Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Family
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Warnings: Fluff alert, then not so much fluff
Chapter Word Count: 5,688
Date: 19 July 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Eight: Family
Eight days. It had been eight days since the debacle at the Ministry. She still could not believe what she had said. It was her only consolation that she hadn't lied, not really. She had said her revealing Pettigrew was an accident, and it was-- she had not planned to expose him so soon. Hermione Granger never made rash decisions; everything she did was thought out. She wanted to plan everything out, consider all the possibilities, and prepare for any problems. Planning was what Hermione Granger did best, well, planning and protecting Harry.
That had been the one time she had leapt before she looked. It was her one rash decision. She still wasn't sure if she regretted it or not. She was glad Sirius was free and that Harry was away from the Dursleys, but she feared for the future. She had made so many mistakes…
Sirius and Remus were always watching her, always looking as though they were going to say something, but did not know how to say it. Hermione sighed. Their suspicion would only cause her more problems. She was so sure that if she could destroy the Horcruxes then all would be well, but she would not be able to retrieve them, not with Sirius and Remus always watching her. She simply had to prevent Voldemort's rise. If she could not destroy the Horcruxes in time, then she would not know how Voldemort would rise again, now that he did not have Wormtail at his beckon call.
That thought brought her thoughts full circle. Her exposing Wormtail was the reason for the ceremony and her subsequent rejection of her award. She still could not believe what she had done, but she had been so angry that she just couldn't keep the medal. It felt wrong to receive an award because she survived and her parents did not.
Her face flaming at the memory of that night, she went back to making breakfast. Six - year - old girls were not allowed to go shopping for their best friends it seemed, so she opted for making Harry his favourite morning foods for breakfast on his birthday. It wasn't the ideal birthday present, but she figured it was a good idea since Harry typically awoke before everyone and made breakfast. She cringed inwardly at the thought of Harry's birthday, her dreams of the Dark Harry still fresh in her mind. They were unforgettable.
Yes, it was much nicer to contemplate bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast than it was to ponder her now official betrothal. Four days ago, Remus and Sirius had sat them down and told them that they had contracted a betrothal for the two of them for their own protection against those who wanted to use them for their fame. "And," Remus had said, "We made it so that if you don't want to get married when you get older, you don't have to. The contract is very flexible." Harry thought it was ridiculous; he firmly believed that they were already married, and refused to be convinced otherwise. They'd had a ceremony, after all.
Hermione knew, of course, that arranged marriages were commonplace in some cultures, but the idea was still difficult to wrap her mind around, especially since she was one of the people being contracted. She cringed inwardly as she flipped the bacon. Contracted. It sounded so impersonal, like she was chattel and nothing more.
It was funny in a way. Her childhood goal was to be a spinster-- she didn't want to have to depend on anyone when she grew up. Then she had met Harry; that changed everything for her. Now they were betrothed. She had always loved him, but the way she had loved him changed over time. When she read about him, she loved the idea that a little boy could defeat the most feared man in the wizarding world. When he had come to rescue her from that horrid troll, she loved him as her very first, tried and true, friend. Over time, she loved him for himself, but she had thought it nothing more than hero - worship and began to believe she was unworthy of him. It was always Cho Chang or Ginny Weasley that turned his head, not her. She was Plain Hermione Jane, after all.
She began moving the finished breakfast over to the table, glad that she had the forethought to set out the plates and silverware before hand. Now she had hope. Harry had wanted the faux wedding, embarrassing as it was, especially with that red cord. It was his idea, and he had followed through with it. He had chosen to 'marry' her, even when Ginny had offered to take her place. She had felt a small glow of triumph at that moment. She doubted Harry really knew what marriage was, but he had still chosen her over Ginny.
Hermione looked up as Sirius walked in. "Good morning, Hermione. Did you sleep well?"
She smiled and nodded, glad he did not know Legilimency, or he would know she was lying. Her dreams, nightmares really, were always filled with the Dark Harry. Last night she had watched as he made Delores Umbridge write 'I will not look like a Toad' over and over with the same quill she had made Harry use to write lines, then punished her for not changing her appearance to something less toad - like. The night before she had listened to the sweet words he whispered into the ear of her other self. But as she couldn't tell Sirius about the Dark Harry's torture sessions and his seduction of her older self, she just smiled and nodded.
Sirius looked over the meal she had prepared and gave her a strange look. "Say, where did a little girl like you learn how to cook?" He asked.
Hermione felt a twinge in her chest. "I used to cook with my mother," she replied quietly. Sirius nodded and said nothing more, not wanting to bring up any more memories. Family was a very touchy topic for the young witch, so the others in Grimmauld Place never brought it up if it could be avoided. It hurt her even more to know that she had memories that really had not been created yet, like the time she had accidentally set the stove on fire when she was nine. It hurt more to know that she had robbed Harmony of the chance to get to know how wonderful their parents were…
Horace trotted in, breaking her from her thoughts. She smiled at the gleaming Order of Merlin spelled to stick to stick collar-- she still could not believe Sirius had given it to her dog. Horace was soon followed by Remus with Harmony bouncing merrily in his arms. "Is that bacon?" Remus asked, his nostrils flaring.
"Yes, but it's for Harry's birthday so you can't have any yet." Hermione said, giving him a look.
Remus frowned. "Where did you learn…" He drifted off at a look from Sirius. He cleared his throat. "Sleep well?"
"Wonderfully," she murmured with a small smile. It was disturbing how easy lying was becoming. A small smile tacked on at the end of a small lie, and all was well. Perhaps, she reasoned, it would help her worn guardian to sleep better at night if she lied to him. The thought brought some measure of comfort to her-- it made lying more justifiable, even if only a little. Thankfully, the spells Sirius and Remus cast on everything in her room prevented them from knowing otherwise-- her magic no longer affected anything in her room unless her emotions were particularly volatile.
What concerned her more was that it was almost as easy for her to lie as it was for her to hate. She had become so bitter that it frightened her. There were only two things that kept her from going off the deep end; her mission, and Harry himself. Harry was an adorable child, even if he was a little underdeveloped. It was strange to think that he could cook breakfast, but did not really understand what marriage was. Hermione cursed the Dursleys and their ill treatment of Harry as she took her seat.
Hermione poured two cups of juice for herself and Harry. She had found that keeping herself busy dulled her feelings of hatred, and helping Harry learn wandless magic kept her very busy. It would take a while, she was sure, before he can control it completely, but he progressed faster than she thought. Last night he had made the quill he was trying to summon wobble, which considering the good headmaster had not learned even that much control over wandless magic, was quite a large step.
It wasn't long before the object of her thoughts shuffled nervously into the kitchen. Harry looked around the room and quickly took a seat beside Hermione. "Good morning, Hermione, Sirius, Remus," he said quietly.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Hermione smiled.
"Yeah, Happy birthday, Little Prongs," Sirius said with a grin. "You're six today. Old enough to--"
"Hush, Sirius. You talk too much," Remus said and turned to Harry. "Happy birthday, kiddo."
"Ha!" Harmony chimed.
Harry didn't seem sure how to act. "Thank you," he said quietly, his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Well, let's eat then. Hermione wouldn't let us touch the food until you got here, this being your birthday breakfast and all." Sirius said, reaching for the bacon. The tension broken by the mention of food, everyone grinned and began to eat. Throughout the meal, Sirius and Remus told more stories about their escapades at Hogwarts. Hermione noticed after the third story that they were watching her carefully. It made her uncomfortable. Did they know something?
"Well," Remus sat back once he finished eating. "That was certainly a wonderful way to start the day. You should cook more often Hermione." He grinned as Hermione flushed. "It's a nice day out, why don't you two go play outside? No chores today, as it's Harry's birthday, and the weather is good-- sunshine all day!"
Hermione saw the nervous glance Sirius threw Remus' way and knew the two were planning something. "Of course. Harry and I haven't had the chance to explore outside yet. It should be fun."
Harry nodded. "Yes! That sounds great! Let's go, Hermione, let's go!" He grabbed her hand and all but dragged her outside. "This is great Hermione, no cleaning today! That's the second bestest birthday present I've ever gotten!"
Hermione squinted in the sunlight and frowned in thought. He considered not having to clean a birthday gift? Oh, what she wouldn't give to get her hands on the Dursleys… Wait, second best? Did the Dursleys give him something? "Second best? What's your favourite gift, then?"
Harry grinned at her. "You made me breakfast! No one has ever made be breakfast before, except for that time you mad me toast, and this time you made a big breakfast for me." He looked at her, his eyes shining. "No one had ever done that for me, ever."
She gave him a small, watery smile. "I'm glad you liked it," she said softly, her voice choked. "Hey, do you want to play a game?" Hermione asked, changing the topic.
"Yeah! That grass over there is really tall, it's reminds me of jungle! Do you want to pretend to be animals? I want to be a lion, so I can be big and be a hunter. What do you want to be?" He asked excitedly.
Hermione wondered briefly if she should tell him that it was lionesses who did the hunting for the most part, and that the males were really very lazy, but she didn't want to spoil his fun. "I'll be an antelope."
Harry looked at her funny. "An antelope? Is that like a really big ant?"
Fighting a smile, she replied, "No it's what lions eat. You can be a lion and I will be an antelope. We can play chase." What am I getting myself into? I've never played chase before in my life!
Harry looked deep in thought for a moment then nodded. "Okay. Rawr!" And so the chase began. Hermione hadn't realized that Harry was just as agile as a child as he had been in the other timeline. In the end, she resorted to using her vast intelligence to outsmart him by hiding. Though she had never been athletic, she had never had so much fun running in her entire life.
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In the kitchen, Remus watched Harry chase Hermione all around the yard, never managing to catch the young witch. "They're quite the pair, aren't they?" Remus murmured.
"Yeah," Sirius grinned. "They can certainly bring out the wild side in each other, that's for sure. I don't think either of them has ever been this active."
Remus nodded. "I know. It makes me wonder…" He trailed off and shook his head absently.
"Wonder what, Moony?" Sirius asked.
The werewolf sighed heavily. "It makes me wonder what--"
"Filth! Be gone from this house! Let there be no impurity cross my threshold, out with you, scum of the earth!" A voice screeched.
"Mother," Sirius muttered and set off down the hall. "The silencing charm must have worn off of that stupid painting."
"A plague upon you for dirtying my house!" Mrs. Black snarled as the two men entered the foyer. Scrambling about, trying to pick up a potted and plant was Nymphadora Tonks. "Despicable creature, leave, I demand it!"
Sirius leapt over his cousin and shut the curtains, quickly casting a silencing charm. "Miserable hag," he muttered and turned to Tonks. "Hello Dora. You're early. Harry's party isn't until later."
"I know," Tonks said, wincing as Remus pulled her up. "I thought I could come over early and help you. How's come I never heard her before?" She asked, nodding to the covered portrait.
Remus sighed. "We generally put a silencing charm on the curtains, but it's getting to be bothersome. The magic just won't stick to them, so we have to recast the charm every twenty hours or so. It's kind of pesky."
"I'll bet. Well, let's get started preparing for Harry's party. So, what were you two talking about?" Tonks asked.
"Moony here was about to tell me what he was wondering about." Sirius said as they entered the kitchen.
"Yes, well, I was saying that I wonder what those two have seen in their lives to make them act as they do," Remus said quietly.
Tonks looked out the window and watched Harry chase Hermione around a tree. "You mean what makes them so mature and naïve at the same time? I wondered about that myself."
Sirius frowned. "You're not saying there's anything wrong with my godson, are you?"
"No," Remus said, putting Harmony in the playpen set up in an out of the way corner of the kitchen. "We're saying that Harry and Hermione are very mature for their age, and we wonder why that is. Maturity typically comes from hardships, and hardships come from age. Come on Sirius, you've seen how strange he acts, so stop denying it. Don't you wonder what he's been through, what he's seen?"
"And the same for Hermione. Harry at least acts like a kid some of the time. Hermione, now that girl acts like a young woman trapped in the body of a six year old kid." Tonks said, nodding her agreement as she began searching for ingredients bake a birthday cake.
Sirius and Remus shared a look. "Well, we think we may know why Hermione is so mature."
Tonks looked up from the eggs she was counting for the cake. "What?" She asked, accidentally knocking one of the eggs off the counter. With a small groan, she cast a quick scourgify.
Remus nodded to Sirius. "We, Remus and I that is, think Hermione is a Seer." He said and began listing the various things that led them to their conclusion, from Hermione's understanding of the Pureblood - Mudblood conflict to her knowing how Harry liked his toast.
Tonks whistled. "Yeah, that would mature a kid pretty quick. Do you think she can control it?"
Remus shrugged. "We don't know. Hopefully, when she goes to Hogwarts, the professor there can help her."
"Only if this Trelawny is better than Wigsworth was. That woman had no idea what she was talking about. Doesn't it figure she retired the year we graduated?" Sirius said, looking at the cake recipe with something akin to fear.
"I can't help you, I took Arithmancy, so I never had her. A lot of the Gryffindor girls who had her adored her and thought she was the next Circe or something, but some of the others thought she was a joke." Tonks said with an apologetic look.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess." Remus sighed, hunting for another mixing bowl.
Tonks pondered a moment. "Oh, do you think she knew her parents were going to die?"
Remus sighed heavily. "I certainly hope not. It would be horrible if she knew her parents were going to die."
"Mmm" Sirius hummed, nodding sadly.
"So, any theories about Harry?" Tonks asked.
"Theories aplenty, but nothing concrete. The only thing we know for sure is Hermione is his favourite person in the world, and he's disgustingly good at cooking and cleaning." Sirius looked up from the recipe. "What's a tsp?"
"It's a teaspoon." Remus replied, pouring flour into a measuring cup.
"Well why didn't they just say that?" Sirius muttered and began rummaging through a cabinet, glancing at the recipe every few seconds. "As I was saying, Harry is good at cooking and all that, so I think those damned Dursleys worked him like a house - elf."
"I don't know, Padfoot," Remus said. "You said he was locked in a cupboard when you arrived, right? I hate to say it, but I think they may have done more than work him like an indentured servant."
Sirius growled deep in his throat. "You don't think they beat him, do you?"
"Who knows what they did, but from what I've heard, I wouldn't be surprised." Tonks said, cracking eggs into a bowl. "Merlin's beard!" She cursed. "Will one of you help me? I accidentally dropped eggshells into the mix."
"Here, let me." Remus began reaching for the eggshells, his hand colliding with Tonks' as she grabbed at a shell. "Sorry," he said, face red.
Sirius didn't notice the exchange. "Oh, what I would do if I could get my hands on them. I think they may have starved him, considering how skinny he was, but I'm not sure. James was a skinny kid when he was younger, so it may just be that." He pulled several bottles out of the cabinet and carried them over to the table. "Still, the way he eats food like he thinks we'll take it away…" He trailed off.
"I know," Tonks nodded. "I noticed it too, but I didn't want to bring it up. Do you think we'll ever find out?"
Sirius looked out the window, watching Harry tackle Hermione. "Rawr! I'm a hungry lion and I'm going to eat you!" Harry shouted over Hermione's giggles.
"No, I don't think we will. Harry's not going to tell us, and I don't have the heart to ask him to tell me his darkest secrets." The man said quietly. Remus and Tonks nodded and the trio went back to working on Harry's birthday cake.
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Some time later, Harry and Hermione smelled something burning. Sniffing, the two sat up from their resting place in the shade of a tree. "What is that?" Hermione asked, her nose wrinkling.
Harry frowned and looked towards his home. "I don't know, but I think it's coming from the house. Let's go check it out." He stood. "Stand behind me, just in case."
Hermione smiled as she followed him. He was so heroic, even as a child. Harry opened the back door, only to jump back as black smoke poured out. "Put it out! Put it out!"
"I'm trying to, Padfoot!"
"Will you two blokes stop prancing about? Move over, wait, where's my wand? Ouch! Sirius!"
"It wasn't me, I'm over here! It was Moony!"
"Sorry Dora!"
Finally, as the smoke began to clear, Hermione and Harry saw what the three grownups had been up to. They had been trying to make a cake. They had failed miserably. "What is that?" Harry asked, pointing at the black lump Tonks had just pulled out of the oven.
"It's a cake." She replied.
"That doesn't look like any cake I've ever seen. Do you want me to make a cake? I know how." Harry said.
"I'll help," Hermione chimed. "What happened?" She asked as she and Harry set to work cleaning the kitchen so they could begin work on the cake.
"Well," Sirius sighed, "we were going to make you a birthday cake, but we lost track of time. We were sitting in the family room playing with Harmony and completely forgot about it until we smelled something burning. I'm sure you can guess the rest."
Harry and Hermione shared a look before they began laughing merrily. It hadn't taken the children long to put together the cake mix, much to the chagrin of their guardians. The two chuckled over the matter as they worked, and soon their cake was in the oven. Their task done, they shared a smile and talked about what game they were going to play when they went back outside as they waited for the cake to finish baking.
"Well, so much for a birthday surprise," Sirius sighed as he sat with the other adults on the other side of the kitchen.
"We tried," Remus nodded.
"I can't believe we were outdone by a couple of kids," Tonks said, bouncing a giggling Harmony on her knee.
Remus waved her comment away. "I'm getting used to it. Hermione's always outdoing someone, be it Mr. Malfoy or the Ministry."
"Personally, I can't wait for her to go to Hogwarts. She'll be lying to teacher and brewing illegal potions by second year, mark my words." Sirius said. "Makes me proud."
"She'll be quite the Marauderette, won't she? And Harry is going to be a handful-- I think he acts more and more like James everyday." Remus smiled. "So we have a Mini - Moony and a Little Prongs. It's a shame we don't have a Baby Padfoot." He grinned at Sirius, who only snorted in reply.
Once the cake was done, the day itself was spent outside for the most part. The adults had a great deal of fun watching Harry chase Hermione. It was an interesting show, with Harry's agility versus Hermione's intelligence. Neither of them could gain the upper hand for very long.
They stopped for a family picnic, all of them telling funny stories. Harry even chipped in his belief that Dudley was a pig in a wig. When lunch was over, they all joined for a game of hide - and - seek, with the adults taking turns switching out to watch Harmony. It was quite a while before they all went back inside.
"Surprise!" A man and a woman Hermione didn't recognize shouted as they walked in.
"Andy! Ted! Were you able to get in okay? No problems?" Sirius grinned as he pulled them into a quick embrace.
"None, oh, and these must be the children Nymphadora is always raving about. They're so adorable! You two must be Harry and Hermione, right? Where is the baby? Her name is Harmony, right?"
"Nymphadora? Your name is Nymphadora?" Harry asked his face puzzled, as if he had just realized that was her name.
Tonks cringed. "Yes, but please, call me Tonks or Dora."
"Now, Nymphadora," Andromeda Tonks began.
"Mum, Dad, this is Harry, Hermione, and that cute little baby Remus is holding is Harmony, Hermione's baby sister." The auror in training interrupted. "Harry, Hermione, these are my parents, Andromeda and Ted Tonks. They made your birthday dinner Harry."
Harry turned to the couple. "Thank you very much for dinner."
The couple laughed. "Well I couldn't leave you to eat the food these three would have made, could I? They're hopeless in the kitchen. What have you been eating?" Andromeda asked.
"Sandwiches," Harry replied. "Sometimes Sirius goes and gets food from the Leaky Cauldron since we can't go out often because people really like us, I guess." He paused. "Sometimes I cook."
"I see," she looked around. "It looks like they at least managed to make a cake without turning it into a lump of charcoal, so they must be improving." Andromeda never saw the looks Remus, Sirius and their daughter exchanged, nor did she hear Harry and Hermione's snickers.
"Harry, Dora and Andy are my cousins, so that makes them your family too, that's why I invited them over. That and Andy is a great cook," he winked. "Let's eat!" Dinner turned out to be even better than lunch, as Ted and Andromeda knew all of the embarrassing stories about Tonks and Sirius that the two were unwilling to tell.
Just as Sirius and Remus were preparing to get their presents for Harry, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Tonks said, standing. "Don't start anything without me."
Several moments passed before Tonks returned, her expression grim. Her shoulders slumped, she stepped aside, allowing Lucius Malfoy to enter the room followed by ten aurors.
"Who are they?" Harry asked Tonks as he looked at the men gather behind Malfoy.
"Aurors," she replied stiffly.
"Horrors?" He asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, they're Horrors, alright," Sirius murmured.
"Mr. Lupin," Lucius began, smirking. "It was declared by the Wizengamot that you would be watched carefully while you were the guardian of one, Hermione Granger. Members of the Wizengamot have received intelligence that you have not been following the proper code of conduct as a guardian."
"And what have I done wrong?" Remus asked, his voice hoarse and his face pale. Hermione felt her stomach knot. This was bad.
"You have used a power dampener on a child. This calls into question both your parenting techniques and your ethics. However, since it is only Hermione Granger that you have wronged, you may keep custodial care of Harmony Granger and her dog." He smirked. "Custody of our dear Wandless Witch has been granted to me, though." Lucius looked down at her. "Come along, my dear."
Arguments flared up, but Hermione never heard them. Fear gripping her, she stood from her chair and backed away. She knew they were arguing over her, but the only thing the young witch could see was Lucius Malfoy drawing nearer-- she had been so focused on his face that she never saw the flick of his wand. She felt, rather than saw that he had summoned her necklace.
The effect was immediate. The tingling came back with a vengeance, causing her to sway dangerously. Something's wrong, she thought dimly. I shouldn't be reacting this way. I was in Diagon Alley and I didn't react like this. She crashed to her knees. He's done something.
"Come now, my dear girl. I'll take you to a place where you can develop all of your unique gifts and talents." Lucius smirked as he lifted her off the floor. The tingling was so intense that she couldn't fight back. "Don't worry Sirius, old boy," he looked back as he walked to the kitchen doorway. "I'll treat her like glass."
Hermione watched as Sirius, Remus, Dora and the rest of the Tonks' argued with the aurors, but she couldn't make out what was said… everything was so fuzzy… was Harmony crying? She couldn't concentrate…
"Hermione!" Someone called. She knew that voice… "Hermione, don't! Please don't go!" Was that Harry? Hermione looked up, seeing her sweet Harry running after her down the hall. Weakly, Hermione reached out to him, whimpering softly. Harry would save her. He was her hero. But then Sirius appeared and caught Harry around the waist. He was saying something in Harry's ear, but she couldn't tell what. She could tell, however, that Harry was crying.
A moment later, she felt as if she were being pressed very hard from every side, a very unpleasant sensation when combined with the intense tingling she felt. Apparation, she thought.
--In the Kitchen--
"My-My! My-My! My-My!" Harmony wailed, tears streaming down her face.
"Hush, little Harmony," Andromeda soothed the child while her own daughter argued with one of the aurors. "We'll get your sister back."
"What do you mean he had the right to take Hermione? Doesn't there have to be a hearing?" Sirius snarled.
"Mr. Malfoy approached the Minister with information provided by an occupant of this house that Miss Hermione Granger was being mistreated by the unethical use of a power dampener." The commanding auror said.
"Mistreated? Are you daft man? Did you not see what happened to the girl when the power dampener was removed?" Remus asked in his quiet voice, his face stricken.
"I did not," the auror replied.
"I did," another auror said formally, stepping forward. "I witnessed Mr. Malfoy summon the power dampener in question, and saw the girl's reaction." He dropped the formal tone. "She collapsed, Sir. The poor kid looked like she'd been through the ringer a couple of times. I don't know why she was wearing that dampener, but I think she needed it."
"Hermione is very sensitive to all forms of magic," Remus sighed. As her guardian… former guardian… it was his duty to tell them why she needed to wear the necklace. "Because of her sensitivity, she can feel it at all times and can, and has been, overwhelmed. That is why she wears the necklace, so she can go out into the wizarding world without fainting."
The commanding auror ran his hand through his hair. "The only thing I can tell you to do is petition to appeal the decision. I didn't see it, so I can't help, but ," he nodded to the second auror to speak, "Auror Rowan can testify on your behalf. Best guess is it will take you eight days to get custody again, at least, that's how long it took Mr. Malfoy's petition to go through."
The five adults shared a look as Harmony continued to wail. Could Hermione survive the Malfoys for eight days?
--Hermione's Room--
Harry easily slipped away from the adults and paced back and forth across Hermione's bedroom. It wasn't fair! How could Sirius stop him? He was so close to Hermione, but Sirius hadn't let him follow her. She hadn't wanted to leave, otherwise she wouldn't have reached out for him. Grownups just didn't understand.
He was so angry the mirror shattered. He looked up, confused. Hadn't Sirius and Remus put charms on all of Hermione's things? Harry felt a glow of hope. He had just done very powerful wandless magic, and if he could learn to control it, he could go save Hermione. He had to learn to do wandless magic and fast, because that blonde man didn't seem very nice.
Sitting on his best friend's bed, Harry concentrated on the little blue dog, willing it to come to him.
--Malfoy Manor--
Finally the painful sensation of apparation stopped. Feebly lifting her head, Hermione found herself in a receiving room much like the one at Grimmauld Place, though far more ornate. She was in Malfoy Manor.
"Ah, I see you have the little Mudblood. Did she cause you much trouble?" A woman who could only be Narcissa Malfoy said.
"Hardly," he smiled darkly. "It was rather easy, actually. Now, wife, I've work to do. Send Draco to me in an hour. It is high time he began practicing his lessons on something bigger than spiders." Malfoy began weaving his way through the huge manor, taking so many turns that Hermione knew it was fruitless to try to remember them all. He has to be wearing something that's affecting me like this, but what is it? As they walked into yet another room, Hermione suddenly felt the tingling intensify tenfold-- she wished the tingling would cause her to faint, if only to make it stop. She looked around but she couldn't see anything in the room, it was so dark.
Lucius dropped her on the ground, only the grab her hair and pull her to her feet. "What do you know?" He demanded. "You know something, you insufferable tart, and you're going to tell me. I know all about your skills, all about your ability to sense magic and your gift of foresight! Tell me what you know!"
Foresight? What is he talking about? Defiant, Hermione glared weakly at him. "I wouldn't tell you the time of day if my life depended on it."
Lucius Malfoy knelt down next to her, staring deep into her eyes. Hermione felt him brush against her thoughts before her magic reacted and roughly pushed him from her mind. He paused. "Oh, but my dear girl," he touched her cheek in a mocking caress. "You will tell me everything I wish to know and more." He slapped her hard, drawing a trickle of blood. "You will tell me everything, if only to make the pain stop."
He smiled wickedly at her. "If you're a smart girl, you'll learn your lessons quickly. Since this has no doubt been an emotional day for you, I will give you an hour to prepare for your first lesson." He let her fall to the ground. "Don't worry, pet, as soon as you're house trained, I'll let you out of your cage." With that, he turned away and swept from the room.
Hermione looked up, her eyes straining against the light from the hallway-- the only source of light in the whole room-- and watched him go. How could this have happened?
"Oh, one more thing, pet." He turned and smiled maliciously. "Welcome to the family." The door slammed shut, and Hermione's world faded to black.
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A/N: Please don't flame me, but I had to, really. Honest. Something important is going to happen. In my defence, at least I wrote lots of fluff before hand.
The conversation between Tonks, Remus and Sirius while they were making a cake was a nod to everyone who thinks that Harry suffered more than the books let on. I generally try to write canon (strange, considering some of what I've written), so I had to leave it open ended about what Harry really suffered, since I don't know.
Well, as always, I would like to thank everyone who read, and give special thanks to those who reviewed. Even if you're mad that Hermione is with the Malfoys, please review.
Cheers,
Madm_05