Requital by Msscribe
Rating: R- (edited version). Full NC17 version on www.portkey.org.
Ships: H/Hr
Type: Angst\ Romance\ Action Adventure
Summary: A story of Hermione Granger coming to terms with her greatest loss, finding her own voice and strength, and coming of age in a world battered by a never-ending war.
Disclaimer: No profits are being made off the fiction on these pages. Harry Potter, associated characters and the associated Harry Potter universe is © J. K. Rowling and respective publishers. Fanfiction is fiction-it's not meant to be taken seriously in the least.
(A/N: Thanks to all those who have followed along in my sick world! I hope you enjoy the final chapter!)
Chapter 14 - Armageddon
There were strange sounds emanating from the bottom of the hill. Slithering, hissing seething sounds. They had waited impatiently all day for the cover of nightfall to seek out the boundaries of the Malfoy estate, and they were currently second guessing their choice.
The only ones who seemed unconcerned were Ginny and Draco, who had moved ahead of the group now, treading lightly, even on familiar ground.
"This is where we should split," Sirius said, looking towards Arthur for approval.
They had their assignments. Ginny would go with Ron and Neville, Draco would go with Sirius and Hermione, and Harry would go with Arthur and Cho. The four from the French ministry had said they would be there, but there was no sign of them.
They stopped at the top of the hill, and looked down at the vast estate. Hermione stepped out of the shadows into a dark hollow space right on the edge. The wind was fierce, and the cold even more bitter then she had anticipated. Somewhere nearby she could hear water rushing. Draco had told them about this, and she pulled her rubber boots up as high as she could.
And they walked their separate ways. Harry turned to look at Hermione quickly, and she returned his gaze, but refused to say goodbye. This wasn't going to be their goodbye. She wasn't going to let it be.
Hermione commenced her slow deep breathing and recited her rhyme. She would not die here in this valley. She would make someone pay tonight for what they had done. Her need for justice would not go unrequited.
There will be no tragedy.
They climbed down the mountain slowly, hidden by the brush. Hard and brittle rocks crumbled under her feet and the ground grew slick and treacherous the closer they got.
Hermione gathered all of her spiritual strength. Draco had said that the danger wouldn't come until they had reached the bottom. He warned them of the serpents his father used to ward off enemies, and how to deal with them.
When her feet hit the bottom of the hill, she didn't expect them to be upon her so quickly. They wrapped around her waist and her shoulders, hissing and spitting in her ears. They tangled themselves in her hair and she felt a terrible crushing weight on her chest.
"Remain calm," Draco reminded them.
Hermione's stomach knotted and twisted with horror, and she released her breath slowly, thinking of her mother, thinking of pumpkin pie, and thinking of Harry. She held tight to the knowledge that this wasn't real, and that they could not kill her unless she gave them what they wanted. Fear.
At long last, the crushing weight seemed to taper off, and she could feel them unraveling. She allowed herself to open her eyes and could see she was the second to fight them off. Sirius was still entangled. When finally, he was released from their grip, they pushed ahead.
Soon water began creeping up over her feet. The blood in her veins seemed to slow down, as the moat they were wading through grew deeper and deeper. The water was almost black, and disturbingly warm.
"Ginny had to do this to come see you?" Hermione asked.
Draco didn't bother to turn around.
"No. She used my secret route from Hogwarts, but I'm fairly certain Lucius has found it by now."
There was a soft light glittering a few feet ahead, and Hermione recognized it as a doorway. The gate that covered it was barely visible under the oozing vines of the Devil's snare that grew around the perimeter.
"We will have to move quickly once we are inside," Draco said, hesitating before opening the gate.
"Hermione, you will follow Draco and you will seek out the other two objects," he said, his boots squelching against the mud, "do you have the third?"
"Of course," she said feeling in her pocket for the triangle and the lock of hair.
Sirius felt for his pistol and his wand. He knew that once the gate was opened, Lucius would be aware of the intrusion. Sirius would stay and wait for him, hoping he could distract him long enough for Draco to get Hermione to her hiding spot.
"Now!" Sirius said. Draco obeyed, reciting the spell to open the gate and pulling its bars apart. And they were inside.
#
A gate had been opened, and Lucius knew it was them. All of the servants had been instructed not to return, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the guests of honor arrived to his party.
Another gate opened now. Then another. He wondered how many there were?
How cowardly, Lucius thought, to sneak up on a man when he is supposedly sleeping required no great cleverness or courage.
He was, however, pleasantly surprised at how quickly the first gate was opened. It was a spell only his son knew, and that spell responded only to Malfoy blood.
My prodigal son has returned, he thought.
Thrust through Lucius' belt was a thick, sharp knife of polished silver, a magnificent magical weapon that he preferred to use on special occasions such as this one. It would lie beside the offering table later, but he would keep it close for now.
A door slammed. Hellions leapt from bureaus and bookcases.
"My patience is growing thin," she said, a child again.
"You will have to remain patient no longer," Lucius answered, "we have guests."
"Then I suspect we should send someone to greet them."
And the Hellions started to gather, leaping and yelping excitedly. They bent before her, as if burdened.
"Seek them out…bring me the key," she hissed.
#
Not the faintest ray of light penetrated where Harry, Arthur, and Cho stood, yet the hallway was dimly lit by an eerie glow. Their eyes were trying to adjust to the dull blue light. They hadn't bothered to draw their wands, because they weren't sure exactly what they'd be facing. Cho's flack was strapped to her back and she instinctively felt for it.
All at once, hideous, waist high creatures boiled out of the now open doorways and started towards them. Cho stifled a scream. Arthur aimed his Muggle pistol and fired, throwing a startled Hellion back against the wall. It bled and it lay there, shrieking.
He fired again. But there were so many.
Harry and Cho pulled their flacks out, knocking another aside. They stood with their backs together, as Arthur meticulously took aim at another.
The beasts kept coming closer, and with despairing eyes, Harry looked at Cho who was preparing to take aim at one nearing her leg. Harry swallowed and cried out, with a rebel yell. He forcefully plunged his weapon into the chest of one of the beasts. Its grimacing eyes met his briefly before it stumbled to the ground.
But another was upon him now. It came at him more swiftly then he had anticipated, knocking him to the floor. It stopped suddenly, lost in Harry's eyes. He pushed it away and it scrambled, looking confused. It grunted and hissed at the other beasts in their ancient language and they moved back. Harry stepped towards them and they moved back again.
"Why didn't it…what happened?" Harry asked Arthur, still in shock from the scene.
"I don't know. It looks like they're afraid of you."
Cho and Arthur moved behind Harry who walked farther down the hall.
There was a half eaten carcass lying on the floor that Harry recognized as Ivan, from the club.
I wouldn't have wished that on anyone, he thought, cautiously stepping ahead and thinking of how close he had come to meeting the same fate.
#
Ginny remembered that the three hallways met up in the middle on the bottom floor of the manor, spilling out into a common room. They had surprisingly walked most of the hall without a problem. She found little consolation in this, knowing the others were probably facing what hadn't gotten to them yet.
BANG!
She heard a pistol fire, and Ron moved protectively in front of her. They all froze again when they heard another.
"How unexpected," said the short round man whose gaze settled on Neville, "to meet up with you again."
Ron's hand suddenly felt like a steel band around Ginny's wrist as he tried to keep her hidden from Locust's view. Locust's tongue fell from his mouth and licked at the bottom of his chin indelicately.
"I believe you've taken something from us, and we'd like them back," Ron said boldly, finding courage Ginny didn't know he had.
Locust Daviz laughed and a foul humidity poured into the hall.
"I think the keys were taken from us first, and we'd like our third. So before I destroy you all, except perhaps the delicious vixen you have behind you, I will need this item from you."
Neville gritted his teeth. "We don't have it Locust."
And then Neville didn't know him anymore. Locust's gaze engulfed them in a flood of light and they were paralyzed.
#
Hermione saw a sudden flash of light coming from one of the other Hallways, shortly after she and Draco had heard the gunshots.
God, please let them be all right, she preyed, as Draco led her to the storeroom.
"You'll barely fit, but the door's more solid then any room door," he said.
She knew what the plan was. She would have to remain safe in order for this to succeed, and she carried the object everyone so desperately seemed to want. Still, she wished she didn't have to be stowed away like an object herself. Now all she could do was wait.
Draco closed the storeroom door behind him and made his way towards the common room of the lower level. Each hall housed sixteen rooms, eight on each side, so he couldn't make out what was going on as he crept further along.
Pant. Pant. Click. Slurp.
But he was ready this time. He fired the gun at the creature spattering its head in several directions, including back onto him.
Christ.
Draco could see another clawing on the storeroom door where he had put Hermione. The door was metal, and he relaxed when its teeth couldn't penetrate it. Then Draco shot it in the neck.
These Muggle weapons certainly are useful.
"So you have stooped to using Muggle tools have you?" Lucius Malfoy said, stepping out of his well-hidden corner.
An out of breath Sirius Black ran up behind Draco.
"He isn't alone Lucius, and he's standing with us by choice," Sirius said.
Lucius laughed and moved closer to Draco, who stood directly in front of him.
"Young Draco has had many choices, and I gave him many opportunities to succeed. But he tossed it all aside."
Draco drew his wand, noticing finally the change in his father's eyes. Sirius drew his wand as well.
"See the power you could have had?" Lucius said, throwing his hand into the air and sending Draco and Sirius both flying down the hallway.
"Where is the third key?" Lucius screamed, releasing his fury again.
#
Hermione could hear everything. She held her breath as she listened to Draco and Sirius struggle against Lucius Malfoy. She let a tear fall down her face when the only screams she heard now were from Draco.
No God please… please don't let this happen.
Then there was silence.
"Tell me Draco. Who has it? I was surprised it wasn't Black…is Potter with you? Perhaps Granger? Tell me and I will reinstate you as my son. You will have everything you lost," Lucius said in a hushed tone.
There was silence again, and Hermione thought that perhaps Draco was actually considering Lucius' offer.
"I had NOTHING before!" he yelled and fired a spell at Lucius, enough to send the man to the ground with an audible thud.
Hermione clutched the triangle tightly.
"Lucius Malfoy!" Arthur Weasley's voiced called out.
Hermione froze again, needing desperately to hear Harry's voice.
"Step away from Draco, Lucius!" Harry said.
Her heart leapt at the sound of it.
Thank you God. Thank you.
#
They were blinded only for a moment when Neville swung his flack into the air. He hit his target, sending Locust back onto the ground. Locust had expected a magical attack, not a physical one. Ron ordered Ginny to stay back as he and Neville confronted Locust in a direct and brutal assault. Locust stumbled back, enraged. He began to burble and froth at the mouth and his mouth grew slowly, expanding to the size of his head.
"Where are they?" Ron yelled at the creature, even though his lungs were beginning to shrink from the rancid air.
They were interrupted by the sound of Lucius Malfoy. Then there was the sound of something else...hissing. Locust turned towards the noise, and reluctantly moved away from them. The three stood stunned for a moment. Then they followed.
#
Hermione could hear the fight on the other side of the door, she just didn't know who was winning. She listened for voices to rush past. Harry. Neville. Ron. Cho. Harry again. The spells rattled the walls around her and a jar fell onto the floor, crashing and exploding onto her boots.
The rhyme…what was it again? I still have the triangle…and the hair.
Explosions were all around her now. She struggled to remain calm, wondering if she should go out to help. She heard Ginny screaming and footsteps rushing past. Something was clawing at her door again. She held her breath, and it left. The struggle seemed to go on for an eternity, but would be nothing compared to the silence that followed.
She abhorred that sort of silence.
After a while, the prolonged inactivity began to take not only its physical toll, but it's emotional one. Their circumstances required her to be hidden, and so she had to wait. Wait for Harry. She fought of feelings of despair, but tears still pooled in her eyes. Her cold feet and her throbbing back pain she could tolerate, but there was so much anguish in not knowing.
Still silence. She looked at her watch, a gift from her father.
One hour. There were some lizards making their way across the ceiling, mocking her with their freedom. She heard some more running. Another gunshot.
An hour and a half. The jar that had broken smelled like beans. She couldn't imagine the Malfoys' sitting down to family dinner, but she supposed everyone had to eat. She hadn't eaten for a while now. She might never eat again.
Two hours. There was a strange hilarity in what she was thinking then, I wonder if they have anything I could kill myself with in here if Harry doesn't come.
She wouldn't dare weep. She flexed her toes, then her calf muscles. She shifted her weight from side to side. She had to stop thinking. She couldn't allow herself to become consumed by it. Too much time had passed. Where were the French Aurors?
Two hours and fifteen minutes. Everything was starting to itch and the door that barely touched her chest with her back tight against the shelves felt like it was going to crush her.
By then, Hermione had worked herself into such a state of panic that she found herself having to remember to breathe. Her whole body was in pain and she wanted to surrender to the tears that were begging to be released. Her mind wandered against her will, violent and detailed fantasies seeping into her brain.
What if Lucius were to find her? He would kill her, perhaps raping her first if the thought occurred to him. Then he wouldn't bother burying her. But that wasn't the worst. He would take power then, and everything she held dear would be destroyed. Harry would be dead. Everyone would be dead. She would never see her friends again.
Wincing at the pain radiating from her back down her leg, she thought she heard footsteps. There were a lot of them, and a sliver of hope permeated her fear when she heard some voices. Laughter.
Party… there was a party.
#
The prisoners had been taken to a locked room, bound in thick rope. Lucius had decided he wouldn't allow their deaths to be easy. Locust and the ringmaster watched over them. Locust especially watched over Ginny and Cho. When he gave Cho a mock sympathetic look, she spat on him. He had seemed to enjoy it, grazing his hand along her thigh when the ringmaster had stepped away.
Ron glared at the man, promising himself that he would see Locust burn.
Harry was too busy keeping his eyes on Sirius, who lay bound, and near death on the floor. Arthur Weasley, who was badly wounded, was slumped in a corner and Ginny whimpered for her father. Neville, Harry, and Ron were tied together. Their wands were all taken. Their weapons were gone, surrendered to stop the ringmaster from slicing Ginny Weasley's throat. It didn't buy her freedom, but at least it bought them all time. It was the only thing on their side, especially since Hermione still had the third key.
Hermione.
Was she still waiting for him? Did they find her? They had all denied she was with them, but Lucius had become anxious and irritable when a thorough search had left him still without the third key. Harry heard the ringmaster hiss that they were searching every room, and then every closet big enough to hold a person.
Please don't let them find her, Harry thought.
Draco was bound to Arthur Weasley. He had been given no special treatment. After a couple of hours of damp silence, Harry could hear voices. Then Lucius came into the room again, along with two other Death Eaters.
"Bring Potter. He will die first." Ron and Neville kicked at the men, trying to defend Harry. They hexed the unarmed men aside swiftly, untying Harry's arms and legs and pulling him away. Lucius grabbed Harry's arm and brought his face in too close.
"She will be very pleased to meet you."
"Who is she?" Harry asked.
Lucius gripped Harry tighter. "She is the one who will rule everything. Lucius led him to the common room, which was overflowing with Dark Wizards. In the center stood a stand with two shiny glass objects side by side. The other two keys.
Next to it was a slab with more ropes.
I'm an offering…to who…or what?
Lucius parted the sea of Wizards with Harry in tow. Harry struggled now. He had smelled death before, almost knew it instinctively. Lucius hexed him again, sending him to his knees this time. Two men lifted Harry and tied him to the slab. Lucius began to unbutton Harry's shirt, and Harry turned his face away in disgust.
"Barely a man," Lucius said haughtily, drawing laughter from the crowd.
#
Harry Potter will be the first to be sacrificed!" a passing voice said on the other side of Hermione's door. It was followed by a burst of applause.
No. Please no.
Her body was weak from the confinement and her hands trembled mercilessly. She reached for the latch of the door; now knowing her Harry wouldn't come to rescue her. She would do this alone.
Dear God.
The door to the storeroom slowly opened. No one noticed right away.
Please let this go quickly. Let me die fast, I know I won't be able to do this.
One thought steadied her, and she was able to move.
Harry.
She had to do it.
She walked some. Her legs were wobbly now, but she soon regained her stride. The hallway was empty, and there was a blue light in the common area. She could hear Lucius Malfoy's piercing voice.
#
The dreary blue light lit their sacrifice strangely.
"We bring you an offering…to tide you over until the third key is found," Lucius hissed.
Lucius speaks parseltounge now? Harry thought, trying to focus on the shadow moving towards him.
The shadow stopped, stepping into the blue light that Harry discovered was coming from the two triangles.
"He is gifted? How?" she hissed back.
"Tom Riddle gifted him inadvertently when he tried to destroy him. He is not like us," the ringmaster hissed in a voice Harry thought sounded almost affectionate.
The child-like being stepped closer to Harry. "Ahhhh…. when he was only an innocent. It is always a mistake to try to curse the innocent. Tom was warned. And he is an innocent no more."
She let her tiny fingers run along Harry's chest.
"The Hellion's were confused by him," Lucius said.
She removed her hand, annoyed by Lucius' interruption.
"Of course…they were unsure of where his gifts came from. They fear him. But I do not," she replied, "And he will be a fitting sacrifice."
Maedon let her eyes pan the crowd who had fallen to their knees upon her entrance into the circle. Then she turned and displayed her long teeth to Harry, who bore down in anticipation of the pain.
"I have your key!" a small shaky voice called out, brining gasps from the crowd.
Hermione Granger stepped into the circle.
#
"Hermione! GO!!!! LEAVE!" Harry screamed.
Maedon turned her attention to the young woman standing there. This would be easy enough. She swiftly made her way towards her.
Hermione grabbed the hair and pulled it out, reciting the rhyme. The ringmaster and Locust stood perfectly still, and the child-demon rushing towards her stopped. Then laughed. They all laughed.
Hermione had failed.
Maedon hissed at her and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders. Then she suddenly let her go, stepping backwards. She hissed at Locust, then at the ringmaster.
Lucius joined in their chattering that made no sense to Hermione.
The child-demon spoke again, and Hermione was shocked as Harry threw himself against the ropes unrelentingly now, like an animal.
What were they saying to make Harry react like that?
This brought more laughter from Lucius.
Hermione found herself surrounded by Death Eaters now. She pulled out the triangle and used what Arthur had taught her. A fiery blue light jumped out causing one of the men to fall to the ground, burning him into ash.
"Get it from her! A human will have to be the one to destroy her!" Lucius called out to them, hissing again to the child-demon, caller her by her name. Harry's eyes opened wide and his voice was dry and cracked, but Hermione heard him.
"Maiden is her name, Hermione," Harry said.
Hermione understood, and directed the triangle towards more wizards now. They fell around her. She made her way towards the child. Something in her chest seemed to fail, but she forced herself to continue and she dared to get closer. The child was actually backing away, looking towards Lucius, who, after seeing the last man to try to reach Hermione disintegrate before him, started to back away slowly. He had been unaware the power could be used like that.
Before she could think about it, she was reaching towards Maedon. The hair pulled easily away from the creature's scalp, which felt like the consistency of mud.
Hermione's voice was clear as a bell as she recited the rhyme. The ringmaster was upon her now, and she closed her eyes expecting pain. There was none, and when he tried to sink his teeth into her throat; the flesh from the tall creature began to skid off of his bones.
Why couldn't he hurt me?
Hermione saw the other two keys next to Harry. She ran towards them, placing the one she held next to the other two.
Please let this work.
She said the rhyme again.
Maedon stopped. The blue light intensified, and the keys joined together. The ground beneath them began to tremble.
#
Hermione's fingers were not strong and her nails were broken or worn down, but she worked the knots that bound Harry's hands to the offering table with determination. It seemed like an eternity before she made any progress, but in time the binding began to loosen.
The floor was beginning to cave and Hermione screamed as men began slipping into the crack. The Death Eaters were only concerned with their own escape, even Lucius, who was noticeably absent.
Harry bent to untie the ropes at his feet. "We need to get to them. They're still alive," Harry said. Hermione held onto the keys tightly as the child demon, strangely lit now, started towards her.
The floor had stop crumbling and now a thick blue light shot out from the crack. It pierced through the child-demon, and Hermione watched her face grow calm and solemn as Maedon was pulled back towards Hell, quietly and without a struggle.
Locust Daviz ran, but a ray of light reached him and wrapped itself around his thick middle, splitting him in half like an egg before it carried him below.
Beams of light began to surge from everywhere, selecting fleeing Death Eaters and pulling them down below the earth.
Harry grabbed Lucius' knife lying beside the offering table, and they ran towards the makeshift prison that their friends were trapped in. They flung open the door of the room and Harry began cutting ropes as Hermione worked to untie those she could.
The Manor was beginning to shake. Ron and Neville worked to drag Arthur, and Draco and Harry dragged Sirius down the Hallway towards the window. A fleeing wizard who was attempting to exit was going by them, cursing anything in his path as he was sucked back towards the ground. Cho ducked, barely avoiding his hex.
They reached the exit, opening the doorway. The bodies of four lay in a neat row at the entrance, torn to pieces.
The missing French Aurors.
Ginny closed her eyes as they all walked over them. She tried to avoid stepping on them, but it was impossible.
"When can we disparate?" Harry asked Draco.
"Just a few more feet," he answered.
The house trembled again, this time; a gust seemed to be trying to blow them all back inside. They fought it, and managed the last few steps to the bottom of the hill.
"Here! We can do it here!" Draco screamed.
"Alright, I'll disparate with Sirius, and Ron, can you disparate with your father? Let's meet at St. Mungos."
Ron nodded. Harry had taken a good deal of time training Ron in this specialty of disparating and apparating someone else. It was an exceptionally difficult thing to do, but both had become one of the few wizards skilled at the art.
Ginny went first. Then Neville. Then Cho. Then Draco. Then Ron and Arthur. Then Hermione, who held onto the keys. And finally…Harry and Sirius.
They disparated only a few seconds before the ground caved in, and Malfoy Manor took its place in Hell.
#
The mediwitch at St. Mungos said that both Arthur and Sirius would be fine. Sirius would need to stay longer, due to some internal injuries, but would eventually be his old self again. Harry wasn't surprised when Shara Fonta arrived by his bedside.
The media began to gather outside of the hospital, but they all agreed that no one would say a thing until Arthur Weasley was awake. Mrs. Weasley greeted them all warmly, even Draco who she surprised with a kiss on the cheek.
Harry kept watching Hermione from his examining table. She couldn't figure out what the flash of concern was on his face, and she questioned him with her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her and mouthed, "I love you". She smiled back at him and said the same. When they were finished with him, he walked over towards her, taking her hand in his.
"I can't believe we did it," she said.
"You did it Hermione. Not me, you."
Hermione smiled, feeling overwhelmed with relief, joy, and sadness for the ones they couldn't save. She thought about her parents, her aunt, their friends at the ministry, and the French Aurors that they never got to meet. Here she was, with only a couple of scratches.
Hermione flushed. "Harry…why was it they couldn't hurt me?" she asked, "Was it because I have Mill's blood?"
Harry swallowed and took both of her hands in his. He brought his eyes to meet hers and hesitated.
"I heard them say it was because you carry the blood of the innocent. The tall creature was destroyed when it tried to harm you because you have innocent blood running through your veins. That's why the child-demon couldn't harm you, and why even Lucius, couldn't harm you. That's what they were talking about when the child demon halted her attack on you, that's why they ordered the humans to kill you."
Hermione laughed and leaned into his ear. "That's ridiculous Harry, you and I both know I'm no innocent…"
Harry's face remained serious, and he paused, thinking of a way to explain. "No, but the someone inside of you is," he said searching her face for understanding.
She got it this time, choosing to sit quietly, trying to absorb what he had just told her. That's what they said that had seemed to incense Harry so. He was struggling to save her.
Them.
"It would be way too early…how could they know that?"
"I don't know. I guess she sensed it," Harry said, moving Hermione's hair from her face, and kissing her mouth.
Hermione panicked. "Oh my God, what are we going to do?"
"Shhh…. it's alright. We're alive, we all made it, we have something to look forward to," Harry said quietly, "and an announcement to make."
She made an unladylike choking noise and tried to calm down as her lover took her hand. This was unbelievable.
There was always another adventure ahead, she thought, letting one hand trail down to her stomach.
~~Fin ~~~