March 18, 1998
Hermione had her wand at the ready as Harry took down the blood wards guarding their campsite. It had been almost three weeks since they had discovered the library in France. She had visited every day and while she did discover exactly how to make a horcrux, how to destroy one, and things of the like, there was no help in where one could be hidden by the likes of Tom Riddle.
There had also been absolutely no references to what happened when the three hallows were brought together. Hermione had her suspicions but she had never been one to go with her gut. She needed proof, someone who had experienced it before, and since that had never happened before, she was shit out of luck.
Therefore, they were doing the next best thing. She was making the boys follow her Xenophilius Lovegood's house to talk to him about the Hallows. Harry had offhandedly told her that he remembered seeing Luna's father wearing a pendant in the same shape as the symbol for the Deathly Hallows. While she was aware that the man was known to be quite batty, she hoped that he had that special ability about him as Luna did. Her blonde friend always managed to see things that others missed and she hoped that her father would consent to helping them today.
As soon as the blood wards fell, Hermione went to Harry's side and grasped his free hand while Ron took Harry's forearm. Since neither she nor Harry had ever been to Luna's but Ron had, he was going to lead the apparition. With a near-silent crack, the trio disappeared and reappeared in front of a house that was perfectly circular. It reminded Hermione of the tower that Rapunzel had been locked in in the fairytale her mother had told her at night when she was a small child.
There were no wards to speak of around the house and that thought made Hermione extremely nervous. The whole time they were there, they were going to be extremely vulnerable. She wasn't sure why a person would live with no wards in a time of war but she supposed that it went back to Xeno being rumored to being batty. Harry kept a firm grip on her hand and Hermione didn't fight him. While she was worried about herself, she was even more worried about him.
The trio approached the house and there were strange vine-like plants decorating the fence. There was a sign on the gate that said to keep off the dirigible plums. Since Hermione had never heard of them and she saw no sort of plum in sight, she wasn't sure if they were real or imagined. They went through the gate, careful not to touch the plant just in case they were imagined; they didn't want to offend Mr. Lovegood before they even spoke to him. Harry reached out and knocked on the door only for a man that looked remarkably like Lucius Malfoy to answer the door. He was dressed in dirty clothing and had stains down his chin. His candyfloss hair was tangled and unkempt; it was clear that he hadn't been taking care of himself. His eyes were wide with fear and Hermione was sure that he was going to send them away even though his newspaper had openly supported Harry until Luna had been kidnapped.
"Mr. Lovegood, we were hoping that you would agree to speak with us. You openly supported me until Luna was kidnapped and we were hoping that you would continue to aid our efforts," Harry asked, the desperation not quite evident in his voice but certainly close. They just needed some information and then they would be on their way. Mr. Lovegood stared at them for a full minute before finally nodding.
"Very well, come in," he told them briskly. Hermione didn't have a very good feeling about it but they really needed information. He bustled them into a parlor of sorts, completely round just like on the outside and gestured for them to take seats. Once they were seated, Harry in the middle with his arm around Hermione's shoulders protectively, Xeno took a seat.
"What can I help you three with?" he asked curtly, making it clear that he didn't like them there. Hermione knew that this was the part where she took over. She leaned forward until she heard Harry growl just a little. She met Xeno's eyes.
"We know the Hallows are real. We know where two of them are. Do you know where the resurrection stone is?" she asked point blank. The blond's eyes bugged out just a little before he finally shook his head in the negative.
"No, Miss Granger, I've never seen any of the Hallows or heard of their location. I had my suspicion that Dumbledore had the Elder Wand but I never proved it," he revealed. Hermione sagged in disappointment. She didn't dare tell him that he was right; it was far too dangerous. Therefore, she moved onto her next question.
"Do you know what happens when all three Hallows are united?" she queried. The man raised his eyebrows and smirked at her, a move completely uncharacteristic of him.
"Why is it you wish to know, Miss Granger?" he asked in turn. Harry started to tense next to her and she laid a hand on his arm to calm him down. She raised her eyebrow at him in turn.
"Call it curiosity," she told him. He full out laughed now and he was starting to freak her out.
"There is no way to know for sure since there are no recorded instances in history where a single person has been in the possession of all three Hallows. However, if I were to wager a guess, I would suppose that they would be the Master of Death. I can't say that with enough certainty that I would take a killing curse but I would definitely love to see someone else try," he drawled. Briefly, she wondered if he was related to Lucius Malfoy. Then, she caught his meaning and she lunged out off the couch at him. However, Harry caught her round the waist and gave her a concerned look. She was boiling with fury and she wasn't sure why he wasn't.
"Harry, we're leaving," she ordered him. He nodded, still confused. Xeno watched them show themselves out. As they were walking out, he grasped her elbow and pulled her close enough so he could whisper and not be heard.
"What was that about?" he asked, his voice showing just how serious he was. Hermione glared at him.
"He said that he didn't want to take the chance of taking a killing curse with all three Hallows but he wanted to see someone else do it. Who the fuck do you think he meant? He wants to sacrifice you, I'm just not sure why," Hermione spat, fury clear in her voice. Harry blew a deep breath out of his mouth and leaned his forehead against hers.
"That is pretty fucked up," he admitted. Hermione nodded against his forehead, her anger subsiding just a little. With a deep breath, she pulled away.
"Come on, we better go. We're vulnerable out in the open like this. Let's go set up camp and figure out our next move," she told him. Harry nodded and started down the stairs of the little round house. Ron followed behind, wand out and at the ready, prepared to defend their back.
The trio had made is five steps out of the gate when there were sudden pops in front of them, indicating that others were apparating in. Hermione jerked Harry towards her and pulled her wand out, pointing it at his face. There wasn't a second's hesitation before she cast her most powerful stinging hex right in his face. He howled with righteous indignation and pain but Hermione didn't pay him any mind. She turned to Ron just as fast and shot three spells at him, one to shrink his height, one to vanish his freckles and one to change his famous blue eyes to brown. The red hair would have to stay because there just wasn't enough time for anything else. When she turned back around, they were facing seven snatchers led by none other than Fenrir Greyback.
"Run!" she screamed.
Hermione took off at full speed, thankful that she had been eating properly in the last few months on the run. If she had still been emaciated, she wouldn't have given near the chase that she did. Harry followed after her but Ron went in the opposite direction, forcing the snatchers to divide their forces, therefore, giving both parties more of a chance to escape. Hermione knew that Greyback was after her; she could hear him howling and growling in fury.
Suddenly, there was a thud behind her and she turned to see that Greyback had tackled Harry to the ground and was struggling to subdue him. Even though Harry was an alpha, Greyback was an alpha werewolf with superior strength. Hermione started to double back to help him but Harry caught her movement and screamed in her direction.
"Run, now!" There it was, an order from her alpha. The order to leave him to die while she saved herself. She tried to disobey but she just couldn't. It felt like her body was going to fly apart and she screamed in fury before turning back around and running once more.
Not that she made it far.
Someone tackled her to the ground from behind. She wasn't surprised. She had never been all that athletic like Harry, Ron, or even Ginny, much preferring to sit in front of the fire and read. The man lay on top of her, pressing her into the ground so hard that she could hardly breathe. She was just about to beg him to let up just a little when the weight suddenly lifted and a hand with razor sharp nails buried itself in her hair and dragged her to her feet. She was still struggling to catch her breath, hardly paying attention to the fact that Greyback was staring her down. Harry was bound in the distance and she could see three men dragging Ron in their direction. Hermione fought against the pain in her scalp as Greyback breathed his hot, fetid breath in her face, making her want to gag.
"What's your name, witch? Don't lie to me either," he demanded. She shuddered slightly, knowing that she was fucked either way. If she told him the truth, it would give away Harry and Ron's identities. If she lied and he realized who she really was, it was likely he would kill her which would in turn kill Harry. However, if she lied, at least there was a chance.
"Penelope Clearwater, half blood," she said. Out of nowhere, a fist came out of nowhere and cracked her in the face, hard enough to throw her to the ground. She was literally seeing stars but that didn't stop Greyback from using her hair to pick her back up again. She could feel the blood trickling down her face and Harry was going nuts. It took immobilizing him to get him to stop thrashing against their hold.
"You lying cunt. If you were a half blood, you wouldn't be out running all over the country. You know you're a mudblood that hasn't registered at the Ministry. We'll be heading that direction with the lot of you now," Hermione wanted to grin. This was better than she had hoped for. The Ministry was full of idiots and they hadn't taken her bag. There were extra wands inside and she was going to make sure that they got out. However, it wasn't meant to be since the man she now recognized as Scabior spoke.
"Boss, I think that's Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's mudblood. Her picture was in the Prophet just last week. I'm not sure if these two are Potter and Weasley but we need to take them to Malfoy Manor," he told Greyback. Greyback hauled off and backhanded her across the mouth, once again flinging her to the ground. Hermione tried to stem the flow of blood with her sleeve but to no avail. Ron was no longer screaming but she could see the utter heartbreak in his eyes. She couldn't bear to look at Harry and see what this was doing to him.
"You conniving little bitch. You were going to let us drag you to the Ministry so we would get punished for not realizing who you were. Well, guess what? You're going to Malfoy Manor and you're going to meet Bellatrix. Maybe she'll even let me have you when she's done with you. I'd love to see what you taste like," he threatened her, though it sounded more like a promise. Fear froze in her throat but she refused to let it show. She would not let fear control her and if that happened, she might as well just lay down and die.
Hermione was strapped to Greyback while Harry and Ron were lashed together and put in the middle of two enormous men that Hermione was almost certain were werewolves. It made her wish that Remus was there to protect her. However, that just wasn't possible. They were going to have to be smart and get themselves out of this mess.
Greyback pulled her into apparition and she appeared before the most ostentatious house she had ever seen. The enormous M on the gate indicated that they were indeed at Malfoy Manor; it was no wonder that Draco had always bragged about how Hogwarts couldn't compare to his home. The others appeared behind them, Harry and Ron still between them. She suspected they had been silenced since she hadn't heard anything from them in awhile. Not that it mattered, she supposed. She had a feeling that they were going to have fun with the mudblood first.
Greyback knocked on the door and a small elf showed them in, indicating that everyone was in the drawing room. Greyback showed no care that she was having trouble keeping up, he just pulled her along as quickly as possible until she literally fell on her face as they entered the green and silver room. He gave her a swift kick to the stomach, stealing her breath, to move her out of his way.
"Lovegood sent up the signal and we found this lot. Pretty sure this is Granger. Not sure about these two since they don't look normal but figured we'd bring them here," the werewolf explained. Lucius stood instantly and bent down to inspect her face. His hands weren't gentle, probing the cuts and bruises there as if wishing they weren't there so he could determine her identity better. He stood and made his way over to Harry and Ron, examining each one of them just as carefully. Hermione felt her heart leap with hope when he shook his head in frustration.
"Draco, come and tell me what you think," Lucius ordered. Even Hermione could see that Draco wanted to identify them as much as he wanted to live in the muggle world. He rose to his feet and came and examined Hermione's face. She saw the spark of recognition in his eyes but then it was gone.
"It might be Granger but I can't be sure. I haven't seen her in almost a year," he said, clearly lying. He moved onto Harry and Ron and cocked his head to the side.
"It could be Potter, the hair is right. I don't think that's Weasley though. Everyone always talked about his blue eyes and these are clearly brown. He was covered in freckles and he doesn't have any. I really can't say this is the Trio the Dark Lord is wanting," Draco said indecisively. Before they could even make a decision either way, the doors swung open and Bellatrix strode in, a demented look painting her features.
"I heard the Golden Trio are here. Let me see them," she crooned. Lucius glared at her as she approached Hermione.
"Bella, we aren't sure if it's them. Draco can't identify them one hundred percent," he informed her. Bella just smiled sweetly and she ripped the beaded bag from Hermione's chest and threw it at the snatchers. They instantly started to go through it as Bella started to stroke her face softly. Hermione closed her eyes, not wanting her to see the truth through legilimency. Bellatrix just laughed as she leaned over and licked a clean expanse of skin across her cheek. Hermione wanted to throw up in disgust but didn't dare make a sound.
"Don't worry, pet, I'll ask my questions nicely first. If you refuse to answer, I'll take the answers from your pain, not your mind. That's the Dark Lord's way. I enjoy putting my back into my work," she crooned again. Hermione fought the urge to cry ruthlessly. Suddenly, there was a shout from the scatchers and she opened her eyes long enough to see that they had found the Sword of Gryffindor and were fighting over it. Bellatrix's wand snapped up in her hand, shooting the familiar green curse at both snatchers, the Sword clanging to the floor. Bella shot a look at Greyback and Hermione was more scared than ever.
"Put the boys in the dungeons with the others. I'll get to them next. For now, the mudblood and I are going to have a talk, girl to girl," she said. Her voice was hard now, no more crooning in sight. Harry and Ron fought back against the werewolf but he kicked Ron in the stomach and Pettigrew showed up to help shepherd them towards the basement level. Bellatrix swung her gaze back to Hermione and she could see the madness reflecting in her eyes.
"Where did you get that sword? It's meant to be in my vault at Gringotts." Bellatrix asked, her wand up and ready. Hermione knew she had to say something so she lied.
"We found it, I swear. It's a fake, we were going to try to sell it for a profit," Hermione lied. The first sickly orange curse left her wand and struck Hermione right in the abdomen.
Liquid fire poured through her veins and it felt as though her whole body had been exposed to open flame. There was no holding back the screams of torment for Harry's sake. Tears poured down her face, her cheeks, to rest in her ears and on the floor as she writhed in pain for she didn't know how long. When the curse finally lifted, Hermione couldn't do anything but lay there and try to catch her breath. Strong hands grabbed her hair and jerked her back into a sitting position and a wand tip was placed at the hollow of her throat.
"Are you Hermione Granger? Are you traveling with Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter?" the dark witch questioned her. Hermione knew that she would never betray her friends so she took great pleasure in spitting on the witch's face.
"Fuck you, cunt," she groaned. The blow that hit her face this time made the ones before feel like a gentle pat on the head. She was certain that she felt something break though she couldn't determine what it was. Just as she was making certain that her head was still attached, the agonizing pain was back, licking through every fiber of her being, consuming her as only the Cruciatus could.
Hermione could tell that Bellatrix was well and truly pissed with this go around of the curse. She held it far longer than she had the first one and it felt more powerful. She had reached the point where her body had stopped thrashing and she was just a few steps from the gentle hum of insanity in her mind when the curse abruptly ended, reminding her body once again that it was in excruciating pain. She resumed screaming as she came back to herself, wishing that Bellatrix had just let her surrender to mindlessness.
Now, Sirius' killer was perched on her belly, her hands holding Hermione's wrists to the floor. Hermione felt wetness underneath her and realized that she had pissed herself. However, she didn't have the ability to be embarrassed in that current moment. Bellatrix leaned over her face and spit on her but Hermione didn't care.
"Tell me, bitch, where is Harry Potter?" she asked, her tone brokering no leniency. Hermione shook her head from side to side sloppily.
"Don't know," she said, her voice raspy from screaming. There was another backhand across the face but it didn't compare to the fire she felt in her forearm. She looked over to see that Greyback had taken over holding her wrists and Bellatrix was now slicing through the soft skin of her forearm with what was clearly a cursed knife. Hermione watched with mounting horror as she spelled out the word mudblood on her arm before throwing her head back to cackle shrilly. Suddenly, she was in Hermione's face again.
"Tell me where the headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix are," she demanded. Hermione shook her head again.
"No idea. Never got inducted," she confessed. Hermione screamed as she felt the knife slip into her abdomen in several places and she was sure that the psycho bitch had hit something vital. Hermione could feel the pool of liquid underneath her growing and knew that it wouldn't be long before she bled out completely. She hoped that Harry remembered his promise to her about fathering a child if he escaped. This time, Bellatrix leaned over her and cackled gleefully.
"Last chance, mudblood. Tell me where Harry Potter is and I'll heal your wounds and set you free," she promised. Hermione huffed out a chuckle and fought to stay awake. Her eyes were heavy and she was sure that she had a concussion.
"Fuck your broom and die screaming, cunt," Hermione said, knowing it was probably her last act of defiance before death. Bellatrix just grinned at her and stood up, waving her wand to vanish all her clothing.
Hermione lay there in a puddle of her own piss and blood, completely naked, and she didn't care. Bellatrix laughed as the men in the room started leering at her, pointing and laughing at her naked body. She turned her head and caught sight of Draco looking at her; not her body, not her shame, but her. Her face and he kept eye contact with her. She could see the pain in his eyes and she knew in that moment that she didn't blame him for not helping her. There was nobody that could help her now. Bellatrix called out to everyone in the room.
"Greyback gets her first, then Lucius, then Draco if he so chooses. Then the rest of you can take turns until she's dead. Fuck her to death, gentlemen," Bellatrix laughed and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop the tears, breaking contact with Draco. She felt Greyback settle over the top of her, his face bending down to take her nipple in his teeth so he could bite it hard. She squealed in pain and everyone in the room laughed.
Hermione felt him free his cock against her inner thigh and his cock found her entrance. Just as he was about to plunge home, his body went lax above her and his massive weight fell on top of her, cutting off her breath. She did her best to shove him off of her but she just wasn't able to. She could hear sounds of a struggle around her but she could literally do nothing. In fact, her eyes were growing dark as the lack of oxygen was getting to her.
It was to screams and spellfire that Hermione finally felt the world go dark.
-O-
Harry was losing his damn mind. Every time they hit her, every scream that punctuated the air, every time he heard Bellatrix's evil laugh, he knew that they were hurting her, killing her, and that it was his fault. He never should have let her come along on this hunt and never should have let her convince him to go to Lovegood's house.
Pettigrew had thrown them into a dungeon cell with several other people, though when he first entered, he hadn't cared who they were. He instantly charged the door as it swung shut, leaving him with no escape and no way to get to Hermione. He had tried ripping the door from the hinges but it had so far proven unsuccessful. Ron finally came up behind him and pulled him away from the door before slapping him soundly across the face.
"Stop it, Harry! You're not getting anywhere and they're hurting Hermione! We need to think, not act like a child," Ron yelled, clearly upset but much more calm than Harry himself. Harry visibly calmed and began to pace, trying to block out the screams from above them. It was then that he caught sight of who he was sharing a cell with and he was livid.
Luna Lovegood sat between Garrick Ollivander and Dean Thomas, holding both their hands. Griphook, Harry's first experience with a goblin, was seated off to the side. He strode over to Luna and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her roughly. Dean tried to shove him away but due to Harry's size, there was no way that it would work.
"Your father did this to us! He turned us in to them when we went to him for help. If I ever see him again, I'll kill him myself," Harry ranted, not even the slightest bit upset at how terrified Luna looked. Ron pulled him back from behind and shook him.
"Focus, we need to get out. We'll kill Lovegood later We need a plan," Ron reasoned and Harry sighed heavily, raking a hand through his now filthy hair. There was shuffling in the corridor outside the cell and he could just barely make out a house elf shoving food under the bars for the other four prisoners. It was then that Harry realized their emaciated state, quite telling as to how long they had been trapped down here. It was then that Harry knew how they were going to escape.
"Dobby!" Ron spun around, looking for the elf but he needn't have bothered. Dobby appeared next to Harry and started tugging on his ears.
"What is Mister Harry Potter Sir doing in bad Malfoy house?" Harry crouched down and met the elf's gaze.
"Dobby, Hermione has been captured and they're torturing her upstairs. I want you to take the other prisoners out of here, take them to Shell Cottage outside of Tinsworth. When you come back, apparate to just outside the dungeon door and stun Pettigrew. Or kill him, I don't really care. Then open the door for us so we can rescue Hermione," Harry told him, realizing the plan sounded crazy but they really had no other choices. He wished that he wouldn't feel bad about leaving the others there but he knew that if he did, it would haunt him the rest of his life, not to mention, Hermione would never forgive him. He could only hope that he reached her in time for her to scold him. He would revel in her chastising him for the rest of her life.
The other prisoners were quick to gather around and grab a hold of Dobby. As soon as they were all holding on tight, the elf winked out of existence with three prisoners and a goblin. It was several minutes later that they could hear raucous laughter above them which only made Harry want to hurry even more. If it made Death Eaters laugh, it was likely that it wasn't good news for Hermione.
Harry didn't even hear the arrival of Dobby, just the dungeon cell door creaking open. In Dobby's hand was a wand. Harry and Ron rushed forward, Harry thanking Dobby profusely while Ron searched Pettigrew for another wand. He came up lucky and found one and Harry hoped that it worked for him well enough to fight their way to Hermione. He looked sideways to Dobby and made sure that the elf was paying complete attention before he spoke.
"We're going to need your help in there, Dobby. Once we free Hermione, I want you to apparate us out. Even if it's one by one, I don't care. Just get us out of here. Hermione is my omega and if she dies, I'll die. Please help me just a little more, Dobby," he begged. Dobby sobbed and threw himself into Harry's arms, softball-sized tears running down his cheeks.
"Anything for Master Harry," he vowed.
Harry and Ron headed back up the stairs they had been brought down and peeked around the corner to see that Hermione was laying in an enormous pool of blood, completely naked. Greyback was positioned between her legs and Harry could hear her crying softly. He glanced up to see the horror and disgust on Draco's face and wondered just what side he was on. However, he didn't give it much thought because he brought Pettigrew's wand up and cast a stunning spell. He had really wanted to use a killing curse but knew that it would have been monumentally stupid to cast it in Hermione's direction.
Greyback slumped over Hermione's still form and as much as he wanted to run to her, he couldn't. Bellatrix, Yaxley, and Lucius Malfoy were sending spells their way with everything they had. Harry knew that the stinging hex that Hermione had sent at his face had faded already, his scar now clearly visible.
What surprised Harry was that while he and Ron were dueling for their lives, Draco rushed over to Greyback and pulled him off Hermione. Quick as a snitch, the knife that had been discarded on the floor, found its way in his chest, making it look as though he had fallen on it when he fell on Hermione. It was a brilliant move but he was still unsure why the ferret was helping him.
Ron managed to fall Yaxley with some sort of slicing curse and then a stunner. It was likely he would bleed to death but Harry couldn't give two fucks less. Together, he and Ron were able to stun Lucius, the Death Eater falling into an unattractive heap almost in the fireplace. Bellatrix was cackling and still keeping them dancing to avoid her spells. However, it was all brought to a halt when suddenly, a knife came flying through the air to pierce through her shoulder from behind. Blood poured down her front and she paused to try to pull it out from the back.
Harry saw Dobby standing behind her, wildly gesturing for Harry to finish her off. Harry didn't waste a single second. This woman had hurt his mate, tortured her, nearly killed her. Death would be too easy for her but he hadn't the time to stay and make her suffer as he wanted to. He raised Pettigrew's wand and didn't have to speak the spell, the level of hatred for this woman was so high. A jet of green wand exploded from the tip of the wand and struck Bellatrix right in the face, sending her sprawling across the floor, completely dead. Harry turned to Draco and Ron hissed in anger.
"Don't you dare let him go, Harry, he's one of them," Ron snapped. Harry nodded slowly before cocking his head to the side. After just a moment, he realized exactly why Draco had helped him and he wasn't about to kill him for it.
Draco was an alpha also, most likely with a mate himself.
"No, Ron, he helped Hermione. We aren't going to kill him," Harry said, laying down the law with his redheaded friend. After hearing his words, Draco stood and spoke.
"You need to hurry, she's bleeding out quickly. Disarm me first so I can claim that you overpowered me. Greyback and Yaxley didn't see anything to contradict it," Harry lifted Pettigrew's wand and disarmed Draco, taking his wand. Ron pilfered through the things laying by the two dead snatchers and found Hermione's beaded bag. He slid the Sword of Gryffindor back inside and rushed to Harry's side.
Harry knelt at Hermione and scooped her into his arms, trying his best to be mindful of her injuries. He saw her stab wounds and the word carved into her silky soft skin. He saw the bloody bite mark around her nipple, though none of it matched her face and the involuntary spasms from what was surely the Cruciatus Curse.
"Ron, get a robe so we can cover her," Harry demanded. Ron complied quickly, digging through her beaded bag to find a blanket. He draped it over her and made sure that there was no skin showing before he turned to Dobby.
"Hold onto my pant leg since I can't hold you hand. Off to Shell Cottage with us," he ordered. Dobby reached out and took his pants in hand while Ron grasped his hand.
With a pop, they were on a beach, the ocean air salty all around them. There were shouts in the distance and Harry growled as he spotted several people running their way. Bill was the first to arrive, followed closely by Remus.
"The others said that Hermione was being tortured and that you would be coming," Bill explained. He tried to take Hermione from Harry so he could walk easier in the sand with his sprained ankle, a by-product of being tackled to the ground by Fenrir Greyback. Harry growled at him aggressively, making it clear that Bill wasn't to take his mate. Remus sighed and stepped as they continued to struggle through the sand.
"Harry, may I carry Hermione for you? You're injured yourself and stumbling. I don't want you to drop her and hurt her any worse," Remus cajoled. Harry hated to let her go but knew that his words were true. He was stumbling and he knew that his ankle was huge. Therefore, he nodded and let the werewolf take Hermione from his arms. Remus stiffened.
"Harry, she's naked. Did they rape her?" Harry let out a half-sob at the thought. Was that what she was screaming about?
"I don't know. We were locked in the dungeons. She needs a healer, she's bleeding out," he explained.
Bill turned on his heel and ran towards the house, flinging the door open so he could yell to Fleur something completely unintelligible. Remus was moving much quicker than he was but Harry didn't mind. The quicker she got into the house, the quicker she would get treatment. He would catch up eventually.
Ron stayed by his side while he made his way across the beach and to the house. Remus and Bill were long gone and Harry hoped that Remus kept other men away from her. There was no way that he was going to be comfortable with someone else near her while he himself was injured and unable to protect her to his fullest ability.
After making it inside, he realized that Dean was glaring at him and Luna wouldn't meet his eyes. He felt a tiny bit guilty for scaring her but it really was her father's fault. He wasn't going to lie about it to make her feel better. Ollivander was nowhere to be seen and Harry wondered if he wasn't more seriously injured than he had originally thought.
Harry and Ron met Ella in the upstairs corridor and she tried to stand in front of Harry. Harry merely pushed her aside, careful not to hurt her, but clearly making the point that nobody would get in the way of him and his mate. However, when he reached the door that was closed tightly, it was locked soundly. He pulled Malfoy's wand, realizing that it was a better fit than Pettigrew's and started casting every unlocking charm he could think of, only to find that none of them worked.
Harry lost it.
First, he tried beating on the door with his fists, then kicking it in with his feet. When he realized that this wasn't going to work, he started ramming the door with his shoulders, doing his best to batten it down manually. When he drew his wand to blast it away, he was hit with a body bind curse from behind. His ankle was stuck in a painful position and he wanted more than anything to rotate it but now it wasn't possible.
Bill stepped in front of him and pushed him back away from the door until he was leaning against the wall behind him. He had a perfect view of the door but it was clear that they weren't going to let him in while his mate was being healed. It was complete bullshite and he'd make sure that everyone knew how fucking pissed he was after he was released. Several minutes had passed when a new face stepped in front of him and started smoothing his hair down gently. His eyes focused on Minerva McGonagall and she gave him a sad smile.
"I know you want in there, lad, but you can't. You'll be upset and they need to focus on healing her, not on you. I hate being out here too, I adopted her, remember? I want to be in there more than anything. If I let you loose, will you sit out here with me and be good? They promised to let you in as soon as it was remotely possible," his Head of House asked. Harry just stared in her eyes, sure that she could see the absolute heartbreak in them.
With a wave of her wand, Harry relaxed and he flexed his ankle carefully. He settled into the chair across from the door and felt McGonagall do the same. They remained silent, neither one wanting to speak. However, Harry had to admit that it was nice to have someone to wait with since Ron had long since disappeared with Ella.
It felt like hours had passed when the door finally opened and Madam Pomfrey and Fleur stepped out, both looking haggard and in need of a good meal. They gestured for the two of them to enter and Harry hurried to the side of the bed to see that Hermione was now dressed in a light, white flowy nightgown and she appeared to be resting quite soundly. Her hands were folded on top of her chest on top of the covers and Harry wasted no time in picking one up and bringing the palm to his lips. He was surprised at how clean and pale she looked considering how she had looked when he had picked her up. He turned expectant eyes to Madam Pomfrey since Fleur slipped out of the room while Minerva took up the seat on the other side of her daughter. The mediwitch heaved a deep sigh.
"She's going to live, there are no worries about that. Also, she wasn't raped. However, there are some complications that you need to be aware of. She was subjected to the Cruciatus more than once and judging by the intensity of the tremors left behind, I would say that she was almost hit with the same force as the Longbottoms. There were three broken bones in her face and her jaw was unhinged. There were several torn muscles in her neck Her brain had started to swell from the trauma but I got that under control, that's the reason I put her in a coma until tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey explained, though she looked like she wanted to cry.
"The cuts on her arm and abdomen were made with a cursed blade, one that would keep the wound open and bleeding. Therefore, she lost a lot of blood. I have given her the maximum dose of blood replenishers that I can for the next twenty-four hours. At that point, I'll give her more. The cuts into her abdomen punctured her spleen and lacerated her liver, which I have also mended. The marks from the blade themselves will become scars, I can't spell them away since the blade was cursed," the mediwitch said. Harry let out a short sob and kissed her hand again.
"You mean she's going to be stuck with the word mudblood carved into her arm for the rest of her life?" he asked her. Madam Pomfrey just nodded miserably. However, it was the next news that completely tore his heart in two.
"She lost the baby as well. I did everything that I could to save it but there was nothing that I could do. The damage to her womb was too great. I was able to repair her womb so she'll conceive again but I couldn't save your child. I'm so sorry," Madam Pomfrey whispered, her voice thick with tears. Harry froze.
"Hermione was pregnant? Are you sure?" he demanded, not wanting to believe that they had lost their child before they even realized that it existed. The mediwitch nodded miserably.
"Yes, she was just barely six weeks," she revealed. Harry just sat there, doing his best to hold back his tears. All he had ever wanted was a family and while he hadn't really wanted one during the height of war, he knew that he wanted that baby.
"Get out. Don't let anyone in here. Don't return until she's ready to wake up or needs more potions," he calmly and coldly ordered. Madam Pomfrey bowed her head just a little and left. Minerva made to stand up but Harry shook his head.
"You can stay. She's your daughter now," he told her. She took her seat again while Harry climbed in the bed with Hermione, sliding under the blankets with her. He switched her body position slightly until he could spoon behind her, his arm under her neck and the other thrown protectively over her waist. Her mother was holding one of her hands and Harry realized that he couldn't hold it in anymore.
He buried his face in his omega's hair and sobbed. Heart-wrenching sobs filled the room and it was only a minute or so before he felt cool fingers on his forehead, smoothing back his hair. McGonagall had come around and was comforting him as best she could. However, there was no comfort in a situation like this. Death Eaters had killed his child and he was going to kill every single last one of them before the end of this war. He would make a vow on it if he needed to.
"Sssh, lad, you're going to make yourself sick. Sometimes, things just aren't meant to be. She can still bear children so your family isn't gone. Get all your weakness out now while it's just the two of us because tomorrow is going to come and we're going to have to tell her. Imagine how guilty she's going to feel. She'll need you to be her strength," Harry hiccuped slightly and nodded. His Head of House took her seat once more and it was several minutes later that Harry finally asked the question that was burning inside him.
"You've lost all your children aside from Hermione. How do you get past it?" he asked her, completely genuine. Minerva gave him a small smile.
"You don't. You'll think about that little one every day and wonder what if. However, as time passes, it hurts less. But you never get over it," she confided in him.
Harry just nodded. He supposed that he could believe that. He didn't think that he would ever get past the pain though.
Suddenly, everything caught up to him. The chase, the fight, the torture, and the anarchy when they escaped. The pain in his ankle and the hunger in his belly all compounded and he was exhausted. Minerva seemed to understand exactly what was happening and she smiled softly at him.
"Sleep, Harry. I'll be here when you wake up. I won't let anyone hurt her while you rest," Harry nodded almost deliriously, snuggling further into Hermione. He let his eyes fall closed and concentrated on the wonderful scent of Hermione's hair. After a few moments, all was right in the world.
Harry slept.