text stringlengths 0 57.5k |
|---|
Malfoy set down his flagon in surprise. "Lady Bellatrix? Why? How dare she?" |
"How dare she, indeed, my lord!" He clutched the armrests of his seat to avoid rising without his lord’s leave. "If they are to be believed, she did it because he seduced my daughter, got her with child, and the Mudblood made the potion for her to abort it and then presumed to write to my wife about it!" |
Malfoy’s nostrils flared in outrage. "The Mudblood made a potion to kill a magical child that would have been pureblood, and your daughter took it? And then she dared to write to your wife, a pureblood noblewoman, who acted on the Mudblood’s words?" |
"So it seems." Lestrange was furious enough to rip a hole in the upholstery if it had been his own furniture. |
Malfoy’s eyes flashed red momentarily. "This is exactly why we have to have the kind of laws that we have made! Witches apparently can’t be trusted to hold to any principles. It is the weakness of their sex. I would have assumed that your wife, of all people, would respect her own blood enough to teach her daughter properly and punish her if she allowed a Mudblood to talk her into killing a future pureblood child. Clearly, I was wrong. None of them can be trusted... at least, none who have this barbarous country’s blood of rebellion flowing in their veins." He glared at the fire. "Your wife’s mother was a Rosier, but her father was a Black. The Blacks are a family of traitors, I believe. "House of the Dog,’ indeed. This country has a history of allowing witches to do things like this. Their "triple goddesses’ and such—even if they are not worshiped anymore, clearly, three witches conspiring together can lead to nothing good! Your wife and daughter—and a filthy Mudblood!" |
"You are right, my lord," Lestrange growled. "What can I do?" |
"You must send her out of your castle," he replied immediately. "She currently administers it in your name." |
"She does!" he exclaimed, outrage and anger flooding him anew. "What a trick she played on me!" |
"I personally think you should annul the marriage as well." |
"Black married us," he scowled. "He marries everyone with magic... and I doubt he will do that. He doesn’t like annulments." |
"Protecting deceitful women, just like the rest of his blood, no doubt." |
"No doubt," Lestrange agreed, "but other than killing him—and that would be a mistake, since we would have no one else in the church with that authority—what can be done? I could divorce her in civil law, I suppose... and the girl—my daughter"—he uttered the word with disgust, as if it pained him to say it now—"must be sent out with her. How dare she! Even if she preferred to marry your great-grandson, what presumption to expect that she still had the right to after that!" |
"Their betrothal obviously must come to an end, now that we know she has been dirtied," Malfoy declared. "I will order Lucius to break it off. Draco deserves better." |
Although Malfoy was speaking of Lestrange’s daughter, Lestrange did not defend her or even feel insulted on her behalf. He agreed with every word his lord was saying. |
"That elf," Malfoy suddenly said, his eyes gleaming unnaturally again for a brief instant. "I wonder now if it was conspiring with Bellatrix. I am sure that she can go to Castle Draconis. I wonder if that is what was happening." |
"It could have been," Lestrange said. "It could have." He glared malevolently into the flames as he planned out what he would do. |
Castle Draconis, Godric’s Hollow. |
Lucius Malfoy roared in fury at the demand from his grandfather. Standing aside, Narcissa observed him dispassionately. Evidently, Lord Malfoy’s source of information did not know anything about her involvement in Scabior’s murder. She did not think Lucius would care except for the fact that she had concealed that fact from him for so long, but that in itself was something that she did not want him to know. |
"What a vile man your sister’s husband is," Lucius seethed. "His daughter is raped and he takes the rapist’s side?" |
"Rodolphus Lestrange himself is a rapist, according to Bella. Well," she amended, "according to Bella’s accounts. He forces himself on the Muggles of their village. Bella dislikes it because he is breaking their marriage vows, not because it is rape. But it is. At least she sided with her own daughter." |
Lucius gave a snarl of disgust. "And my grandfather presumes to tell me what to do with my son! "I am making inquiries of Lord and Lady Parkinson regarding the contract they have with the Rosier family, and if the girl has been deflowered,’" he quoted from the letter. "Vulgar and presumptuous! Young Rosier is Draco’s friend and cousin. That alliance would be tested if his fiancée were torn away from him in that manner. My grandfather seems to think that he can dictate the marital plans of anyone he wants, even if they have existing arrangements." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I think Lady Riddle is a blood-traitor, but I have to say, reluctantly, that this must have begun with her and her son. My grandfather got the idea that he could interfere with their contract with the Mudblood girl, and then that he could order Lady Riddle to marry the wizard of his choosing. Of course he would not stop with them." |
Narcissa smiled tightly. Although she agreed with Lucius in principle, she had no problem with the dissolution of Draco’s betrothal. It was what she had wanted as soon as she learned of what had happened to Adelaide Lestrange. She chose her words carefully. "Lestrange will try to have Bella executed, and Adelaide will certainly be turned out. We must offer them shelter, but secretly." |
"Yes," Lucius agreed. "We must. I will write to her at once." He cordially disliked Bellatrix Lestrange, but she was family, and it was his duty to offer her protection and shelter in her time of need. |
Castle l’Etrange. |
Bellatrix had already flown by the time that Lestrange showed up at the gate. It was infuriating, because he had intended to do far more to her than remove her from the castle and divorce her, but so it was. At least he now had a valid case based on disobedience and abandonment. He immediately found Amycus Carrow. |
"I am told," he said through clenched teeth, his wand pointing at the man’s heart, "that you already knew the truth and concealed it from me." |
Pettigrew, Carrow thought immediately. Pettigrew must have overheard that pack of blood-traitors he served talking about it. This must have been his pathetic idea of petty revenge for the times that Carrow had threatened him. If I survive this, I will pay him back in kind, Carrow vowed. |
"The half-blood Riddle claimed it when I was torturing him, my lord," he said, deciding to hazard part of the truth. It was easier to tell part of the truth than to fabricate a complete lie. "I did not believe him. I was wrong—the lady’s departure proves that—and I apologize." |
"Nonetheless, you were wrong. You should have told me. Crucio!" |
Carrow fell to the hard stone floor, bruising as he did, and writhed in pain as Lestrange maintained the curse. He was in fact thinking of his wife, daughter, and the foul-blooded pair of Riddle and Granger, but Carrow suffered for the vicious thoughts his lord had of these others. |
At last Lestrange had had enough—or else he simply could not maintain the curse any longer. He lifted his wand and gazed down at the man who was now curled up on the floor. "I think that punishment will suffice," he said loftily. "Get up, Carrow." |
Gingerly Carrow rose to his feet. His entire body ached. |
"If you will swear henceforth to be loyal, and to tell me everything you hear that I need to know, I will make you the regent of this fief in my absence as I serve his high lordship." |
Carrow’s eyes widened in surprise. Instantly he fell to one knee. "I swear, my lord." |
"I accept your oath," Lestrange said. "Summon your sister. I will not have another English-blooded witch acting as lady of this castle unless she is aware of one thing in particular. She must be informed that she is to obey you—and why." |
Although no one except the two involved could prove that the betrothal of Draco Malfoy and Adelaide Lestrange was dissolved, and they certainly were not talking about it, everyone in Slytherin House knew it. |
Hermione observed her onetime rival with pity. When the morning owl post had arrived, Adelaide had cried out in shock and horror at her letters. She had instantly left the breakfast table. Although Hermione no longer shared any magical subjects with her, she heard from Harry—who did share a couple—that she was barely aware in the schoolroom. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her entire air was one of a frightened mouse. |
Draco Malfoy, who she would have assumed would be gloating—and Tom had confirmed to her that he also had seen Draco’s furtive attentions to Astoria Greengrass—was curiously silent about the entire business. He did not treat Adelaide with affection, but he did, finally, show her some subdued, aloof respect. It was almost as if his father had given him an order to keep his mouth shut, for some other reason. |
Hermione talked about it with Tom that evening, and they concluded that they had probably correctly guessed what that reason was. |
"Draco’s parents are probably sheltering Adelaide’s mother," Hermione said. |
Tom nodded. "Very likely. I wonder how long they can do it. It’s an obvious guess for Lestrange or Armand Malfoy to make, especially if they already distrust Lord Lucius. There are magical ways of hiding someone, though. Perhaps they are doing that." |
They lapsed into silence. Hermione realized that her hand had been resting on Tom’s leg. She lifted it, noticing at once that he seemed both to miss the contact and to be vaguely relieved. That was... interesting. A smirk formed on her face as she put her hand back on his thigh. |
"Keep that up and I’ll have to take you to our old room," he murmured under his breath, staring straight ahead. |
His "threat," and the seductive, assertive tone in which he spoke it, sent a thrill of desire up and down Hermione’s body. Her smirk broadened as she trailed her fingers up his thigh. |
"All right, you asked for it," he said, rising from his seat, pulling her up with him. |
He was pointedly, defiantly ignoring the looks that the few others present in the room gave them. Harry Potter gaped at them as they walked toward the door of the common room together, obviously fully aware of—if not where they were going, then why. Two of Tom’s friends stared too, though only for a moment. They might have had to force themselves to look away, but they did manage it. Pleased, Tom opened the door and stepped out with her, closing it behind them. |
Hermione reached for him and, on tiptoe, planted a quick but intense kiss on his mouth. They drew away and gazed at each other, breathless and eager. |
"Have you been making the potion?" he asked as they hurried down the corridor together. |
"I have. I don’t suppose it matters nearly as much as it used to... but it would be risky and dangerous if I conceived while I’m still at Hogwarts." |
"It would," he said. They climbed the steps that led to the ground floor, where the small room they had used before was. "We have plenty of time to start our family." |
They hurried down the hall and reached the familiar room. Tom unlocked and opened the door. This was the first time they had been in it together in over two years, Hermione thought. It looked the same. Tom locked the door behind him and tested the room to be sure that no one else was hiding inside, while she transfigured a pillow into a comfortable mattress. |
Hermione shed her outer robes quickly, though she kept her eyes on Tom as he removed his. They fell to the floor in a shimmer of fine, rich linen. Garbed only in their inside robes and underclothes, they tumbled onto the mattress, clutching each other as they kissed deeply. Her hands explored his body through the thinner fabric of his inside robe. Although they had certainly been intimate at Parselhall on several nights since their reconciliation, this was the first time that they had done it in full candlelight. It was dark outside, but the room was very well lit. His body was more mature now, she thought as she gently tugged off his robe. She had not seen any other man unclothed, but somehow, instinctively, she knew that this was what a grown man’s body should look like. |
He is seventeen now, she thought. He is a man in wizarding terms. His birthday had been quite a happy one. She had given him a present of a personal journal in which to write. |
Tom was having somewhat similar thoughts as he undressed Hermione. Her physical development had basically completed in her fourteenth year, so she looked more or less as he had remembered, but there were still subtle differences. She had filled out a bit more, he thought. He pulled her robe over her head and cast it aside into the pile of clothing that they had already made. Immediately his dark eyes fixed upon her body, her perfect breasts and hips, her hourglass form. As his gaze raked over her lower belly, he imagined his child—their child—growing there. Someday, he thought, pulling her close. Maybe six months. Someday. |
Together they pulled each other down onto the mattress. She closed her eyes in bliss and allowed him to spread her legs. He positioned himself between them as he continued to minister to her, leaving light but sensual kisses from her lips down the side of her neck, her chest, her belly, her hips— |
She clenched her legs around his waist as he entered her. Her eyes rolled back and a breathy gasp escaped her mouth as they began to move. Her hands clutched at his midnight black hair and tugged handfuls, making him cry out, but the pain mixed deliciously with the pleasure that he was feeling at the awareness that it was her touch, her hands— |
They climaxed together, Hermione involuntarily lifting her head off the pillow to press her cheek against the spot where his neck met his collarbone. They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it. Finally, the release dissipated itself, leaving them tired and satisfied. |
"Imbolc is in less than a month," he said quietly. "We should celebrate all the old holidays together now." |
"An act of defiance?" she asked, smiling. |
He nodded, a smirk forming on his face. "Defiance of him, dedication to the world we lost but can have again." |
"I would have supposed that she was at Lucius’s home," Armand Malfoy opined. "I am surprised." |
Rodolphus Lestrange nodded. "It is possible that they have rooms that are magically concealed, though." |
"If Lucius cast wards for such rooms, I should be able to see them. He is of my blood." |
"It might have been Lady Narcissa, if this really did happen," Lestrange said sourly. "She is a Black." |
That suggestion visibly irritated Malfoy. "Lucius better not have delegated that kind of magical power to her, a witch who is not even of his own blood! That castle was meant to be his. He is the one who came to its defense sixteen and a half years ago when we learned of the treasonous plot! And it was the first English holding to fall to us. For him to grant warding power to an English-blooded witch...." He trailed off darkly. |
"Bellatrix could also be with her father, Cygnus Black. He is a reclusive sort." |
"Yes, she could," Malfoy agreed. "That is a good point. I want you to investigate that idea, Rodolphus. At once." |
Lestrange was startled at the abruptness of the order. "My lord? Are you going to be all right in my absence? Your tonic—" |
Malfoy dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "I have found that I need less of it, less often, since that elf died. I think it was poisoning me, negating the effects of the tonic. My mind feels sharper, too." He smiled menacingly. |
"I am glad of this, my lord," Lestrange said obsequiously, "though your mind has always been sharp—" |
"Don’t be a fool, Rodolphus," Malfoy snapped. "Your loyalty is noted, but you sound like a fool. I was slipping. You and I both know it, and now that the traitor elf is dead, I feel much better. I will be quite all right. See to Cygnus Black." |
Lestrange bowed. "As you wish. Shall I go alone? If she is there, I would be outnumbered." |
Malfoy considered that. "I will send Rosier and Selwyn with you." |
Lestrange raised his eyebrows. "Rosier, my lord? Bellatrix’s mother is Lord Rosier’s sister." |
"Rosier owes me! He refused the proposed alliance with the Parkinson girl. He claims that his grandson is a very close friend of Draco and that breaking the betrothal to give her to Draco would create discord. They are only second cousins! But he is adamant that it must not be done, so I think he should have to deal with his sister Druella’s offspring. He will learn that gainsaying my will has unpleasant personal consequences." He peered at Lestrange. "Selwyn is my sworn man. Despite his family name, he has adopted our customs entirely. He will help you keep Rosier in line, but you are in charge of the operation. I will make sure that they know that." |
Rodolphus Lestrange pulled his cloak close as he, Selwyn, and Lord Rosier stormed away from Lord Cygnus and Lady Druella Black’s secluded manor deep in the hills. |
"It has to be Lucius and Narcissa who are sheltering the bitch," Lestrange swore to his companions. |
Lord Rosier nodded. "I think you are right, my lord. If I may say so, I am glad that my sister was not part of this. I regret that my niece may be. Though," he sneered, "it seems that all three of Druella’s brood turned out to be no good! Bellatrix is a traitor to her husband, Narcissa may be sheltering her, and Andromeda is married to a Black!" |
"Look on the bright side," urged Selwyn. "At least none of them can have additional offspring!" |
"They cannot, but I need to, since my daughter is useless for matchmaking now. I need to take a new wife," Lestrange said sourly. "Once I have found Bellatrix and taken care of that problem, I will be free to do so even according to the rules that Alphard Black observes." He glared ahead as they reached the boundary of Lord Cygnus’s property. "I hate having to tell his high lordship this, to be honest with you. He will not like our conclusion. Draco Malfoy is the last Malfoy heir." |
"Young Lord Draco probably has nothing to do with it," said Selwyn. "And Lucius may be relatively innocent too. If his wife did this and he let her bully him, that’s certainly an offense to his high lordship... but it doesn’t seem as bad as if Lucius were the source of the idea." |
"I suppose Bellatrix might be on her own," Lord Rosier mused. "She seems resourceful. She might not be sheltering with anybody." |
Lestrange spat as they reached the Apparition boundary. "I’m going to bring my daughter home and ask her about it." |
Tom and Hermione huddled together in the clearing of the forest as they lit the final Imbolc candle. The candles rested on a flat stone that Hermione had levitated to this spot. The light of dawn was peeking through the branches of the trees. Hermione suppressed a yawn. |
Tom chuckled at the sight and pulled her close. She wrapped the blanket she had brought around herself to keep warm as the candles burned and the early morning light slowly grew brighter. |
"This feels vulnerable," she admitted to him. |
"The sun is beginning to rise," she explained. "We’re not concealed by darkness... and we cannot assume that people are sleeping." Noticing the frown on his face, she reassured him, "But that does not mean I regret it! It’s a lovely ritual. We’ll just need to have an alibi if someone sees us as we go back into the castle." |
Tom scowled at her vague allusion to Malfoy’s laws. "If anyone sees us and asks, we were just enjoying the sunrise. In our defense, it is a nice one. Look at those colors." |
Hermione gazed at the candles, then the frost-covered ground, then upward to the reddish morning sky. "The light is returning," she murmured. "The meaning of Imbolc. It has certainly returned to us. This should be a cause for happiness. Tom, I’m not just worried about being caught returning to the castle." She gazed at him. "I’m worried about the summer." |
She did not seem quite finished explaining her concern yet. He held her as she poured out her fears to him. |
"Weddings have been attacked before, Tom. I don’t know if it happens to the wizarding nobility, but it has happened to Muggles before—Saxon and probably Norman too. When many people gather in one place to revel and make merry, and drink, they become easy targets." |
"Your mother is with child! As soon as that’s known—and it will be by then, because it’ll be visible—she is also a target. They will try to kill her babies. I have heard of that happening too, pregnant noblewomen being stabbed in the belly. And I don’t think that Malfoy and his allies ever intended to let us actually wed." |
Tom gazed at the candles, which were stubs now. One of them went out, leaving a puddle of melted wax on the stone. "I agree with you. They didn’t mean for our wedding to ever happen, and they will try to harm Mother. But Parselhall is secure. She has said it so many times. I trust her." |
"So do I, but I just... worry. It would be a perfect opportunity for our enemies. They know that war is ahead, and this would be an event—probably the only event—for which all the people they oppose are in the same place. They would see it as a chance to strike a blow we couldn’t recover from, to end the war before it begins." |
He considered that. "That is all true, but Mother must know it too. Mother... and Snape," he begrudged. "I’ll write to her just in case, though. We will be prepared. What you describe—it won’t happen." |
Hermione gazed at the rest of the candles. The ones that were still burning were flickering dimly, surrounded by pools of wax. She drew her wand and extinguished them, then cleaned the wax off the stone, leaving no evidence that anyone had performed an illegal Celtic ritual. Tom scowled at her movements but did not try to prevent her from clearing up; he understood the reason. When she was finished, he offered her his arm, and together they walked out of the forest. |
The reached the courtyard of Hogwarts, only to see at once that they were not alone. Two cloaked figures were standing in the shadows, having a conversation. The sky was still dark enough that it was not possible for Tom or Hermione to identify the people— |
The shorter figure turned around, eyes wide and frightened. "What are you two doing out of the castle?" Adelaide Lestrange exclaimed. |
Tom stared back at her. "We watched the sunrise," he replied curtly. "What are you and—Professor McGonagall?" |
Hermione was equally shocked. Minerva McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor, not Slytherin. Why would she be helping Adelaide with whatever was going on? |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.