43Trigger warning: Violent/gory descriptions of wounds sustained by battle.
! This chapter is written from Hermione's perspective !
- Department of Mysteries, 18th of June 1996 –
Hermione could still feel the scorching hot flames at her back, her sweater soaked through and sticking to her skin as she hurled herself through the Department of Mysteries. She had been covering Luna when she'd heard Harry call out for her desperately. In the corner of her eye, an unavoidable purple curse came straight at her, only for Draco's power to come in between her and the dark magic. With another flick of the blond's wrist, Dolohov was thrown backwards, flames engulfing his throat, until Draco had to dodge one of his father's wayward spells. Dolohov's fate was unknown to her, but she could only pray to magic itself that the death eater would no longer be able to chase them.
Harry had pulled her up, his muscles clearly straining with all the magic he'd drained from his body, and urged her to leave the room as both of them aided Draco in shielding their friends. She had not seen any of the other Hogwarts students since. They had all been casting spells left and right, chased by the enraged death eaters who came out of their hiding spots once Draco's fire burnt out.
But red and blue flames had sometimes lit up the darkness ahead of her, in this maze that was the Department of Mysteries. It soothed her soul, knowing Draco was safe, despite having lost his wand. He must be drained, using wandless magic. But what choice did he have but to fight for them? What choice did any of them have?
Still too hot, she threw away her jacket while taking a quick rest to catch her breath behind a peculiar-looking, yet beautiful, wardrobe that distinctly smelt of apples. Tempted, but not easily distracted by the strange magic hiding behind its reddish brown doors, she contemplated if she should turn into her animagus form, but deemed it too obvious. What would a kneazle be doing in the Department of Mysteries anyway? Perhaps, if she reached the Time Room, she could sneak her way under the shelves to escape her pursuers…
A bright white stag and silver otter nearly ran past her hiding spot until the latter stopped in its tracks, addressing her shortly. "Get to the atrium, Mione," Draco's voice told her, the exhaustion clearly noticeable. He had overextended his magical abilities, the last of Deandra's magic in the Malfoy line slowly but surely leaving him by now. "We will look for the others and make sure we're all safe." His voice lingered on that last .
Not all of them were safe.
Her breath caught at the trail of silver magic running off again, determined to find the rest of their friends. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she hugged her arms closer to her body. Deandra wasdead. Never again would she feel the spirit's warmth. Receive her guidance. Enjoy their long conversations on various historical topics in the manor. Wiping her tears away with her fist, Hermione made another promise to the Spirit. If she ever got her hands on Lucius, he would pay. She would make sure of it.
Taking another deep breath, she peered around the wardrobe, checking if any of the death eaters were following her. Draco's patronus might have given away her location, but there was no one to be seen in the darkness behind her, so she decided to quietly trail along the walls, making her way to the atrium as she had been told to do.
Once she almost made it to the Time Room, her magic tingled in warning and she whirled around, raising a protego around her on instinct. A red spell clashed off her shield, the leftover sparks revealing the burnt neck and cheeks of Dolohov behind her. His skin was melted off from his ears to his collarbone, but either he himself or one of his fellow death eaters had managed to partially heal him, the burn wounds now covered in dark red skin. He looked like a monster that had walked straight out of her nightmares.
"Hello, sweetheart," he purred as he stalked upon his prey, twirling his wand in his hands. He'd clearly clawed at his own face as Draco's flames had engulfed him, seeing as his hands too were completely burnt.
Hermione quickly glanced around, taking in her surroundings before they engaged in battle. These past few months she had learnt that the best way to win a fight was to use the battlefield to her advantage, both offensively and defensively. Perhaps, she could use some of the magical stones on the shelves nearby. Enlarge them and make sure they serve as obstacles. She raised her wand, ready to start her enchantment, when a strong and even voice yelled from behind the death eater.
"Confringo!"
Dolohov flew backwards, bones cracking as he went. He landed in an awkward heap on the floor, his neck bent in an unnatural way, his intestines hanging out of the hole in his stomach. His blood splattered onto the floor. A growl roared through the room, one of the magical beats kept within the department growing restless at the coppery smell.
Hermione grabbed her stomach, trying not to vomit when she looked away from Dolohov. She could not believe Gryffindor Hermione and Draco had lived through a brutal war like this before.
Even missing half of her hair, and having been hit by a cutting curse in her face, Narcissa looked like a true warrior queen as she stepped over the body, her black heels now covered in blood. Her motherly love shone through and she gently touched Hermione's cheek pulling the young witch into a short hug, smiling sadly. "Get to Draco, Mione," she ordered.
Hermione nodded and returned the hug briefly in thanks, only to have her wince in pain. When the brunette pulled back she saw that Narcissa's robes were sticky with blood. No matter the damage that had been done to her, the elder witch still oozed with magical power and fury. As if she, just like her son, had been fuelled by pure anger when Deandra died. Hermione wondered how long it would last, this power. Whether Narcissa pulled her magic from her Black ancestry or not. With Deandra gone and the leylines drained, she and Draco would slowly start losing the strength granted to them. She had already seen it in the exhaustion on Draco's face. Had felt the death of the Spirit of Malfoy Manor affect her own magic. Hermione prayed they would survive in this war until they reached magical maturity and could start rebuilding their ancestral home and its wards.
Silently thanking both Merlin and Morgana that Narcissa had managed to escape the clutches of her wicked sister, and thereby save her from Dolohov, Hermione started to lead both of them back towards the Time Room. She could only imagine what would have happened if Narcissa hadn't- No. Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts. She could not bear to think about what might have happened. Might still happen if they did not get to the Atrium as soon as possible. No one else was supposed to die tonight. Fate could not be so cruel.
Another curse hit the shelves close to them, and Narcissa pushed Hermione forward through the doorway ahead of them, separating the two of them as debris fell between them. Some of it flew into Hermione's arm, making her shout out in pain.
"Just run, Hermione! Find Draco and get yourselves and your friends to safety!" Narcissa yelled before she engaged in a duel with another death eater. Purple, blue, and red magic lit up the room behind her until a locking spell closed the door. Hermione prayed to magic itself that Narcissa would be alright and find another way out. Draco could not lose both Deandra and his mother tonight. Taking a deep breath, Hermione put her intelligence to work, murmuring a spell to set up a trap for any death eaters entering this hallway. After, the brunette continued onwards, trying to find an exit.
A distressed hiccup left the young witch's throat and she held her bleeding arm closer to her body, still running, still trying to find Draco. If only their bond hadn't been broken, then surely she would have been able to find him more easily. Then maybe… She would be able to save him. Save all of them with the power the bond would unleash.
Her thoughts drifted back to Lucius' face when he'd heard the prophecy. To all of their faces as Draco shrugged off the silencing spell. The glee on Bellatrix's face when she noticed her nephew's magic burn through his chains. She could feel it in her bones that Lucius had realised his son's true potential. It had been as if all the puzzle pieces finally fell into place in his mind as he kept turning the prophecy over in his head. It confirmed one thing. Draco could still be pulled towards the Dark. Could still be turned into a mindless murderer for Voldemort. At least, that is what the prophecy claimed. But unbeknownst to the death eaters, Draco had tested fate once. And now,shewould. She'd doanythingto stop him from falling into darkness again.
A stray spell flew over her head, right as she could see Daphne, Cedric, and Susan struggling against Bellatrix down another aisle. She clenched her jaw at the sight of her. At Draco's memory of the torture Gryffindor Hermione had endured. But now was not the time for revenge. They needed to get out alive. Casting a shielding charm across the room, she urged her friends to follow her. The exit to the next, and hopefully last room in this maze, was directly in front of her. If they made it there, then the Atrium could not be too far away. "This way! Draco and Harry should be there, and I'm sure I saw Ron and Luna-" her voice trailed off as she ran through the door. It had been nothing but a twisted trick of fate as she ended up in another part of the Time Room.
Hermione felt like she could cry. But in the distance, was light. Red, yellow, and silver clashed as she heard Draco's voice calling out spells, seemingly having taken or won the wand from a random death eater, Harry by his side. The two Slytherins were a marvel to behold as they held their ground against three death eaters, disarming and stunning them. Her body was no longer her own as she started running, the footsteps of her friends closing in on her. If she made it to her two best friends, then-
A hateful curse hit her side. Her body was flipped upside down and cast into the aisle next to her, her friends or Bellatrix behind her nowhere to be seen as the room shifted its entrances and exits once again. A scream tore through Hermione's throat. It was as if she was being stabbed by a hundred knives at once, each and every one twisting deeper into her body than the last. Her vision blurred, and she couldn't see the lights of Draco's and Harry's spells anymore. There was nothing to guide her back to them. Nothing but pain and the dull throbbing in her head as she heard Draco scream her name in the distance. At least he'd seen her get hit. At least he was on his way.
"A filthy mudblood, the heiress to the Malfoy line," Lucius sneered. The burning chains Draco had struck him with were tattooed on his face, the skin an angry red just like Dolohov's had been. The elder wizard cast another curse at her. Another cruciatus, she realised. So that was what it felt like. To have every nerve ending in her body be filled with nothing but pain and rage while despair wormed its way into her mind, attempting to gain entrance and unleash its wickedness upon her. Much like the dark magic and its tendrils that had taken Deandra, so did this magic feast upon the light within her.
Hermione screamed in terror. No wonder Gryffindor Hermione had succumbed to this pain. She'd only suffered two curses right now and she already felt like giving up. Was this the pain that had killed her once?
Cold fear gripped her.
Would it kill her again?
"Rest assured. You will not be the heiress for much long,Lady Dagworth-Granger." He crouched down next to her, putting a stray curl behind her ear like Draco had done so often. Hermione's skin crawled. "I just want him to watch as I kill you," Lucius whispered in her ear, petting her hair in a mockery of affection.
Hermione's head lulled to the side. Where was her wand? It had rolled underneath the shelf on her right, time-turners neatly aligned on top of it. If she could just reach it then she might be able to survive.
Her fingers trembled as she attempted to reach for it, her muscles straining, her arm still bleeding.
Lucius laughed at her feeble attempt.
Both Harry and Draco rushed towards her, throwing spells at Lucius before he could attack her once more. But he had already encased himself and Hermione in a protective bubble, making sure no one could get to her. Whatever the death eater had done to Deandra, still seemed to partly fuel his own strength, despite him being cast out of the family. A tear slid down Hermione's cheek. He'd made the Spirit, their friend and protector, into nothing more than an enhancer. No matter if Draco had destroyed the trinket or not, Lucius had still leeched off of her, had still-
A silver spell, entwined with fire magic, finally seemed to crack the shield around them, the magic falling apart around them. In the nick of time, Lucius deflected the spell aimed straight at him, making it hit the shelves instead. An explosion of glass and sand ensued, cutting Hermione across the face before she could roll around to protect herself. Glass shards stuck in her cheek, and her lip was bleeding from biting on it too much as she had tried to keep her screaming to a minimum.
By sheer dumb luck, her own wand had rolled towards her in the blast. The warmth of it in her hands felt familiar. Made her feel stronger. She aimed her wand straight at Lucius and let her own magic guide her, blasting him backwards into the shelves using the last of her strength, more and more time-turner sand pooling around her. Her arm was bleeding more profusely, and she could feel the sand sticking to the wound and her skin, leaving a strange golden hue.
Draco fell on his knees beside her, not caring about the glass behind them. He held her face in his hands as he frantically whispered healing spells to clear the cuts on her face and numb the pain from the two cruciatus curses. His lips hovered over her cheek, kissing a tear away in the middle of his mumbling. She swore she could hear him say "I'm an idiot."
Hermione winced when he tried to pull her up, and one look at her arm made him nearly growl in anger. Soon after she felt his soothing magic trying to stop the bleeding, Harry's comforting magic now joining Draco's. He was draining himself more than he already had, and she could feel the last flicker of the blond's magic trying to replenish her own.
"Are you alright?" Draco asked as he hugged her closer to him. Hermione clung to him, reassuring each other they were alive. Harry, Daphne, Cedric, and Susan had gathered around them to protect them as the trio had also found their way towards them. Daphne was sporting a nasty cut to her face, her left eye swollen shut. Cedric had taken the brunt of some sort of fire spell to his forearms, his sweater burnt away, the leftovers sticking into his hurt skin. Susan had her hand on Harry's shoulder, whispering her own healing spells to her godbrother.
Luckily for them, neither Lucius nor Bellatrix were anywhere to be seen, probably licking their wounds or waiting to strike from the shadows.
"Your mother is still in the Hall of Prophecy, she-" Hermione began.
"I saw her guiding Ginny, Ron, Neville, Blaise, and Luna towards the atrium through another door, right after we managed to shake off Bellatrix," Susan piped up. "Aunt Amelia always says the doors to the Time Room are not to be trusted, but they found the correct one it seems. They're all fine. We're the ones that need to get out of here. And fast."
Harry took charge and stepped forward, swinging Hermione's injured arm around his shoulder. "Susan is right. The Order should be here anytime, as well as the aurors and the D.M.L.E. We need to get up to the Atrium as fast as possible."
Draco took her other arm and both Slytherins lifted her up, sand pooling around their ankles as more and more time-turners started emptying out around them.
Something shifted inside Hermione then, as she found herself standing between Harry and Draco. Even if her brain was telling her that she should move her feet, her heart seemed to freeze her in place. The boys tried to pull her forward, but the time-turner she still wore around her neck seemed to be having none of it, the chain painfully pulling at her skin, trying to tell her something important. What was it Gryffindor Hermione had said?
"Never run out of time. Instead, swim in a sea of time, when you find yourself between death and his best friend," Hermione murmured, Harry and Draco barking orders left and right at their friends, trying their best to ensure their survival. But she did not pay any attention to them.
It had never made much sense to her. Death was not a person. Death did not have a best friend. Except… "The master of death," Hermione whispered in disbelief, her hands starting to tremble as she took in Harry's concerned green eyes. "And his best friend…" she trailed off, touching Draco's cheek with the tip of her fingers, stopping him in his tracks. Of course. How had she never seen it before? How had she been so blind? A sea of time. A sea ofthe sandsof time.
"You will think I have completely lost my marbles," she chuckled awkwardly as she leant her weight backwards and tried to shrug them off, the leftover magic in the time-turner seemingly aiding her as strength coursed through her body. "But I can't run. Not now. This is where I need to be, I-"
"Mione, have you been hit in the head?" Harry argued, pulling her arm roughly now, making her wince. But she would not budge. "We need to . Most of our magic is nearly drained, if we don't reach the Order soon, then we will-"
"It won't be drained for much longer, at least not mine or Draco's," she stated confidently, entirely certain of where the magic was leading her. Towhomit was leading her. Where it had always been leading her. She finally shrugged Harry off, stumbling awkwardly when she lost his support.
Draco caught her in his arms, holding her upright. "Mione, love," he began, touching her head lightly to make sure she wasn't injured or confounded. That he hadn't forgotten to heal a more severe wound that might be afflicting her. Worse, he might even think she was under the influence of an Imperius curse. His fingertips gently touched her scalp, looking for any injuries hidden under her wild manes. "We need to leave. I don't know what you are planning, but I can't lose you too. If we make it to the Atrium, we can make sure that my mother and the others-"
He rambled on, the distress and exhaustion clear on his face. She hated seeing him so worried. So out of control, despite all of his future knowledge. Knowledge that was starting to get sparse.
Unless she could combine it with her own.
Hermione kissed him softly. "Do you trust me?" she whispered against his lips.
Draco seemed to consider her question for a second, noticing the seriousness in her voice. "Always," he confirmed, as Harry threw up a shield behind them, another death eater seemingly having found them. Time was running out. Their magic was running out. "But this sounds like madness, Mione. Why would you want to stay here, why-"
"Because your wife told me to swim in a sea of time if I ever found myself between death and his best friend," Hermione explained. She stepped backwards, caressing Draco's cheek one last time, and let go of him.
All five of her friends stared at her dumbfounded. The only sound was the death eater trying to get through Harry's shield.
Draco's eyes widened. "My wife?" He stammered, his voice wavering. There was a hint of regret in it, mingled with a tang of hope. He shook his head, clearing his mind. "No, that can't be. She's gone, she's-"
"Your wife? Mate, when we get out of this, I swear you and I need to have a serious conversation. All three of us need to," Harry grumbled, putting up another shielding charm with the aid of Cedric and Susan, Daphne having nearly run out of magic.
Hermione would never hear what Draco replied. Chaos ensued around them. Lucius had seemingly gotten his bearings again and managed to sneak up on them, aiming another spell at the silver trio and their friends. Just in time to deflect it, but sadly also taking the brunt of the magic, Hermione tumbled backwards onto the floor. The rest of the shelves and timeturners came down, crashing right on top of her.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- A sea of time -
Hermione braced herself, her muscles tense and her eyes closed as she prepared for the impact. Gathering all of the magic she had left, she attempted to throw up a shield.
There was nothing for her magic to protect her from.
As she opened her eyes, both the shelves and time itself had come to a stop. A strange golden glow encased the room, lighting up her own body and her wand, giving it an eerie glow. Blinking, she turned her head a little, surveying her surroundings. Draco and Harry were both reaching for her, their eyes wide with horror. But wherever, or ratherwhenever, she was, they could not reach her now.
"Finally decided to listen to Luna, did you?" her own voice echoed in her mind, disorienting her more than she already was. What a strange feeling. "Honestly, I wonder how we always manage to end up in the same predicament every year. Professor McGonagall was right, it is not so simple to rewrite time. If this continues, however, we need to take serious steps to ensure our seventh year will be different than the last. I do not feel like starving, or dying, once more."
"Gryffindor-Hermione?" Mione asked the voice flickering through her memories, her occlumency not being able to keep herself out. Of course not. This was not an intruder making its way to her most precious memories. This washer. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. Draco had always had all of his memories, and she had never seen him as two separate entities. Why would she herself be any different?
"I admire your attempt to have a clear division between the two of us. But as you have deducted correctly, in a minute or two, I will just be Hermione. We will be one. You will be me, and I will be you. Both of our memories and experiences will turn into one person. Don't be surprised if you have a headache for a little while. It takes a few weeks for all of the information to trickle through. Now where's the memory I need… Ah there it is!"
An excruciating pain rushed through her mind as she remembered the day the bond had been broken. The day Draco had jumped in front of that spell… She had nearly forgotten how empty she had felt until the memory was fresh in her mind again. It felt worse than the cruciatus she had just suffered.
"I am going to punch him in the face again for that one, just so you know," Gryffindor-Hermione stated angrily. "I cannot believe he thought this would be a good idea. The magic you've both lost… Harry needs us both. And we're stronger together. Show me when the bond was reestablished."
Visions of Flourish and Blotts floated through her mind, like the overhead projector her parents used in their dental practice. She could see it clearly now, how magic had bound them back together. Showing both viewpoints of when she was a mere first-year, and when she and Draco had revisited the scene in her memories. What was her Gryffindor self trying to do? Was she-
"I'm just making sure if I need anything else to reestablish the bond. One can never be too certain with magic as tricky as this."Gryffindor Hermione paused, seemingly contemplative."If that's alright with you, of course? If you'd rather be rid of it, then we can jump back right now. I will not force you into a marriage that he and I decided upon. Into a life-bond."
The question lingered in her mind as her other self offered her the chance at freedom. To make her own choices. No matter Draco's manipulations, no matter the changes he'd made, he'd always made clear he wanted her to have a choice. Had nearly died so she could be free of the bond between them. The choice had always been hers.
But her choice was made a long time ago. Had only become more obvious to her as she had learnt to live without the connection between them, without the life-bond potentially influencing her this past year. No matter its absence, she still loved him. Her love for him had not diminished by their separation. It had only felt stronger. Her feelings for him had never been addled with by the life-bond. It had always been his compassion and love for her. But unlike Harry's compassion and love, Draco's had always stirred something else in her, something that she realized she missed. No matter if he had tried to keep his distance from her.
"Yes. Bring it back," Hermione confirmed, closing her eyes, a tiny smile on her face. "This time, we will decide together if we break it and start anew or not."
A sisterly hug seemed to envelop her.
After going through a few more memories, Gryffindor Hermione finally seemed content with the information she had gathered. "Be prepared for this to hurt. You will get both my memories and my strength, meaning your magic might respond on instinct, using spells you didn't realise you could cast."
Both Hermiones took a deep breath.
"Try and wait for most of the memories to settle before using anything too complicated. And for the love of Merlin, do not try to apparate for the first week or so. You'll need some time to adjust."
Hermione smiled, seeing her own bossy nature in herself. The two of them were indeed very much alike. She wondered how different the memories would be. How her personality might change. If it would at all.
"Tap into the strength of the bond as soon as time readjusts itself. If you don't, those shelves hovering over us will crush us instantly. Draco's taught you some Malfoy family magic, I assume?"
Hermione nodded, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. So had .
"Good, at least he wasn't that much of an idiot then," her other self seemed to sigh. "And what's this about Deandra?" Her voice turned weary. "You seemed… Very close to her. And you miss her… Never mind, we do not have time for this. All will be revealed to me soon enough."
"You will come to love her, just like I do," Mione whispered back.
A moment of silence, the golden magic encasing her body slowly diminishing. "Iam honoured to see the life you've made for yourself. To meet the friends you've met along the you ready?"
Hermione gripped her wand tightly in her hand and took a deep breath. "I am."
All the golden magic disappeared as time reset itself. The shelf inched closer slowly, and more sand fell down upon Hermione as she did her best to reach out to the re-established life-bond with all of her magic, hoping the magic it unleashed would be enough to save herself.
A/N:Sorry it's been a while, I'm switching jobs so I have been busier than anticipated. For those who asked if I'm doing alright, thank you for your concern 3 I am doing better, and so are the people I love. The past few months have been a bit of a struggle to be honest with you. Cancer claimed one family member, and like the parasite it is, it nearly instantly went to the next person.
Writing, and reading, have always been an escape for me, ever since I was a little girl. If some of these chapters seem darker than they were, that might have something to do with me as well.
Don't get me wrong, these chapters were always supposed to be darker and filled with more angst. Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince have always been dark to me. Harry grows up and learns not even magic can fix things. That there is still loss, and hate, and despair. I grew up with Harry. Went through the darkness with him. I remember when the Half-Blood Prince was released, was the same weekend my parents told me they were going to divorce. I have read it only once, and I don't know if I ever will read it again.
I think for many of us who grew up reading Harry Potter, some way, somehow, these characters have always been there with us. They have struggled with us. Mourned with us. But also grown with us.
This universe has taught me many things. That it is alright to be scared, yet brave. That it is alright to cry when you lose someone. That when you feel all alone, there is still someone out there who loves you and will be forever loyal. That there is always light in the darkness.
I understand if some people disagree, especially after what the author of Harry Potter has been up to as of late. I find it kind of funny even, how her stories have taught me about understanding, respect, and tolerance. What the author lacks, the readers make up for a thousandfold. Finding another book lover, especially a Harry Potter lover, is always like finding a home away from home. This wondrous magic-filled world has always been there for me, and I hope it and many other stories, are there for you as well, no matter where you are.
On a side note: I wish you all a wonderful Halloween filled with either fun trick-or-treating or cosy autumn vibes at home. Also, 10 points to everyone who finds my little easter egg referencing another fantasy series. The Department of Mysteries hides many mysteries indeed.
I'll see you all next time.
Much love.