~~~ Chapter 12: Bonded ~~~
"Ma'am, we await your orders." Fred and George saluted as they stood tall in front of Hermione, who smiled fondly.
"I have an interesting one for you today," she informed them before she brought up a picture of someone they knew very well. Identical evil grins of understanding crossed their faces as they began to plot just how they would get their target.
Hermione turned when there was a crack and she saw Winky standing near the door of the room.
"Mistress, there are people at the front door," Winky told her. Hermione nodded.
"Thank you Winky." Winky bowed before disappearing. Hermione made her way out of the room. The twins followed her while discussing how they were going to get their next target. They would have to collaborate with Moody. The Aurors had never caught him before so they would need to ensure that they had the best way to capture their goal.
There was a knock at the door just as Hermione curled a hand around the handle. She tugged on it to reveal two members of the Order.
"Tonks, Remus," Hermione greeted.
"What?" Fred and George hurried over to the door to see the order members in front of Hermione before they brought up their wands, their faces hard. "If you think you are here to arrest Hermione, we will stop you," Fred warned them. Tonks and Remus just held their hands up in surrender.
"Its okay boys, I think they are more curious to what I'm doing," Hermione placated the boys before she stepped back and allowed the adults entrance to the house. The boys headed into another room, assured that Hermione would contact them if there was any problems.
"Wotcher Hermione," greeted Tonks. Hermione smiled as she closed the door.
"I never did thank you for telling me about Lucius," Hermione told her. Tonks just winked as Remus spun around to stare at the young Metamorphmagus.
"You gave up Malfoy?" Remus asked. Tonks shrugged.
"He raped Luna. I saw her after the rape. I knew that the Ministry wasn't going to do anything about it," Tonks explained before she shook her head. "I kept Hermione up to date on everything that was happening."
Remus was about to say something when he heard clicking sounds and turned to see Moody making his way into the room. He had a glass of amber liquid in his hand. Moody saw them as he walked to his seat.
"Moody?" Remus asked, incredulously. Moody gave him a short nod.
"Remus," He greeted before sitting down, taking a sip from his glass and he looked at Hermione. "You are letting him in?" Hermione nodded.
"I think it's a good time. The boys want to talk to you. I have another mission for them."
"Sure," Moody saw the twins come back into the room. They lit up when they saw him.
"We have a new mission. We need your input," Fred told him as they moved closer to the older man. George lifted up the picture. Moody arched an eyebrow when he saw the picture before he looked at Hermione, who nodded firmly.
"It's time we got him. I want him out of the game for good," she told him. Moody nodded before he gestured the boys to move in closer. They sat down across from him and they conversed in low tones.
"What are they up to?" Tonks asked as she followed Hermione into the kitchen.
"I gave them a new mission. They want Moody's ideas before they start the planning stage. This is an important one." Tonks nodded as she sat down at the table. Hermione switched the kettle on. She pulled down three cups. "Coffee or tea?" she asked.
"Coffee, please," Remus told her as he sat down.
"Herbal tea for me," Tonks said with a sheepish grin. Hermione nodded with a smile as she turned to the cupboard, pulling out the different containers.
"So, you have been doing this since you disappeared?" Remus asked, watching the young woman.
"No, I've only been doing this since I came back," Hermione corrected as she finished making their coffees and teas. She turned around and placed their cups in front of them. Tonks lifted her cup and took a sip, enjoying her tea. Remus just cupped his hands around his cup, enjoying the heat.
"You really got a recording of Harry's death?" Remus asked. Hermione nodded as she picked up her cup and sat down across from them.
"He didn't give in. He didn't give up any details of the Order or that damn prophecy. He kept his mouth shut…which is more than I can say for some people," Hermione took a sip from her cup. Remus felt tears come to his eyes over Harry's death. He had hoped that Harry hadn't suffered. Hearing from Hermione, he knew that Harry had suffered more than any of them could imagine.
"You are nearly finished, aren't you?" Tonks asked and Hermione nodded. Remus looked at Tonks before looking at Hermione. Tonks noticed this. "There hasn't been a lot death of Death Eaters lately. That means Hermione is close to completing her goal."
"She's right. I am nearly finished."
"What does that mean for you?" Remus asked as he looked at Hermione. "What are you going to do after this?" Hermione gave him a soft smile.
"I'm hoping that I will be able to move on and live my life the way Harry wanted me to," she told him. "I'm doing this for Harry. He knew that if he was to die, no one would stand up to Voldemort. They had always depended on him the moment he vanquished Voldemort when he was one years old. I'm showing the world that they do have the strength to fight back."
"Well they are now," Tonks spoke up with a grin. "The public are claiming that you are doing a better job than the Ministry and the Order put together. I think they like the fact that the Death Eaters are being killed rather than put through a trial where they have a chance to bribe their way out." Hermione nodded.
"That was why I was killing them. They were in Voldemort's company the last war, and they were in Voldemort's company this war. If we ever wish to move on in our lives, we have to cut out those who tries to drags us down." Tonks nodded in agreement.
"My Aunt sends you thanks for what you have done to Lucius. She has come back to the family; she and my mother are rebuilding their relationship." Hermione smiled.
"I am glad, family is important." Remus was shocked.
"But isn't Narcissa a Death Eater?" he asked. Hermione shook her head.
"She pretended she was a Death Eater but she never took the Mark. She didn't believe in Voldemort's ideas. She was arranged to marry Lucius and didn't have a choice in the matter," Hermione explained. Remus stared at her for a while longer before lowering his eyes, trying to deal with everything that was being revealed to him.
He heard doors shutting and he stood up, leaving his cool coffee behind. The girls were conversing quietly with each other, obviously understanding Remus needed to think.
Remus peered through the open door to see Moody was now reclining in his chair, taking a sip from his glass and sighing contently. He looked every inch of a man who was somewhat at peace with himself.
"Come and sit down, Lupin. There is no need to hover," Moody ordered. Remus flushed, he hadn't realised he had been so obvious. Heeding the order, he moved closer to the older man.
"How did you get involved?" Remus asked as he sat across from Moody.
"I found her shortly after she left," Moody told him. Remus stared at him, shocked. "I took a guess to where she would go. There weren't a lot of places but the Potters and Blacks had a lot of houses. I checked every single one of them till I found her. She was scouring every book she could get her hands on. She was desperate for revenge. I told her that I would help her out."
"Why?" he whispered.
"Because I was tired," Moody confessed. "I spent most of the first war chasing down the Death Eaters only for most of them to walk away by paying the Ministry enough gold or they escaped when Voldemort came back and freed them. I knew; the moment Harry was dead, that the Order wasn't going to do anything. Hermione, on the other hand, I knew she was going to go after them."
"And you trained her," Remus whispered, understanding. Moody nodded.
"I trained her, taught her everything I knew. I told her everything I knew of each Death Eaters. What they liked to do to their victims, what was their type. That girl…she turned it on them. She took what they liked and gave it back to them tenfold." Moody had a proud smile on his face as he shook his head. "I gave her over to some people that I knew. Let's just say they were well versed in the stuff that the Ministry like to class as `dark'."
"The Order doesn't like it," Remus told him. Moody chuckled.
"The Order or Dumbledore?" asked the older man. Remus stayed silent and Moody nodded. "Albus has lost sight of the picture a long time ago. He placed everything on a young boy's shoulders and didn't train him. He told Harry why Voldemort was after him right after Harry had lost Sirius and seen his friends hurt."
Both of them sat in silence as they dealt with their thoughts. The future was uncertain at the moment, but they knew it was going to change. For the better or the worse, they didn't know.
They were disturbed by the girls coming out of the kitchen just as Fred and George came out of the library. The twins were dressed up in black protective gear. Remus could see that they were made out of dragon hide and frowned, wondering what was going on.
"Good luck boys," Moody told them, raising his glass.
"Got everything?" Hermione asked them and they nodded.
"Hermione, is there any limits?" Fred asked. Hermione smirked.
"Boys, I just need him in alive…I never said I need him in one piece," she reminded them. Fred and George stared at her before they turned to face each other with identical evil grins. They had the perfect net.
They left the house altogether. Tonks and Remus stared after them before they looked at Hermione, who just smiled brightly at them. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. After all, they were the ones who got me Bellatrix." With that, Hermione made her way into the library.
~_HxH_~
A few hours later, Fred and George entered the living room looking beat up and bloody but it didn't take away the smiles of triumphs they wore. Hermione came out of the library and smiled when she saw them.
I am assuming that your mission went well," she told them and they nodded. She looked concerned. "No scratches or bites?" They shook their heads.
"Nope, we were protected," George assured her.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"In the cage down the stairs," Fred took over.
"Dobby and Kreacher are watching over him," George explained. Hermione nodded before she looked at Tonks and Remus.
"Do you want to see what I have?" she led the way to the stairs that would take them to the cell. Tonks and Remus followed her until they came to stop of at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the cell in a stunned shock.
"Greyback," hissed Remus as he moved closer to see the feared werewolf chained up. Greyback snarled from where he tried to free himself from his chains. He was bloody due to cuts he had sustained in many areas. His bottom lip was split and there was a bruise forming around his left eye.
"Now, now, don't go killing yourself," Hermione warned as she stood near the cage. "I have big plans for you and I need you…well, I don't need you alive but I don't want you killing yourself too soon."
"You bitch, I swear I will tear you to pieces," Greyback snarled. Hermione shook her head in despair.
"Every time I capture someone, they always say that they will get me back in some way. It's ridiculous, don't you read the papers?" Hermione demanded as she glared at the werewolf. "None of you Death Eaters have made it out of my captive alive. Please tell me, just where are you getting the notion that I will allow you to get back at me?" Greyback seemed to have more brain cells than the rest of his comrades and stayed silent, watching the muggle-born witch before him.
"Why do you need him alive for now?" Tonks asked as she looked into the cage.
"Despite what the wizarding world believes, there is actually a cure for lycanthropy," Hermione informed them. Remus stared at her, barely breathing.
"Why…why would no-one tell us?" he asked and Hermione scoffed as she turned to face him.
"Because it requires the heart of the original biter," she informed him, arching an eyebrow as she did. "Do you honestly believe that the Ministry would risk that?" Tonks and Remus looked at each other before they looked at Hermione. "I need you to get me everyone who he bit. I should have a cure by the end of tomorrow, depending on how many victims there is."
"Why would they hide this from us?" he looked at Greyback, not believing what he was hearing.
"Because this is considered as Dark Magic. You need the heart of the werewolf and they are not going to cure people who are werewolves. It's much better to put them on the registration and declare them as dark," Hermione explained.
"How did you find out about this?" Tonks asked.
"There are a lot of things in the Blacks' books. What people don't realise these books goes back centuries. They had a lot of things in their books that were lost to the future."
"Like that spell you used on Bellatrix?" Remus asked. Hermione giggled.
"Does the Order still think that was a spell?" they looked at her curiously. "It was a potion. It was meant to oblivate the person from the memory but not the act itself. It's permanent, which is why the Ministry outlawed it. They don't like things that leave a permanent mark," she explained.
"A potion?" asked Remus, flabbergasted. Hermione nodded.
"Like the muggle world, the Wizarding world evolved regarding their spells. Everything, at one point, was a potion until they found a way to turn it into a spell."
"Do you want me to bring all the werewolves here?" Tonks asked and Hermione shook her head.
"I will give you the potions. Take it to St Mungos and give it to them there. I do not want people finding out about me being the Black Rose. Even though people are in favour of me bringing down Death Eaters, I am still a muggle-born and I do not want people trying to stop me." They nodded as they understood and Hermione smiled. "Great." She turned to face Dobby and Kreacher. "Can you please get my kit and the room ready?" They nodded and disappeared.
A few seconds later, they came back and bowed before her.
"Room is ready mistress," Dobby told her.
"Do you wish us to transport bad man?" Kreacher asked. Hermione nodded as she pulled out a gun from the holster on her thigh, hidden by her cloak. She pointed it at Greyback, squeezing the trigger as she did. A tranquiller dart shot out and slammed into the side of his neck.
Greyback let out a howl before he slumped to the side. Hermione made Kreacher wait for a moment before she nodded. Kreacher entered the cage and grabbed Greyback's arm before disappearing with him.
Hermione turned to them and Tonks nodded, slipping out of the room to pass the message on that there was a cure for those who had been bitten by Greyback. Remus headed into the living room where Moody was, reading a book. The twins were sitting on the floor playing exploding snap.
Hermione made her way to the room she called the `cutting' room. That was where she did most of her torture. She had a potion to make.
~_HxH_~
Hermione made her way down the stairs to the cellar later that night. Everyone was asleep and she had another visitor she must visit. She pulled open the door and stepped into the dark room. In the middle of the room was a single chair.
"Hello Tom Riddle," Hermione greeted with a soft smile. Voldemort glared at her from where he was tied to the chair. She had found it surprisingly easy that they had managed to capture him. But then again, all of his Death Eaters, apart from a few, were now dead. They weren't around to protect him.
"You will pay for this," Voldemort promised her. Hermione chuckled.
"Oh, I hope so," she told him, confusing him. "I have such big plans for you. Do you want to know what they are?" He stayed silent. He had the feeling she was going to tell him whether he wanted to know or not. "Let's just say, I am so glad that you did that ritual back in Harry's fourth year." His confusion deepened.
"There is nothing you can do to me," Voldemort tried to bluff his way out of his confusion. He didn't like the fear that was beginning to coil up in his stomach. He was immortal, he was powerful. The world feared him. He would be damned if he let a little girl like her make him feel like this.
"You don't understand," Hermione circled the chair. "You just don't understand.
"Understand what?" Voldemort asked and Hermione smirked as she came to a stop in front of him, bending her upper body forward so she was staring at him right in the eye.
"Harry's blood brought you back," she whispered, bringing up a knife, the same knife she tried to kill herself with. Fear grew in Voldemort's eyes. "Your blood will bring Harry back. But I can't kill you just yet. No, it's not the right time."
"My Death Eaters will save me," Voldemort hissed and Hermione laughed.
"You can't even contact them because none of them are brought here and I'm killing them once I'm done with them. When I'm finished, I will be coming after you," she informed him.
"You will never be able to kill me," he hissed at her. Hermione just smiled brightly.
"You are not immortal, Riddle. You are just another man who wants power," Hermione told him as she brought the knife up, pressing it against his cheek. "I'm going to take that power away…and your life."
"No," Voldemort shook his head, refusing to believe her. He was powerful, he was immortal. He wasn't going to let a mere mud-blood kill him; he wasn't going to let that happen.
There was a crack and he saw a house-elf standing off to the side.
"Hello Winky," Hermione greeted the house-elf. "I have a mission for you. Keep an eye on this man here. He is very important to our plans." Winky bowed her head.
"Winky will do what Mistress requests. Winky will not betray Mistress," she looked at Voldemort with a hard glare. She knew of the bad man. He had been the reason why her last master had been hurt. Hermione gave her a smile.
"I know you won't Winky. You have been a very good house-elf to me," Hermione assured the young creature before she looked at Voldemort. "Do whatever you want with him. Just make sure you don't kill him." Winky nodded as she suddenly smirked. Voldemort felt a cold shiver down his back at the sight.
Winky moved closer to Voldemort and snapped her fingers. Voldemort's body stiffened before it jerked as electrical currents shot through his body. He clenched his teeth, refusing to give into the pain.
Hermione watched him for a moment before she turned on her heels and made her way over to the stairs. Voldemort watched her make her way up the stairs before he broke.
"I won't let you do this!" Voldemort screamed.
"Scream all you want, it just makes it sweeter," Hermione told him. With that, she left the room, closing the door and cutting off his screams.
TBC
Regarding the request of Harry being a dress up doll, I think I remembered some more to this. To be honest, I don't know if they are the same story or if they are separate ones. If anything looks familiar, please let me know.
The girls had set up their own shop and Harry remarks that him being a dress up doll had paid off. I remember Hermione was with him and I think Neville was too. Katie (I think) danced with Harry and kissed him. Harry responded (I think) but he was currently confused about his feelings for Hermione. Neville had a crush on Katie and both of them saw the kiss.
Katie, Angelica and Alicia gossiped with Hermione about Harry.
If any of this sounds familiar, please tell me. Any hint can be really helpful!
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