extremely proud of her courage for wanting to ride on the broomstick. He was also impressed when she carefully steered them, not once faltering despite the high altitudes and breezy winds. He enjoyed the stubborn look on her face as she’d insisted that they fly one more time before he left. But he shuddered to think of her flying without him- She’s just still too young, he thought.

“Any parent would agree with me,� he whispered. He found himself wondering what Hermione would think of the situation. Would she think that teaching Louisa to fly was such a good idea? He laughed aloud as he remembered one of their first days back at Hogwarts- their first day of flying lessons. She’d balked at flying. In fact, he couldn’t really remember ever having seen her on a broomstick other than the required low altitude hovering in Madame Hooch’s class.

This was not the first time that he’d wondered about how Hermione would react to something. Long ago, he gotten used to hearing her voice inside of his head- as if she was some sort of parenting consultant. Well, I guess she is, he thought. He hadn’t asked her about her job. But he suspected that she took on a variety of different kinds of consulting jobs. She’s been advising me since the beginning, he sighed.

His thoughts wondered back to Louisa’s last request. He’d need to give her an answer soon. Though he’d managed to convince her that he needed some time to think about it, he knew that she wouldn’t be mollified for long. He’d never really refused a direct request of hers before. And now she wanted something that might be difficult to give.

“Daddy,� she’d begun. “Daddy, I’d like to meet my benefactress.� He’d nearly choked on his pumpkin juice when she’d that. He didn’t answer right away.

“I’ve written to her already,� she continued, in a small voice. She had looked at him expectantly then, not wanting him to be upset.

He had looked into her gray eyes then, seeing curiosity and something else. She has her own demons, he mused.

“I see,� he said. “So you’ve been sending her owls, then?� he asked, bypassing her initial request. He found that he wasn’t terribly surprised with her admission. He was almost expecting that she would use her owl to reach out to the only other magical person that she was aware of.

“Yes,� she said. “I just wanted to thank her for the tickets to the puppet show at first. But then I wanted to say other things- to thank her for always helping us, Daddy. She does- she’s always there. I want to know her, too,� she finished, in a small but firm voice.

He sighed, looking at the resolute expression on her face.

“Louisa, I think I understand what you’re feeling. Please keep writing to her, if you like. I don’t think you know her name though. It’s Hermione Granger. I’ll write it down for you on some parchment before I leave. But Louisa, she doesn’t know our last name or my first name. And I don’t think she should know who we really are yet, either. Please trust me on this. And give me some time to think about you meeting her. I’ve told you before that the wizarding world isn’t the safest place for either of us. I need to make sure that it’s safe for you two to meet,� he said, looking into her face for comprehension. She nodded immediately.

“I understand, Daddy,� she’d said.

He had been leaning against the tree, lost in thought. He quickly stood back up and focused on his apartment. With a slight popping noise, he disappeared.

After hanging up his robes, he walked back towards his library. He’d thought of a plan for both Louisa and Hermione. Taking out two pieces of parchment, he quickly wrote them each a letter. He sent the letters with his eagle owl and then left for his afternoon appointments.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe, or any other universe for that matter.


Harry awoke with a start, his scar burning into his forehead for the first time in more than two years. He was trying to remember remnants of his dream. There’d been a women’s eerie voice, a ghostly specter of someone familiar, a small child, possibly a girl, and the unmistakable presence of Voldemort. He reached for a quill and some parchment to draft a quick letter to Dumbledore. He hoped he’d be able to meet his old Headmaster the following day. Something was going on- something that was making Voldemort very happy.


Hermione awoke from another fitful night of sleep. She resigned herself to getting up long before her alarm clock went off. She was so anxious about her day, she had no idea how she would in fact get through it. After her shower, she stood looking at her closet contemplating what kind of charm might make it actually suggest something for her to wear. Finally, Ginny took pity on her and picked out a long green skirt and a light brown sweater set. She even made Hermione some coffee and helped her tame her hair and rid herself of the dark purple smudges under her eyes.

“Any chance you’re going to tell me why you’re so nervous?� Ginny asked. Hermione shook her head and continued to look for the matching boot to the one she was already wearing.

“Accio Hermione’s cutest ankle boot,� Ginny said, with a smug look. The wayward boot shot out from underneath a pile of books at the bottom of Hermione’s closet and flew into Ginny’s outstretched hands.

“If I give you your boot, will you at least tell me why you wanted to dress like a stylishly sexy school teacher?� she cooed. Hermione grabbed her boot and then sank down onto her bed to put it on her foot.

“Remember I told you about Louisa?� When Ginny nodded, Hermione continued, “Well, her father arranged for us to meet today at lunchtime. So I’m going to go to her home, present myself as her case-worker and then have a picnic lunch with her in a nearby park. I just want to look nice. I figure she’s used to people dressing as Muggles so that’s why I’m wearing this,� she finished.

“Humph… right. And the sexy stylish aspect of your Muggle outfit has nothing to do with a tall good-looking blond man who will be meeting you in your office in about forty-five minutes, does it?� She paused. “Or do you think that Louisa’s father will show up at the park? That would also explain your current foxiness!� Ginny said as her smug expression returned.

Hermione couldn’t help but to smile. “What if both are true?� she said, allowing herself to giggle at Ginny’s extraordinarily accurate assessment of Hermione’s complicated circumstances. She followed Ginny out of her room and into the kitchen. She was just reaching for a second cup of coffee, when she heard a familiar rushing noise coming from the fireplace. She and Ginny both kneeled down in front of the hearth as Harry’s head popped out of the bright green fire of the Floo network.

“Hermione, Ginny- glad you’re both still here. Look, Hermione can you come by the Order Headquarters later this afternoon? Dumbledore wants to talk with you about something. And Ginny, Ron needs an extra hand today- and from someone affiliated with both the Ministry and the Order. Looks like the Death Eaters have struck a day care center looking for Muggle-borns- don’t worry, no one’s been seriously hurt,� Harry said in a rush.

“Of course, I’ll come by after work,� Hermione said quickly.

“I’ll meet up with Ron in twenty minutes,� said Ginny.

“Be careful, both of you. I had a wake-up call from Voldemort this morning,� he said tapping the lightening bolt scar on his forehead. Harry nodded at them and then disappeared with a small pop from the fireplace.

“Geez. Today is going to be quite a day, isn’t it?� asked Ginny, gulping down the last of her coffee. Hermione followed suit before answering.

“Yeah, looks like. Harry didn’t really say much, did he? I hope those little children are all right. Let me know what happens later, okay? And, Ginny, thanks for helping me this morning,� she said, rather meekly. Ginny gave her friend a quick hug, handed her her briefcase, and then gently shoved her out into the alleyway. She watched as Hermione Apparated seconds later.

Hermione arrived at her office fifteen minutes before she expected Draco. There was another bouquet of flowers on the coffee table in front of the hearth. Usually flowers from her ‘friend-in-need’ made her smile. Today the sight of them made her feel anxious. She sat down on her couch, leaning in to smell the blooms.

“I just don’t get it,� she said in exasperation. He sends me flowers, says incredibly sweet things to me in his letters, and now has arranged for me to meet Louisa- yet all from a position of anonymity, she thought.

“Why doesn’t he want to confront me?� she asked aloud. Oh, he’s just thankful, that’s all. He doesn’t mean it like you think- like you want him to, she thought, sighing aloud. Hermione knew she was really in trouble. She’d long been honest with herself about how much she’d come to respect and even like Draco Malfoy. Heck, she was even honest with herself about how much she was attracted to him! But something had definitely changed recently- and changed without her realizing it until now. She was falling in love.

“Argh! When did this happen?� she exclaimed, jumping up. Great, I’m in love with a single father who tormented me in my childhood, who risked his life to turn spy against his own family, who just happens to be extremely hot, and who trusts me and yet doesn’t trust me all at the same time! she thought.

“What am I thinking?� she muttered. She walked over to her window and peered out into the gardens behind her building. It was going to be a bright and beautiful day. She began to feel excited again about meeting Louisa which helped to push back her anxiety about the child’s father.

A knock at her office door startled her out of her reverie. She crossed the room and opened the door. There stood the man who was increasingly occupying her thoughts. She felt her throat constrict slightly, rendering her momentarily incapable of speech. She gestured for him to come inside.

Draco entered Hermione’s office. A quick glance around confirmed that she’d received the flowers he sent this morning and the ones he’d sent yesterday. His face softened just a bit. She should always have flowers, he thought.

He walked into the room and continued to stand. He was unsure if he should take a seat at her desk or on the couch. He looked at Hermione to take the lead. When he turned to her, he met her eyes. He noticed that she was beginning to blush. He suspected that she might have been staring at him. She still hadn’t said anything. Does this mean what I think it does? he asked himself. He allowed a small smirk to play out across his face. This could be fun, he thought. He let his own gaze travel over her lovely features, drinking her dark curls, her beautiful brown eyes, and they way her disarmingly sexy Muggle clothes fit her body.

Hermione watched as Draco’s face changed into an altogether familiar expression. Is he smirking at me? she thought. He is! That oaf who sends me flowers, writes me sappy letters, and wants me to meet his daughter has the gall to smirk at me - just because I am clearly flustered doesn’t give him the right- oh! she fumed to herself. Now he’s checking me out! she thought wildly. She cleared her throat, all too aware that her face was completely crimson.

“Please sit down,� she gestured to the couch. Draco sat down and noticed a stack of folders on the coffee table next to the flowers.

“Nice flowers- got an admirer?� he asked, lazily. Hermione had been reaching for the stack of cases but instead sent them cascading over the side of the table. She got down on her knees to pick up the mess. To her surprise, Draco too got on the floor and began helping her round up the folders. He grinned at her as he handed over some cases, deliberately brushing his hands against her own. Briefly, he felt the warmth of her skin and noted her small shudder at his touch.

Get a grip, Hermione, she chided to herself. Don’t do anything embarrassing- well, anything else! she thought. She sank back in her chair, across from where he sat on the couch, willing herself to remember the task at hand. Think of the children! You have to focus on the work- you must not give in to this childishness! she inwardly scolded herself. She took a small breath and decided to rise to the occasion, blatantly ignoring the outraged sensible part of herself. Two can play this game, she thought.

“Yes, they are lovely, aren’t they? There was no note so I guess they are from a secret admirer,� she said, pausing to watch him smirk again. “But I think I know who sent them,� she continued, seeing his eyes widen ever so slightly. She thought fast-what would really irk him into possibly revealing himself?

“Oh?� he asked.

“Yes, rather, I think I’ve narrowed down my secret admirer to one of two people. Clearly, it’s either Harry or Ron, don’t you think?� She smiled mischievously at him. Draco’s eyes widened a bit more and he felt his own heart beat faster.

Harry or Ron? Am I competing with either of those two- geez, dimwit Weasel or the friggen’ Boy-Who-Lived- wait, am I competing? he thought. He looked back at her again. Her own smile was now a grin. She turned her attention to the stack of folders in her lap.

“Well, should we get started?� she asked innocently. He nodded and the two began to go through the cases in much the same way as the day before. After about two hours of solid work, they had nearly made their way through the entire stack. She had finished with her cases just a few minutes before him. She allowed herself to really enjoy the good looking blond man sitting directly in front of her. Without realizing it, she let out a small sigh. Draco looked up, smirking at her unwittingly given sound. Hermione quickly stood up from her chair.

“Coffee?� she asked, trying to deflect attention from the fact that she’d been caught staring at him -- again. She was already turning towards the kitchen.

“That’d be great, thanks,� he said, getting up and following her into the kitchen. He watched her take out the coffee and two mugs. He sat down at the little table, never taking his eyes off of her. In no time at all, she joined him at the table with two cups of coffee. He reached for sugar dish, debating with himself about whether or not he wanted to know more about the Harry/Ron situation. He knew he’d continue to think about it unless he asked.

“Do you really think that Potter or Weasley sent you those flowers? I just don’t see them as the type,� he said firmly as if that put the matter to rest. He looked at her, watching for her reaction. He desperately hoped that she was not involved with either of those two men.

“What do you mean by ‘type’?� she asked, unable to suppress her grin.

Draco had the distinct feeling then that he was being worked. Humph, he thought. She’s playing me.

He leaned back in the chair then, puffing out his chest just a bit, knowing that the soft folds of his sweater were now clinging to his lithe muscular build. He felt slightly stupid doing all of this. Somewhere the part of him that was a responsible parent- an adult- a spy, even- was cringing at his ridiculous flirtations.

Hermione then committed a fatal error. She had let her eyes wonder across his broad shoulders, taking in his well-defined chest. Mmmm, she thought. She noted how the mid-morning sunlight made his white-blond hair seem like it was glowing. What she didn’t realize was that as she had been gazing at him while he pretended to be looking out of the window, she had reached for the sugar dish instead of her coffee cup. She almost had it to her mouth, when she felt his warm hand take her wrist. He chuckled and she looked at his hand holding her own- and then at what was in her hand.

I am in idiot, she thought. And I am officially giving sugar in my coffee! She was blushing so furiously now that she thought she might as well just crawl under the table until Christmas. Draco had stopped laughing, deciding to rescue her from her mortification.

“Maybe we should take our coffee back into the office and finish those last cases,� he suggested. She nodded, clearly relieved. She wanted nothing more than to get away from that blasted sugar dish!

They went back to their respective positions in her office. No sooner had they sat down then Hermione heard the tell-tale rushing noise from her fireplace. This time, Ron’s head popped out of the bright green flames. Hermione turned her attention at once to her friend’s head, not noticing the scowl that that Draco now wore.

“Hermione… er, Malfoy,� said Ron. “Look, Ginny and I have some info for you two. This morning three different day care centers were hit. No injuries, but the magical kids were kind of marked.� He gulped, looking back over his shoulder, seeming to listen to someone else momentarily.

“There were only five kids total who got the mark. Anyway, the kids all said the same thing, that they noticed a hovering broomstick and when they tried to touch it, they were whisked away,� he continued.

“A portkey!� breathed Hermione.

“Yes, it seems that way,� answered Ron. “But the kids were returned almost instantaneously- and unhurt. They all said that they remember a darkened room and a voice saying something like, ‘No, that’s not the one’ or ‘not him’ – when they returned, they bore a little mark on the palm of their left hands- just a little smudge that won’t come off.�

This time Draco leaned in, asking “Were their memories modified?�

Ron looked at him closely, “No, we tested all the kids for that. I don’t think any of them saw anything damning. And the Death Eaters probably enjoyed leaving the kids feeling terrorized!� He looked back over his shoulder for a long minute.

“I’ve got to go now. Ginny says an orphanage on the other side of town has been hit,� he said. With a slight popping noise, Ron’s head disappeared from the fireplace.

Neither Draco nor Hermione spoke for several minutes. Not fully cognizant of their actions, they had both returned to sit on the couch, side by side.

“He’s looking for someone very specific,� Hermione whispered. Her mind was racing. She suddenly had a very bad feeling in her gut.

“He can’t be,� came a hoarse voice next to her. “He- They- They’re just scaring Muggle-borns- just stirring up trouble,� he continued weakly. Hermione looked over at Draco. His entire body was slumped over, his head in his hands. He seemed to being trembling slightly. She knew he was worried about Louisa. Louisa was not in an orphanage, per se. But she was in a particular kind of home that could possibly come under the scrutiny of the Death Eaters.

She sat silently, continuing to watch him. She desperately wanted to remind him that he’d only just written that Louisa’s house was well-protected and that Dumbledore himself knew where she was. Though Hermione was also worried about the child, she figured that Louisa was probably already the best protected magical child in all of Muggle London. She itched to say something to comfort him but knew that if she did, her secret would be up. Suddenly a foreboding thought entered her mind. Draco was very likely about to go and find Louisa. Hermione’s heart was now threatening to beat out of her chest.

Draco felt nauseous. If the Death Eaters were indeed, as Hermione suggested, searching for a particular child, he knew that Louisa was in danger. There was a very real chance that they were looking for her. He stood, knowing what he had to do. But he stood too quickly for someone feeling nauseous. Before he could act on any other impulse, he ran to the bathroom, struggling to hold onto his breakfast.

Hermione seized the opportunity of his absence. She leaned into the fireplace, throwing in a pinch of Floo Powder.

“Albus Dumbledore,� she said, very clearly.

“Hermione,� came the older wizard’s voice. After another couple of seconds, the head of one Albus Dumbledore appeared in the brilliant green fire.

“I know what this is about,� he said, simply. “Say nothing.� At the moment, Draco walked back in, looking rather green. Hermione stood up and ran into the kitchen.

“Draco, a word, please.�

Draco looked startled at Dumbledore’s request but leaned in to the fireplace just the same.

“Draco, I believe it soon may be time to give her this,� he said, reaching through the fire to hand over a small piece of paper. Draco pocketed the parchment without looking at it.

“I find it is never a good idea to do anything rash, Draco. But it is a good idea to seek support from those who would help you,� he said, nodding in the direction of the kitchen, where Hermione still waited. Draco still hadn’t replied but now nodded at Dumbledore. The old wizard gave him a deep searching look before he disappeared from the fire.

Hermione heard the popping noise and decided to go back into her office. She returned to find a shaking Draco Malfoy. He was looking at the floor. She heard him take a deep breath and then saw him square his shoulders. He looked up at her then, no longer shaking. In fact, he looked so calm that Hermione was even more frightened than she had been just a few minutes before.

There was something oddly familiar about the firmness of his jaw and the gleam in his eye. She shuddered slightly, remembering how he used to look at her back when they were at Hogwarts. He looked a bit like a maniac. She was sure he’d figured out that she knew his secret. She waited for the blow to fall. She expected that he would confront her and then tell her that he was taking Louisa to where no one, especially not her, could find them.

If she had been a little bit calmer, she would have realized that she herself was thinking mad irrational thoughts. But she couldn’t think rationally- she was too afraid that Draco and Louisa were about to disappear from her life. She felt her resolve shattering and Dumbledore’s advice was now forgotten in her desperation.

“Draco,� she said in a raspy voice. “I’m going with you.�

Disclaimer: It’s all JKR, of course.


Draco was barely aware that he was still in Hermione’s office. He knew what he had to do. He strode out the office door, retrieved his jacket, and was checking for his wand when he felt her arm on his. He felt the burn of her touch and then suddenly it was as if the volume in the room was being turned back up. He was watching her mouth move before he could actually hear what she was saying to him. Long years of training to just survive as a Malfoy allowed his detached sense of self to note that she seemed desperate. He had to get to Louisa but somehow the warm brown eyes that were now flashing at him were keeping him rooted to the spot.

“- and I’ve known almost from the beginning. And so I’m coming with you – Draco, are you even listening to me. Draco? Draco! Oh let’s go, already.� She was yelling now. He still couldn’t understand what she was saying to him. Some part of his brain began to acknowledge that Hermione Granger was, in fact, going with him to see his daughter. Panic edged into the calm detachedness of his mind.

“What?� he yelled. But it was too late, with her hand locked in his, they had both Disapparated to the same large tree near Louisa’s home.

He was still yelling when they appeared. She immediately shushed him and pulled him down behind the large tree.

“Draco, look at me,� she said, waiting for him to look into her eyes. When she was sure that he was coherent enough to understand her words, she continued, “Draco, I know about Louisa.�

He sputtered but she held her hand up.

“Do not interrupt me right now- I know about her. I’ve known for a long time. I promised you that I would always help you- and her. And that is why I’m here. Now, we are going to go over to the home and check on her. You said that she’d be very well protected and that Dumbledore himself already knew where she was. She’s probably just fine. If you walk in there with that crazed maniacal look in your eye, you are going to seriously frighten her.� What she didn’t know was that her own eyes had a bit of a crazed gleam in them. Draco had taken this in, though he nodded at her, still at a loss for words. The two stood up, hands locked together, and calmly walked towards Louisa’s home.

“Mr. Malfoy,� said Ms. Dorothy, as she opened the screened door. “How lovely to see you. And you must be?� she looked hopefully at Hermione. Being rather fond of the tall blond man, she’d always hoped that he would show up with a special friend. She took a closer look at Hermione then and made the connection.

“Well, bless me, you’re the woman who first came to us about little Louisa. Well, my, you’ve grown up, too, -Ms. Granger, isn’t it?� She looked at Hermione now, taking in her round cheeks and mounds of brunette curls. She shrewdly said none of what was currently on her mind but made a mental note to tell her sister, Nancy, that she’d finally met Louisa’s mother.

“Ms. Dorothy, we’d like to see Louisa, now. I know we’re a bit early for lunch.� Draco was straining to maintain control of his voice. The matron just smiled at him, believing him to be nervous about introducing his daughter to the woman who could only be her mother.

“Of course, she should be in her room, Mr. Malfoy. Why don’t you two just go on up there,� she said, still smiling. She walked them into the hallway to the foot of the staircase.

“I’ll have tea ready whenever you all decide to come down.� With that, she turned and bustled towards the kitchen. Hermione squeezed Draco’s hand and the two started up the stairs. When they got to the landing of the third floor, Draco gestured towards the second door on the right. Taking a deep breath, Draco briefly knocked on his daughter’s door, before turning the doorknob.

He gently pushed the door open and the two walked in. Hermione took note of the cozy canopy bed, the full bookshelves, the large dollhouse, a cute brown owl resting in a gilded cage, a child’s broomstick, and the lingering scent of fresh irises. It was a beautiful room- it was a beautiful empty room.

Draco was looking under the bed, in the closet, and outside of the window. Hermione ran back out of the room, calling Louisa’s name. She checked all of the other rooms on that floor. Her calls had brought Ms. Nancy down from the fourth floor. Now the entire house was aware that the child seemed to be missing. Ms. Dorothy was searching the grounds with Draco, while Ms. Nancy and Hermione were going though every cabinet and closet in the four-story home.

Several hours later Hermione walked back upstairs to find Draco sitting on Louisa’s bed. She paused at the doorway, noting how out of place he looked sitting hunched over on a very pink feminine child-sized canopy bed. Under any other circumstance, Hermione would have giggled at the juxtaposition. As it was, though, the image was breaking her heart. He didn’t seem to notice her standing there. With a sigh, she walked over and sank down on the bed next to him. He still didn’t seem to recognize her. She put her arms around his shoulders, slightly drawing him out of his slump.

“We’re going to find her,� she whispered. “I’ve already alerted Dumbledore. Plus, the Muggle police have been here to pick up her picture.�

He looked over at her then, seeing comfort, concern, and fear in her warm brown eyes. She leaned in closer and he allowed himself to be pulled into her warm embrace. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t move his own arms around her. He just collapsed onto her, desperately seeking comfort from the only other human being who could have reached him in that moment. Hermione thought that he seemed both strong and fragile in her arms. Her tears started coming then. She had held them in check until then but now she felt her body rack with silent tears, all the while still holding Draco firmly in her arms. They wouldn’t ever remember how long they stayed like that.

Hermione’s tear-swollen eyes were now so puffy that not even one of Ginny’s spells could have disguised them- not that she cared, at that moment. She was still holding Draco, when they both saw a shimmering image in front of them. With a loud swooshing noise, Louisa Malfoy fell onto the floor of her bedroom.

She scrambled herself up immediately, taking in her father and then the familiar woman sitting with him.

“You!� she said, pointing at Hermione. But Draco had already jumped up and was rushing to his daughter. Hermione stood, too, curtailing the strong desire to give the girl a bone-crushing hug. She quietly watched the reunion, feeling as though her heart was going to burst from too much emotion.

Draco pulled away from his daughter to look over her appearance. Her hair was mussed, which wasn’t terribly out of the norm but her clothes were dirty, too. She had numerous scratches, a split lip, and one deep gash on the inside of her arm that was still bleeding. He ripped a piece of her canopy and pressed it into her wound. He then noticed that her eyes had remained on Hermione.

“You!� Louisa said again, though this time in a whisper. “I know you from the park and the puppet show. I’ve seen you. I’ve seen you many times. You’re- you’re my benefactress,� she finished in a tremulous voice.

But Draco was now eyeing Hermione, too.

“You already know her? But you were to meet only today,� he said slowly. He pulled Louisa closer to him and away from Hermione.

“You’ve been spying on her, Granger?� he asked, with an icy edge. Had Hermione been calmer she might have registered the warning tone in his voice. But she was, after all, still recovering from shock.

She stuttered a reply, “Er- yes, well, not spying- just checking in on you,� she said lamely. “I wanted to tell you but I was afraid that you’d freak out and then cut me off- and then I’d never know where you two were again,� she said now, rather desperately.

Draco stood, holding his daughter in his arms. The maniacal look was back on his face. Suddenly, Hermione knew what was about to happen.

“No, you don’t understand!� she began.

But Draco had drawn his wand. In a rush of words, ropes flew out of his wand and bound Hermione, knocking her over onto the bed in the process. She tried to speak but then found herself gagged on the rough rope.

“Oh, I think I understand, Granger. You tried to convince me that she was safe- you even said that that old fool would keep her safe. But she wasn’t, was she? You nearly had me deceived into thinking that you cared,� he spat at her prone form. Louisa was whimpering now.

“But you knew it was me- you knew about Louisa- and yet you said nothing? What do you want with her? What does Dumbledore want? Answer me!� he flicked his wand and the gags were gone. Hermione choked a bit at the sudden release of pressure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Draco. Please untie me. I don’t understand this. Please- I would never hurt either of you! Never!� but the gags had returned.

“I am leaving now and taking my daughter with me. She is not going to be some pawn in anyone’s war with Voldemort. You will never see us again,� he said in a calm but fierce voice. Still holding his wide-eyed daughter in his arms, the two Disapparated in a small pop.

Hermione was now in complete panic mode. She was bound too tightly to reach her wand. In her increasing delirium, she realized that Draco must have locked the bedroom door and put silencing charms on the room because no one seemed to be coming in to check on her. Her breaths were coming too quickly. All that she had feared had now happened. Louisa had been kidnapped, though returned extremely shaken up. Draco now knew of Hermione’s secret. And, just as she’d dreaded, he taken Louisa and now they were gone.

Gone. Gone!

Hermione felt like her blood was literally going to boil. She needed to do something. She needed Harry and Ron. She felt her chest convulse and then there was quite a loud bang.

Harry and Ron were suddenly right in front of her.

“What the?� Harry said, looking around, his wand already whipped out. “Ron -what are you...?�

Ron was so disoriented that he fell over. Then they both noticed their best friend, bound and gagged, lying on a child’s bed, clearly in the throes of hysterics.

“Finite Incantatem,� Harry cried, leaping over to her, as the ropes disappeared. Ron got up on his knees, leaning onto the bed next to her.

“Hermione, what is going on?� they asked at the same time.

Disclaimer: JKR owns the Harry Potter Universe- and thus, I do not!


“Hermione, what is going on here?� repeated Harry. He sat down next to her on the child’s bed, his arm pulling her close. Ron was kneeling in front her, both of his hands grasping hers. Hermione didn’t answer, she was still trying to calm her breathing.

“Okay,� said Ron soothingly. “Let’s start with the basics. Who tied you up?�

“Draco,� she whispered. Harry leaned in to hear.

“Malfoy?� he cried. “Malfoy left you bound and gagged? What the hell?� his voice was getting louder.

“Harry!� admonished Ron. “Quiet for a second! We have to get the whole story before we go hunt down that ferret! Now, Hermione, look at me, take a deep breath, tell us- where are we?�

“Louisa’s house,� she said, still whispering. “Louisa is Draco’s daughter,� she said, her voice sounding a little bit stronger.

“Malfoy has a daughter?� Harry responded in a confused tone. Hermione nodded her head.

“This is where she lives, though. I found it for her a long time ago,� she breathed. Both of her friends were now gaping at her.

“It’s Malfoy. You’ve been helping him- it’s his kid- the refugee- the man you- er- I can’t believe that it’s Malfoy!� Ron was muttering. Harry just continued to gawk at Hermione with his mouth hanging open.

“Now they’re gone. They’re both gone from me,� she pronounced wretchedly. “He’s taken her away from me- he’s gone! They’re gone!� she was starting to breathe too quickly again. Harry noticed the wild gleam in her eye and realized that she was hyperventilating.

“Shhh…� he whispered to her, gently pushing her head down between her legs.

“Try and take deep breaths, Hermione. You have to calm down now. You can’t help her- and we can’t help you until you pull yourself together.� He felt her breaths begin to even out. Slowly, she pulled her head up. She looked from Harry to Ron.

“Thank you for coming,� she said in a small but firm voice.

“Er- Hermione,� Ron began. “About that? Uh- well, I don’t know about you, mate,� he said, looking quickly at Harry, “but I didn’t really mean to come here.�

“Yeah, Hermione. I think you made us come here- you know, with wandless magic or something,� Harry offered. Hermione took another deep breath.

“Well, I don’t know how it happened but I’m glad that you’re both here. I needed you so badly,� she sniffed, pulling both of her friends in for a hug.

“What’s the next step, Hermione?� Ron asked, pulling himself out of her hug, though still holding one of her hands.

“Well, I still need to talk to Dumbledore. I think he might have some things to say about Draco’s daughter and why the Death Eaters kidnapped her,� she explained.

“She was kidnapped?� Harry exclaimed.

“Yes, we came directly here right after Ron flooed us to say that an orphanage had been hit. I thought she’d be safe but Draco was out of control. He seemed to really believe that the Death Eaters- and Voldemort himself- were after her. I saw this crazed maniacal look on his face and- I don’t know- I was afraid- I came with him. But Dumbledore told me not to say anything- and I think he meant for me not to tell Draco that I knew his secret. But of course, I insisted on coming over here- and then Louisa recognized me� she was saying in rushed tones.

“-Wait, I thought you said she was kidnapped.� Ron interrupted.

“Yes, but she came back- she was probably gone for four hours. She came back- she was a mess, dirty and scratched up- and then she recognized me. Draco just lost it. He scooped her up and accused me of spying- and then he tied me up- he was shouting- he said that Louisa wouldn’t be a pawn in the war against Voldemort. And then he left!� she wailed.

Harry stood up, pulling Hermione up with him.

“Right. We need to get out of here, now. I still don’t really understand all of this. I think we should go to the Order Headquarters and talk to Dumbledore. This is all too weird for one day- waking up with a burning scar, children being kidnapped, and now Malfoy has a daughter that Voldemort is after- let’s get out of here.� Harry urged.

“Listen, take her, Harry. I’ve actually got to get back to Ginny. She’s probably freaked out because I disappeared- who knows if the Death Eaters have made any other hits. I’ll try to find out what I can- and then Ginny and I will drop by later this evening, okay?� Ron said, putting his arm around Hermione’s shoulders.

The three walked downstairs. After a few quick words, charmed to be persuasive, to Ms Dorothy, Hermione and Harry walked to the large tree to Disapparate. Just a few seconds later, they appeared in Hermione’s usual Apparation spot in the park across the street from 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry took Hermione’s hand and the two walked towards the house that was rapidly materializing before them.

Once again, Mad-Eye Moody opened the door. He grunted to them and ushered them inside.

“Dumbledore’s waiting for ya down in the kitchen,� he barked at the two.

They walked towards the staircase and headed down into the sunken kitchen. Indeed, the old wizard was sitting by himself at the large wooden table. He smiled as Harry and Hermione came into the kitchen, gesturing for them to join him at the table. They sat down together, across from Dumbledore.

“Ah, good, I was just going to have some hot chocolate.� Instantly three steaming mugs of chocolate appeared on the table. Hermione gave her former Headmaster a small smile, pulling the warm mug towards her.

“It would seem that my warnings to both you and Draco went unheeded,� he began, very gently. “Now he has done something rash, I’m afraid,� he continued. “Please tell me about Louisa’s disappearance.� He took a sip of his chocolate.

“She was gone when we got there. Professor Dumbledore, all of the other children who were kidnapped were back almost instantaneously. But Louisa was gone for hours. When she returned, she looked like she’d been roughed up,� Hermione said, looking directly at the old wizard.

“Roughed up? Hermione, was she bleeding?� he asked, his bright blue eyes searching her face. Hermione nodded her head.

“Yes, she was dirty and scratched up- but she did have one fairly serious gash on her arm. Draco wrapped it up as soon as she came back. There’s something else, too- I don’t really know how she came back – I don’t remember seeing anything that could have been a portkey,� she said slowly, thinking over her own words.

“Very interesting.� Dumbledore murmured, now peering into the depths of his chocolate.

Harry was feeling a bit lost in this conversation between his best friend and his mentor.

“I don’t understand what Malfoy’s child has to do with anything- for that matter, I still don’t know why Voldemort is after Muggle-borns,� Harry said, confusion showing plainly in his words.

“I think that the Death Eaters were looking for someone in particular. Ron said that the kids remembered hearing voices say ‘not him’ and ‘not her’ before they were returned. Draco seemed convinced that they were looking for Louisa, though. She was gone for so long that I think he’s right- but then again, why was she returned?� Hermione asked, thoughtfully.

“Well,� Dumbledore began. “It does seem that Voldemort wanted the child- or perhaps more specifically, the child’s blood. Hermione, did Draco ever tell you about his daughter’s birth?� She shook her head, her eyes now wide in anticipation.

“In the middle of the night, not too long after the start of your last year of school, Draco came to my quarters with Louisa. She was just an infant- she’d just been born. He was rather desperate- ranting on about Voldemort, a birth ritual, and how he was expected to kill her.� He paused to take a drink of his chocolate. Harry and Hermione had long since forgotten their own drinks.

“But Draco could not kill the baby- I didn’t press him for too many details. He was so upset- so frightened of being caught- and of losing the child. I took them both to Madame Pomfrey. She agreed to keep the infant in a little-used nursery of sorts- of course, it had been a long time since Hogwarts had housed a baby,� he paused again, chuckling to himself. “Well, I encouraged Draco to seek help for his situation- though I did not name you, Hermione, I was certain that he would reach out to you,� he said, smiling proudly at her.

“What was this birth ritual, though? And how was Voldemort involved?� Harry asked.

“That is a very good question, Harry,� Dumbledore answered. The old wizard sighed before continuing.

“Voldemort is an ingenious and powerful wizard. Though I don’t know how, I believe that he created Louisa- from Draco- for his own purposes. Louisa may have been made to be some kind of heir or perhaps a weapon- Voldemort had a body at the time, as I’m sure you both remember. She may have been some kind of solution if Voldemort were to lose his body again,� Dumbledore intoned.

“When Draco first wrote me, he said that his father ordered him to kill the ‘Mudblood bastard’ and that the child’s mother didn’t know the child was her own,� Hermione remembered. “Why would Voldemort want the child killed if he went through the trouble to make her? Plus, Voldemort did lose his body again- so why is he coming after Louisa now- two years later?�

“More good questions, Hermione. I can only offer you my thoughts. I don’t know whether Voldemort ordered the child to be killed because he wanted it to be killed or because he predicted that Draco would protect the child with his life. After what has transpired today, I am leaning towards the latter explanation. As for the child’s mother- well, I really don’t know what to think about that. Madame Pomfrey tended to the child, as I have already told you. She made a remark that I’ve always remembered to be very curious. She said that the child was pristine- unmarked in any way by the process of birth. So, you see, Hermione, I wonder if the child has a mother at all.�

The three were quiet then, all lost in their thoughts. Hermione returned to her chocolate, which was surprisingly still warm.

“What happens now to Draco and Louisa?� she finally asked, softly.

“We wait,� Dumbledore replied. “Don’t forget who Draco is, my dear. He has had plenty of experience disappearing. I trust him to keep Louisa safe. We can only hope that he’ll realize that we are his friends and that he can trust us,� he said, now standing. “If you’ll excuse me, Harry, Hermione, I must be returning to Hogwarts now and I have many errands along the way. Always so much going on at the start of the term.� He smiled at them both and then headed upstairs. After they both heard him leave through the front door, Harry turned to Hermione.

“Are you okay, Hermione?� he asked.

“Oh, Harry. I’m so worried. I’ve never said anything because I thought that Draco would cut me off from himself and Louisa- and now, that’s happened. But with all of this other stuff about Voldemort and birth rituals- now, I’m afraid that he’s really going to disappear for good. He said that he didn’t want her to be a pawn in this war. I think he knows- or at least suspects- why Voldemort wants Louisa,� she said, breathlessly. She paused, her head now leaning into her hands.

“I’ve got to find a way to help them,� she moaned into her hands. Harry put his arm around his best friend.

“You know I’ll help you, Hermione. Ron and Ginny, too, I’m sure. I don’t know about Malfoy. I don’t trust him. What he did to you was wrong. But I guess he was just trying to protect his own daughter- and it’s still hard to picture him with a kid, you know.� Harry said. Hermione sat up a bit straighter and turned to look into the bright green eyes of her friend.

“I think he’s a wonderful father,� she hissed defensively. Harry balked just a bit at her tone.

“Oh, Harry, I don’t know why I’m defending him. I’m exhausted. I’m worried about them both. I don’t even want to think about what might happen if Voldemort finds them. I’m just not even thinking straight right now.� She groaned, realizing that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

“I’m going to grab something to eat and then head back to my office,� she declared, standing up from the table. “Want to come?�

“Yeah- let’s go. I could use some food, too. And then I’ll take you back to your office- though I think you need to go home to rest, personally,� Harry scoffed.

About two hours later, Hermione walked into her to office. She and Harry had gone to a nearby restaurant where Ron and Ginny had eventually joined them. After sharing everything that Dumbledore had said, the four had come to the decision to keep Draco’s secret. Hermione’s three friends had also pledged to help her uncover why Voldemort was after Louisa. Ron had been the most difficult to convince as he was clearly more in favor of hunting down the ‘evil ferret boy.’

Hermione sighed aloud as she sat down at her desk. She leaned in to smell the flowers that Draco had sent only days before. She fought a giddy hysterical laughter in the back of her throat at the way her day had turned out.

Was it only this morning that I was worried about what to wear to meet Louisa? she thought. Now I am worried to death that I'll never see the two of them again. She sighed again, trying to push the useless thoughts out of her mind.

She took out some fresh parchment and a quill. Then she pulled out a large battered old book. She opened the front page.

“Pervoluto Ancient Birth Magicks,� she whispered, tapping the page with her wand. She watched the old brown book slowly transform into a much larger black covered volume. Inky text emerged on the open page before her. Taking a deep breath, she scanned through the table of contents. Summoning a cup of tea from the kitchen, she settled back into her chair. She had a long night of research ahead of her.



A/N: “Pervoluto� Latin for “to unroll or read a book,� from University of Notre Dame’s Latin/English Guide (http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm)

A/N: Disclaimer: The idea to speak into a book and have transform into another book is very similar to something I saw on Joss Whedon’s television show “Angel.�

Disclaimer: Please do not confuse me with the brilliant JKR, who does, in fact, own HP!

Her even breathing assured him that she was finally sleeping soundly. He himself wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. He was too anxious. Draco felt like his world was spinning out of control. The one person he’d die to protect had been taken- and then released- by the most evil wizard to exist in centuries. The only two people he’d trusted- Dumbledore and Hermione- had betrayed him. Now he found himself hiding out from both sides of a war to protect his daughter. He had been contemplating how to disappear with her- to disappear for good. He wasn’t worried about money or any of his business interests. He didn’t care about his mother- she would be taken care of. But he knew that if Voldemort was indeed after Louisa then there would never be a safe place- not as long as the Dark Lord clung to life.

The thoughts behind his desperate actions- which had seemed crystal clear only hours before- now seemed murky. He wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing in leaving. And he felt horrible about what he’d done to Hermione. He closed his eyes and remembered her look of sheer horror when he’d Disapparated with Louisa.

“She’ll never forgive me now,� he moaned. He wished he kept firewhiskey here in the safe house. Though he’d never been intoxicated in front of Louisa, he felt like desperate times called for desperate measures. He was having trouble thinking clearly. His heart was threatening to explode. He just wanted to dull some of the ache- or, perhaps, dull the memory of Hermione’s terror-stricken eyes.

He took several deep breaths. He needed to gather his wits in order to process his current state of affairs.

What do I know? he thought. Voldemort and the Death Eaters kidnapped Louisa. She was gone for at least four hours whereas the other children who had been kidnapped were returned instantaneously. He tried to remember the exact image of Louisa’s return. That memory was tied to another more bittersweet one. He’d been in Hermione’s arms- just laying there, seeking comfort from the one person who would understand his pain.

Focus! he thought. Then he remembered the shimmering image of Louisa returning. Something about her return was troubling him. He strained to recall it entirely.

“There was no portkey,� he breathed. “How did she get away?� He’d have to wait for her to wake up before finding out about that detail. He resumed his thinking.

Louisa recognized Hermione, he mused. He thought about how Hermione would have had access to Louisa’s home. He struggled to remember what Hermione had been saying to him before they Apparated.

What did she say? Think! he sighed. He remembered looking down at her, her eyes filled with fear and anxiety. He remembered that she’d held onto his arm and told him that she’d known his secret almost from the beginning. She’d tried to calm him while she herself was tittering on the brink of losing control. He could picture her now as she said, “I promised you that I’d always be here for you- and her. That’s why I’m here now.� He could envision her eyes- her eyes had confirmed the truth in her words.

He felt his throat tighten. He knew then that he’d made a mistake. She hadn’t betrayed him. His breath was coming shallowly now as he realized that she’d die to protect Louisa. He was so lost in this revelation that he didn’t notice the wetness on his cheeks. He didn’t notice anything until a small warm hand slipped into his own.

“Daddy.� Draco scooped up his daughter, holding her close. He cried into her soft curls. He felt so lost now, despite that fact that he had his daughter in his arms again. He knew he shouldn’t be crying- knew that it was selfish to seek comfort from a child who needed him to be strong. But he couldn’t stop the burning tears.

“I thought I’d lost you,� he whispered. “And now I think I’ve lost her,� he said, even more faintly. But Louisa had heard him. She sat with him on the couch, gently patting his shoulder, her own tears flooding her eyes.

When they had both spent their tears, Draco gently pushed his daughter to his side so that he could look directly at her.

“Louisa, I need for you to be strong. I need to know what happened to you,� he said, taking her little hand in both of his own. She gave him a small nod, squared her shoulders, and then took a deep breath.

“I was playing in my room when I saw a broomstick hovering outside of my window. I thought it might have been a gift from you- or maybe from Hermione. I opened the window- I remember feeling nervous- like maybe I was going to get into trouble for trying to play with it when the Muggle children were around- ‘cause the others were just playing in the yard, right underneath it. But they didn’t notice- so then I thought that this must be just for me- and that it would be okay- so I grabbed it,� she said, slowly. Draco smiled at her so she’d know that she wasn’t in trouble and then nodded his head for her to continue.

“Well, then, I felt really strange- like something was pulling very quickly. I didn’t understand and I was really getting scared. I closed my eyes- I guess I landed somewhere- somewhere dark and cold. I couldn’t stand- I was dizzy- so I laid on the ground- it was like being in Ms. Dorothy’s basement. Then there was a bright light in my eyes- and I heard two men speaking. They were talking about me- because there was no one else around. They said that I was the right one- that at last they’d found me. They were laughing and I heard a shout. Then I felt like I’d been knocked over- like I couldn’t breathe. I fell asleep, I guess,� her tears had started again. Draco squeezed her hand, too horrified to speak.

“I woke up and someone was standing over me. A man- he was ugly- short and balding- he was gross. He was laughing at me, too. I was so mad- I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid but I felt like I had to do something. So I jumped up and kicked him as hard as I could. I kept kicking him. That’s when I heard the woman for the first time- she was laughing. I couldn’t see her. But I heard her tell the man to quit playing around and to get the blood,� she stopped, beginning to tremble. She took another deep breath, though, determined to finish her story. Draco felt a surge of pride at her resolve.

Now, her words came rushed, “So the man pulled out a knife- he had a knife in one hand and some kind of jar in the other. I started to run but the woman shouted something and I felt frozen- like I’d never move again. He stood over me- he hit me a few times- and then he cut my arm- and he held the jar underneath the cut- he was collecting my blood,� she gasped. But before Draco could say anything, she opened her mouth to continue.

With raspy breaths now, she resumed, “I thought he was going to kill me. I thought I would never see you again. I was so frightened. I started to feel like I was going to burn up- like someone was setting me on fire- I couldn’t breath- I screamed for you, Daddy. And then I heard a loud noise- like the sound of a gun- and I was back in the room- and you were there,� she paused. “You were there with her- and I thought I’d be safe- that maybe it was a nightmare.� She slumped over now, clearly exhausted from recounting her experiences. Draco pulled her to him again.

“You were so strong, Louisa. Now you listen to me because I know what you’re thinking. Taking that broomstick was not your fault. You were tricked by an evil wizard- none of this is your responsibility at all. If anything, I should have warned you- I should have been there,� he said, placing her back on the couch. Then he moved onto his knees in front of her, so he could look into her eyes.

“Louisa, things will be different now. You can’t go back to Ms. Dorothy and Ms. Nancy again. I can’t go to my apartment either. It’s no longer safe.� She nodded her head.

“We are going to stay here for just a little bit longer. I need to write to someone- someone who will help us. I don’t know what will happen after that. But I promise that you and I will stay together from here on out. Okay?� She nodded her head again, this time with a small smile. She leaned into him for a hug. He held her tightly for a few minutes.

“You’re going to write to Hermione, right? She always helps us. She’ll know what to do. And I think she’ll forgive you for tying her up- she’ll know that you were scared, Daddy,� Louisa assured. Draco looked over at his daughter, wondering if she was right about Hermione forgiving him.

“No, I’m not writing to Hermione,� he paused when he saw her expression change. “It’s not because I think she’s bad, Louisa. I don’t – and I was wrong to think that in the first place. It’s because I need to write to someone else – Albus Dumbledore. I think that he’ll know what to do,� he explained.

He got up and walked over to a little desk in the corner of the room. He took out some parchment and a quill and began to detail Louisa’s experiences, including her apparent use of wandless magic to get away. He paused for a moment, shuddering at the thought of what might have happened to her if she hadn’t escaped.

His owl had turned up at the safe house just minutes after they had arrived. He gave the owl the letter and watched it as it soared away. Louisa joined him at the window and they both watched the sky deepen into a lavender blue.

Within an hour, Draco’s eagle owl returned. The two had finished a couple of rounds of exploding snap when they heard the rustling of feathers. Draco jumped up and retrieved the letter from the owl. He read it very quickly several times before returning to the table where Louisa still sat.

“Louisa, remember I said that things were going to be different? Well, we’re starting that right now- Dumbledore has offered us a place to be together where I think we’ll be safe. Do you feel ready to go now?� he asked her gently.

“Will she be there, too?� she queried back, an expectant look on her face.

“I don’t know, Louisa.� He paused, looking away for a second. Then he looked back her with a curious expression on his face.

“What do you think, Louisa? Do you believe that she’ll come back to us?� he couldn’t explain why but he was very sure that his daughter would have the insight to answer this question.

She seemed very thoughtful for a moment, as if she was deliberating with herself. Then, looking directly into her father’s eyes, she responded, “Yes.� He looked at her a little bit longer, feeling a flutter in his stomach at her pronouncement. Then he walked over to his coat, reaching into one of the pockets. He pulled out the small piece of parchment that Dumbledore had given him just the day before. He returned to Louisa, kneeling at her side. He handed her the slip.

“Louisa, read this and commit it to memory.� She looked at the parchment and quickly read its message.

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Disclaimer: Not now and not ever will I own any of the Harry Potter Universe! It’s all JKR.


Hermione smiled up at Ginny when the redhead handed her a steaming cup of coffee. She hadn’t had much sleep the night before. She’d been in her office researching magical birth rituals until very late- or very early, she thought to herself ruefully.

“You need a break,� Ginny admonished, as she sat down next to her on the couch. Hermione sighed, putting down the two heavy volumes that she’d been skimming. She knew that Ginny was right. If she didn’t give her eyes a rest, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate for too much longer.

“I can’t help it, Gin. This is all I can do for them,� she whimpered. She looked around at the stacks of books and parchment. Dumbledore had Madame Pince send her every book on magical births that the Hogwarts library had. There were literally books everywhere.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny had showed up first thing that morning for research duty. No one had complained once. Hermione suspected that Harry warned them all to say nothing negative about Draco- in fact, while they had asked questions about Louisa, no one had even said a word to her about him.

The two boys had returned to work after lunch. Ron had only been able to take the morning off from the Ministry. While no other Muggle-borns had been attacked after Louisa’s kidnapping, there was still a lot of clean up to be done. The magical children now knew they were witches and wizards far earlier than they should have, by Ministry law, anyway. It was Ron’s job to talk to them about their new responsibilities, especially maintaining the secrecy of the wizarding world. Plus, the children were traumatized because they had been kidnapped. Then memory charms had to be placed on any Muggles who’d gotten involved.

Harry had work to do for the Order. Now that so many of the Muggle-born children had been identified, Dumbledore insisted that adequate protection be provided for them. So Harry was working with some of the Aurors to devise methods for keeping the children safe.

Ginny, however, had taken the entire day off to be with Hermione. And Hermione was extremely grateful to have her dear friend with her.

“Hermione, when did you first find out about Malfoy? When did this all start?� she asked gently. She had stayed clear of his name all morning but now she sensed that Hermione might need to talk about her feelings.

Hermione closed her eyes. She remembered the precise moment that she found out. It was one of her favorite memories- one of the kind that brings with it a flood of warmth and longing. Ginny looked at her friend expectantly, wondering if Hermione would actually answer the question.

With a mournful sigh, she began, “I had to go to the infirmary in the middle of the night- that stupid cut had started bleeding again- you remember that duel with Parkinson. Anyway, I had woken up because it was burning- and I could feel the blood all over my nightgown and my sheets.�

Ginny nodded- she’d never forget that particular duel. Pansy Parkinson had snuck up behind Hermione, hexing her so that she lost her balance and fell down a flight of stairs. Hermione had only managed to return one hex before the other girl had taken her wand and hexed her a few more times. Ginny had seen the entire thing from the above. She had pulled out her own wand to disarm the Slytherin but the girl had moved behind one of the wide stone columns. By the time Ginny had reached Hermione, she was semi-unconscious and beat up pretty badly. She was bleeding profusely from a gash on her forearm. Ginny shuddered as she remembered dragging Hermione to Madame Pomfrey. McGonagall had been so incensed that she had taken 150 points from Slytherin and had given two months of detention to Parkinson.

“Well, I was nearly at the infirmary when I heard a muffled noise- it sounded like crying. I walked towards it until I saw a doorway. The door was partially open, so I took a closer look. I could see Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore- someone was standing with them, too- but I couldn’t see who it was. Madame Pomfrey was holding a tiny baby in her arms. I was so overwhelmed by this image- I could hardly breathe! So then I made my way to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey was already there when I walked in. She didn’t say anything about a baby and I didn’t ask,� Hermione explained. She took a few sips of her coffee before she continued. Ginny looked at her friend, noting her slightly glazed over eyes.

“The next morning, I got the first letter. The father was desperate. He begged me to help him place the child in the Muggle world. I knew he was talking about the infant I’d seen the night before. That night, I borrowed Harry’s Invisibility Cloak. I had to see the baby again. I don’t know why.� She took a deep breath.

“The door was closed and I couldn’t hear anything so I decided to wait for a bit. So while I was waiting by the door, I heard footsteps. I stepped back up against the wall. I saw him then. I saw Draco. He went to doorway, muttered a really advanced unlocking spell, and then waited as the door opened. I decided to take my chances, so I followed him in before the door closed. It was definitely some sort of nursery with cribs and rocking chairs. Madame Pomfrey was there and she whispered something to him and then left. I stood in the corner – I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He picked up the infant and sat in a rocking chair. He just held the sleeping child close. He didn’t say anything. But his face- it was like I’d never seen him before. He was so peaceful- so unguarded. He sat with the child for hours- I sat there with him.� Hermione’s eyes were shinning now, tears threatened to come down. Ginny placed her arm around her friend’s shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze.

“Right then at that moment, I committed myself to those two. I knew I would help them- I’d always be there for them,� she breathed. Hermione got up then and walked over to her desk. With her wand, she tapped her bottom drawer and said the unlocking incantations. The drawer slowly rolled open. Gingerly, she picked up the stack of letters.

“I’ve kept all the letters he’s sent, Ginny. Every single one. And there are two letters in here from Louisa now,� she paused. She looked through some of the letters.

“I’ve been through so much with them- look, here’s when she took her first steps,� she said, holding up a yellowed piece of parchment. “And he sent this one when she said her first words- ‘Daddy’ and then shortly thereafter, ‘broom,’ – and here’s when he needed to take her to a dentist- I suggested my own parents! He’s asked me everything, you know- I found that home for her- I’ve helped him with all kinds Muggle things- forms and paperwork and even just explaining simple stuff like toys- I’ve even sent her birthday presents!� Hermione’s voice was getting louder now. Ginny could see that she was nearing hysteria. She quickly walked over to her desk.

“Hermione,� was all she said. She put her arms around her friend. Hermione wanted to cry- she urgently wanted to let go of some of her burning emotions.

“Why did he leave me? Why did he take her?� she moaned over and over again, leaning her head into Ginny’s shoulder. Ginny patted her back soothingly.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. But Dumbledore thinks that they’ll come back, ’Mione. And you’ve got to pull yourself together- they’re going to need you again.� Hermione looked up into Ginny’s eyes, feeling stronger already.

“You know exactly what to say to me, Ginny Weasley.� With a deep cleansing breath, Hermione leaned down to put her precious letters back into her desk drawer. She locked it and then stood up and walked back over to the couch and picked up the two volumes she’d last been reading.

“I’ll save my tears and my questions. Right now I have work to do.� She sat down and began reading again. Ginny watched her friend, her own throat constricting just a bit. She wondered how long Hermione would be able to hold up. Hermione was a Gryffindor after all. But she seemed perilously close to breaking down. For her sake, Ginny found herself ardently wishing that Draco Malfoy would return soon.

As if she had heard Ginny’s wish, Hermione said, “He never called me Mudblood again after that first letter, you know. And no Slytherin came near me for the rest of the year.� Then she returned to her reading, leaving a wide-eyed Ginny to stare.

The afternoon wore on. Hermione and Ginny tirelessly made their way through the texts. They had come across many rituals that could have resulted in the magical birth of a child, though none of them without some kind of input from a mother. Even the few spells that they’d identified that would have allowed a human to be born outside of the womb required the flesh of a mother. Finally, Hermione put down the book she’d been holding.

“I need to know more about Louisa’s birth. I can’t do this without talking to Draco- not only is he not trusting me or talking to me- but he’s just not here.� She nearly threw the old text across the room in frustration.

At that moment, green flames erupted in the fireplace. Hermione and Ginny turned to hearth to see the sparkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore peering at them.

“Hermione, Ginny. Good evening. Hermione, would you be so kind to join me at the Headquarters? The sooner the better.� Hermione nodded at the old wizard and he disappeared from the fire with a small popping noise.

“Hmmm… wonder what that’s about?� Ginny pondered.

Hermione, who was now too numb to think about anything else, began to gather her notes. Unceremoniously, she shoved everything into her briefcase. She picked up her robes from the back of the couch and slid them over her shoulders. Ginny watched as Hermione vainly tried to close the clasp of robes that were now on backwards. She smiled a little at her brokenhearted friend.

“Neatus,� she intoned, pointing her wand at Hermione. Hermione’s robes quickly turned themselves right side out while her clothes straightened out their wrinkles. She watched as the purple smudges on the delicate skin under her friend’s eyes slowly disappeared, along with the swollen puffiness. Hermione’s frazzled hair transformed into luscious shimmering curls. She smiled at her dearest friend.

“You look human again, dear,� she declared, in a voice that sounded surprisingly like Mrs. Weasley’s. Hermione glanced in the mirror behind her. Then she gathered her friend in hug.

“Thanks, Ginny. Thanks for everything. Do you mind locking up?� she asked, now turning to walk into the anteroom.

“Not at all. Hermione, I’m going to run a few errands and then pick up some dinner. I’ll get Ron and Harry to meet us over at Headquarters, okay? How about Thai take-out tonight?� she asked.

“Better get a lot then if the boys are coming,� she teased. She looked at Ginny again, sighing. Then she concentrated on her usual Apparition point and was gone just a few seconds later.

As she soon as she Apparated behind the shed, she felt some of her resolve begin to crumble. She leaned her back against the side of the shed for support. As she did, she paused for a moment to look up into the dark lavender of the sky.

“Beautiful,� she mumbled to herself. She stayed for another minute, trying to pull herself out of what could easily become a downward spiral. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, and crossed the park. As she approached where the house should be, she thought about the address. She watched as it seemed to rapidly emerge in front of her. She walked up to the front door. She hesitated before knocking. Usually, Moody or someone else would have already opened the door to usher her inside.

She knocked lightly. When no one came, she fished around in the inside pocket of her robe for the old brass key. Quickly, she turned the key in the lock and let herself in. She hated being in 12 Grimmauld Place alone.

The darkened foyer confirmed her suspicion that no one else was home. She sighed, taking out her wand.

“Lumos,� she whispered. A warm cheery light exploded from her wand. She said another lighting spell and waited until she saw more, if faint, glowing points coming from the hallways. She took off her outer robe and hung it on the ancient coat rack. She was careful to make as little noise as possible.

Shortly after Sirius’s death, the old portraits of his family members had ceased to speak. While they could still be counted on to glare at the Order members or anyone of mixed blood, they refrained from actually speaking. The portrait of Sirius’s mother was still covered with heavy musty curtains, though.

Hermione knew that the portraits would not start yelling at her but she still kept quiet.

I’m so alone now, she thought. She sank down on the bench in the foyer. She could go no further. She sat there, letting the oppressiveness of the house weigh upon her.

In her mind, she replayed the scenes from the previous day. She remembered watching Draco as he walked into her office, taking in his handsome good looks. With shame, she pictured his hand grasping hers, stopping her from unwittingly drinking from the sugar dish. She recalled his momentary nervousness when he inquired about whether or not Ron or Harry could really be her secret admirer. With pain, she reflected on how angry he was after they’d talked to Ron and before they’d gone to Louisa’s home. She had shared in his devastation when they couldn’t find Louisa. With clarity, she remembered holding him in her arms and that amazing moment of reunion between him and Louisa. And finally, she recalled the horror of watching him disappear with the child.

She pulled her knees into her chest, clasping her arms around them, and hung her head. She’d couldn’t think of another time when she’d felt so alone- not alone but abandoned, she thought.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, lost in her thoughts. She felt as if she was standing at a precipice, looking down into a dreary future- a future without them and a future without love.

Noises from outside snapped her out of her reverie. Ashamed at herself for her despairing thoughts, she quickly stood, hoping that Ginny’s spell would continue to hide her miserable condition. She heard a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the foyer to open the door.

There stood Draco and Louisa.

With a small yelp, Louisa rushed at Hermione, who was already bending down to her knees. She pulled the child into a bone-crushing embrace. Tears that had been threatening to spill all day now came in a torrent. Hermione could barely breathe. She just held the little girl, great sobs coming from deep within her chest.

Draco gaped at his daughter and Hermione. The pain of guilt was threatening to consume him. Hermione would never betray him or his daughter. He felt the depth of her love and commitment to them as he watched her hold Louisa. He suddenly felt too overwhelmed by his own emotions. He had to put a hand out to the doorframe to steady himself.

He knew in that moment that he loved Hermione. With that knowledge, he felt as though he’d finally come home.

Disclaimer: It’s really very simple- since I’m not JKR, I don’t own HP.


Hermione sighed and chanced to look up at the man sitting across from her. He seemed to be studying his tea but then he looked up and caught her gaze. He gave her a small smile but then returned his attention to his beverage. They’d been sitting like this for nearly an hour. Everyone else had long since left for the night. They were still there, both understanding that they needed to talk yet neither able to break the heavy awkward silence that stood between them.

It was Draco’s turn to sigh. He wanted to talk with Hermione but instead found himself reflecting on the evening’s events. Save the night of Louisa’s birth, Draco could think of no other single evening where so much had happened.

Seeing his daughter in Hermione’s arms had been one of the most exhilarating moments of his life. In that instant, he fully recognized Hermione’s love for and commitment to Louisa. As if that wasn’t already emotionally overwhelming, he had also realized something else- he was completely in love with the woman sitting directly across from him- the woman I can’t even speak to, he thought. His thoughts wondered back to the rest of the evening.

Hermione had stood, still cradling Louisa in her arms. Her sobs had diminished and her breathing, though raspy, had returned to a normal rate. When she finally met his eyes, Draco had felt like he would explode from the passion in her gaze. She backed into the house, and he followed the two inside. Slowly she set Louisa down on the bench and kneeled in front of her to help her take off her coat. Without looking up, she handed the child’s coat to Draco for him to hang on the coat rack. Draco was shocked at his own emotional reaction to such a simple intimate gesture. He quickly slipped off his own coat and hung it next to Louisa’s and what must have been Hermione’s robes, too.

“How about some hot chocolate?� Hermione croaked. It was the first thing anyone had really said since she’d opened the door to find them both standing there.

“Yes, please,� Louisa replied gleefully. The child stood up, and laced her hand into Hermione’s. Draco noted the tiny gasp that Hermione gave at Louisa’s gesture. He followed the two down towards the kitchen. He helped Louisa onto the old wooden bench and then sat down next to her, his eyes trailing Hermione as she moved about the kitchen.

She sat on the other side them with three mugs. Pulling out her wand, she gave three tiny loops and recited an incantation that Draco hadn’t heard before. The three mugs suddenly steamed with creamy hot chocolate. Draco couldn’t help but smile at Louisa’s reaction- she’d clapped her hands in merriment.

“They’re all different!� the child exclaimed, peering into each of the three mugs. This brought about a deep rich laughter from Hermione. Draco had to catch his breath at the sound of it.

“Yes, it’s my own spell! It’s silly, I guess- but I think people should always have the kind of hot chocolate that they want,� she chuckled. “See, mine has marshmallows but not too much crème. And yours has marshmallows, too, but much more crème and sugar,� she giggled, looking into Louisa’s cup. She reached for Draco’s mug then, brushing her fingers against his as she tilted it slightly to see the contents. She couldn’t quite speak, and he noted how she shuddered at their slight touch. Or was that me? he asked himself.

“And yours,� she continued, “has no marshmallows but lots more chocolate.� She let go of his mug and met his eyes. Her own eyes were bright with emotion and in them he saw his forgiveness. He could only give her the slightest of nods as he was certain he’d momentarily lost his capacity for speech.

“So you and Daddy know each other, don’t you?� asked Louisa, thoughtfully. Draco knew that his daughter had been closely observing his interactions with Hermione. He wandered what the child thought. Louisa had always been uncannily perceptive. He cleared his throat.

“We were in school together for seven years and since then we have been a part of the same group- and that’s been for the past four years,� he explained. That’s hardly an accurate description of how I know her, though, he mused. Louisa considered him briefly before shifting her gaze to Hermione.

“Well,� she squeaked. Then she took a deep breath, “Well, we did go to school together though we didn’t really get along, I suppose,� she started, pausing to give Draco a hint of a smirk. “But then one night, at the beginning of our seventh year, I saw you, Louisa. And the next day, I got an anonymous plea for help- for help with you,� she said, looking at the child. “That night, I saw you again- but this time I saw you in the arms of your father.� A blush was slowly creeping up her cheeks. “And when I saw you both, I’d say that our relationship crossed a critical juncture. Wouldn’t you, Draco?� she asked, now deeply blushing and staring at him.

Draco had been floored at her confession. She really had known from the very beginning. She had knowingly and willingly helped him- Draco Malfoy. He pondered the significance of that for a moment before he realized that both Hermione and Louisa were still looking at him expectantly.

“Yes,� he breathed. “I’d say it did change from then on- though I didn’t know you knew it was me,� he finished, now staring deeply into his chocolate.

At that moment, their increasingly awkward tension was broken by noises and smells coming down the staircase. Harry, Ron, and Ginny walked into the kitchen, carrying three bags of what Draco immediately recognized as Thai food.

No one spoke as six sets of eyes darted back and forth, taking everything in. Finally the newcomers walked over the old table and put down the bags of food.

Harry had been the first to react. Draco heard Hermione take in a deep breath.

Harry walked over to Draco, and held out his hand. Draco stood to shake it, amazed at the gesture. Though Draco had worked for the Order for four years, had even worked alongside the Boy-Who-Lived, he’d never been on the receiving end of Harry’s proffered hand.

“And this beautiful girl must be Louisa Malfoy,� he said good-naturedly. “Nice to meet you, I’m Harry.� This had made Louisa giggle as she took Harry’s hand. Draco felt his own mouth moving upwards into a smile.

Ron and Ginny both came forward then, too. Ginny leaned down to give Louisa a small hug.

“I’ve heard quite a bit about you, Miss Louisa,� she grinned. “You are as cute as I thought you’d be! My name’s Ginny Weasley.� Louisa grinned back at Ginny and then shifted on the bench a little so that Ginny could sit next to her.

Ron, too, had extended his hand to Draco, though with more reserve than Harry.

“Good to have you back,� he’d said. Draco nodded in response, still flabbergasted at the welcome. He watched as Ron, too, politely introduced himself to his daughter. Then Ron and Harry had proceeded to sit on either side of Hermione- flanking her, just like they used to do back in school, he’d mused.

The Thai food had been excellent. He preferred it a bit spicier but was grateful for the meal. He’d tried to pay, but Harry had waved him off, laughing.

“Next time, Malfoy,� he’d chuckled. Draco had wondered when the evening’s surprises would end. This has got to be one of the weirdest nights of my life- and from the sound of it, it’s only the beginning- especially if I’m picking up the tab next time. But he smirked a bit at this thought, knowing he was looking forward to there being a next time.

Dumbledore had finally arrived after they’d finished their dinner. He gracefully stepped out of the Floo, causing Louisa to squeal in joy. She’d jumped from the table to watch the old wizard as he came out of the fireplace.

Before speaking to anyone else, Dumbledore had leaned over to peer at Louisa, giving her a long searching look. Then with a big smile, he reached over and tousled her mounds of brown curls. Draco hadn’t even noticed that he’d been holding his breath until then.

“Louisa Malfoy, you remind me a bit of your grandmother. Yes, you do have some of her in you,� he intoned in a gentle voice. Then he turned to the others sitting at the table. Draco stood up and walked towards his former Headmaster.

“Thank you, sir. Thank you for helping us,� he’d said, looking into those twinkling blue eyes.

“Yes, of course,� Dumbledore replied, pausing to look at each of them in turn. “Well, I’ve really only come by to check in on all of you- and of course, I wanted to renew your acquaintance, my dear Louisa,� he declared, looking back at the child. “Hermione, Draco- I believe that you still have work to do. Harry, Ron, and Ginny, I know that you will continue to help all the young Muggle-borns. I bid you all a good evening. I’m sure that I will be seeing you soon,� he said as he walked back to the fireplace. Then he turned around as though to give a closing reminder.

“Draco, you must, of course, do as you see fit. But I do not think it is safe for you or Louisa to leave this house. I think you must find a way to remove the threat.� With that final warning, he stepped into brilliant green flames and disappeared.

The party had broken up after that with Harry, Ron, and Ginny saying good night. Draco noticed that none of them had asked Hermione how long she’d be before she left for home. He found himself feeling relieved at their thoughtfulness for their friend.

He’d put Louisa to bed after that. The Order headquarters were by no means warm and inviting, but Mrs. Weasley had made a huge improvement, nonetheless. Hermione had shown them to a clean and comfortable suite of rooms. Louisa had fallen asleep almost instantaneously. Draco remained by her side for several minutes, just listening to her even breathing. Finally, when he’d felt his resolve returning, he made his way back down the stairs to the kitchen where he knew Hermione was still waiting- For me- she’s waiting for me, he’d thought.

And now he was sitting across from her, feeling stupid and out of place. He had tried to practice what he’d say to her in his mind. But nothing was coming out of his mouth. His tea had long grown cold. He looked up at her when he heard her movement. She was standing now.

Great, she’s going to leave. We can’t even speak about what’s happened- we’ll never get past this. He was feeling the rise of frustrated emotions again. He needed to say something to her- he needed to explain how he felt and why he did what he did. He needed to tell her so much. But now she’s going- the moment will be gone. He was surprised at his own nervousness. He’d never been one to give into an anxiety attack before- after all he was a Malfoy. He eyed her once more. She was standing still, looking at him.

In one swift move, she reminded him again of why she was indeed a Gryffindor. She’d walked around the table, sat down next to him, and placed her arms around him, drawing him in to her warm embrace.

There were no tears now- just warmth and comfort. Draco turned his body towards her- this time he was ready to return the embrace. He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her head just underneath his chin and he leaned into her beautiful brown curls. The sense of homecoming flooded through him again, just as it had earlier when he’d watched her holding Louisa.

For a long time, the two just sat there, sheltered in each other’s arms.

Finally, Hermione leaned away from him, though not breaking out from his arms.

“Draco, we don’t have to talk about this tonight. But we do have to talk soon,� she breathed. He looked deeply into her brown eyes- eyes that were still smoldering with emotion.

“Tomorrow morning?� he whispered to her. She nodded her head, causing a lock of curls to fall into her eyes. He reached over and gently tucked the curls behind her ear, all the while locked in her gaze. Without thinking about it, his hand lingered, and he continued to run it gently through her hair. A tiny moan escaped from her then, and she closed her eyes, leaning her head back slightly, allowing him access to more of her hair.

He returned his hand to the spot just below her ear, at the nape of her neck. From there, he slowly trailed his fingers across her jaw line, and then softly cupped her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyelids fluttering open. He could see that her eyes were nearly black now, as her pupils had dilated. With her cheek still in his hand, he gently tilted her face up towards him.

For a long second, he simply looked at her, taking in her darkened eyes, the way her cascade of curls framed her face, her beautiful skin, and her full moist lips. Then, as he’d pictured it a thousand times in his mind, he leaned in and gently placed his mouth on hers.

Slowly, he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She responded by bringing her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. He thought he heard a small moan and then was surprised to realize it was his own. She gently pulled away from him then, still keeping her arms around his neck.

“I’d better be going soon,� she said, quietly. But then she leaned in and gave him a tight hug. When she pulled away, she stood up from the bench.

“I’ll be back first thing in the morning- and I’ll bring some breakfast. We’ll just work here so we can stay with Louisa.�

Draco stood from the table. He didn’t want to lose the moment just yet.

“Hermione,� he said, wrapping his arms around her once again. “Thank you.� He felt the nod of her head even as she rested it on his chest. After a few minutes of silence, he slowly dropped his arms. She gave him a smile and held out her hand. He took it and they walked up the stairs to the foyer. He helped her put on her robe.

With one last brief kiss, he opened the door for her. He watched as she crossed the street and walked into the park. When she ducked behind the shed, he closed the door.

Then he walked back up to his suite. He checked on Louisa one last time before heading into his bedroom. He was barely able to get undressed before passing out on the bed.

That night he slept peacefully.

Disclaimer: Not JKR so I don’t own HP.

For the second time in a matter of hours, Hermione found herself leaning against the shed in the park across the street from 12 Grimmauld Place and staring into the night sky.

Only this time, I am happier than I could have ever thought possible! she sighed, running her tongue lightly over her lips, still savoring the lingering taste of Draco. She smiled to herself as she imagined their kiss.

That’s been a long time coming, she smirked. She looked at the stars a little while longer before finally standing up.

Home or the office? she mused. She decided to head back to her office. Despite her exhaustion, she knew she was too wound up to go to sleep.

I’ll just look through my notes on the possible birth rituals. She wanted to be fully prepared to work with Draco in the morning. She was hoping that perhaps a morning full of work would allow her to play with Louisa in the afternoon. She could think of nothing better than spending all day with those two- and everyday thereafter! With that thought, she closed her eyes and Disapparated to the anteroom outside of her office.

After about an hour of work, she shoved her rewritten notes into her briefcase. She still felt tense from the emotional whirlwind of her day but knew she needed to get home. She left her briefcase on her desk and settled for a nice long walk back to the flat that she shared with Ginny. Hermione stepped out into the hallway of her office building and muttered the locking spell. When it didn’t work, she bit her lip in tired frustration.

“Come on, girl- get a grip!� she giggled to herself. She forced her weary brain to stop thinking about Draco’s steely gray eyes long enough to perform the locking spell correctly. When she finally saw the shimmer settle around the doorframe, she turned around and headed towards the front door of her building.

Still lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the person standing in the darkened corner of the foyer.

“Stupefy!�

Hermione was on the ground before ever realizing that she’d been hit.


“Morning all!� Ginny cried, walking through the door of 12 Grimmauld Place. Unlike Hermione and many of the other Order members, Ginny did not keep herself quiet in the old Black residence, especially now that the portraits ceased speaking aloud.

She put her parcels down on the bench and proceeded to take off her robes. She hung them up next to a man’s jacket and a child’s coat, both of Muggle design. Ginny paused to run her hands over Louisa’s pretty little coat. She smiled at the fanciness of it. Briefly she wondered where Hermione’s robes were- she must have stepped out for breakfast, already, she thought.

Draco was walking through the hallway now, sleepily rubbing his eyes. He stopped in the foyer, looking at Ginny rather strangely.

“Oh,� he mumbled, before suppressing a yawn. “I thought you were Hermione.� Ginny fought the urge to giggle at his pout of disappointment. Though she’d been the one to lecture Harry and Ron about the obvious change in Hermione and Draco’s relationship, and how, as Hermione’s friends, they had to accept- and even respect- it, she herself still couldn’t quite get over the novelty of it.

“No- I guess she just stepped out for breakfast then?� she queried. “Well, I brought some of my mother’s pastries and butter rolls and some coffee- there’s juice for Louisa, too. I’ll take it all down to the kitchen. Should we wait for Hermione to get back? Is Louisa already up?� She waited for Draco to catch up with her questions. His confused look was still causing her amusement.

“Um… okay. I’ll wake Louisa and get her ready for breakfast. Hermione should be here soon, I think,� he said, turning from her and heading back down the hallway to his rooms.

Draco couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. But he felt selfish in his disappointment, too. He was hoping that Hermione would have come by herself. He had been anticipating a day spent with his two favorite people- his daughter and the woman he loved. He sighed. But Hermione, unlike himself, had friends who looked after her- friends who shared her life. He only had Louisa- and now Hermione, too, he smiled.

He opened the door to Louisa’s bedroom. She was already sitting up in bed, clutching the sheets to her, a look of horror on her face. She was trembling. Swiftly, he rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms.

“Louisa! What is it? What’s wrong, honey?� he demanded.

“Daddy, I had the worst nightmare! Hermione- she’s gone- they took her!� she wailed. “The ones who took me- I could hear them- their voices. It was so scary!� She leaned into his chest, as he stroked her hair.

“Shush, shush…it’s okay. Hermione will be here soon. It’s going to be okay, love. It’s just a bad dream.� He gently rocked the child in his arms until her trembling subsided. When her breathing returned to a normal pace, he loosened his embrace. Kneeling next to the bed, so he could look directly into her eyes, he whispered, “Are you okay, now?�

She nodded her head. Giving her his hand, he helped her out of bed.

“Ginny’s already here with breakfast. And I imagine that Hermione is right behind her. So I’m just going to get us ready with a little magic this morning, okay?� he smiled at her, knowing that she’d enjoy him using the charms.

“Salve vestio,� he drawled lazily, looping his wand to include both Louisa, and himself. He grinned at Louisa as she twirled around the room, in obvious delight at being magically cleaned up. He closed the door to her bedroom to give them both some privacy for the spell. After a few minutes, he opened the door. Both father and daughter were looking freshly groomed and wearing clean clothes. Taking her hand, he led her down the hallway towards the kitchen.

“Good morning, Ginny,� grinned Louisa. Ginny gave the child a small hug before helping her up unto the bench at the table. She put a glass of pumpkin juice and a plate of pastries and rolls in front of her. When the coffee was ready, she retrieved three mugs from the cabinet and brought them to the old table. She took a seat next to Louisa. Draco was still standing.

“So, er- when do you expect Hermione back?� she asked him. “Did she stop by her office or something? Because she can really get distracted there- it could be ages before we see her,� she laughed.

Draco walked to the hearth, running his fingers through his white blond hair.

“She told me last night that she’d come over in the morning with work and breakfast- she didn’t mention a time but I assumed she’d probably be here by now- or that she’d at least let me know if she’s running late,� he responded. He looked back at Ginny, taking in her now anxious gaze.

“She didn’t stay here last night?� she asked nervously.

“No- she didn’t.� He was aware that his heart was now pounding. He looked at the redhead.

“She’s probably- she’s- she must be at her office,� she stammered. “Sometimes she stays there all night working.�

Draco stepped over to the hearth, reaching for the tin of Floo powder.

“Oh, remember only a few places are connected to the Floo system here- you’ll only be able to reach Dumbledore and Harry,� Ginny reminded him. “She’s probably just sleeping in at her office- let’s just send her an owl, okay?�

Ginny reached inside her robes for a scrap of parchment. Draco took a quill and some ink from over the mantle. Quickly, he scrawled a note. He ran upstairs and called for his owl. In no time, he attached the letter to the owl and sent it on its way with orders to deliver the post in person and to wait for a reply.

Hermione, where are you? he wondered. He stood there, looking out of the window for several minutes before heading back down to the kitchen. He didn’t want to scare Louisa, after all.


Hermione blinked her eyes several times in an attempt to focus on her surroundings. It was very dark. Slowly she sat up. Her head was throbbing dully and she felt stiff and achy all over. She was also cold.

She couldn’t see where she was. She figured that she was in some kind of dungeon, though. She was lying on a damp cold stone floor. She felt no air currents that would indicate windows or even nearby doors. The place smelled faintly of decay.

Where am I? she thought, stupidly. She ran her hands over her robes and her body, trying to assess any damage. Not surprisingly, she didn’t find her wand. Though she had fresh bruises and a knot on her head, she was relieved to find no serious injuries.

Now that she’d taken stock of her situation, she was feeling a slight panic begin to take hold. She tried to remember what had happened. Memories of her kiss with Draco flooded her mind. She shook her head a bit to clear the image, immediately regretting it when her headache furiously resumed.

I locked my office- I remember locking it. Then I walked towards the front door. Then- nothing, she thought.

As she sat there in the darkness, she racked her brains trying to figure out why anyone would have kidnapped her. Being the best friend of the Boy Who Lived had made her a target early in life. However, with Voldemort being relatively absent for more than two years- at least until this week, she thought ruefully- she hadn’t felt like she was in danger. Of course, she hadn’t taken anything for granted and was usually very cautious. She also figured that if she did come across a former Death Eater who wanted to harm her, she’d be dead and not just lying, relatively unscathed, in a dungeon somewhere.

She shivered. She had no idea what time it was, either. Her watch was gone. Her body was too sore, exhausted, and hungry to be able to give her any indication of how much time had passed since she’d tried to leave her office.

Her thoughts shifted back to Draco. She wondered if she was already late to meet him for breakfast. She hoped that he and Ginny would be able to figure out that she was gone. If she was just able to keep herself from panicking and otherwise out of trouble, she might last until the Order found her- until Harry and Ron found her. This was not the first time that she’d been abducted. She gave another small shudder. She didn’t want to let her thoughts linger on that memory

Draco! She gasped as the thought hit her. She had an ominous feeling that she’d been attacked because of Louisa. She suddenly found that her will to control her anxiety was unraveling. She fervently hoped that Draco and Louisa were safe.

A small noise startled her out of her thoughts. She could hear someone walking towards her now. From what was probably the other side of a very large cavernous room, she heard a door scraping open. Then she heard footsteps again-whoever it was was walking her way. She still couldn’t see anything.

“Lumos,� murmured a female voice. Hermione shielded her now sensitive eyes at the brightness of the light. She squinted her eyes at the woman. Her shock at the person in front of her showed on her face.

“Surprise, surprise, Mudblood. Didn’t expect me, did you?� She tossed a poorly wrapped package and a stoppered flask into Hermione’s lap.

“You can’t possibly expect me to eat or drink anything you’d give me, Parkinson!� Hermione yelled, sweeping away the parcels.

“Fine. But if I’d wanted to kill you, I would have already, Granger. And I’m not going to question you- you don’t know anything that I require- and I don’t need you to do anything. So, eat it if you want- or don’t. I could give a fuck.� With that, she turned on her heel, and sauntered towards the door.

“Wait- what is this about?� Hermione demanded. Surprisingly, the woman turned around.

“This is about getting what I deserve, of course. And in the process, people like you are going to get what’s coming to you, too,� she sneered. She didn’t wait for a response as she turned back towards the door. Hermione watched her leave. As the door closed, she was plunged back into darkness.

Hermione leaned back against the cold, stone wall. She reached for the flask and the parcel. Sniffing both, she decided that she’d put off eating as long as she could. She didn’t trust her former schoolmate. She sighed, letting her thoughts drift back to Draco and Louisa.

“Please find me,� she breathed.




A/N:
vestio – to get dressed
salveo- good morning
http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm

Disclaimer: I do not purport to own any of the HP Universe!


“I don’t like this. My owl has been gone far too long now. Something’s wrong,� Draco growled, pacing the floor of the kitchen. Ginny watched the tall blond man before her, as her own apprehension continued to build.

“Daddy, what’s wrong? Where’s Hermione?� Louisa asked with a wavering voice. Ginny put her arm around the child sitting next to her. Draco stopped pacing and knelt in front of his child.

“Louisa, I just don’t know. I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay, sweetheart,� Draco responded, in a strained voice. Ginny gave the child a squeeze before standing up.

“Listen, I think we should get Harry or Ron to go over to Hermione’s office. In fact, I’ll meet them there,� she paused, holding her hand up at Draco’s attempt to interrupt her. “No, I know what you’re thinking but Dumbledore warned you to stay here. You both have to stay safe right now- Hermione would insist- and you know that,� Ginny explained soothingly. Draco sighed and sat down across from Louisa at the kitchen table.

Ginny walked over to the fireplace.

“Incendio,� she said, pointing her wand into the hearth. She took a pinch of Floo powder and leaned into the fire.

“Harry Potter,� she said crisply. Within seconds, Harry’s face hovered in the bright green flames.

“Ginny! What is it?� Harry asked, taking in her distressed face.

“Harry, I’m here at the Order Headquarters. Hermione never came home last night- she wasn’t here, either- and we can’t reach her by owl. Would you meet me at her office?� Harry immediately nodded his head.

“One more thing- can you Floo Mother and ask her to come by for the day. I think we need her here,� she whispered, slightly nodding her head over to where Draco and Louisa were sitting.

“Of course,� Harry agreed. “I’ll get Ron and head over to Hermione’s right away. Meet you there- and Ginny, be careful. Don’t Apparate anywhere near the building. Wait until you see us, okay? We should be cautious given all that has happened this week,� he intoned. Ginny nodded her head and Harry disappeared from the fire.

She stood and walked back over to the kitchen table. Taking her seat next to Louisa, she put her arm around the young girl again.

“Look, we’ll figure this out. For now, you two are going to have to sit tight and trust us to find Hermione.� Louisa gave her a small smile while Draco looked mutinous. Neither said a word, though.

“I do have some good news- Mum’s coming for the day,� she said. Draco looked up in confusion.

“She’ll look after you both,� again she paused, holding her hand up to ward off any objections from Draco. “I imagine that when we all return, we’ll need to get started on that research. Trust me, it’ll be nice to have Mum here to look after things.� Draco seemed to understand and Louisa continued to look thoughtful.

Just then the three heard noises from upstairs. Draco jumped up and walked toward the stairway as Mrs. Weasley bounded down the stairs.

“Well, good morning,� she said, taking in the unlikely group in the kitchen. She looked from Draco to Ginny, her eyes finally resting on Louisa.

“My word, who is this lovely young woman?� she asked, immediately walking over to where Louisa sat. Louisa gave her a big smile and stood up on the bench so that she was eye level with Mrs. Weasley.

“Louisa Malfoy,� she smiled at the older witch. The child gave her a small curtsy that made Mrs. Weasley giggle just a bit. Automatically, the older witch’s hands were smoothing out some of the child’s unruly curls.

“Well, of course, you are, dear child. You are just the spitting image of your father,� she said, never taking her eyes off the little girl. Finally, Mrs. Weasley turned around to face Draco and Ginny.

“Mum, you remember Draco Malfoy, don’t you?� she asked, gesturing from her mother to the tall blond man standing next to her. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

“Of course I do, Ginny. Draco, it’s good to see you again. I must say that I am surprised- delightfully surprised- to meet your daughter,� she said as she reached out to pull him into a hug. Ginny stifled a giggle at the very flustered Draco Malfoy as he awkwardly returned her mother’s hug.

“Mrs. Weasley, thank you for coming,� he returned. She patted him on the shoulder before returning back to Louisa, who was still standing on the bench.

“Louisa, dear. I have some projects to do here today. Would you be a dear and keep me company?� she asked. Louisa grinned and nodded her head. Mrs. Weasley held out her hand and helped the child down from the table. Holding her hand, she walked Louisa towards the stairs.

“We’ll be upstairs sorting out all those old pictures in the drawing room,� she paused. Her voice lowered an octave, “Harry told me why you’re going, Ginny. Draco, I know you need to stay here, too. Hermione is a smart witch. She’ll be all right.� With that, she and Louisa walked up the stairs.

Ginny gave Draco a squeeze on the arm before turning and following Mrs. Weasley and Louisa up the stairs.

Draco watched as the three made their way up the stairs. He could hear Louisa delightedly asked Mrs. Weasley about the moving wizard pictures. He smiled a bit, grateful for the older woman’s presence. He would never have predicted the mother of one of his staunchest childhood rivals would be so welcoming to both himself and his daughter.

The Weasleys’ are a noble family, he mused, thinking of both Ginny and Ron, too. He couldn’t help but note the irony of the comparison between his own family and the Weasleys’. But his smile was fleeting as his apprehension returned for Hermione.

He retrieved some parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink from the mantle and returned to the kitchen table. He knew that he should begin working. With a sigh, he stared at the blank parchment, steeling himself for what he knew would be a most unpleasant task.

After a few moments of contemplation, he put his quill to the paper and began writing out the details of Louisa’s birth.

----------

Hermione opened eyes.

I must have dozed off again, she thought. She sat up and tried to stretch out the stiffness of her arms and legs. She groaned aloud, remembering the softness of her bed.

She reached for the food parcel and flask that Pansy had given her. She smelled it and decided to take her chances. With some trepidation, she took a bite of the sandwich. After noting that it tasted relatively okay, she finished it quickly. She downed the flask of water, too. Pushing away the remains of the meal, she stretched out flat on the stone floor.

She willed herself to breath slowly and deeply. She’d only ever performed wandless magic a handful of times- all of those had been when she was under extraordinary duress. She thought back to the last time it had happened. She’d just watched Draco and Louisa Disapparate and she thought she’d never see them again. She was bound and gagged and hyperventilating. She had panicked and desperately thought of Ron and Harry. Without meaning to, she had summoned them to her. She hadn’t had much time to think about how that had happened until now.

And now, she was going to try to draw upon that power of latent magic within herself to do something- she was not yet sure of what, though. Breathing methodically, she tried to relax her body completely. She focused on the faces of her two friends. She tried to shut out every other image and feeling so that only Ron and Harry remained in her mind’s eye. After several long minutes of meditation, she began to feel a curious sensation in her stomach. She continued to focus on her two friends. She tried to imagine herself with them and away from this dungeon.

The tingling sensation in her stomach began to slowly spread throughout her body. She tried to stifle the tiny bit of unease that was still present in her thoughts. She knew how futile her attempts were in light of her situation. But she tried desperately to maintain her focus on her friends.

She couldn’t help it. Unbidden, Draco’s and Louisa’s faces popped into her mind. She bit her bottom lip in an effort to shut out the anxiety that those images brought about. In a last desperate attempt to channel her nervousness, she thought of Draco and Louisa and Harry and Ron. She felt a surge of energy, saw a flash of blindingly white light, and then passed out.

Hundreds of miles away, a little girl screamed out loud while three others felt consumed by a wave of despair.

-----------

“What was that?� Ron demanded, reaching out his hand to pull Harry up from the ground.

“I have no idea- whatever it was was horrible, though. I feel like I’m going to be sick!� Harry exclaimed. Ginny rushed over to them then. She was trembling and looked near hysterics.

“Come on!� she shouted, taking both of their hands. They rounded the corner of the street of Hermione’s office building.

Hovering above the building, in all of its hazy wretched green glory, was the Dark Mark.

The three stood there, motionless for several minutes, before Harry broke into a wild run. The other two trailed right behind him. They ran into the building, straight for Hermione’s office.

“The office is still sealed!� Harry cried. Ginny stepped forward, quickly muttering the complicated locking charm that Hermione had taught her. They watched as the shimmering field slowly dissolved. Harry threw open the door and the three bolted inside.

Quickly, they searched the anteroom, office, kitchen, and bathroom.

“Nothing,� Ron muttered. “No signs of struggle- no nothing. It’s like she just vanished,� he said in a louder tone. Ginny was going through Hermione’s briefcase.

“She left this here,� she said, indicating the briefcase. “She had this with her last night at dinner. She must have come back and worked or something- then she left it. But she never came home,� she sighed, sitting down at Hermione’s desk. She looked thoughtful as she continued to sift through the briefcase’s contents.

“The birth ritual notes- it’s all here,� she said slowly. “I bet she thought she’d come back here in the morning- she probably left this here because she was going to walk home-she does that when she has a lot on her mind- no one could have broken into this office- not with all those locking charms. But if she left the office on foot, she would have been an open target,� she reasoned. Harry was pacing in front of the kitchen.

“I don’t like this at all. It’s been a strange week- attacks on Muggleborns, Malfoy has a daughter who’s wanted by Death Eaters- and Hermione likes Malfoy- and now she’s gone. And just a few minutes ago, Ron and I were hit with some kind of intense…,� Harry faltered. Ginny’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, what was that?� Ron asked again.

“It was like a power surge,� Harry explained. “And now the Dark Mark- which we haven’t seen in two years- is floating above us!� he finished.

Ginny strode over to the fireplace. After lighting a fire, she reached for the Floo Powder. Before throwing it into the flames, she turned back Harry and Ron. She took a deep breath.

“Both of you, listen to me. Hermione is clearly in trouble. Go out and look in the hallway and foyer- the Dark Mark is here and not at home and she wasn’t attacked in this office- meaning she was taken here in the building or someplace very close by. See what you can find. I’m going to explain what we know to Dumbledore. I’m sure he’ll alert the Order. Then I’m taking Hermione’s notes back to Headquarters. I’ll meet you both there,� she charged. She turned and resumed her task at the fire. Harry and Ron quickly walked out of the office to investigate the rest of the building.

------------
As soon as he recovered from the initial shock of the charge, Draco bounded up the stairs to where he could hear his daughter crying. Mrs. Weasley was kneeling on the floor next Louisa, holding her close and trying to soothe the child’s cries.

“I don’t know what happened, Draco. One minute we were looking through these old photographs, and the next, Louisa was rolling on the floor, screaming like a banshee,� the older witch explained in a quavering voice. Gently, Draco took the child out of her arms.

“Louisa, shush, shush,� he crooned. “What happened, love?� he whispered. Louisa opened her tear-swollen eyes. Her breathing was still raspy but her sobs had subsided.

“You felt it, too, Daddy. Hermione called to us- she’s in trouble- she’s scared- I could see her laying there on the floor,� she breathed. Draco felt his chest constrict a bit.

“What do you mean, you saw her?� he asked, looking closely at his daughter. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. When she opened them, he noticed that her gray eyes had lost their brightness to a dull hazy glaze.

“She was laying in the floor- she was trying to come back to us. But she couldn’t- she’s afraid- and she’s alone right now. It’s very cold where she is- and it’s the same place that they took me- like a basement. She reached out to us- to me, you, and Harry and Ron,� she droned in a sleepy voice. Then she blinked her eyes a few times and the brightness returned.

Draco shuddered at what he’d heard and pulled his daughter close to him. He looked up into the concerned eyes of Mrs. Weasley.

“Well, I think we should probably go downstairs and discuss this further,� came the clear voice of Albus Dumbledore. Draco stood, Louisa still in his arms.

“Dumbledore,� he said, feeling a sudden rush of hope at seeing his old Headmaster.

Mrs. Weasley stood, “Come along, Louisa. Let’s get back to these pictures, dear,� she said in a warm tone.

“Molly, we need Louisa. I believe she may be able to help us find Hermione.� With that, the old wizard turned around, leaving three puzzled faces behind him.

“Wake up, Mudblood!�

Hermione groaned as she felt a foot violently collide with her ribs. She jerked her eyes open and forced herself to sit up. She fought a wave of nausea from the rapid movement. Looking up, she was momentarily blinded by bright wandlight.

“She was really out cold. What’d you do to her, Parkinson?� came a squeaky male voice.

“Nothing, of course. I’m not stupid, you know,� she snidely replied.

Hermione’s eyes slowly adjusted to the light. She’d recognized Pansy’s voice before she’d seen her but hadn’t been able to place the male voice. Suddenly, the man kneeled down before her and leered into her face.

“Hullo, Hermione Granger. Recognize an old friend?� he taunted. Instinctively, Hermione moved backwards, only to find herself trapped against the dungeon wall.

“Peter Petigrew. Amazing that you’re still alive. I would have thought your usefulness was long since dried up,� Hermione croaked. Her raspy words hung ungracefully between them. But her mocking tone seemed to snap Peter back to life. With a swift movement, he backhanded her across the face.

Hermione slammed painfully against the wall, her tongue tasting blood in her mouth. She laughed at her two enraged captors standing in front of her, a plan formulating in her mind.

“Well, if that’s all there is maybe you two lackeys would be so kind as to let me get back to sleep,� Hermione said with a scornful grin.

Peter pulled his fist back to hit her once again though this time, Pansy stopped him.

“Listen to me, you filthy animal. You’re lucky right now. We’re not going to kill you- which is what you and all your kind deserve! No, your blood, as it turns out, has become rather valuable. So we need it all- every disgusting drop,� Pansy sneered.

Pansy was still holding onto Peter’s arm. He finally wrenched away from her grasp, though he continued to kneel in front of Hermione.

“What makes you think I won’t spill it myself, Parkinson?� Hermione asked.

“Because if you do, Granger, I will personally kill those you love the most,� Peter threatened. Hermione shuddered involuntarily, her mind racing with thoughts of Louisa and Draco.

Peter noticed her reaction and laughed.

“That’s right, be scared, witch. Because I'll kill Potter and even Weasley, my old keeper,� he said, still laughing. “All we have to do is let them know where you are- or rather, where we’d like them to look for you. Perfect, eh?� With that, he got to his feet.

Hermione forced herself to remain impassive until she could properly focus on the implications of what Peter had said. Another poorly wrapped food parcel and flask of liquid dropped into her lap.

“Eat up, Mudblood. You need your strength,� Pansy mocked. With a wave of her wand, a door materialized in the stone wall to Hermione’s right. It slowly creaked open and Hermione immediately identified the room’s usage by the foul smell now invading the dungeon.

Peter and Pansy both laughed at Hermione’s evident disgust.

“What’s a matter? Think you’re too filthy to use a pureblood’s toilet- even if it is for prisoners? Well, I agree with you, bitch- you are too repulsive for anything of mine!� Pansy cackled.

The stench was so overpowering that Hermione had to actively control her desire to wretch. She pushed the food parcels over to her side and moved onto her hands and knees, feeling the beginnings of dry heaves convulse in her chest. Her two captors were beside themselves with glee at her obvious discomfort.

“Ha! Know this, filth. You’ll have the chance to rise above your station,� Peter smirked. Hermione looked up at him, her dry heaves wracking her shoulders. He continued, snickering, “Your blood will bring back the Dark Lord. You should be honored!�

“Ron and Harry are too smart for you- and I promise I will spill my own blood before I let you use it for that murderer,� Hermione sputtered, between heaves. She was desperately fighting to regain control of her body.

Pansy gave her another brutal kick in the ribs. This time, Hermione distinctly felt a sharp crack. She rolled onto the floor, wrapping her arms protectively around her chest.

“I am the only one who will be draining your blood,� Pansy said, her tone now deadly calm. She grabbed Peter’s arm and steered him towards the door out of the dungeon. From her position on the floor, Hermione watched as Pansy muttered an unlocking charm. Before the door closed, Hermione heard Pansy complain sharply to Peter: “Let’s go, Wormtail. She- er – they will be here any minute now- and I don’t fancy keeping crazy people waiting!�

The door closed and Hermione was thrust back into darkness. As she lay on the floor, her mind reeled to understand all the information implicit in what Peter and Pansy had said.

Most importantly, they don’t know about my connection to Draco and Louisa- they thought Harry and Ron were the only people who make me vulnerable, she mused. She took deep breaths, trying to recall all that had been said. The stench was still overpowering, though, so taking deep breaths brought back waves of nausea. Slowly she got on all fours and crawled towards the bathroom. She closed the door and crawled away as quickly as she could manage. Finally, some of the foul air dissipated and she forced herself back into contemplation.

“Pansy said this was a pureblood’s toilet- that it was hers- and she knew the unlocking spell for the dungeon- this has got to be her house,� she whispered to herself. She sighed, her hands running over what she knew was a cracked rib.

What else? she thought, her tongue still tasting blood on her lips. My blood seems to be particularly important, she thought ruefully. Imagine that- Pansy Parkinson needs my ‘tainted blood’ to resurrect Voldemort. Hermione gasped. Her thoughts rushed in, crowding her mind- ancient birth ritual spells, Dumbledore’s theory about Louisa’s purpose, beautiful memories of the first night she saw Louisa, and darker recollections of a duel that left a huge bloody gash on her own arm.

“Oh!� she exclaimed into the oppressive blackness of the dungeon. For it all made sense. She knew then why her blood was needed.

Louisa was her child.

And to complete the resurrection, the blood of the mother would be needed once again.

She shrieked into the darkness, knowing what she now had to do to keep Louisa safe with Draco- and desperately hoping Harry and Ron would find her before it was too late.

“The Dark Mark?� Draco rasped, falling back onto the bench.

Harry eyed his former nemesis and schoolmate warily. He wanted desperately to believe that the blond man in front of him truly cared about Hermione- and truly had nothing to do with her disappearance. Despite years of loyalty to the Order, having both Dumbledore’s and Hermione’s faith, and his rather endearing relationship with his daughter, Harry was having a difficult time placing his full trust in Draco Malfoy. One look at Ron’s face convinced him that he wasn’t the only one struggling.

Sounds on the stairway jolted him out of his thoughts. Ginny bounded in, carrying Hermione’s worn leather briefcase- the same one that he and Ron had given to her for graduation. Seeing Hermione’s trademark accessory infused him with resolve about Malfoy.

“Malfoy,� Harry started. But before he could continue, Draco jumped up from the bench.

“I know what you’re thinking Potter- but you have to believe that I had nothing to do with this. I would never hurt Hermione. She means everything to me- I love her,� he cried dejectedly.

Several long moments passed as Ron looked from Draco to Harry. Giving Harry a small nod, he walked over to the Slytherin.

“Listen, Malfoy. We’re not accusing you of anything. True, it’s hard to put the past completely in the past- only a few days ago, you left Hermione tied up for us to find. She was hysterical. But she trusts you,� he paused. “Hermione trusts you. She obviously cares for you. And I believe you,� he finished quietly.

“I believe you, too,� Harry said.

Ginny now came forward. She had sensed that the three men had to work out their trust issues on their own. She walked to the table, opening the briefcase and taking out the stack of birth ritual notes.

“Well, now that we’re all agreed that everyone here loves Hermione and wants to help her,� she began briskly. “Draco, we need to go through Louisa’s birth and compare it to these spells. With a little luck, we can figure out what the Death Eaters are after. They must have realized that Hermione was close to discovering the truth- I can’t think of any other reason for them to take her- and not leave her for dead. There’s something that she has that they need,� she explained.

“I hadn’t thought about that,� Harry pondered. “They obviously took her for something.� The room was quiet as the four contemplated the stakes of Hermione’s abduction.

“They’ll kill her when they’re done,� Draco intoned. “We have to find out why she’s there.� He took a deep breath before he continued in a halting manner. “I wrote out all the details of Louisa’s birth as I remember them. The truth of the ritual is lost in a nightmare now. I can no longer tell the difference between what really happened and the horrors of my mind.�

Ginny picked up the parchment that lay in front of Draco. Her eyes quickly scanned the ghastly description of the ritual before she passed it along to Ron and Harry.

“Geez, Malfoy. That is disturbing,� Ron muttered, awkwardly. Harry just gaped at Draco, eyes still darting back to some of the lines on the parchment. Finally, both Ron and Harry sat down at the table, Harry next to Draco and Ron beside Ginny.

Harry found that he just couldn’t say anything to the man sitting next to him. Doing the only thing he could think of, he just put his arm around his shoulders. He felt Draco stiffen slightly before the blond looked at him in confusion.

“I’m sorry, Malfoy. I didn’t know,� Harry said. Draco just nodded, giving him a grateful look and Harry dropped his arm.

Ginny took out some spare parchment, a quill, and ink from Hermione’s briefcase. She looked up at the three expectantly.

“Well, we need to outline the ritual now and compare it to Hermione’s notes,� she charged. For the next 20 minutes, the four carefully dissected Draco’s dream into specific steps. When they finished that task, Ginny handed them several sets of notes.

“Look through each of these and see if anything comes close,� she instructed.

Draco took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. It was difficult- not only was he desperately worried about Hermione but he was also extremely unsettled by what was happening in the next room. Dumbledore was currently schooling Louisa on how to reign in her thoughts into his Pensieve. Draco assumed that the whole process might be a bit overwhelming for the child, though he implicitly trusted the old wizard. Mrs. Weasley was also with his daughter. He felt slightly relieved by the older woman’s presence because he knew she’d be keeping a watchful eye on Louisa, making sure that she wasn’t pushed too harshly.

Taking another deep breath, he returned to the text in front of him. With his finger, he absently traced some of the neat blocky script of Hermione’s handwritten notes. He wasn’t aware of the small sigh that escaped his mouth nor did he notice the three persons now looking at him, with mixtures of sympathy and amazement on each of their faces.

After more than two hours of quiet reading, Draco gasped out loud. The others quickly looked up at him, placing their own stacks of notes down on the table.

“This is it. I think this is the one,� Draco exclaimed. Ginny took the parchment, noted Hermione’s referencing citation and hurriedly called up the original spell from her friend’s charmed book. The three men watched in fascination as the book in Ginny’s hands slowly transformed into a much heavier and older text.

“Transcending Birth and Death,� she breathed. She carefully opened the ancient volume- one could never be too careful with magical books, after all. Quick glances at some of the illustrations throughout the text assured them that they were indeed dealing with the Dark Arts. Ginny shuddered at a particularly gruesome rendering of someone on the edge of the death.

“Okay, Hermione’s notes say it’s this one,� she started. “The Spell of Resurrection.� Ron gulped while Harry and Draco both looked agitated. She continued her reading.

“According to the spell’s history, this ritual hasn’t been used in centuries- and this book is already quite old,� she said, pausing to look up from her reading. “The ritual is for creating a life to anchor someone else to the mortal plane- meaning that as long as the new life existed, the other one would, too,� she paused again, quickly reading ahead. “That is, the other being is anchored to the created life until he can supplant himself into the new person,� she stopped, letting the implications of her words sink in. “The spell calls for ‘the essence of the spellcastor’s kindred and the blood of his enemy.’ And then the spellcastor must imbibe some of his own powers into the new life- not only just to bring forth the new life, either. Thus, when the spellcastor takes over the new life, he can resurrect himself in all of his former glory- the powers lay dormant within the new life, awaiting the completion of the ritual.� She stopped then, putting down the book with trembling hands.

“What is it, Ginny? What’s the rest say? What’s the completion?� Ron demanded.

With a quavering voice, Ginny said, “One of the parents must die to complete the resurrection- either the essence is fully removed from the kindred or the blood is drained completely from the enemy!�

Harry and Ron looked puzzled as Ginny wept into her hands.

“It’s her. That’s why they took her. Her blood…her blood…it’s her blood!� Draco shouted.

“It is, indeed, Draco.� All four looked up into the solemn blue eyes of their former Headmaster.

“Louisa is Hermione’s child. Hermione’s blood will thus complete the Ritual of Resurrection, bringing about Voldemort’s embodiment in Louisa,� he pronounced.

Shocked silence met Dumbledore’s words.

“How can we stop this?� Draco asked, wretchedly.

“We must remove the treat,� the older wizard stated, simply.

“Wait a minute- what do you mean, remove the threat?� Harry bellowed. “We can’t kill either Hermione or Malfoy or even Louisa just to stop the ritual- those just aren’t options!�

“I quite agree, Harry. There must be other ways.� Dumbledore calmly responded.

Her hands still shaking, Ginny picked back up the text and reread the passage. “The essence of my kindred and the blood of my enemy,� she read. “Draco, are you related to Voldemort?�

Draco looked at her dumbly, “No. Not that I know of..�

“Yeah, I always thought Voldemort had no blood heir,� Harry interrupted.

“So perhaps because I am my Father’s son,� Draco spat out. “And he was certainly as close to the Dark Lord as he could be!�

“Well, that explains the kindred- but what of the ‘blood of the enemy’?� Ginny posed. “Was it because Hermione was your enemy or Voldemort’s?�

“Now that is an interesting question, Ginny,� Dumbledore interjected.

“Because Hermione is no longer your enemy,� Harry rushed. “Will that remove the threat?�

“I don’t know,� Dumbledore answered, now wearily taking a seat at the table.

Draco looked up at the older wizard, for the first time understanding that he must be finished with Louisa.

“What did Louisa know?� Draco asked.

“What do you mean?� Harry asked. “What about Louisa?�

Dumbledore held up a hand to stymie further questions.

“Louisa has all the makings of a Seer- just like your mother, Draco,� he began. “But it takes years of mental training to hone that gift. I simply helped Louisa congregate her memories into coherent thoughts which could then be placed into the Pensieve.� He paused, giving each of the four a sweeping look before continuing. “But before we get into that, I suggest that we all take a break and enjoy some of Mrs. Weasley’s cooking. We will need our strength to understand Louisa’s visions.�

All four looked mutinous at Dumbledore’s request.

“I assure you that Hermione is not in any immediate danger. They will have to keep her alive and relatively unscathed to perform the ritual. Furthermore, they cannot complete the ritual without Louisa- and since she is here with us, I suggest we use this time to gather our resources. If we are to help Hermione, we will need all that we have to give,� he finished.

Disclaimer: JKR, the Brilliant, owns the HP universe- not me!

Draco took Louisa’s hand and guided her out of the kitchen. He was thankful for both Dumbledore’s and Mrs. Weasley’s insistence that everyone take a much-needed break before dinner. Though he was desperate to help Hermione, he was worried about Louisa and exhausted from the birth ritual research. He hoped that Dumbledore was right- that Hermione wasn’t in any immediate danger.

“Daddy, we can’t go to the park, can we?� Louisa’s voice startled him out of his reverie. Draco looked down at his daughter- not just my daughter- but Hermione’s, as well, he thought. He knelt down in front of her to be at eye level.

“No, dearest. It’s just not safe right now. But soon, I’ll take you to the park, okay?� he promised. Louisa’s pensive expression slowly altered into a more relieved one.

“She’ll come with us, too,� she replied. It wasn’t a question. Draco looked sharply at Louisa. He pulled his child into his arms, breathing in her wonderful smell. He was always surprised at how such a simple act could be so soothing.

“Yes, Louisa, I want that, too. I want Hermione to be with us,� he said, his face buried in her golden brown curls. Giving her a last squeeze, he broke away from the embrace. He remained kneeling and gazed at his daughter.

“You look so much like her. I don’t know how I never saw it before, Louisa,� he murmured, gently pulling one of her curls out from behind her ear. At this, Louisa’s small smile grew into her signature toothy grin.

“Hermione is beautiful. So I will be beautiful, too, when I grow up,� she proclaimed. Draco chuckled softly at her enthusiasm. He stood and then opened the door to their suite. As soon as the two were inside, he lit a warm cheery fire in the grate. Wearily, he sat down in the armchair in front of the fire. He waited a few minutes to allow Louisa time enough to freshen up. When she walked back into the common room, he held out his arms to her.

“Louisa, come sit with me,� he prompted. She crossed the room and stood at his side.

“You want to talk about Hermione, don’t you? About how she is my mother?� she asked, looking deeply at him. Once again, he was touched by her perceptiveness.

“Yes, love. I just want to know how you feel about all of this. I can imagine that this must be shocking to you- it certainly is to me,� he started. Louisa sat down in the armchair across from Draco’s.

“Well, I feel rather strange about it, Daddy. For one, when I realized that Hermione is my mother- I wasn’t surprised. It was like I already knew that she was- but didn’t know that I knew it,� she paused and looked up at him. “Does that make sense?� Draco nodded his head, wanting her to continue.

“I only feel strange because I think I should have been surprised- or even shocked, like you said. But I’m not. And what I feel about her- what I feel is… I just want her back, Daddy. I feel very sad that she’s not here. And I’m worried about her because of the message she sent to us. She’s scared right now,� she paused again, her brow furrowing. She seemed lost in her own thoughts as she gazed into the fire.

“I feel guilty, too. If Hermione hadn’t been taken, we might not have figured out that she's my mother. If I hadn’t been taken, that might not have happened either. So, all of the horrible dangerous mess has brought me something that I’ve wanted for so long. I’m scared for Hermione- but … well, I don’t know how to say it… I guess I’m not sorry that all of this happened,� she sighed. They both sat there in silence for several long minutes.

“I understand, love,� Draco said at last. He leaned forward and took her small hands in his own. Louisa stood up from her chair, yawning. She gave Draco a quick kiss on the cheek and then headed into her room. Draco continued to sit in front of the fire, watching the flickering flames.

Draco’s thoughts were a jumbled riot. Unlike Louisa, he was quite shocked upon realizing that Hermione was the mother of his child. He’d grown so used to the likelihood of Louisa’s mother being dead that he’d been blind to the obvious truth. Louisa looked and even acted so much like Hermione. The two were so clearly connected, as well. He closed his eyes and recalled how Hermione had taken Louisa into her arms when they’d showed up in the doorway of 12 Grimmauld Place. Seeing them together had felt so intrinsically right. Also, whereas he, Harry, and Ron, had felt a surge of emotions, Louisa had been able to identify a clear message from Hermione.

Had that only happened a bit earlier today? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

He tried to put his thoughts and feelings into some kind of coherence. While he was still astonished that Hermione was Louisa’s mother, he couldn’t help but to feel excited at the revelation. He and Hermione were parents! He remembered their kiss from the night before. He had already known that he loved her. His love, coupled with the passion he felt from their kiss, and now the knowledge that they shared a child together was threatening to consume him.

She’s mine, he thought.

“No, she’s our’s,� he said, thinking of his daughter.

Draco knew that Hermione was indeed bound to him and Louisa. She’d said as much to him already. Louisa seemed to know it, as well. Now he felt their ties so deeply that he was almost frightened at the intensity that was welled up inside of him. He had to get Hermione back- now that he’d finally seen his true family, he was not going to let anything happen to either his daughter or the woman he loved.

He took a deep breath, formulating the beginnings of a plan. He’d need to visit a few ‘old friends.’ Surely, he could dredge up some information regarding the resurrection of the Dark Lord! The remaining Death Eaters could be counted on to be sloppy in their excitement. He was certain he’d be able to glean some of the details.

Only he didn’t know any of the current remaining Death Eaters- the known criminals were all imprisoned. They’d been questioned extensively on the identities of any other Death Eaters. He sighed, knowing that they’d probably be of no use.

Who else is there? he wondered. Peter Petigrew was still at large. He could think of no one else. Though many of his family’s acquaintances were no fans of Muggle-borns, he highly doubted their allegiance to the fallen Dark Lord. He laughed aloud at the thought of Pansy Parkinson as a Death Eater.

“She’s just too stupid,� he muttered.

Just then, he heard a tapping on the window. He looked over to see one of the large regal Malfoy owls. He quickly crossed the room to open the window. He relieved the owl of its letter and watched as the bird sailed off into the evening sky.

“Mother,� he groaned. Quickly he ripped open the ostentatious Malfoy seal.

Draco, my son,

Please come to me as soon as you read this letter. I need you here with me. Your father has told me everything. We both must discuss this with you.

Narcissa

Draco sighed. His mother was clearly around the bend. Though he had no real love left for his mother, he did feel pity for her. Lucius had always been so cruel with her. Though he’d never actually seen his father raise a hand to his mother, he knew that she’d suffered psychological blows throughout their marriage. Instead of feeling relief at Lucius’s death, Narcissa had been devastated. Shortly after Lucius had been buried, she’d began to claim that she’d been talking with him. Her drinking had increased, too. Draco knew she was crazy and thus had committed himself to helping her as much as he could. She was his mother, after all. And Malfoys didn’t abandon each other. So he kept her at home and out of St. Mungo’s, against her doctors’ wishes.

Quickly he rolled up the parchment and threw it into the fire. As he watched the paper blacken, he mused about his options. Dumbledore had expressly told him not to leave the Order Headquarters. Though he knew that he wasn’t safe, he also doubted that the Death Eaters would come after him now that they had Hermione. He knew that the Death Eaters would be looking for Louisa and thus, not him. As long as Louisa remained hidden here at 12 Grimmauld Place, he was certain she’d be safe. He was also confident that Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley- and indeed any of the other Order members- would keep her out of harm’s way.

He also knew that he couldn’t remain on the sidelines any longer, waiting for something to happen. He was so close to having both Hermione and Louisa- he was not going to allow anyone to steal either of them away. With Louisa safe, he felt like he could go and look for Hermione.

He could start with Narcissa. Though the woman was insane, she may have heard some news that might indicate the Death Eaters’ plans. Plus, Malfoy Manor was just as safe as 12 Grimmauld Place, he reasoned. It was unplottable and one could only get the address from the Secret Keeper. Since his father had died, he had become the Secret Keeper. Thus, he knew all of the persons with access to the Manor. It’d be a safe place to start snooping.

He stood and stretched his long limbs in front of the warm fire. He finally felt some resolve instead of just helplessness.

What had Dumbledore said? he mused. That I must do as I see fit? Yes, that’s it. Draco smiled a bit as he realized that the Headmaster must have known that he would need to leave to help Hermione.

Tonight, he thought. Tonight, after we look at Louisa’s thoughts in the Pensieve- I’ll go to Malfoy Manor and see what I can find out. I’ll be back before anyone even knows that I’m gone.

He heard sounds of life down the hall. Their break was over. It was time to awaken Louisa and go downstairs for supper.

-------------------

“My love, do you really think he will come?� a female voice cooed into the gloomy darkness.

“Of course he will,� a male voice retorted.

“Now take me to see her- the vile mudblood mother,� he ordered.

The female voice only whimpered in response before Disapparating into the night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter- that’s all JKR, of course!

Draco fought the urge to vomit Mrs. Weasley’s excellent dinner. He wished he could at least lean against a wall for support. But that wouldn’t be an option at the moment. After several long seconds of motion sickness, he finally felt as though he was standing on solid ground. It was dark, though, and he couldn’t see where he was.

It was also very quiet. He forced himself to listen closely. He could just make out labored breathing- as well as footsteps approaching from somewhere not so far away.

“Lumos,� came a man’s voice just outside the room that he was standing in. A door slowly creaked open at the far end of the room. A blinding light filled the darkened space. He quickly shielded his now light-sensitive eyes from the light.

Where is this? he wondered. He felt as though there was something he should be remembering right now- something just at the edge of his memory. He was here for a purpose.

“So this is the child,� came a different man’s voice.

I know that voice, Draco thought. But he was still unable to find any coherence in his thoughts and his surroundings.

The other man laughed. It was a cruel watery sound.

Draco’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the light. He couldn’t see who was behind the light. So he turned to look in the same direction in which the two men were looking.

“Louisa!� he shouted, running to his child’s prone body. He kneeled in front of her, noting her dirty clothes and scratched face. He tried to take her hand but he couldn’t seem to grasp it.

He fought another wave of nausea as he watched his hand glide completely through her own.

“Louisa! Look at me!� again he shouted. Her eyes fluttered open and he could clearly see fear in them. But they weren’t focused on him. Rather, she now raised a hand to shield them from the bright light.

“Daddy,� she breathed.

“I’m right here, love. Right here…. Look at me, Louisa,� Draco cried. But the child closed her eyes again and stifled a sob.

“Daddy, where are you?� she whimpered. Draco felt as though his heart was going to burst. He again became aware of the two men behind him. They had been laughing about something, but he hadn’t been able to make out their words. He had been entirely focused on Louisa.

Movement from his daughter made him turn back to her. She was trying to sit up now.

“Now where do you think you’re going, little one?� leered one of the men.

“You leave her alone!� Draco bellowed. Swiftly, he was up, charging towards the two men. But where he should have collided with their bodies, there was nothing. He felt consumed with helplessness as he whirled around, trying to understand why he couldn’t protect his child.

He looked at the two men. He was behind them now. The strong wand light was cloaking them in a silhouette and he couldn’t discern their features. He moved closer to them. It was as if his vision was clouded. The two figures were just too hazy to see clearly. But there was something odd about them- if only he could put his finger on it.

Just then, he felt a very real hand on his shoulder. Startled, he turned away from the two figures and his daughter and looked directly into the clear emerald green eyes of Harry Potter.

“What?� Draco mumbled. He felt like he would swoon from all the strangeness of the situation.

“Malfoy? Malfoy, are you okay?� Harry asked. When Draco said nothing, Harry continued, “We’re in the Pensieve, remember? These are Louisa’s memories.�

Draco looked past Harry then to see Ron and Ginny. He felt as thought he was beginning to wake up from a dream. He forced his weary mind to concentrate on Harry’s words.

Before he could get any clarity, he heard one of the men shout, “Stupefy!� He turned back around to see Louisa hurled against the ground.

“Louisa!� He ran back to his daughter’s side. She was even more rumpled and now unconscious. With murder in his eyes, he again ran at the two men, who had begun laughing again.

“Malfoy!� Ginny shouted, as Ron and Harry both grabbed Draco’s arms.

“It won’t do any good,� she reasoned. “These are memories. We have to pay attention to what Louisa saw here.� She paused to be sure that Draco was listening to her. “She’s okay, you know. She’s currently sitting in the kitchen back at Headquarters, waiting for us. And we’re in her thoughts- in the Pensieve.�

A rush of thoughts hit Draco and he slumped a bit in Harry and Ron’s hold. He shrugged them off and took a few steps away.

The four continued to watch as the two indistinct figures retreated from the room. They were speaking in muddled words. Draco struggled to understand them.

“Why can’t we hear them?� he asked, frustration in voice.

“Because she couldn’t hear them,� Harry explained. The other three turned towards him then. After all, he was the only one with any experience being in a Pensieve.

“We felt what she felt- we saw what she could see- and we only heard what she could hear. That’s why we were so discombobulated at first, too. We experienced some of her portkey travel and her fear.� He paused. “Now what happened here?� he asked, looking at each of them.

“I’m almost positive that one of those men was Peter Petigrew,� Ron piped. Harry nodded his head in agreement.

“Anything else?� Harry queried.

“This place is oddly familiar to me,� Draco started. “And I know that other man’s voice, too- but it seems off somehow- and I just can’t remember to whom it belongs,� he crooned, his eyes back on his daughter’s unconscious form.

“Yeah- I thought his voice was familiar, too,� Harry added. “Though I don’t recognize this place at all. Interesting that you do…�

“Did either of you notice anything odd about the appearance of the two men?� Ginny asked.

“Now that you mention it, only one of them was really shaped like a grown man- the other was much smaller or maybe thinner,� Ron replied.

“I thought the same,� Ginny agreed. Harry was nodding his head, too.

Draco thought of the two figures again- trying to remember how they had looked when he was next to Louisa as well as when he ran behind them. He had noticed something then, too. He strained to recall what he had previously been unable to identify.

“It was a woman! The second figure wasn’t a man at all- and she had the voice that I couldn’t place, too,� Draco groaned. “None of this makes any sense!�

Before anyone could respond to this admission, their surroundings began to whirl. A few seconds later, Draco could hear footsteps again.

He turned his head to where the door should be. He only saw an obscure wave of light. He heard the footsteps coming closer to where he was standing.

“Enervate,� came the voice of Peter Petigrew. The world around him came more sharply into focus. He could clearly see Petigrew now hovering over Louisa, his wand still pointed at her chest. Draco fought the urge to pummel the man, recognizing the futility of the action. He continued to watch the two, his fists clinched together.

Louisa had jumped up and was backing away from Petigrew. He jeered at her. It seemed to Draco that something had snapped in the face of his daughter. He watched as the smoothness of her childish forehead was replaced by highly arched eyebrows. He saw a smoldering blaze ignite in her gray eyes. He shuddered- he had never seen such a look on the face of his daughter.

With a quick lunge, she had rushed Petigrew- kicking him with more energy than a five year old should reasonably be able to muster. Petigrew was thrown off guard. He had been squatting next to the child- now he had toppled over onto the dungeon floor. Louisa continued to kick at his chest. Draco heard a sharp snap and then Petigrew’s wince of pain. With a surge of pride, Draco realized that his daughter had indeed broken one of the man’s ribs!

“Enough! Quit playing, Peter. Get the blood!� came a woman’s voice. Draco whirled around to the forgotten second person. She was standing in the darkness and he couldn’t see her. But her voice- it was unmistakable. His anger was surging and he tasted bile in the back of his throat. She was laughing now.

Draco turned back to his daughter. Petigrew was on his feet now. He had reached into his robes to pull out a knife and a glass vial. Louisa shrieked in horror and quickly turned to run. But Petigrew had already gripped her arm. Draco recoiled at the roughness with which his daughter was being restrained.

“Petrificus Totalus,� the woman’s voice said, lazily. Draco watched in horror as Louisa’s body became instantly rigid. He heard her hit the ground with a loud thump. Petigrew advanced on her then, drawing the knife. Quickly he sliced into her forearm and then held the vial underneath her dripping wound.

Draco could barely contain his anger- only when he felt Harry’s hand on his shoulder did he remember that his daughter was currently safe.

He watched as Petigrew continued to collect Louisa’s blood. But then he had to shield his eyes from the increasing brightness of light.

Where was it coming from? He forced himself to look back at the now blindingly bright light. It was Louisa- she was engulfed in dazzling red and gold flames of light. Petigrew had already shrunk away from the child.

Draco heard a loud crack- very much like a gunshot and Louisa vanished. Then he saw himself in Hermione’s arms, lying on Louisa’s bed before he again felt his surroundings spin.

A scant second later, he felt his feet come to rest on something solid. It was completely dark but Draco had the feeling that he was back in the same dungeon. He could hear Harry, Ron, and Ginny somewhere close by, though he could not see them.

He felt drawn to something in front of him. Hesitatingly, he let himself follow the pull. He knelt down on the ground. He reached out with his hands, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to touch anything. He couldn’t help it- he felt a strong magnetism towards….

“Hermione!� he breathed.

“What? Where is she?� Harry called.

“I can’t see her but I know she’s here in front of me. I can feel it,� Draco answered. He leaned down towards what he knew to be form of his beloved.

“Hermione,� he whispered. He could hear her soft even breathing now. He didn’t think she was asleep. Rather it sounded as if she was deep in meditation. As if from far away, he recalled that she had tried to reach out to all of them.

“We must be in Louisa’s vision- when Hermione tried to communicate with us,� he said to the three standing somewhere behind him.

He continued to look down into the inky blackness, listening to her deep breaths.

“Harry, Ron…� came her faint voice. Draco heard the shuffle of feet and knew that the other three had moved closer at the sounds of their names.

She continued to breath ever deeply.

“Harry, Ron…� she mumbled again. Then silence. Then came a deeper throaty breath, “Draco… Louisa!� she cried.

Involuntarily, Draco moved back as her raspy voice filled the dungeon.

Even as he did, he became aware of warmth and a small surge of light. There, just inches away from him, Hermione lay, glowing as if lit with an inner fire.

Her eyes had flown open and Draco could see that she was crying.

“Draco, Louisa,� she said again, strongly. “Find me!� she wailed. The light within her had reached a feverish pitch. The room was swelteringly hot now. He could see Hermione slipping into unconsciousness as the room once again gave a frightful lurch.

This time there was no solid ground on which to stand. Draco felt totally disembodied. He tried to look down at himself and was shocked to see nothing. He looked all around him for the others but again saw nothing.

“Ginny? Ron? Malfoy? Are you there?� Harry’s voice echoed.

“This is weird,� Ron responded.

“I’m here, too,� Ginny answered.

“Can anyone see anything?� Draco asked.

“No, not even myself!� Ron grimaced nervously.

Draco looked ahead and saw nothing but swirling grayish mists.

Slowly, the mists seemed to dissipate. He could just make out a darkened room.

“It’s the foyer of Hermione’s office building!� Ginny cried.

He could hear the foggy sounds of someone approaching the foyer. Before he could even identify the person, he heard a clear female voice ring out, “Stupefy!�

The mists returned. Seconds later he saw flashes of a fireplace as Dumbledore stepped out. More mists, then he was watching himself and Hermione, sitting at the kitchen table of 12 Grimmauld Place- he was leaning into her, about to kiss her lips. The mists returned. This time he saw nothing but felt Hermione’s presence. With certainty, he knew that she was safe, though very sad- and also resigned to do something that frightened her. The mists evaporated again, he averted his eyes as he saw a huge fire. He felt consumed by it, as if he was standing within it. He caught his breath and struggled to keep looking at his surroundings. Now the images were flashing at an alarming rate- he strained to take in and catalog each one. His mother and father loomed before him- both wearing sinister expressions and laughing. He saw Hermione again, lying in a heap on the floor. He saw himself, though much older, holding a small child in his arms. Then there was nothing, not even the swirling gray mists- just laughing, familiar cackling, harsh empty bellows, and soft gentle laughing. He felt as though he might drown in the sounds.

“Daddy?� he heard her voice from far away.

“Daddy?� the voice was more insistent now. With a huge effort, he opened his eyes. Louisa was kneeling over him, concern shining in her brilliant gray eyes. Slowly, he hauled himself up to a sitting position. His head was pounding.

Someone handed him a glass of clear liquid. He downed it in one gulp and instantly felt a refreshing coolness trickle over his brain. He opened his eyes more fully this time, taking in his surroundings.

His was on the floor of the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place. He looked around the room. Harry was standing, but leaning alongside the hearth. Ginny was propped up against the stove. Ron was still lying on the floor where Mrs. Weasley was tending to him.

“I suppose I should have warned you,� Dumbledore began. “It takes a disciplined mind to preserve one’s memories in the Pensieve though Louisa proved to be an apt learner. But it takes a great deal more skill than I possess to organize the visions of a Seer. I’m afraid I’m not the best teacher for that,� he chuckled softly.

“Now, we must discuss what you have seen. The rest of the Order members will be here within the hour. It is my hope that we can form a plan before then,� Dumbledore finished.

“I know where she is,� Draco said, with a certainty that even surprised him. “And I know who has her- and if we don’t hurry, I know what Hermione will do…� his voice faltering slightly, “I know what she’ll do to protect Louisa.�

Disclaimer: Not JKR- so I don’t own HP!

Hermione tried to mentally brace herself as she heard the approaching footsteps and voices. She knew that they would be coming for her soon. They needed her blood- all of it- to complete the Ritual of Resurrection. But she was sure that they also needed Louisa.

“And Louisa is at the Order Headquarters- she should be safe,� Hermione mumbled in an attempt to reassure herself. She was certain that Draco would keep Louisa out of danger- for that matter, she knew that Harry, Ron, Ginny, Dumbledore and any of the Order members would protect the child. If for no other reason, they’d guard the child because she is an innocent. But she hoped that they had figured out why Louisa had been a specific target of Voldemort’s- she desperately hoped that they had worked out the details of the Ritual of Resurrection. Surely Ginny would have known to look in her briefcase. If they found her birth ritual notes, there would have been a good chance that they’d identify the correct spell.

And then they might realize what has to be done to remove the threat, she thought, shuddering. There were precious few options available to her now to protect Louisa. And without Draco, there was only one thing that she could still do.

But I’ll wait as long as I can, she sighed, before I do that.

The door creaked open. Once again, Hermione shielded her eyes from the blindingly bright wand light. She listened carefully as whoever it was made their way over to her. She could only hear one set of footsteps but she had been certain that she’d heard more than one voice.

“Well, well, Mudblood. We meet again,� came a bizarrely familiar drawl.

Hermione kept silent though she vainly tried to look past the light to see the speaker.

“I’m glad to see that you’ve kept yourself alive and well,� sneered the person. Hermione thought that the speaker must be a man- yet there was something odd about the voice- something she couldn’t quite place.

“I myself prevented your death- countless times, you filthy bitch.� The speaker paused and then walked a bit closer to Hermione. “It really is quite amazing that something so polluted as your blood has turned out to be so invaluable!� She heard high-pitched laughter, as if the speaker was deliriously amused at his own joke.

“You’ll never have my blood,� Hermione said in a quiet but firm voice. She heard a sharp intake of brief.

Crack! The speaker’s hand shot out faster than Hermione could duck. She felt a small hard fist collide against her jaw. Rings cut into her face. She fell back against the floor.

“Vile filth, how dare you talk back to me!�

Hermione lay on the floor, clutching her throbbing cheek in her hand. She struggled to keep her thoughts clear. She had to find out if they had Louisa.

“Why do you need my tainted blood anyway?� she taunted.

The scornful laughter returned. Hermione wandered if the person would really tell her anything useful.

“You should be honored, Mudblood. I require your contaminated blood to do my Master’s work. You see, you will restore my Lord. And when he returns, we will continue his noble work- weeding out the weak mudbloods and half-bloods- but don’t you worry, I do think I will personally kill those whom you love the most,� he mocked.

Unbidden, Draco and Louisa’s faces flashed in her mind. The laughter became cruel and harsh.

“Potter and Weasley, of course. But also your base Muggle parents. Know this, I will wipe out your entire line, Mudblood. And that includes the Abomination!�

Hermione stifled the gasp. This was the first she’d heard of Louisa!

“Abomination? My line?� she asked doubtfully, hoping the man would take her bait.

She could hear the man taking deep furious breaths.

“Stupid girl! It is not for me to question the ways of my Lord,� the man answered, somewhat hesitantly. But then he continued, in jeering tones, “You will already be dead, of course. But I can assure you that I will take great pleasure in killing the atrocity that resulted from your dirty blood and my son!�

Hermione felt suddenly winded as though she had been hit again.

“Who are you?� she screamed.

But she was met with only the hateful mocking laughter. She heard the man turn away from her and walk towards the door.

“Save your strength. Tonight you will bleed- my Lord will rise- and my son will be free,� he said as he walked out of the dungeon.

Hermione’s mind was reeling. Tonight! She tried hard to think about what time of day it could be. She had been fairly sure that Parkinson brought her food in the morning. She felt reasonably certain that that had been hours ago as she had long since visited the filthy toilet and was now extremely hungry once again.

I only have a short time if I’m to do what I have to do, she realized miserably.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the unforgiving stone wall. Now that she was resigned to the only course of action left to her, she knew she had to figure out the rest of what the man had said. Then she would try one more time to warn Draco and the others with wandless magic. That was all she had left now.

Unchecked, tears streamed down her face.

------------------------------

Draco Apparated in front of the gates of Malfoy Manor. He had been there less than a few seconds when the gates opened. Purposefully, he walked up the long driveway.

His mother had answered his owl immediately, confirming that she was expecting his arrival just now.

He calmly walked up to the front entrance. He waited a few seconds for the door to be opened. When it wasn’t, he pulled out his wand and opened it himself.

“Draco, darling, is that you?� came his mother’s voice from down the long darkened hallway.

Feeling somewhat relieved, he answered, “Yes, Mother.� He strode towards the library, where he assumed she’d be waiting.

She was laying on the chaise lounge, her most elegant dress robes fanned about her. Her hair was done up in an elaborate fashion and she was bedecked in some of her finest jewelry. He was instantly suspicious of her immaculate appearance.

“Mother, you look very nice this evening. You haven’t tricked me into another dinner party, have you?� he asked in what he hoped was a gentle joking manner.

“Oh, Draco, dear, you think you can see straight through me, don’t you?� she laughed.

He sat down across from her, eyeing her closely, as she continued to laugh.

“Mother?� he pressed when her laughter had taken on a hysterical note.

“Mother!� he said, more harshly. She stopped abruptly.

“Well, my love. Tonight, as it seems, is a special night,� she replied with a gleam in her eyes. She leaned even more languorously into her chair.

“Be a dear and bring me a drink,� she commanded.

Draco said nothing but rose from his chair and fixed her a drink. He handed her a strong concoction of firewhiskey and chocolate liquor before returning to his own seat.

“What? None for you?� she asked innocently.

“Not tonight, Mother. Now what is this about? Why did you summon me here? You said it was urgent,� he prompted.

Narcissa didn’t look at him. She ran a long bejeweled finger across the rim of her glass. Slowly, she dipped her finger into the liquid. With nearly obscene sensuousness, she leisurely licked the strong alcohol off of her finger.

“Very well,� she said, her fingers now gently caressing her full bottom lip. She closed her eyes, her breaths coming quick and shallowly.

“Mmm…. I love it when you do that,� she moaned softly, as her fingers now trailed along her jaw line and then ever so slowly down her neck.

Draco shifted back in his chair. He had quickly surmised that his mother’s behavior had taken a decided turn for the worse. He was feeling extremely uncomfortable in the increasingly warm room.

“Mother?�

Narcissa’s eyes snapped open, her usually pale face now flushed.

“Open the box on the mantle- the little red one,� she barked.

Draco started at her rapid change in mood. More out of incredible curiosity than anything else, he stood up and walked to mantle. He saw the box immediately. Taking it in his hand, he returned to his chair.

Narcissa raised herself just slightly. She was watching him intently.

He turned the box over in his hand. It was small, just large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. It was truly a magnificent artifact. The gleaming cherry wood seemed ancient. Draco wondered why he’d never seen it before. After giving it a quick but thorough examination, he gingerly opened the box. There among deep folds of black velvet sat an exquisite ring. Reverently, he took the ring out of the box.

It was delicately designed, with an intricately patterned filigree. It was silver in color though he could tell by touch that the metal was much softer- most likely platinum. A lovely sparkling diamond was inlaid in the front of the ring. He’d really never seen anything quite like it. It was so beautiful that it nearly left him breathless.

Then he noticed something else- something like a quiet humming. He deduced that the ring itself was giving off some sort of magical energy. It was quiet but powerful, nonetheless. Hastily, he put the ring back in the box, though he left the lid open. He finally returned his gaze to his mother’s expectant face.

But his mother wasn’t looking at him- rather it was no longer his mother’s face.

A deep rich yet hollow laughter filled the massive space of the library. It was strangely familiar and yet off-putting. He recognized it immediately.

“Lucius,� he said, quietly.

“About time, boy,� came his father’s voice.

Draco regarded the person in front of him. His mother’s body was very clearly still there. Yet it had somehow changed- he could see how it was constrained by another presence. He was suddenly reminded of the puppet show that he’d taken Louisa to on her birthday. He involuntarily shuddered.

“That ring is for your bride, Draco. Your mother and I have grown tired of your willful insolence. We have chosen a respectable candidate for you since you have proved yourself utterly incapable,� he sneered.

Draco stifled the revulsion he felt at hearing his father’s twisted tones come from his mother’s mouth. To say that the voice just didn’t fit was an extraordinary understatement. Yet Draco decided to play along. Lucius’s bizarre appearance was not part of the plan and he knew that everything now hinged on how he would respond.

“My bride?� he answered calmly.

“You will give that ring to your bride momentarily, in fact. We expect her here very soon,� Lucius bellowed.

Draco again looked down at the ring.

“What kind of ring is this?� he asked, as though he was simply curious about a new kind of magical object. His father observed him closely before answering.

“That ring is an Annulus Aeternus. Do you know what that means?� Lucius replied in a sinister tone.

Draco gulped. He knew exactly what that meant. With clarity, he recalled Professor Binns discussing the Annulus Aeternus back in his History of Magic class at Hogwarts. The rings were common enough among the wizarding nobility back in the Middle Ages. Once the ring was given between lovers, the two were bound by something far more powerful than marital vows alone. Though they usually staid within families, passed down as heirlooms from one generation to the next, Draco had been unaware though ultimately not surprised that the Malfoy line had one.

“And who is to be my bride?� Draco asked, his eyes never leaving the beautiful ring.

“Why, Draco, I thought you’d never ask,� came a sickeningly sweet voice from the doorway.

Draco swung his head around so fast that he might have snapped his own neck. There standing at the entrance to the library was Pansy Parkinson.

He staunchly kept his face neutral as she sauntered into the room. With something not unlike morbid fascination, he watched his father’s strong movements as filtered through his mother’s delicate body. Lucius stood, in all the elegant glory of Narcissa, and with quick strides crossed to Parkinson. Rather dramatically, he took her hand in his own tiny bejeweled one, and kissed it. Draco could not pry his eyes away from the oddity of his mother’s lips and tongue as they lingered on the girl’s outstretched hand. A tiny gasp from Parkinson revealed her own distaste at the spectacle.

“Good evening, my dear,� Lucius drawled. “Please come in and join us. We were just discussing your happy future.� He possessively wrapped one of Narcissa’s stylishly clad arms around the girl’s waist, pulling her into the room. He gestured for her to sit on the couch while he returned to lie on the chaise lounge.

“Good evening, Pansy,� Draco said in a hard clipped voice, revealing none of the rage that boiled within him.

“Draco,� she simpered.

“Manners, Draco, dear,� came his mother’s voice suddenly. “Fix your fiancé a drink,� she admonished. Draco stood, the little box still in his hands. With his back to the two women, he deftly removed the ring from the box, closed the lid, and returned the box to the mantle. He walked to desk and uncorked the deep red port that he knew the girl favored. Quickly, he pocketed the ring and poured the drink. With the practiced ease of a host, he offered her the drink and then reclaimed his seat opposite to his mother.

“Now ladies,� he began, as Narcissa still seemed to be herself, “why do I get the feeling that I am the last to know something here?� he asked in calculatedly innocent and sexy voice.

“Draco,� Pansy breathed.

Draco regarded his former Slytherin schoolmate. For as long as he had known the girl, she had been quite taken with him. Once, years and years ago, he had thought of her as a friend. But that had quickly changed during their later Hogwarts years as she had dogmatically pursued him. Whatever respect had ever been there was long since gone. Only recently he had thought her too stupid to be a Death Eater. Now as he looked at her, he noted the fierceness of her gaze and ferocity of her demeanor. He had underestimated her and that had put Louisa and Hermione in danger. He hoped that he finally had the measure of her. His plan depended on it.

Lucius’s hollow laughter interrupted Pansy’s enraptured gazing and Draco’s thoughts.

“How right you are, Draco. Tonight, not only do you claim your bride but also we finish our noble Lord’s work. Tonight, we resurrect the Dark Lord,� Lucius intoned.

No one spoke at his pronouncement.

“Draco, the Dark Lord has always known your heart. You were not made a Death Eater because He ordained another path for you. And you have done well to raise the child. You have kept her safe. You have even loved her,� he spat, as though to love someone was far more dangerous and loathsome that merely being a Death Eater.

“Very soon, you will complete your mission. You will bring the child to me. We will drain the Mudblood and Lord Voldemort will embody the child. You and your bride will sit at His throne and revel in your duties to raise and protect the Dark Lord.�

“And what happens to Louisa?� Draco replied, again displaying none of the inner anguish that he felt at his father’s words.

“Interesting question, Draco. And one that the Dark Lord could not fully answer. He predicted that He would rise in her- that He would replace her. Indeed, His powers are stored within her already,� Lucius paused, a note of curiosity evident in his own voice. “And yet, He was unsure what of the child would remain- would He continue to be a child? A girl?� Lucius laughed. “That is why the two of you were chosen long ago as the protectors of the resurrected Lord.�

“Long ago? Both of us?� Draco asked.

“It was Pansy here who collected the blood of that insufferable Granger girl. It was Pansy who found her again and brought her to me. She has already done her part for tonight’s ritual. You have only to give her the ring and produce the child, Draco,� Lucius retorted.

Draco looked over at Pansy, once again aware of how much his underestimation of her had already cost him. He looked back at Lucius. He was thinking fast now, desperately trying to modify his plan with all the new information.

“And what if I don’t want to participate, Father?� he asked smugly.

Lucius sat up quickly, Narcissa’s curls shaking in his barely contained rage.

“What is this treachery? You will bring the child to me! You will marry this woman!� he yelled.

Draco looked back at his father. He took a deep breath.

“You will never have Louisa. And I will not marry Pansy. You must kill me first,� Draco stated.

Flecks of spittle were flying out of Narcissa’s perfectly made-up mouth as Lucius’s anger threatened to turn her lily white complexion an obnoxious shade of purple. Draco smiled menacingly at the site.

Without warning, Pansy stood, her wand pointed at Draco. With no hesitation whatsoever, she yelled, “Petrificus Totalus!�

Draco went stiff immediately and felt himself slide unceremoniously out of the chair. He hit the floor with a loud thump. Pansy stood over him, her eyes blazing furiously.

“You think I’m not prepared for this, my love?� she shrieked. “You think me stupid?�

With lightening fast movements, she whipped out a knife and a small glass vial. She knelt at his side and raised the sleeve of his robe. If he hadn’t been frozen in place, Draco would have shuddered at what he knew was coming. He mentally braced himself for the merciless stab of her knife. But it didn’t come.

Almost tenderly, she made the shallowest of cuts on his forearm. Lovingly, she stroked and squeezed his arm, gently pumping blood out of the cut and into the vial. He looked into her eyes and was surprised to see raw emotion in them. She seemed genuinely sorry to be hurting him. When she filled the vial, she pointed her wand at his cut and whispered a healing charm. Draco felt the cut immediately close.

“Now, my love. I will bring your daughter here. And you will see that the three of us belong together. You are mine,� she said, gently breathing into his ear.

“I know you will soon see reason, Draco. But I will not risk you upsetting our plans. I think you need to learn a lesson- you need to learn to appreciate me, my blood, and what I will do for us to be together,� she said, tears now filling up her black eyes.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Pansy help Narcissa stand up. Then she crossed over to the mantle and pocketed the red box. Finally she returned to him, a small smile playing around her lips. With her wand once more aimed at him, he heard her say another spell just before darkness took him.

---------------------------------

Hermione had long since stopped crying. She knew that they’d be coming for her before long. If she was going to do this, she had to do it soon. She felt around in the darkness for the scraps leftover from her meal. Her fingers gripped the soothing coolness of the empty glass flask. Quickly, before she could lose her nerve, she broke the flask against the stone wall. Feeling around in the darkness among the shards, she chose a large sharp piece of glass. She took a deep breath and allowed herself a few more minutes of quiet contemplation of her life and the people she loved.

Truly, she felt as though she’d been blessed. She had loving parents who had given her a wonderful childhood. She remembered the day she’d first received her Hogwarts letter- the day she finally realized that she was a witch. She thought of all of the incredible times that she’d had with her best friends- and she thought of them individually, Harry- his tenderness and courage and his brilliant green eyes, Ron- his fierce loyalty, his friendly face, and that he had been the first boy she had ever kissed, and Ginny- her cleverness and good nature, and that she was the best female friend Hermione had ever had. Flashes of other important people and events passed through her mind’s eye- Dumbledore, her friends Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, giving the Valedictorian speech at her Hogwarts graduation, helping Neville in Potions, watching Sirius fall through the Veil, the first time that she saw the Thestrals, and even her precious cat, Crookshanks.

Then Draco and Louisa came into the picture. She had no more tears to cry but the ache in her chest threatened to consume her. She loved those two with all of her heart. She thought of the kiss that she shared with Draco- she could practically feel his lips pressing on hers again and the way his breath had warmed her skin. She thought of holding him in her arms, comforting him after Louisa’s disappearance and then again in the kitchen of the Order Headquarters. And then Louisa- her daughter. Her precious daughter! With perfect clarity, she pictured the girl’s toothy grin, unruly chestnut curls, and piercing gray eyes- so like her father’s.

Noises outside the dungeon interrupted her reverie. Quickly, she swept the chards of glass to the wall with her foot. She tried to cover the broken glass with the paper wrappings of her sandwich as best she could in the inky darkness. She moved several feet away from the mess and sat on the floor. She hoped that she had not missed her opportunity to protect her daughter.

The door flew open. In the bright light, Hermione could just make out a large floating object. Then she heard rather than saw Pansy Parkinson.

“This will give you some time to think. And I daresay your company will help you reassess your priorities, Draco!� she yelled shrilly. With that, the object fell to the ground in a heap. Pansy closed the door and Hermione was once again pitched into darkness.

Draco! she thought. She ran over to where she thought the body might be laying. She knelt on her knees and cautiously crawled towards the raspy breathing. Using her hands as feelers, she finally found the soft folds of material.

“Draco?� she whispered. With her hands, she quickly surveyed the body for any damage. When her hands found the face, she let go of the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Her fingers grazed over the high cheekbones, the strong pointed chin, the thick soft eyelashes, the refined nose that was now slightly crooked after one too many encounters with bludgers, and the full lips. She knew this face. Her hands then trailed up to soft locks of hair.

“Draco, wake up!� she called. She heard his breathing pattern begin to change. He coughed and she felt his face, still between her hands, come back to life.

“Hermione?� he wheezed.

“It’s me. I’m here. Are you okay?� she said too quickly. She helped him up into a sitting position.

“Oh, Hermione. Hermione, Hermione…� he moaned. He leaned into her embrace and she held him tightly for several long minutes.

Gently, he pulled away. He was still very close, though. She could feel his breath on her face.

“Hermione.�

With his hands, he cupped her face, tilting it towards his own. He leaned in and pressed his lips on hers. She gasped and parted her lips, her own tongue seeking his. The kiss deepened. She pressed her body against his and he pulled her down on top of him, never breaking their kiss. She moaned as her hands gripped his shoulders and then slid around his neck.

“Draco,� she breathed. “Do you know what we have to do?� Her hands were tugging off his outer robes.

“Yes,� came the husky reply. With trembling fingers, he pulled off her shirt. His hands wandered against her skin.

“We have very little time,� she answered, her mouth back on his own.

Softly, he rolled her underneath him.

“I know,� he paused. “But I have to ask you something first.� He reached into the pocket of his now discarded robes. Finding the ring and then her hand, he stopped.

“This is an Annulus Aeternus. You know what that is,� he paused again, feeling her nod her head beneath him.

“Hermione Granger, will you marry me?�

“Yes.�

He slid the ring on her finger and leaned down to give his bride a long passionate kiss.

“I love you,� she said simply.

“I love you, too,� he replied.

They renewed their lovemaking completely unaware of the growing light between their two bodies.

----------------------------------

Louisa looked up into the twinkling blue eyes of Dumbledore.

“They’ve found each other,� she said. Dumbledore sighed.

“Then we must hope that everything else goes according to the plan,� he answered.


A/N:
annulus – Latin for “ring�
aeternus - Latin for “everlasting or eternal�
from University of Notre Dame Latin-English Grammar Guide. Found at http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm

Disclaimer: The great and powerful JKR owns Harry Potter. I, Professor Mary, merely enjoy writing fan fiction and mean no copyright infringement whatsoever.


“Expecto Patronum!�

Ginny looked up briefly to see a dazzling silver mongoose hurtle from the direction of Neville’s outstretched wand where it joined Hagrid’s enormous dragon Patronus to fight off the two Dementors. Then she turned back to the hooded Death Eaters lying on the ground in front of her.

“Tetherus interminable� she shouted, as thick metal fastenings shot out from her wand and bound the two Death Eaters. She took another glance around to assess the situation. Harry had said that there were two Death Eaters and three Dementors. Neville and Hagrid were still battling two Dementors, trying to corner them for containment. Where's the third?

She whirled around when she heard the yelps of distress. She ran towards the unnerving sounds with her wand at the ready. She rounded the large tree trunk only to feel hit by a blast of coldness. There was Fang, cowering before the third Dementor.

If there was anything Ginny Weasley hated, it was a bully.

“Expecto Patronum! she bellowed, standing fast behind the foul creature. A magnificent silver lioness bounded out of her wand, immediately pouncing on the Dementor and driving it away from the frightened boarhound.

“Teneo Carceris,� came Neville’s calm voice from behind her. She watched as the Dementor was unceremoniously sucked into the tiny brown box in Neville’s hand. Neville closed the box and muttered the Unbreakable Charm over it before slipping it into his robe pocket.

Her lioness Patronus was still standing guard over Fang though it dissipated when Ginny finally reached the trembling dog.

“Come on, Fang,� she said soothingly. The giant whimpering boarhound seemed to finally realize that it was out of danger. With a bark of delight, it came vaulting over to Ginny’s outstretched hands.

“Don’t know why you insist on bringing this ol’ fleabag along, Hagrid,� she chuckled as her oversized friend came around to pet his oversized dog.

“Who you callin’ old?� Hagrid laughed. “Surely not Fang. He’s nuttin’ but a babe, aren’t cha, boy?� He said, leaning down to receive Fang’s lavishly sloppy licks.

“Well, we bes’ get moving ‘long,� Hagrid said, while Fang continued to drool on the side of his face.

“Let me just call Moody and make sure he’s behind us to pick them up,� Ginny said, gesturing back to where the unconscious Death Eaters lay.

“Elocutus Moody,� she spoke into her wand.

“Right there, Weasley,� came a battered voice crackling out from her wand. Within seconds, Mad-Eye Moody Apparated in front of them. He was shortly followed by three other members from the Order of the Phoenix who also happened to work for the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Law Enforcement.

“We’ll take it from here, you three,� Moody wheezed at them. “Watch yourselves in there. We’ll be behind you as soon as we get these two sorted out.� The old Auror nodded at them dismissively and Ginny, Neville, Hagrid, and Fang continued towards the compound.

“Do you think we still have the element of surprise?� Neville asked quietly.

“Well, I don’t think the Death Eaters had time to call for back-up and I haven’t seen the Giants or anything resembling resistance. Of course, we still don’t know what we’re facing on the inside,� Ginny responded.

When they got within sight of the compound, Ginny stopped them.

“Time for the Disillusionment Charm,� she advised. She waited as Neville uttered the appropriate incantation over all four heads. He had done himself first so she was slightly surprised to feel the familiar cool trickle seep down from the top of her head.

“Eh! I always hated that feelin’� Hagrid mumbled as Ginny watched the half-giant assume the chameleon-like appearance of just about everything else around him.

When Fang finally blended in with surroundings, they all preceded towards the first rendezvous point.

“Malfoy said the servants’ entrance was just beyond those sets of bushes, near the large stone flower pots over there,� Ginny whispered.

Quietly they made their way alongside the wall towards the hidden doorway.

--------------------------------------

The door swung open and Pansy and Pettigrew belted into the dungeon. Holding her wand high to cast as much light into the deep dark room as possible, Pansy immediately spied her beloved.

Draco was leaning against the back wall, studiously ignoring them both. She eyed him closely. He looked rather mussed. She felt an uncomfortable pang of regret for having to hex him and then leave him in the dungeon. She looked around the room again. Lying on the floor on the other side of the room was the Mudblood. The bitch appeared to be unconscious and looked even more the worse for wear than Draco. She found that she could not suppress a huge smile for her future husband.

“Couldn’t resist, I see?� Pansy sneered at him. “Not that I blame you, of course, my love. I just hope you didn’t rough her up too much. That’s to be my job, you know.�

She pointed her wand at Hermione’s body and levitated it from the ground. Draco was still ignoring her, she noticed. She sighed, hoping that she was making the right decisions. She signaled to Pettigrew that he should take over the transportation of Granger’s body. A sickening smile played out on his face as he assumed the levitation charm.

“Do not hurt her, Wormtail,� she warned. He looked back at her, his smile gone.

“You’re no fun,� Pettigrew mumbled. He walked out of the dungeon, with Hermione’s limp body hovering in front of him.

Pansy turned to Draco then, her wand still leveled directly at him.

“Come now, beloved. I’m sure that a few hours with your favorite Mudblood has helped you to recognize your priorities,� she whined coyly. She sauntered over to him to where she was now standing just inches away.

“Indeed,� he bit back.

The harsh coldness of his tone felt like a slap across her face. Involuntarily, Pansy backed up, again wondering if she would ever have the love of this man.

“You’re coming with me, Draco. Now. I’ll make you if you force me to,� she reasoned.

He stepped away from the wall then, drawing himself up to his full height. Pansy had to catch her breath at the sight of him. She had always thought him beautiful and captivating- but when he was angry, he was the most intoxicating presence she had ever been around.

“You will not harm my daughter, Pansy,� he stated in an unyielding voice.

Pansy laughed. She couldn’t help it. She could have just as easily cried. There, unmistakably, was the intense look of love that she’d seen on his face earlier that evening. He loved his daughter. If she was responsible for the child’s death or whatever it was that would happen when the Dark Lord was resurrected, she would have to deal with a father’s love. She felt a sense of recognition at what she would have to do now. Her wand arm shook just a little bit as she struggled to retain her composure.

“And what’s in it for me?� she asked, her voice not belying her tumultuous emotional conflict.

“Well, Pansy, you may get to live through this. Because I assure you that I will personally kill anyone who harms someone I love,� Draco replied in that ferociously calm voice- the same one that still made her knees go weak.

“You think I care about only living, Draco? You think I care about my life if I can’t be with you? There’s only one thing I want. Give me the ring and I will spare the child,� she whispered hoarsely.

“I do not have it,� was all he said. Pansy started. She’d left the little red box with her outer robes in the room upstairs.

“I know where it is. But you’ll give it to me and then I will not complete the ritual?� she posed, her voice still coming in whispers. She watched him closely. He seemed to be carefully considering his next words.

“If I had the ring, I would not hesitate to use it in a way that would guarantee the safety of my loved ones,� he affirmed.

She nodded. This was exactly what she had expected of him.

The ring is as good as mine, she thought almost gleefully.

“Well, upstairs then. If we don’t hurry, there’s no telling what will happen to that stupid Mudblood. Wormtail is desperate for some playtime and Lucius and Narcissa will probably want to watch that…� her voice trailed off as the image of what she had just described played out in her mind. “And regardless of the ritual, I promised her that I would be the one to end her miserable existence. And that’s one promise that I’m going to make good on!� she laughed coldly.

She noted Draco’s hardened expression. “Okay, fine. If you want to rough her up some more, you can.�

He stepped away from his position in front of the wall and walked towards the door. Pansy followed just behind him, her wand point never wavering from the center of his back.

------------------------------

“What is all that noise?� Neville whispered to Ginny.

Before Ginny could answer his question, the bushes just to the right of them split open as an apparently invisible force made its way through. Ginny didn’t have time to chastise Harry and Ron, whom she assumed to be responsible for the blundering noise because following closely behind them were three Giants.

She grabbed Neville’s arm and pushed him to the side of the large stone flower pots. She desperately hoped that Harry and Ron and Hagrid and Fang were out of the way, as well. She knew that Giants had fairly bad eyesight so she doubted they could discern their chameleon-like appearances. However, she also knew that they had very keen senses of smell. No sooner had she thought this than Hermione’s voice seemed to pop into her mind.

“Odorus tuna,� she whispered extremely quietly while pointing her wand to a tree about fifty feet away. All three Giants immediately turned their great lumbering heads towards the clearly identifiable smell of tuna fish wafting towards them.

Ginny pulled her robe across her nose as the smell was threatening to gag her. The Giants were talking now. Well, she assumed that they were talking. They were at least grunting in apparent confusion.

Come on, take the bait! she thought. About a minute later the Giants had seemed to abandon chasing an invisible creature for the promise of rotten fish. Ginny smiled to herself and sent a silent thanks to Hermione.

She felt a slight change in the air next to her. Though she certainly couldn’t see anything, she assumed that Harry and Ron were now very close to where she stood with Neville.

“Well done!� came Harry’s disembodied whisper.

“Yeah, bloody brilliant, Ginny!� whispered Ron, sounding as if was on the other side of Harry.

“Thank Hermione the next time you see her. It was her idea- she came up with it when she was coaching me through possible scenarios during Auror training,� she whispered back.

The mention of their friend’s name seemed to bring each of them back to seriousness of the situation.

“We need to get inside and get her out of there,� Ron said in a low determined voice.

“Before we go, we’d better make sure that those Giants don’t give us anymore trouble. Remus and Tonks should be along, soon, right?� Neville asked.

“Good idea, Neville,� Ginny said appreciatively. “What do you think? Just a simple Confundus Charm? That should go a long way with them.�

Neville murmured his agreement and then cast the charms on the unsuspecting Giants. On the surface, it appeared to make little difference as the three Giants were already laboriously searching around an old tree for tuna fish.

Ginny turned her efforts towards assessing the doorway. According to Malfoy’s instructions, this was definitely the correct spot. Only then did she notice that the Parkinsons' must not have had human servants but only house elves! The door before them was clearly large enough for nothing but a three and a half foot creature.

Before Ginny could even complain, she heard Harry’s soft voice, “Reducio. Reducio.� She heard two swooshing sounds and knew that Harry and Ron were probably now the size of house elves. Only the seriousness of the situation prevented her from giggling.

She quickly took Harry’s lead, “Reducio. Reducio,� she said, pointing her wand at both herself and Neville.

“Hagrid?� she whispered.

“Er- Listen I think I’d better stay here and guard the door. You go on now. Fang an’ me will keep an eye out on those Giants and I’ll tell Lupin an’ Tonks what to do to get inside,� Hagrid quickly replied.

“Okay,� she whispered back, this time not suppressing her giggle. She should have known that Hagrid would draw the line at being reduced to the size of a house elf. She doubted that he’d ever been that small- even as a baby!

She turned back to the door. Ron had gotten the door open after several attempts with Unlocking charms. The four of them slipped quietly inside. Taking just a minute to return to their correct size and then orient themselves, they quickly hurried off towards the drawing room, where Malfoy had suspected the ritual would take place.

--------------------------------

Hermione barely cracked open her eyelids. She figured she was safer if everyone continued to assume that she was unconscious. She listened closely to the sounds around her. Pettigrew had dropped her rather carelessly within some kind of circle of stones in the middle of a large and elegantly decorated room. Though the room was dimly lit, she could make out several other circles of stones. It seemed that her circle was to the right of a much larger circle. Another smaller circle appeared to be on the other side of the larger one. Within the largest circle was a heap of firewood.

That makes sense, she thought, given the nature of the Ritual of Resurrection. According to the spell, Voldemort would rise again from the fire just as Louisa herself was born from it, five years ago. As she inconspicuously fingered her ring, Hermione allowed herself to take some comfort in the knowledge that that would never happen now.

With the Annulus Aeternus, she and Draco were now bound together for the reminder of their lives. Even death would only part them physically. The ring’s magic was ancient. The strength of the bond was no longer as attractive to wizards and witches as it had been once. Divorce in the wizarding world was as prevalent as it was in the Muggle world. Most wizarding folk just didn’t want the level of commitment that the ring demanded and thus the rings had long since become a rare item.

But it was just the strength of this old magic that released Voldemort’s claim on Louisa. When Hermione was theorizing strategies to save Louisa, she had never even hoped for something like the Annulus Aeternus. She had been hopeful that a true affirmation of love between herself and Draco and then the subsequent consummation of that love would be strong enough to reclaim Louisa as their own.

And perhaps it might have been, she thought, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks as she remembered their lovemaking.

“The Mudblood smiles,� Lucius barked. “Stupid girl. Soon you’ll be dead.� Hermione felt a sharp kick in her side from a lady’s heeled shoe. She kept her eyes closed and didn’t make a sound, despite the shooting pain from an already cracked rib.

Hermione heard the swooshing of skirts and then felt hot breath on neck. She was overwhelmed by the heady scent of Narcissa’s perfume. Two small hands were now draped across her stomach.

“She is rather pretty for an animal. Shame to waste such a pretty pretty thing…,� Lucius drawled. Hermione felt a hot sticky tongue at the base of her neck. Slowly, Narcissa’s tongue made its way up her neck and then behind her ear. Rather callously, teeth bit into her earlobe.

Involuntarily, Hermione’s eyes snapped open. She gasped and looked directly into Narcissa’s cold stormy blue eyes. The older woman’s mouth twisted into a harsh smile, one that seemed far too large for her face.

“So the Mudblood awakens. Just in time for a little fun…� Lucius snarled, now laying Narcissa’s body almost entirely on top of Hermione’s and effectively pinning her legs.

The hot tongue resumed its trail down Hermione’s neck, heading menacingly towards the opening of her shirt. A sharp bite on her collarbone spurred her into action. She balled her fists together and tried to push the woman off of her body.

Lucius’s harsh bellowing laughter seemed to consume her. He used Narcissa’s perfectly manicured hands to easily restrain Hermione’s fists.

“Feisty animal… we like it,� he jeered, pressing down firmly with Narcissa’s thin hips. Hermione screamed out in frustration. He made no attempt to quiet her and he held her wrists with one of the tiny bejeweled hands while the other dived into Hermione’s shirt.

This is not happening!Hermione seemed to scream inside of her head. Once again, she struggled against Narcissa’s grip. Other sounds in the room distracted her slightly from the woman’s groping hand and grinding pelvis. Pettigrew had stopped whatever he was doing and was now just standing on the side of the circle, leering at them. Hermione was sickened when she saw the drool dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. She could also hear approaching sounds in the hallway.

Draco! He must be coming with Parkinson, she thought. She wondered if he’d be able to help her. She knew that he needed to keep up some kind of illusion for Parkinson in order to get them safely out of here as well as to uncover the remaining Death Eaters. She knew it was necessary. But she didn’t like it. Suddenly she desperately did not want her husband and that Parkinson cow to see her in this ignominious situation.

Just then Narcissa’s wandering hand had wondered just a little too far, jerking Hermione out of her desperate thoughts. Not only did not she not want to be seen in this shameful predicament, she just plainly did not want to be raped by Draco’s father and mother!

Several things seemed to happen at once. Pettigrew had now dropped into the circle to advance on the two women’s bodies. Hermione felt her temperature spike as her blood seemed literally to be boiling. Narcissa’s probing fingers had jerked back as though burned even as Lucius was trying to force them to resume their exploration. Hermione had taken Draco’s parents’ seconds of indecision to quickly bring her knee up to wedge Narcissa’s chest away from her body. And Draco and Pansy came though the door of the drawing room.

“What the hell is going on here?� Draco’s voice thundered.

----------------------------------


Draco stoically followed Pansy out of the dungeon. He didn’t clinch his fists the way he wanted to. He didn’t swear under his breath. He made no effort to knock the wand out of Pansy’s hand. He just calmly marched up the winding flights of stairs and then walked down the long corridors.

With every fiber of his being, he hoped that Hermione was all right. Now that he was certain that Louisa was out of danger, all of his efforts were trained on Hermione. She was not safe. Without their daughter, he figured that the ceremony would be scrapped. But what would happen to Hermione when the Death Eaters realized that her blood was now worthless to them? He was sure that it wouldn’t be pretty, whatever it was. They would be angry and would dole out punishment to his wife.

It was this fear for her safety that primarily motivated his current subterfuge. At the moment, he could have cared less about the Order’s plan to apprehend the remaining Death Eaters. All he cared about was saving Hermione. With Pansy in her current role of violent love sick puppy and the completely bizarre presence of his father, Hermione would be instantly killed if found out to be the object of Draco’s affections. If the two conspirators learned that Draco and Hermione were already married by the Annulus Aeternus, he imagined that they’d both be tortured and then killed.

Though he wanted to, he didn’t sigh.

“Draco, you’ll see. This will all work out. You’ll come to love me. And we’ll have a family. I can love your daughter, too. I can forget about the Granger bitch’s blood- she’ll be our child. All I need is you,� Pansy whimpered into his back.

Draco said nothing though he felt as if he might burst into a furious violent rage at Pansy’s words.

“Leave everything to me. I’ll need to bring the child here- but nothing bad will happen to her. You see, once Granger is dead, her blood will mean nothing. If it isn’t drained from her live body during the ritual, it won’t work. Pettigrew won’t be a problem. He won’t know what hit him. Lucius and your mother might be another story. I don’t really know what’s happened to them- and I’m not going to speak ill of my future in-laws, but that whole sharing-a-body-thing is just strange,� Pansy stated.

Draco thought “strange� didn’t quite cover it.

So that’s her plan, he thought. He hoped that Harry, Ron, Ginny, and anyone else with a wand and a steady aim were close by. It seemed that, in addition to himself and Hermione, only Pettigrew, his parents, and Pansy would be witnessing the ritual. Without a wand, he was pretty sure the odds were against him. Once again, he hoped that he’d finally figured Pansy out. Everything depended on her.

As they drew closer to the drawing room, Draco could hear the muffled sounds of a struggle. Several hooded Death Eaters were standing watch outside of the room. Their presence assured Draco that Harry, Ron, and Ginny had thus, not yet arrived. The Death Eaters nodded at them as they walked towards the closed door.

“We are not to be disturbed under any circumstances,� Pansy commanded. They murmured their acquiescence.

They walked into the room. Even in the dimmed light, Draco could plainly see the cause of the sounds he’d heard from the hallway. Pansy shut the door behind him, locking it.

“What the hell is going on?� he thundered.

There on the floor in front of him was his mother, perched precariously on top of his wife, with a drooling Death Eater crouched right beside them. His father’s eerie laughter suddenly filled the room as Narcissa’s head was thrown back, her eyes gleaming at the horror-stricken face of her only son.



A/N:
Teneo- Latin – to contain
Carceris – Latin- prison
From:
University of Notre Dame Latin-English Grammar Guide. Found at http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm

Disclaimer: JKR owns the Harry Potter universe. I humbly enjoy writing fanfiction for the entertainment that it is!


“Elocutus Ginny,� Harry said into his wand.

“Harry?� came Ginny’s whispered voice from his wand.

“Ginny, I see at least three Dementors and two people not fifty yards in front of you. They’re standing just beyond the clearing- right behind the first row of trees. As far as I can see, there’s no one between them and the south wall of the compound,� Harry warned.

“Richard that, Harry! We can take them. Where’s Ron?� Ginny responded. She paused, listening closely to her wand.

“Harry, what’s the matter? Are you laughing?� she asked.

“It’s not ‘Richard that,’� he chuckled. “It’s ‘Roger,’� he said into the stony silence. “Oh, nevermind, Ginny. I can’t see Ron right now. But I just left him a few minutes ago. I’ll circle back as soon as you cross the front line here. I promised him I’d keep my eyes on you… you know, in case you need anything…� he trailed off sheepishly.

“Harry Potter!� she began. “Oi! Quiet Fang- you want to give us away? … Harry Potter, I’ve got some things that I need to say to you and Ron- but right now I’ve got to get my team across those Dementors and Death Eaters. But you rest assured that when this is all done, we’re going to sit down and have a nice long talk about how I am a grown up, an Auror, and not always in need of a rescue from my brother- or even someone like my brother,� she hissed.

Harry looked at his wand as though it might bite him.

“Ginny,� he said hesitantly.

“Harry, you have your own job to do. Now that I know what’s out there in front of me, I can get on with mine and you with yours,� she said, frustration still evident in her voice.

“Harry, I’m worried about her, too, you know. But she’s Hermione- she’ll be okay. In fact, I’d hate to ever be the one to cross that witch! … and Draco’s with her, according to Dumbledore and Louisa- and you know as well as I do that he loves her and isn’t going to let anything happen to her. All right?� she said, more gently this time.

“You’re right- I just can’t help worrying about her, that’s all… and Ginny, I know you can take care of yourself,� Harry answered, his voice faltering.

“Argh! Go back to Ron, Harry! We’re crossing over right now. Meet you inside!� Ginny hastily retorted.

“Right,� he replied. Harry carefully leaned forward, angling his broomstick to the right. Below him he could see Ginny, Neville, Hagrid and Fang, the boarhound, making their way towards the southern wall of the compound. Except for Fang, each of them was well-equipped for the confrontation with the Dementors and the Deatheaters. Harry knew it. He sighed- things were always a little bit more confusing when Ginny was involved. He made a vow to think about that at the next available opportunity.

He came down silently through the trees, not too far behind Ron’s team. He slid off his broom, quickly sized it down to something that would easily fit into his robe pocket, and then went off to find Ron and the others.

--------------------------------------

“Dumbledore, I don’t know what’s going to happen,� Louisa said thoughtfully.

“Dear child, no one can See everything,� the old wizard replied affably.

“But I thought you said I was a Seer- that I could learn to See into the future. And I’ve tried the exercises but I can’t See anything about tonight- it’s just a blank,� she pressed.

“Louisa, even Seers who have honed their skills for many years cannot See every event. Sometimes, events haven’t quite worked themselves out. Sometimes, people haven’t yet decided what choices they will make. Events could change drastically based on the choices of a single person. You may be unable to See what’s going to happen tonight because there’s at least one person involved in all of this whose actions are unpredictable,� he explained.

“Oh,� she sighed dejectedly.

“But you have already done so much, Louisa. You could tell that your father found your mother in time. And together they found a way to protect you. You are their child- and not Voldemort’s. That knowledge alone has changed the plan. We know something critical that the Death Eaters do not know. We know that Voldemort cannot be resurrected tonight. You have done your job, Louisa. Now you must trust Harry, Ron, and Ginny and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix to bring your parents back to you.�

Louisa eyed him closely.

“Then why are you here?� she asked shrewdly.

“Louisa Malfoy, you are a sharp young witch. You remind me of another bright student of mine… I’m here to keep you company, of course,� Dumbledore chuckled. When the child said nothing, he added, “and I’m personally keeping watch over you, too.�

“You think they will try to take me again?� she asked, pausing. “Or you think I’ll go to them, don’t you?�

“Louisa, either option is dangerous. Yes, I’m here to make sure that you remain safely with me. Though Voldemort is no longer a danger to you, the Death Eaters are still not to be underestimated. Finding out that you are no longer capable of hosting Voldemort will no doubt make them very angry. I do not wish for you to be the object of that anger,� he clarified.

Louisa trained her gray eyes on the twinkling ones of the older wizard. She nodded her head and resumed the relaxation techniques that he’d taught her. She tried to quell her frustration in an attempt to clear her thoughts. If there was something to See after all, she wanted to be ready.

---------------------------------

“Harry, how’s Ginny?� Ron asked his approaching friend.

“Come on now, Ron- you shouldn’t be worried about her. She’s a fully trained Auror, you know,� Harry admonished. Ron’s eyes grew big in surprise before he noted his friend’s nervousness.

“Who are you foolin’?� Ron laughed.

“Fine- she’s fine. And she told me that she was to give us a ‘talking to’ when all this was over… and she, er-…� Harry trailed off.

“Spit it out- she what?�

“She said I was ‘like a brother.’ What do you think that means?�

But Ron had turned away, looking towards the forthcoming footsteps of Tonks and Lupin.

“Must mean exactly that, mate- you’re one us- just another Weasley brother, I guess- now she’ll never listen to you,� he answered, somewhat absentmindedly.

“What if I don’t want to be just another Weasley brother?� Harry mumbled. At that, Ron turned his head sharply back to Harry.

“Well, if that’s true, it’s high time that you say something,� he grinned, good-naturedly slapping Harry on the back. “Hermione’s been after you for ages to talk to Ginny, you know…� he quieted at the mention of their friend’s name.

“She’ll be okay, Ron. Ginny had to remind me, too. Hermione’s one tough witch. And Draco’s with her. They’ll look after each other- and she – er- they'll be both fine,� Harry said soothingly.

“The perimeter is fairly well-protected as you saw from above, Harry,� Tonks began. “But Remus and I think that we can get in without too much hassle through the gates just west of our current position. Harry, you said there were only a handful of Death Eaters. That’s got to be our best bet- the Giants would be easier to take out but would also be too noisy. We can’t risk alerting whoever’s inside to our presence,� Tonks strategized.

Lupin nodded at his wife’s assessment. “There are four in front of the gate and then three more just a ways off from them. Undoubtedly, even a surprise attack on the four will bring the other three. We’re outnumbered but we should have enough time before the second group arrives.�

“So we hit the four at the gate and then you two go on ahead and Remus and I will hold off the others. As soon as we can, we’ll come in after you,� Tonks finished. Harry and Ron nodded their heads in agreement.

“Ready?� asked Ron.

“Ready,� replied Harry.

The four silently made their way towards the west gate.

---------------------------------------

“Draco? We need to get dressed. They’ll be coming for us any minute now,� Hermione whispered, rousing herself from her new husband’s arms. She crawled around the floor, hunting for her robes. Draco watched her before standing to look for his own.

“She’s safe, isn’t she? I can feel it somehow. I’m not sure that I understand. You asked me if I knew what had to be done- and I didn’t know until right then. But you knew before then, didn’t you?� he asked, slowly pulling on his trousers. The glow between their bodies had nearly faded but there still enough of the faint light to find their clothing.

“Yes, I knew. ‘What was created from malice must be reclaimed with love,’� she intoned. “I found the inscription in another text detailing the history of birth spells. I was never totally sure that it would work- I couldn’t find enough evidence to determine whether or not the relevant ‘malice’ was between the spell castor and the blood parent or between the essence parent and the blood parent. But I knew that we had to try. The only other option was to drain my own blood before they could get it,� she said sharply.

Draco nodded. He had been right to suspect that Hermione was more than willing to die to protect Louisa. He shuddered at the thought and once again thanked whatever deity had led him to her in time.

“But once you were here, I knew that what we had to do was definitely the right thing,� she finished as she buttoned her shirt. She held out her left hand to where the light emanating from her torso could still lightly reflect off her ring. She smiled as she thought about the magical vows that now bound Draco to her for the rest of their lives.

“And the light?� he asked, now walking towards her with her robe in hand. He helped her put on the robe while she thought about his question. He waited until she straightened out the wrinkles of her robe before pulling her into his arms.

“The light- I don’t know about the light,� she murmured, as she leaned into his embrace. “Must have been some kind of effect from the magic,� she said softly. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her wild curls.

“Mmmm… I don’t know how I could've not seen you in her before, Hermione. She is definitely your child,� he breathed into the softness of her hair. “You even have the same scent- something like irises,� he said with a light chuckle. “My dear Hermione- my wife…�

She closed her eyes, willing the sweet moment to last. But she knew that it was fleeting. There was work to be done now- not the least of which was to find a way to return safely to their daughter.

“Draco, we need to talk about what’s next,� she voiced, her mounting worry evident in her tone.

She backed up slightly to see his face, though she remained in his arms.

“Harry, Ron, Ginny, and several others from the Order will be outside by now. They’re going to break into the grounds and then meet us at the ceremony. They think that you and Louisa are the ones to be protected. I was to find you and prepare you for the ritual. They were going to find Louisa and then round up the Death Eaters,� he began.

“But now things have changed,� she interrupted. “Louisa is safe- Voldemort cannot be resurrected in her- I can feel it- you can feel it. But they don’t know yet.�

“No one does- not the Death Eaters or our side. But how would they have gotten Louisa anyway, Hermione? She’s at Headquarters. Dumbledore himself is guarding her,� he said.

Hermione sighed audibly in relief. “I know we removed the threat but I am glad to hear that he’s watching her. And I don’t know how they could have taken her- there are methods, I’m sure, but I don’t want to think about it- we should get out of here before it even comes to that.�

“So now it’s just catching the Death Eaters and getting out of here. Well, that and dealing with my Mother and Father,� he moaned.

“So Lucius was here earlier! And our friends are outside. Okay, tell me how it’s supposed to go down,� she answered resolutely.

---------------------------

“There, there, child. Stop moping. He’ll come around,� Narcissa crooned.

Pansy looked back at the elegantly dressed woman who had just recently been licking her hand and making rather crass statements. Well, Lucius had actually been saying those things… She shuddered at the thought. Getting Draco was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do in her life.

Pettigrew worriedly paced around the room. He had fussed over the details of the ritual. He had candles and rocks and various other creepy items strewn about the room in what he had assured them was the correct format. Pansy silently thought that none of that stuff mattered. What counted was having the child, the blood, and the fire. And Draco.

Personally, she could care less about the resurrection of the Dark Lord. What had he ever done for her? But when Lucius had come to her years ago, she’d readily agreed to this scheme. Anything for Draco. Back then, Draco had not been explicitly part of the bargain- not like he had been this go round. When Narcissa- or was it Lucius already? had explained the current iteration of the plan, Pansy had lobbied hard for the prize of marrying Draco. Narcissa’s promises had meant nothing until she’d produced the Annulus Aeternus. Pansy knew that once that ring was on her finger, Draco would be hers for the rest of their lives. What’s more, she thought, is with that ring, he’ll grow to really love me.

Drowning out the harsh chatter between Lucius, Narcissa, and Pettigrew, Pansy let her thoughts return to the moments in the library. As much as it pained her, she had been forced to put Draco under the Body Binding spell. She had to have faith that he would, as Narcissa had promised, come around. But he had been so calmly certain when he’d said that he would never marry her and never give up his child. Just as she’d said, Pansy was prepared to act on his statements. But still, it had been difficult to hear those hateful words.

Collecting his blood assured them that they could indeed summon the child to the ritual. After all, they already had vials of blood from the Granger bitch and the child. It would be relatively easy to combine their blood to bring them all together in the same room. Of course it was Dark Magic- and with Dark Magic comes a price for the Spell Castor. She wondered what would happen when she cast the spell. She allowed herself to grimace slightly- probably just pain, she thought. And any pain is worth getting Draco.

Again, she pictured Draco’s face as he promised that he wouldn’t cooperate with the plan. There had been something in his eyes that had been quite unexpected. He loved the child. Really loved that little girl. Pansy wondered if he would forget the child when Voldemort was resurrected. She hoped the Annulus Aeternus would enable him to move on. She could give him other children. As long as he lets me. This last thought was what was currently troubling her. If he really loved his daughter, he might not forget what was about to happen- and if he didn’t forget, he might also not forgive her for her part in this ritual. If he can’t forgive me, will he ever love me?

Pansy sank down in the chair opposite from where Narcissa was laying. Her future psychotic mother-in-law had obviously stopped badgering Pettigrew. She seemed to be lost in herself again. She was trailing one of her long fingers from behind her ear and then delicately down her throat. Pansy watched with some amount of disgust as the woman’s fingers lightly grazed down the milky white skin of her chest before dipping teasingly into the top of her stylish dress robes. The older woman’s breathes were coming more rapidly now and were punctuated by low animalistic moans that Pansy assumed belonged to Lucius. Though she was admittedly repulsed by the bizarre exhibition, she was also a bit jealous of the two lovers. Clearly, Lucius and Narcissa let nothing- not even death- stand in the way of their love. Pansy felt somewhat surprised by the inspiration that this knowledge gave her.

Who is the Dark Lord to stand in the way of my love? she thought.

--------------------------------------

“Something has changed, Dumbledore. There’s something new,� Louisa yelped excitedly.

“Yes?�

“I don’t know what it means but there’s someone else now. Someone who can alter things. She’s… she’s thinking. And she’s going to be the one who can change everything.�

“Do you know who it is, Louisa? Do you know her?� Dumbledore asked, looking closely at the child.

“Yes, she’s familiar but I cannot yet See her,� she said, sighing once again.


A/N:
Elocutus- Latin; to speak out
From University of Notre Dame Latin-English Grammar Guide. Found at http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm

Disclaimer: Though I would like to imagine myself a fiction writer like the great JKR, I am but a humble fanfic-er who means no disrespect or copyright infringement!


Pansy silently berated herself for taking so long coming back from the dungeon with Draco. He was clearly coming around to the idea of their becoming a family. Now she felt as though she’d have to start over. He seemed to be just short of ballistic at the moment.

And really, who could blame him? she thought. She had been more than a little bit disturbed to see Narcissa on top of the Mudblood, her hand in the bitch’s knickers. Peter’s gaping drooling mouth did nothing to enhance the picture, either. Personally, she was glad the Mudblood had enough in her to push off Narcissa’s body as much as she did before they walked in. She had no desire to see just how much of Lucius would come through Narcissa.

Draco’s yelling had surprised them all, though. He was livid. Pansy sighed just a bit at the memory- she loved an angry Draco- those stormy darkened gray eyes- and all that volatile passion just oozing from the tiny cracks of his usually unyielding demeanor.

His thunderous voice had struck every one of them. Peter had fallen backwards out of the circle, sputtering incoherently. Lucius had jerked Narcissa’s head back and was laughing at the incensed look on Draco’s face. Although Pansy had thought that there was something interesting buried in the laughter- something not too far away from fear. Even the Mudblood had reacted. She took the opportunity to shove back on Narcissa’s body, rolling the older woman off of her.

And now he was standing there- just looking slowly and determinedly- at every detail in the room. Pansy caught her breath. She had loved him for so long. But she’d never thought she’d have to do something as momentous as what now stood before her.

But he’s worth it, she thought. Quietly, she Accioed his wand from where she had hidden it earlier. It came from the top of the bookcase behind her. She gripped it in her hands and made to walk closely by him, brushing herself against his side. She found his hand, and pushed his wand into it. He looked at her then- it was the briefest of glances. She gave him a near imperceptible nod of her head before making her way up to the top of the circle.

------------------------------


“I see four of them standing just outside the door,� Ginny whispered. She turned to look back at the ragged remnants of her team. Neville gave her a small smile, despite his swollen and bleeding lip. His torn robes were hiding his other injuries, though he had assured her that he was all right.

Ron’s arm was around Harry’s shoulder. She looked down at her brother’s mangled leg. Ron had been leading the group when they’d rounded the corner to find the manticore. Even in Auror training, she hadn’t come up against anything other than a simulation of the beast. Ron had surprised it. She imagined that if the creature hadn’t been napping, he would probably be dead. The thought made her shudder. As it was, hers and Neville’s combined efforts at stalling the blood flow seemed to be barely adequate. But they couldn’t leave him as there was no telling what else was lurking around this house.

“Where are Remus and Tonks?� Harry whispered. Ginny shook her head. She had been more than worried that their two friends hadn’t joined them yet. Furthermore, she was worried about Hagrid and Fang. The first attack they’d sustained had been from behind. Though the house was huge, Ginny couldn’t help but suspect that the mercenaries had come in from behind them- possibly following them from the servants’ entrance that they had used. That meant that Hagrid and probably Remus and Tonks had been ambushed, too.

There had been more of a resistance than Ginny had initially considered. She still thought that they had the element of surprise, though. The Death Eater guards outside of the drawing room didn’t seem to be especially concerned about an impending attack. Ron had surprised the manticore. And the mercenary fighters that might have followed them in had all been dispatched before they could alert anyone to their presence. Despite her worry for her friends outside, she knew they’d already been very lucky.

“I don’t think we should wait for the others,� she whispered back. Neville nodded his head and the looks of determination on both Harry and Ron’s faces indicated their agreement.

“Nothing new- we’ll have to be quick and quiet. Even from here, I can see the shimmering charm of a Deflection spell on the guards,� she reasoned. They quickly ran through a set of scenarios until they found one that seemed appropriate. Once again, Ginny found herself thanking Hermione for her coaching work.

Ginny allowed herself to take a deep breath. She looked at her brother and two friends. Neville was the only other Auror besides herself- they’d gone through training together and she trusted him implicitly. After all, Hermione had coached him, too. And she knew she’d rather face any danger next to Harry and Ron over any other fully trained Auror in the Department.

She muttered another Blood Clotting spell over Ron’s leg. He gave her a weak smile of thanks. She looked her team over once again and nodded at Harry. She felt a familiar jolt in her chest as she watched him pull his Invisibility Clock over his head. Then she pulled herself up to a standing position, ready to make the next move.

----------------------------

One.
Two.
Three.
Four… the familiar stillness washed over her.
Five.
Six…. her heartbeats slowed but she still continued to count them.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine… grayish mists swirled behind her eyes.
Ten… she opened her eyes to the scene around her.

The place felt familiar. She was sure she’d been here before- maybe not in this room- but definitely in this place. She wished there was a little more light and that the funny buzzing noises would dissipate so she could hear what They were saying.

And she recognized Them, too. All of Them.

The scene in front of her wouldn’t stay still long enough for her to make sense of it. After standing there for several moments, she realized that she was seeing the same scene play out over and over- with only subtle differences. She felt like someone kept hitting rewind and fast-forward buttons, stopping and starting at nearly the same place each time.

It was horrible. Death. Destruction. Fire.

She had to think of something. There had to be some way to gain control of this.

She walked in front of each of Them, in turn, watching the subtle differences each time around.

She spent quite a few moments in front of a woman with light blond hair and familiar features. She could plainly discern two presences within the body. There was some amount of variance in the woman’s actions, depending on which presence was most dominant. She thought it was interesting that there was no pattern as to which would emerge. She had initially thought the masculine one would force the feminine one into compliance. However, as she watched the strange interplay, she could tell that the feminine presence was carefully controlling the masculine one- was allowing it to emerge. It could easily be called back within. She pondered this for a while, wondering what sort of threat this posed. The masculine force was clearly a menace; however, the feminine one was far more difficult to assess. She just couldn’t get a handle on its thoughts and emotions. She deduced that they must be masked to her for some reason.

She stood in front of the dark haired woman, finally. She watched her more than any of the others. She had the most contrast between her actions. Of all of Them, she seemed to be the most susceptible to variation. How can this be used? What can I do?

No sooner had she thought that then she felt a new presence in the scene. The room had gone very hazy now. She turned around and around, struggling to identify the new person. She felt a sudden rush of heat that bothered her for some vague reason. She tried to remember if she was supposed to feel anything like that. She thought maybe if she were to close her eyes and then reopen them, she might better see the scene and thus, the new person.

She closed her eyes and counted several quickened heartbeats. In just the space of a few seconds, the heat had tremendously increased around her. She opened her eyes now to a blindingly white-hot light. This was very strange to her and she struggled to maintain control of her heartbeat. She could almost feel flames tickling her fingertips now. So she looked down at her hands though she knew she wouldn’t see her corporeal body.

But her hands were there. She gasped. She wasn’t supposed to be there.

I have to tell Dumbledore! she thought.

She struggled to open her eyes- open her real eyes- eyes that were supposed to belong to a little girl sitting next to an old wizard down in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place.

With a huge concentrated effort, she did open them. But she was surprised to find that the kitchen and the old man were as hazy as the scene that she’d just left.

“Louisa?� she heard from far away. She saw the wizard’s mouth move before she heard his words. She concentrated even harder to be in the right space to hear and see at the same time. She tried to speak back.

“Dumbledore?� she croaked. He nodded back to her, bringing the Pensieve closer to her now. He held his wand next to her temple and muttered something that she could not hear. In the indistinctness of the kitchen, she saw wispy silvery images trailing from her head into the vast depth of the stone bowl.

She had to try to tell him again. She felt as though she was fading- literally being pulled back into the scene. She saw him rapidly look through the images. She felt the return of his sharp gaze.

“Louisa- you must resist. You must stay here,� he was saying. Now the discord between his lips and his words was even greater than before. Then she felt something strong wrap around her- something binding her to this reality. But the tug of the other place was growing, too.

She felt the heat again- the welcoming flames of the fire. She could feel it gently flickering at the bottom of her feet and the tips of her fingers.

Why shouldn’t I go? she thought. She felt rather like her brain was sticky- as though someone had poured honey all over her and it had seeped into her thoughts.

I really need to go to Them.

“They’re expecting me,� she whispered aloud. She saw the concern shining brightly in his eyes as the bindings were becoming weaker.

The heat was now licking up her legs. She could feel the fire beginning to travel inside of her. Stupidly, she wondered if her blood was changing colors now that it, too, seemed to be on fire.

She looked once more at the fading vision of the wizard sitting next to her.

“They’re expecting me- but not like this,� she said, before giving over to the fire.

------------------------------

Draco felt the wood being pressed into his hand. He looked over to see Pansy nod her head before she strode past him. Carefully, he slid the wand into his sleeve, with the base of it remaining in his palm. He held his wand arm causally at his side, palm- and wand- facing inwards. He had not been expecting this.

He walked towards where his mother and his wife still lay. Hermione had- thankfully- pushed Narcissa’s body off of her and then rearranged her own clothing. His wife had met his eyes ever so briefly sending him the silent message that she was indeed all right and that he should maintain his own composure.

Easier said than done, he thought. If he were to make it out of all this in one piece- and Hermione with him- he knew that he was going to need some therapy to deal with the images that he’d just seen.

He had long accepted that Lucius was an irredeemable person. He had not mourned the death of the man who had been his father. Rather, he felt as though that man- his father- had been dead long long before Potter’s Killing Curse had downed him. Though he knew he would have been able to do it himself, he also thought that Potter’s timing had been a bit of a kindness. He could have killed Lucius but ultimately he was thankful that he hadn’t been the one to do it.

But now, as looked at his mother’s body, he had the inklings of doubts in his resolve. For some morbid reason, Lucius was back. But he was back within in Narcissa. Draco had no qualms about acknowledging that his mother was past redemption herself. He was perfectly aware that she’d been on the sidelines of Voldemort’s activities only because of her mental instability. But her vulnerability is what kept Draco from damning her to Lucius’s fate. He’d never considered her as anything other than a nuisance- one incapable of causing real harm.

But there she was. She had obviously been some defining part of the orchestration this entire scenario. Draco faltered- what part had she played? he mused. He needed to know how his mother fit into this.

Had this been her plan all along? Or has this been the outcome of bringing Lucius back?

He had been hovering over Narcissa and Hermione for several minutes, lost in his thoughts, and only dimly aware of his surroundings. Narcissa had her eyes fixed on him and he felt trapped in her gaze. He had only been slightly aware that Hermione had inched away from both of them.

Movement from the front of the room caught his eye. Though he did not want to let Narcissa out of his sight, he knew he needed to be cautious of Pansy and Pettigrew. Draco assumed that Pettigrew still expected Pansy to bleed Hermione during the ritual. And now Draco thought that Pansy would attempt to kill Hermione prior to the ritual to spoil the effectiveness of her blood- but she had also said that she would bring Louisa here first.

That thought brought him sharply to attention. He offered his hand to his mother. He would take her with him, away from Hermione, and move to keep a closer eye on Pansy.

He saw Narcissa’s eyes widen in surprise at his proffered hand. And then he knew that Lucius was gone for the moment.

“Mother,� he said gently.

She allowed him to pull her up. Very tenderly, he turned her around, and brushed the dust off of her clothing. He straightened out the wrinkles of her elegant dress robes. He watched as she patted her slightly toppled hair-do back into place.

His gaze shifted back to the front of the room where Pansy now was pulling out three vials of dark red liquid. Pettigrew was standing next to her, assisting her in her preparations. He gestured to his mother that they should join them. As she turned to walk forwards, he quickly looked at Hermione. Reacting on instincts, he drew out his wand away from his body.

Swiftly and imperceptibly, he cast the most powerful Shielding Spell that he knew over her, tying it into the already powerful magic of the Annulus Aeternus ring around her finger. He felt the rush of energy drain from him. He nearly stumbled into his mother at the sudden loss. But he knew that Hermione was now as safe as he could possibly make her- she’d even have a few seconds to dodge the Killing Curse with the strength of that charm.

Narcissa turned around and gave him a piercing look.

“What did you do?� she asked suspiciously.

But anything Draco might have said was suddenly drowned out by Pansy’s shouts and then a low but ever increasing buzzing noise.

Draco looked over at Pansy. Three empty vials were carelessly strewn in front of her. He noted the other ingredients now that he was close enough to see them. Then, in a rush of understanding, he felt overwhelmed with dread.

Pansy had started to violently shake as a result of the Dark Magic she had invoked. Her eyes had rolled back into her head and she looked as though she might fall over at any moment. Pettigrew made a movement to grip her shoulders but Narcissa’s rough voice stopped him.

“Do not touch her!� she yelled. “She must complete her task.�

Draco recognized the spell. He’d seen it years ago in one of his father’s books- the Blood Summoning Spell. It was powerfully Dark Magic to bring people together through the force of their own blood- and he also knew that the three vials had indeed contained Hermione’s, Louisa’s, and his own blood. With a sinking heart, he realized that the spell was strong enough- or rather that Pansy was determined enough to endure whatever it would take- to bring Louisa from the safety of the Order Headquarters as well as from whatever magic Dumbledore was using to bind her to him.

Pansy was still shaking and now lurched forward over the smoking basin of blood. Draco heard a snap and then a shriek from Pansy. She had clutched her chest and he realized that the force of the spell had probably broken one of her ribs.

He had to stop her before she brought Louisa here. He made a jerky movement towards the dark haired woman. But he was knocked to floor before he realized what had happened. Narcissa was upon him but it was Lucius’s rage that kept him pinned there. He met his father’s presence in her smoldering blue eyes.

“You will kindly not interfere in the resurrection of the Dark Lord,� he hissed. Draco just heard him over the loud buzzing.

Draco was shocked but pretended to be even more so. Lucius had one of Narcissa’s hands holding down Draco’s arm while the other was thrust against his chest. Her long robes had bunched around her waist. Lucius had one of her shapely legs pinning Draco’s other arm while her other leg was stretched out across his legs. Draco didn’t spare a thought to be disgusted.

He squeezed the base of his wand, carefully angling it towards his mother’s body.

Before he could say anything, a wave of heat knocked the woman off of him. Draco snapped his head around to see the source of the overwhelming warmth but was blinded by the burst of light. The buzzing had turned into a roar.

With his mother off of him and his vision temporarily blinded, he aimed his wand in the general direction of Pansy and Pettigrew.

“Obstruo!� he shouted. Though he saw nothing, he barely heard an explosion of sorts and fervently hoped he’d destroyed the basin of blood before it called forth his daughter. Then he crawled as quickly as he could to where he hoped Hermione was still laying.

The entire room seemed to be consumed by the blinding light. Draco tried unsuccessfully to shield his eyes from it. He could barely make out other noises now against the roar. He sensed the burning heat of fire creeping upon him. He felt disoriented and giddy. He breathing was labored now and he knew he was struggling just to maintain consciousness.

Then he felt cool strong hands dig into his shoulders. He couldn’t see or hear anything. But the hands pulled him. His body temperature dropped quickly as he leaned against a near icily cool body.

“Draco!� he heard over the din of the fire. “Stay with me!�

He heard the voice more clearly now and thought he would chance opening his eyes.

Hermione.

There was no mistaking the warm brown eyes of his beloved. She leaned in to kiss him quickly- her lips cool against his own.

“Now get up!� she cried. “But stay with me!�

He took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. Then he understood. The Shielding Spell had protected Hermione from the dazzling brightness and heat of the fire. He squeezed her hand and pulled out his wand.

“We’ve got to restrain them but do nothing about the fire! It may hurt her,� she commanded. Though this didn’t make sense to him, he knew that she was right.

The fire had spread now and divided the room in half.

“We have to get to the other side of the fire- we need to go through,� she yelled.

Again, though this made no sense at all, he knew it was the correct thing to do.

Still grasping her hand, he hoped that the Shielding Spell would withstand the blaze.

The two plunged into the fire. Draco was surprised to feel only a mild and somewhat comforting warmth. He even felt a familiarity within the flames- like the presence of…

“Louisa!� he shouted.

With his hand still clasped in Hermione’s, the two made it out of the fire. Slowly, his eyes focused on the scene before him.

Pansy was on the ground, still clutching her heart. A bright bloody patch was growing on the front of her dress robes. The broken basin was shattered around and underneath her- Draco could see that the traces of their blood were still smoking. Pettigrew was nowhere in sight. He felt a tug on his hand. Hermione was pulling him around the high table.

Louisa.

He saw his daughter standing over a charred heap of robes. She wasn’t moving. She was just staring at what was in front of her.

He finally let go of Hermione’s hand as they both rushed to their child.

“Louisa?� he said tentatively, his arms already around her.

“It’s my Grandmother,� the child calmly responded as though deep within a trance.

Both Draco and Hermione looked from Louisa to the pile of robes. Draco moved over to look more closely. Just as he was reaching towards the smoldering ruins, he felt Hermione’s cool hand in his own, extending the protection of his Shielding Spell once again. He looked back to see that she also kept a hand on Louisa.

Hesitatingly, he pulled some of the now-blackened robes away. The flat blue eyes of Narcissa looked back at him. She was badly burned but still breathing.

“Mother?� He clutched his wand. He was only a spell away from easing enough of her injuries to spare her life. He hesitated and knew that Narcissa saw it in his eyes.

“Draco, just let me go,� she pleaded softly. He was surprised to hear the gentleness of her tone and to see tears slowly leak out of her eyes. He nodded his head, unable to speak, and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.

“No!� he heard from behind him. Louisa had snapped out of her trance. She broke away from Hermione’s grasp and knelt beside Narcissa.

“I See you now!� the child cried. She put her tiny hands on Narcissa’s chest. Draco watched in horror as his mother shifted her gaze to Louisa.

“Daddy- don’t let her go. It’s not supposed to happen.�

“Child,� she whispered. But Draco heard it- he heard something deep within Narcissa’s voice- something clear and pure and beautiful- something that was fighting not to die. Hermione squeezed his hand. He didn’t hesitate.

“Vivere!� he cried, the most basic medi-wizard spell- designed simply to keep a person from slipping away.

Narcissa closed her eyes but her ragged breathing became calmer. Louisa kept her hands on the woman’s heart for a few more minutes.

“There’s more,� Louisa said, fear now creeping back into voice.

Draco pulled Hermione and Louisa towards him as the immediacy of their desperate situation encroached.

“The fire is out of control. We need to get out of here,� Hermione shouted.

“The Shield Charm will get you and Louisa through the fire- you’ve got to go,� Draco yelled back.

“We’re not going without you!� Hermione looked back at him and he clearly heard the desperation and fear in her voice. She gripped his hand tightly, pulling him up.

He pulled out his wand and tried to dowse some of the fire near the far wall with an Extinguishing Spell. It lessened somewhat so that they could at least see the other side of the room. He pushed Hermione and Louisa through the blaze before letting go of their hands. He felt the flames lick against his arms as soon as he broke contact. But he didn’t notice because he was so relieved to see that Hermione and Louisa had made it to the other side. He ardently hoped they’d be safe.

He ran back to his mother. Pansy was now sitting up, her back against the high table. She was muttering incoherently.

“Pansy, you’ve got to help me get us out of here!�

She looked at him oddly as if genuinely surprised to see him.

“Draco? What are you doing here?� she mumbled, gingerly fingering a broken piece of the basin.

“Did you come over to visit? I’m sorry the place is such a mess,� she said, her voice eerily strained. She was now trying to wipe her own blood off of her hands.

“Pansy! Listen to me!� Draco said, shaking the woman. She dropped the piece of basin and put her hands on her chest, moaning in pain.

“What happened, my love?� she replied, looking around as if suddenly seeing the crazy scene at last.

“Pansy, we have to get out of here now. Do you have your wand?� Draco tried more gently. She nodded her head and pulled her wand out of her pocket.

“Okay, wait right here and pull yourself together. I have to get Narcissa,� he said.

He went over to where his mother lay, though he heard Pansy’s voice still behind him. As he picked up his mother’s body, he turned back to see a little red box flying towards the other woman. He walked back to her as she opened the box. He knew what she’d find.

By the time he reached Pansy, she had pulled herself into a standing position, though she was leaning heavily on the table. The flames were bearing down on them now. He had to get them out of there.

“Where is it?� she bellowed.

Draco wanted to keep quiet but the magic of ring compelled him to speak the truth.

He chanced to look down at his mother in his arms. Her eyes were open and fixed on him as she too seemed to be awaiting his answer.

“I gave it to Hermione,� he said, unable to hide the depth of his love.

He felt the full weight of both women’s scrutiny. His mother’s eyes closed but he could feel the rise and fall of her chest. He looked at Pansy. The flames behind her dark black hair surrounded her with an unnatural glow.

“I love you,� was all she said.

She raised her wand then. Draco felt as though he was moving in slow motion. His wand was still in his robes and he had both arms around his mother. He tried to put her down on the table to reach his wand- but he felt her spell hit him.

The force of her own spell knocked her backwards. He looked up into Pansy’s black eyes just as a wall of flames consumed her. He pulled his mother closer and tried to take a step back but found he was against the table. There was nothing he could do now for Pansy. He pulled what was left of his mother’s robes over her face. Hoisting her to one side, he managed to reach into his robe to pull out his wand.

Pointing it at the fire, he screamed the Extinguishing Spell. The fire seemed to pull back just enough for him to see movement on the other side. Taking a deep breath he ran into the inferno.

And he didn’t burn.

Pansy had cast the Shielding Spell over them- giving them everything she had left.

Cool hands belonging to a person with bright green eyes pulled his mother out of his arms. Then he couldn’t see anything else.

More cool hands wrapped around him and tugged him away from the fire. He slowly noticed that he was having trouble breathing. He coughed, trying to claim some air.

Before passing out, he felt Hermione and Louisa next to him.

---------------------------

A/N: we’re not done yet!

obstruo – Latin- to build against; to block up , close, stop.
vivere – Latin- to live, be alive; to live well, enjoy life; to survive.
From:
University of Notre Dame Latin Grammar Guide. http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any part of the Harry Potter Universe- that’s all the great and powerful JKR!

Hermione ran her fingers through her husband’s white blond hair. He had passed out, his head in her lap. Louisa was sitting quietly at her side, leaning into her embrace. She looked over just a few feet away to see Neville and Ginny trying to ease the pain of Narcissa’s burns.

They were sitting in the long hallway not too far away from the still-smoldering drawing room. Ginny, Neville, Harry, and Ron had burst into the room just as Hermione had crossed the fire with Louisa. It had been Harry and Ron who had held her arms, preventing her from crossing back through the fire for Draco. The fire was blazing so loudly and blindingly that she’d been unable to convey her intentions to her friends. They’d dragged her out of the room. Once in the relative quiet of the hallway, she’d been able to tell them that Draco, Narcissa, Parkinson, and Pettigrew were still in there.

Ginny and Ron had remained in the hallway and begun to work on Narcissa’s badly damaged body. Harry and Neville had gone back into the drawing room to find the others. All Hermione could do was hold onto Louisa and shush the child’s cries, while she herself felt like wailing, too.

She couldn’t understand the nature of that fire. Hermione had always prided herself on fires- she could produce a magical fire even in the wettest of conditions. She could also put them out. With her skills, she could have easily worked with Dragons or even the Ministry of Magic’s Emergency Protocol Department- either job would have made good use of her special expertise. Indeed, she had done a good amount of fire-related consulting work. But the fire she had just witnessed left her dumbfounded.

She’d been left to lie on the floor when Draco pulled his mother up away from Hermione. She saw him turn around and cast the Shielding Spell about the same time that she began to hear the buzzing noise. She wanted to protest against him tapping into so much of his own energy to Shield her. But she knew she couldn’t risk blowing his cover- not when she’d already realized what Parkinson and Pettigrew were doing with the three vials of blood. So she fervently hoped that he’d kept enough of his magical energy to stop the Blood Summoning Ritual.

She had been so sure that Louisa was now safe- and she was still positive that the Voldemort would never be resurrected in her daughter’s body. But she was terrified that she’d be summoned here just the same- summoned to a place full of angry Death Eaters. Hadn’t Lucius said that he’d wipe out my line? And he called her an ‘Abomination’! she thought.

A loud crash followed by shouting and moaning had brought her back her immediate dangers. Draco had been knocked to the floor and trapped under his mother’s body. Hermione realized that Draco must have been trying to stop the Blood Summoning Ritual when Lucius and Narcissa had taken him down. Parkinson was yelling and heaving over the table, clearly in the throes of the ritual. But Hermione thought she had a better chance of getting Narcissa off of Draco then she had of stopping Parkinson. She looked around, spying a small but heavy-looking ceramic vase. She didn’t have her wand but she was certain she could throw the vase hard enough to get her mother-in-law off of her husband! But she hadn’t been able to even reach the vase before the first blast of heat knocked her across the room.

She had quickly turned around to see the cause of such an explosion. But several things were happening in quick succession. Narcissa seemed to be lying in heap, pinned under an overturned chair, and extremely close to a rapidly growing fire. Draco had rolled out of the fire’s immediate path and had hurled some kind of hex at Parkinson and Pettigrew. She saw the stoneware basin that had been in front of the two shatter in a small explosion. Either the force of Draco’s hex or the blast from the fire- or perhaps both had knocked Parkinson and Pettigrew over the table. She barely could hear screaming over the roar of the fire.

The intensity of the blaze had initially overwhelmed her in the first few seconds. She quickly grasped that Draco’s Shield Spell was protecting her from the heat of the fire. Seeing Draco flailing around so close to the fire pulled her out of her trance. As adrenaline rushed into her blood, she was able to brave the fire and pull Draco to the far side of the room.

That’s when she saw Louisa. She had looked into the fire- and there- unmistakably was her daughter. Louisa seemed extremely calm as she stood in the middle of the flames, assessing the activities of the room. She had turned and looked at Hermione and Draco and then turned back to whatever was on the other side of the fire. Hermione watched the child cross over until she could no longer see anything though the towering blaze. That’s when she’d pulled Draco up and insisted that they get through to the other side of the fire.

Louisa whimpered beside her again, snuggling further into her embrace and jolting Hermione out of her reverie. She sighed and pulled her child closer to her. She wanted to ask her about the fire. Once Draco and Narcissa had made it across the flames, Harry and Neville had been able to put out the fire fairly quickly. The inferno that had been initially unresponsive to the Extinguishing Spell now was just a smoking ruin.

She wanted to ask to the child how she had appeared in the room- how she survived standing in the fire- if she had started the fire in the first place… her exhausted mind was literally buzzing with questions. But she couldn’t ask them now. It wasn’t yet safe.

Ginny had quickly levitated some old wooden furniture into a barricade of sorts in the hallway. She’d explained how they’d been ambushed by hired soldiers and a manticore. She’d also briefed Hermione on her theories about the situation on the outside- about the Death Eaters, Dementors, and Giants- and about how Remus and Tonks had yet to meet them on the inside.

Hermione looked around at the group. Draco was beginning to stir, his smoke-induced coughs coming less frequently now. Neville and Ginny had finally been able to get Narcissa stabilized enough to start a Healing Sleep. Harry sat on the other side of Hermione but with his back to her as he kept watch into the hallway. Ron sat in front of him, looking very pale from the blood loss he’d sustained from the manticore’s bites. Hermione knew that all they could really do was to wait now for their friends. Even if Draco did wake up, they couldn’t chance moving Narcissa- or Ron, Hermione thought ruefully.

Hermione felt her tired brain once again try to find sense in what had just happened. As she glanced down at the pale closed eyelids of her husband, she felt a pang of strong emotions- anger, relief, guilt, and love. She didn’t know exactly what had happened on the other side of that fire- but when she saw Draco coming across, totally unaffected by the flames and the heat, she quickly realized that someone had to have Shielded him. Without a doubt, she knew that neither Draco nor Narcissa would have been able to conjure the strength for that spell. That only left Parkinson or Pettigrew. Pettigrew had disappeared but Harry had found Parkinson’s burned body.

So when Hermione gazed at her husband lying peacefully in her lap, she knew that she owed his life to Pansy Parkinson. She looked down at the wet spots on his pale cheeks and recognized her own tears spilling from her face.

She tilted her head back against the wall and let the hot tears flow unchecked. She cried in utter joy for having both Draco and Louisa alive and next to her- she cried that her closest friends had found them and that they were all alive and relatively unscathed- she cried at the memory of Lucius-within-Narcissa’s vile transgressions on her body- and she cried at another woman’s sacrifice- one that she didn’t understand.

She didn’t stop crying until she felt soft fingers graze against her cheek and heard the accompanying murmurs of comfort. Then she looked down into Draco’s passionate dark gray eyes.

Slowly, he hoisted himself up in front of Hermione and Louisa. Saying nothing, he pulled them both into his arms. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, tucked just underneath his chin. She felt Louisa next to her, wrapped in both her own and Draco’s arms. She felt the completeness of her life in those few precious minutes of the embrace.

She pulled away from the two of them then and scuttled away from the wall. She gently leaned Draco against the wall, positioning him between Louisa and herself. His coughing had finally subsided but he still looked exhausted. Hermione figured that whatever had actually transpired on the other side of the fire had probably been just as draining as the Shielding Spell he’d cast on her.

Slowly she slid closer to Harry as the rational and practical part of her mind began to take over.

“Harry, would you please try to Accio my wand? I have no doubt that it’s somewhere in the evil place,� she said.

He nodded in agreement, “Glad to have you back, Hermione.� Though her friend was covered in soot and looked as tired as she felt, his bright green eyes flashed at her. In them she saw compassion, loyalty, and love.

“Thank you, Harry Potter. Thank you for being here,� she whispered, putting an arm around his dirty robes. At that he chuckled very softly.

“What? You think I’m going to let Malfoy have all the fun?� And then more seriously, “And as if I’d ever let anything happen to you, Hermione- you, or your daughter, or any other loved one,� he said pointedly.

“And Hermione?� he started. “Is there something you’d like to fill me in on?� he asked, looking at her ring with a small smile.

Before she could answer, they heard a faint whizzing sound announcing the arrival of her wand. Her fingers closed around the hovering piece of wood while she welcomed the sense of relief and safety it provided.

Having her wand renewed her sense of purpose. She started with Harry’s robes and quickly had him cleaned up, taking care to heal his scratches and fix the small crack in his glasses. Then she moved on to both Draco and Louisa, cleaning them up as well. She spent just a few minutes more making sure that Draco’s lungs were no longer damaged from smoke inhalation. Though she couldn’t completely heal Ron’s mangled leg, she could set the bones right, reduce the swelling, and wrap it correctly in a proper bandage.

Neville waved her off when she approached him.

“Hermione, don’t worry about me,� he slurred through his bloody swollen lip. “I can wait- but she,� he gestured down at Narcissa, “really needs your help.�

Hermione took a deep breath and crawled over to where Narcissa lay. The woman was sleeping soundly with a tranquil look softening her sharp aristocratic features. Hermione couldn’t help but feel queasy at the vivid images flooding her as soon as she lifted the sleeping woman’s hand.

She was completely dumbfounded by Lucius’s apparent possession of Narcissa’s body. Draco had never talked about his mother with her so she really had no idea what to think. She wondered how much their current predicament could be blamed on Narcissa. As she assessed the woman’s injuries, she found herself growing angry. She felt a tug at her side.

“It’s going to be okay with her,� Louisa said softly. Hermione squeezed her daughter’s hand and then looked back at Draco. He had been watching her as she hovered over Narcissa. She locked her gaze with his for a few minutes before she saw him nod. The barest of smiles on his face spurred her back to action.

“Louisa, go back and sit with your father while I take care of Narcissa,� she responded tenderly, giving the child a quick hug.

Then she set about to heal Narcissa as much as she could, no longer feeling angry.

She hadn’t long left Narcissa’s side when they all heard noises coming up the hallway.

“Ah. There you are,� boomed Dumbledore. “And there you are, Miss Louisa. I suppose I am not surprised.�

The old wizard’s sharp gaze swept around the group. With a wave of his wand, he conjured stretchers for both Narcissa and Ron. Ron complained loudly but Hermione secretly thought he looked relieved.

Hermione saw Hagrid, Remus, and Tonks not too far down the hall.

“Yer never going to believe what we ran into,� Hagrid started excitedly.

“Oh, I think I know- and I pray to all that’s holy that you’re not going to adopt it, Hagrid!� Ron winced.

“Oi, Ron, needn’t be such a killjoy ‘bout it. I’ve never seen a real manticore, is all. I thought it might just be needin’ a good home and a little tenderness, you know,� Hagrid returned somewhat sheepishly.

Hermione turned back to Draco and Louisa. She offered her hand to Draco and helped him up from the floor. When she was sure he was steady on his feet, she turned back to Louisa.

But Louisa had already found a ride, so to speak.

“Louisa, I think you should start calling me ‘Uncle Harry.’ Is that okay with you?� Harry offered, as he picked up the child.

“Yes, I think it's most appropriate, Uncle Harry,� Louisa responded.

Hermione couldn’t help but to chuckle at the sight of her best friend toting her daughter. Louisa’s obvious delight at her latest admirer was too much not to enjoy.

So she was not surprised to hear Draco’s small laugh next to her.

“What a day, eh?� she whispered to him.

They were pulling up the rear of the group. Thus, no one immediately noticed when they idled in the hallway.

“That is some understatement,� he paused for effect, “Mrs. Malfoy.�

“Hmmm… that’s right. But I think I might fancy ‘Mrs. Granger-Malfoy,’ my love,� she returned.

“Is that so? Well, fine with me. Should I be a Granger-Malfoy, too? Louisa?� Draco said, his serious tone edged with just a trace of amusement.

“Of course,� Hermione replied, giving him a mirrored image of his own trademark arched eyebrow.

“What have I gotten myself into?� he mused, now wrapping his arms around her.

Hermione laughed, leaning her head into his neck to nestle closer to him.

“Draco, let’s have a proper date soon,� she said lazily before she seized the opportunity to plant tiny kisses on the inside of his neck.

“Hermione!� he whispered rather urgently. He pulled away from her just a bit, which earned him a pout.

“Not that look. I don’t think I can resist it. Of course, we’ll have a proper date. In fact, I think the three of us need some time to get to know each other. What do you think? Maybe a nice long vacation somewhere? France? Capri? Croatia? Wherever you like, love,� he murmured into her hair.

“Draco?�

“Yes?�

“I love you.�

“I love you, too, Hermione.�

With that, she leaned further into his arms, tilting her face up to reach his lips and his kiss.

“Mum! Dad! It’s Toof with the post!� shrieked a young girl, as she ran down the long corridor of Malfoy Manor.

“Bring it in here, dear,� Hermione’s voice echoed from the library.

The little girl barreled into the library, holding a roll of parchment as if it was a treasure. She sat on the couch, waiting impatiently for her parents to finish their tasks and to join her to read the letter.

“It’s about time that child wrote!� exclaimed Hermione, putting down her paperwork. “It’s been almost two weeks…� she trailed off as she walked over to the couch.

“Well, let’s see it, then,� Draco said gently, as he held out his hand for the letter.

“Hermione?�

“I’m right here,� she responded, taking her seat next to her daughter.

Draco unfolded the roll of parchment. He cleared his throat and began to read.

Dear Mum, Dad, and Rebecca,

Sorry I’ve taken so long to write! These past two weeks have flown by! It already seems like ages ago that you dropped me off at King’s Cross! Thanks for sending me letters, though- I’ve missed you all so much. Now I’ll tell you everything and hopefully answer all your questions, too.

First and foremost, I love it here. Though I really do miss you all- (especially you, Rebecca!) I am having a wonderful time! Hogwarts is everything that you said it would be, Mum and Dad. Everything!

Gryffindor House is fantastic.

“Gryffindor?!?� Draco scowled.

“Daddy! Keep reading, please!� Rebecca pleaded. Draco’s face softened and he continued to read the letter aloud.

The older students have been very welcoming and friendly. And my roommates are great, too- Uncle Ron’s nieces, Sabine and Simone, are really fun. I’ve been practicing my French with them. Besides the Twins, there are two Muggle-born girls, Lydia Jones and Janet Keplar. Interestingly, they both have the gray marks on their palms- and they remember meeting Uncle Ron and Aunt Ginny when they were younger. I haven’t said anything about the marks- and they don’t really seem to want to talk about them. I guess I understand…

Classes are going well- the teachers must really enjoy piling on the homework! Mum, don’t worry- of course, I am doing all of my homework! I had to find a quieter place than the Common room, though, for studying. It’s too easy to get drawn into whatever the Twins are doing… Speaking of that, the first day I ventured into the library, Madame Pince showed me “your� table, Mum. It’s a good workspace- maybe it’ll be “my� table now.

“Oh! I’m so glad Madame Pince showed her the alcove. Some of my best Hogwarts memories are from that space…� Hermione interrupted.

“Mum!� Rebecca yelled.

I know you worry about me, Mum and Dad. I could tell from your last letter. But really, there’s nothing to be concerned about. Even though I’ve had my temper tested a few times (already!), I haven’t even come close to so much as overheating. Professor Dumbledore told me he’d continue my training himself while I’m here at Hogwarts until I no longer need it. The only thing even resembling an incident was a bad dream that I had a few nights ago. But I was able to wake myself up and do the breathing exercises and calming chants and bring my body temperature down to normal. I didn’t even have to use the Cooling potion. By the way, Madame Pomfrey gave me a small vial of Cooling potion for emergencies that I keep with me at all times.

Draco stopped reading and looked over at Hermione. She nodded at him as if to say, “We’ll talk about that later.�

As for what tested my temper… well, it’s nothing now, I guess. Uncle Severus (of course I call him “Professor� in class, Dad!) gave me a detention and took House points away from me and the Twins on the second day of classes. In all fairness, they were trying to overheat the powdered Belladonna root, knowing perfectly well that it would then explode. And I was laughing (because it WAS funny at the time!). And then Uncle Severus caught us- he yelled, deducted points, and then gave me- ONLY ME- a detention. Initially, I was outraged to be singled out- but then, as I already wrote earlier, I didn’t even start to overheat. Professor Dumbledore told me that this was excellent proof of my progress, by the way.

When I showed up for detention that night, Uncle Severus gave me a short lecture about troublemakers and then he took me to Hogsmeade for hot chocolate! He told me not to tell any of the other students- not that anyone would believe me! He said it was a belated birthday present…. But since then, he’s given me two other detentions, both times taking me out for ice cream! Oh, he told me to tell you that he’d see you all this weekend for a visit.

My favorite class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Aunt Ginny is the coolest! She really knows her stuff. The first week of classes, she had us traipsing around the lake, looking for grindylows! She does tend to assign a lot of homework- almost as much as Professor McGonagall! (Again, Mum- no worries! I’d never show up without doing my homework!) She and Uncle Harry have had the Twins and me over for tea several times already. Oh, Dad, Uncle Harry told me to remind you that you owe him ten Galleons because I was Sorted into Gryffindor.

“Harry will never let me live this down,� Draco groaned. Hermione just giggled.

“I don’t think I will, either, love,� she chuckled.

I’m glad to hear that Grandmother is feeling better these days. She did send me a very short letter on my second day, informing me of what she had had for breakfast. She also congratulated me on making Gryffindor even though I don’t know how she would have known- I guess she Saw it. But she sounded friendly and even closed with a “love, Gram.� Be sure to give her a hug from me the next time you all visit her at St. Mungo’s.

Well, I’d better go now. I’m writing this while serving another “detention� with Uncle Severus. I think that it’s interesting that writing you was part of my detention this evening (Dad!). Now we’re going to get something sweet from the kitchens before we go up to the Owlery.

Christmas holidays seem very far away. I miss you all. Can’t wait to see you!

With love,

Louisa Granger-Malfoy


Draco snorted. “I can’t believe it! How could my own daughter be a Gryffindor…� but Hermione’s chortles interrupted him.

“Hmm… I think all that bravery must be a dominant trait, you know,� she teased.

“Mum? Will I be a Gryffindor, too, then?� Rebecca, the five year old blond, asked.

“Not if I can help it!� Draco said as he playfully swept up his youngest daughter.

Hermione stood up from the couch, wrapping her arms around the two of them- as much as she was able to, anyway, with her rather large pregnant belly. After hugging them both, she stepped away to look out the open window.

“Hmmm… all that talk of ice cream… Rebecca, would you go ask one of the elves to bring up some ice cream- strawberry, please!� she asked, rubbing her expansive midsection. Draco put the girl down and watched in amusement as she happily skipped off to do her mother’s bidding.

“Well, she’s probably not going to be a Slytherin either.�

“Are you implying that you wouldn’t enjoy bringing me some ice cream right now?� Hermione queried with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, no, Hermione, my love. Self-preservation has always been very high on my list of priorities!� he joked sweetly, as he moved to join her in front of the window.

She sighed when he stepped behind her and then wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into his embrace.

“It sounds like Louisa is doing really well, doesn’t it? She’s made friends- though I’m slightly apprehensive about Bill and Fleur’s daughters. Those two have all the makings of another Fred and George!� she laughed.

“And she seems to be enjoying her classes and taking her studies seriously,� Draco said approvingly.

“You didn’t tell me about Severus, Draco,� she murmured.

“What? I said that he’d look out for her. How was I to know how soft he’s become?� he replied amiably.

“Well, I like the idea that she’s being looked after. And I must say that I’m relieved that Dumbledore is going to personally oversee her training. The sooner she masters her inner fires, the safer she – and everyone around her- will be,� she said, worryingly.

“Hermione, she hasn’t started a fire in two years. And even then, she was able to put it out before anyone was hurt. You heard what she wrote- she’s getting a lot better with her self-control. We just have to have patience and faith in her,� he reasoned.

“I know, Draco. I know. She’s such a special child. I just want for her to be safe- that’s all,� she responded.

Draco didn’t say anything for several minutes. He just tightened his embrace and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“We have made her as safe as we can, Hermione. We gave her what she needed six years ago. The best thing we can do now is to let her go to school…�

“Are you sure, Draco? We could bring her back her for a bit longer- just until she fully masters her-�

“No,� Draco gently interrupted. “We have to trust Louisa now. There’s no reason to think that she won’t be able to overcome these challenges. Besides, both Dumbledore and Harry are there watching out for her- not to mention Severus, Ginny, and the other professors. If something changes,� he paused in thoughtfulness. “If something changes- if her abilities overwhelm her- or if she comes into a new set of powers- she’s already set to receive the best training she can,� he explained.

“Dumbledore’s last letter said as much,� Hermione conceded.

Draco sighed, leaning his face down into Hermione’s curls.

“I love the way you smell,� he breathed.

This made Hermione laugh.

“Are you trying to change the subject?� she asked.

“Maybe…� he whispered into her ear. She shivered at the warm breath on her neck and then turned around to face her husband.

She slid her arms around his neck, burying her hands in soft locks of white blond hair. Then she stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to plant a full kiss on his lips. Draco returned the kiss, deepening it, and letting his tongue dart through her mouth.

“Mmm… someone’s already gotten into the ice cream,� he murmured as he continued to kiss her.

“Yuck!� Rebecca said, as she returned with her own bowl of ice cream.

Draco and Hermione broke apart, laughing at their youngest daughter’s outrage. Two elves busied themselves setting up a large tray of several flavors of ice cream.

“After you, my love,� Draco said, leading Hermione over to the table now groaning under the weight of the ice cream.

Hermione sat back down on the couch next to Rebecca. She moved Louisa’s letter out of the way as she reached for the strawberry ice cream.

“Hey- there’s something written on the back of this paper,� Rebecca said, pointing to a post-script written in Louisa’s neat blocky penmanship.

“Read it, love,� Hermione replied.

“Ooh! It’s addressed to me!� Rebecca said excitedly. Hermione and Draco watched as the little girl read over the letter.

P.S. Rebecca, guess what? We’re going to have a brother. You can decide to tell Mum and Dad, if you want. Love, Louisa

“Well, what does she say?� Draco prompted.

“Hmmm… I don’t think I’ll tell you, just yet,� she replied, gleefully. Then she snatched up the letter and skipped out of the room.

“What was that about?� Hermione pondered.

“No telling with those two,� Draco answered with a smile.

Finis.

A/N: A huge thank you to all my readers and reviewers! My first foray into fan fiction has been so much fun! I have started another story- a D/Hr, of course, entitled "Shifting Perspectives.". This one is *inspired* by the characters of Lucius/Narcissa from this story- meaning my next tale involves some (rather strange but cool) body swapping- and it takes place in the Trio’s Hogwarts years. Look for it on Schnoogle (www.schnoogle.com) under “Professor Mary.�
or at http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Professor_Mary/

Again, my thanks to you all! Love, prof mary