April 18, 1998
Harry did his best to eat his dinner but knew that he was really just pushing it around on his plate. He was nervous about tonight and he couldn't help that. They had received intel that prisoners were being held at Rookwood Place, Kingsley had been quite sure that there were several of his friend's families there. Tonight, they would be breaking through the wards and retrieving them. However, this wasn't what worried him. He had gone on several missions already. This being said, Hermione hadn't. This would be her first mission since being tortured and even though he wanted to beg her to stay home and stay safe, he knew that he didn't have the right to do such a thing. Not only would it kill her if he ordered her to stay behind, she would likely hate him for the rest of his life.
However, this didn't stop him from worrying. He knew that she was brilliant with a wand, knew that she could usually out-duel him when it came down to it, but he still worried. They had been stupid once before and Hermione had been the one to pay the price, not him or Ron. He wished that she would just allow him to fight this war for her but knew deep down that part of why he loved her so bloody much was because she was fierce and stood up for what she believed was right. It was one of her sexiest qualities.
"That food isn't going to eat itself," Hermione told him, nudging him with her elbow. He grinned at her.
"I know, I'm just nervous about you going tonight. I know you can take care of yourself but the thought of you getting cursed again makes me crazy," he confessed. Hermione leaned in and gave him a side-hug, holding him tight. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I know you don't want me to get hurt but I can't just sit back while you fight this war. It's my fight too, I'm a muggleborn. I'm fighting for my right to live and practice magic, you can't take that away from me," she said emphatically, clearly scared that he would order her to stay behind. His hand found her cheek and he stroked her silky soft skin.
"I would never order you to stay behind even though I really want to. I just hope that it doesn't put me off my game," he said seriously. Hermione turned her face and kissed his palm.
"You're going to be the complete badarse that I know you are. We're going to get everyone out of that manor and somewhere safe. We're going to kick some Death Eater arse while we're at it. Believe in us," she assured him. He smiled down her and nodded.
"Alright, kitten, you win," he told her. Hermione laughed and pulled away so she could continue to eat.
They were at Grimmauld Place with the rest of those that would be going on the mission with them. It wasn't going to be a huge mission as they didn't really have many people to spare at the moment. Harry had assigned a lot of the Order members to other things and there were only a few that were actually free to go. That was the one reason Hermione was going; Madam Pomfrey hadn't technically cleared her yet. Though he felt the mediwitch was dragging her feet on doing so because she didn't want Hermione in battle anymore than he did. The mediwitch had confessed that she felt Hermione had paid her dues in this war already and Harry agreed. However, Hermione was determined and she was going whether Madam Pomfrey told her she could or not.
Only Kingsley, Remus, Arthur, and Bill were going with the Golden Trio. Hermione felt that seven was the perfect number and that it would be a small enough number to get them in undetected. That was what the plan was anyways. Bill was going to do something to their wards to make a hole of some sort so they could sneak in and then they were going to ambush whoever was inside. While they were fighting, Bill was going to work on bringing the wards down completely so they could apparate away. If he couldn't manage it because they were blood wards, they were all going to be outfitted with a portkey that would bring them back to Headquarters.
Hermione turned and started talking to Tonks, who was holding Teddy in her arms. He had been born five days before and Remus had promptly asked Harry and Hermione to be his godparents. Harry had been leery, he wasn't even sure that they were going to survive the war, but Hermione had enthusiastically accepted for the both of them. Even now, she was waiting impatiently for Tonks to get done feeding him so she could hold him and give him snuggles. Harry had thought that she would be more depressed considering she had lost her own child but it seemed as though having Teddy to love on made her feel better. If that was what made her happy, Harry was more than willing to keep his godson close whenever Remus and Tonks came to visit.
Molly and Fleur were also there since their spouses were going to go on the mission. Fleur was flitting around and picking up dishes, laying them in the sink to be washed. Molly was glaring at everyone, probably because Harry had informed her that she was no longer allowed to cook for the Order. Kreacher had cooked their meal and he had kept an eye on the redheaded woman the entire time to make sure that none of her potions made it into his or Hermione's food. He was pleased to say that she didn't even try. He really did wonder if she had even taken the vow during that first Order meeting because going against him in such a way shouldn't even be possible.
After all the dishes were put in the sink and spelled to wash, Harry stood from the head of the table. All eyes fell to him. Hermione handed Teddy to Tonks with a sigh and he could tell that the metamorphmagus was disgusted that she wasn't going. However, being only five days from childbirth didn't put her in the most fit state to fight in a battle. Not to mention, if something were to happen to both Remus and Tonks in battle, it would fall to him and Hermione to raise the infant and that just wasn't possible right now. As much as he hated it, they had a war to fight and win.
"It's time," he told them. He watched Hermione hug Tonks and kiss Teddy on the head before coming to stand at his side. Her fingers twined with his and he looked down at her and smiled. She didn't show any signs of nervousness but Harry knew that she was. She was doing her best to put on a front for the rest of them so they wouldn't get caught up worrying about her. Ron kissed Ella and the half-veela went to her cousin's side. Molly and Fleur told their husbands goodbye and begged them to return safely. Remus kissed Tonks and stroked Teddy's head before coming forward to stand with Harry and Hermione.
Since Kingsley was the only one who had ever been to Rookwood Place, they were taking a portkey there. Bill had used a belt to create one since there were seven of them; they all gathered together and grabbed hold of it Harry made sure that Hermione was between himself and Remus. The werewolf had promised him that he would help him look after Hermione. It was a reassurance that he needed so he didn't get sidetracked during battle.
The portkey swept them all away in a rush of magic, dropping them on the ground outside of a large manor. Harry felt better about their ward plan now; the manor was visible to them so there weren't blood wards protecting it. Hopefully Bill would be able to bring them down. The eldest Weasley son instantly started working on the wards when they landed, his wand out and moving furiously. The rest of them stayed alert, wands out, to guard Bill's back. Harry kept his left hand on Hermione, making sure that she was close while they were out in the open and so vulnerable to attack. She didn't stray from him, in fact, she moved closer to him, clearly not happy with being so vulnerable.
Bill worked diligently for thirty minutes before he let out a whoop of victory. Harry couldn't tell any difference but he trusted his fellow alpha. The man was brilliant at his job and wouldn't lead them astray.
"Alright, we have a hole in the wards but not for long. It isn't very big, just big enough for us all to crawl through. Harry, you, Remus, and I are going to have to be careful since we're the biggest. We can't touch the wards or they'll be alerted to our presence," he warned them. Harry and Remus nodded.
Bill outlined the area that was open and Arthur volunteered to go through first. Followed quickly by Kingsley and Ron. Hermione went next and got through the easiest since she was so tiny. Remus went next, scrunching down as small as he could go so he wouldn't brush up against the sides of the ward. Harry followed suit and Bill came through last. Once they were all together again, Bill released the magic he had been using on the wards and they fell back into place.
Kingsley took the lead and led them through the grounds and up to the house. They weren't going to use the main door but there was a door on the side that led to a garden full of dead plants and trees. It was clear that Rookwood hadn't been in residence in years and hadn't cared about his garden in the least when he did take up residence again. Harry wondered if there were any elves there and hoped against hope that they didn't encounter them if there were. Hermione would never want to hurt an elf and a bonded elf wouldn't think twice about hurting her.
The door opened easily and they slipped inside the manor with nobody being the wiser. They were just off the kitchen and they could hear voices down the way, probably from a study or a library. Harry knew that they were going to be fighting them but he gestured for them to wait to engage the Death Eaters. Bill needed time to bring the wards down and they needed to go check and see if the prisoners were alright.
Bill gestured for them to go on their way, telling them that they would be able to feel when the wards came down, that would be their signal to apparate out. He headed for the center of the house, most likely where the ward matrix was. Harry left him to it and started for the set of stairs he saw that led downward. He was sure that they went to the dungeons and it was a pretty safe bet that the prisoners were being kept in cells.
Harry knew that Hermione was right behind him, followed closely by Remus, as they started down the dark set of stairs that led to a room covered in darkness. He whispered a lumos to find that there were several oil lamps on a table so he moved forward to light them quickly. There were bodies in the cells but they all appeared to be either sleeping or dead. Ron, Arthur, and Kingsley filed down the stairs next, Ron cursing loudly as his foot caught on the last stair and sent him sprawling. Harry glared at him but the bodies in the cells started to move.
They were all women and Harry recognized them all, if only from Platform 9 ¾. Dean's mum was there, as well as Seamus'. Lavender's mum was in a cell by herself, her blond hair lank and greasy. Amelia Bones was in a cell with Cho Chang, both of them black and blue from beatings, he was sure. All of them were naked and the fear in their eyes was obvious. Harry felt his heart clench for them, knowing that they had suffered Hermione's fate and nobody had saved them. They were all emaciated and looked as though they hadn't had a good meal in months. None of them even tried to cover their nakedness, meaning that they had been that way for a long time.
"Harry, is that you? What are you doing here?" Cho asked, her voice rough and raspy. Harry closed his eyes so she wouldn't see the pity in them. He opened them again to see Hermione striding forward, her wand unlocking all the cells. She had tears down her cheeks and it took a moment for the others to remember that they were supposed to be helping.
"Yes, Cho, it's Harry, Hermione, and Ron. We brought a few members of the Order to rescue you. We heard there were prisoners here and we came to get you," Hermione assured the girl, pulling her into her arms for a hug even though she hadn't ever liked the girl. Cho started sobbing and clung to her. Harry met the gaze of Amelia Bones, the only one who still had a gleam of steel in her gaze.
"Are there any others here that need rescued or is it just you five?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No, not anymore. Those three had their husbands here at first, Cho had a brother. The men were all killed. We've been kept for entertainment. There are usually ten or so at a time that stay here, you know they're in the house. How did you get through the wards?" Harry liked that she was no nonsense even though it was clear she had been brutally beaten and raped.
"Bill Weasley is with us. He poked a hole through the wards and we sneaked in. They don't know we're here. Bill's upstairs now trying to lift the wards so we can apparate back to Headquarters. If he can't we'll have to portkey," Harry explained. Before anyone could say anything else, an elf appeared with five smalls bowls in his hand and started screeching.
"Intruders! Intruders!" it yelled before popping out of the room, the bowls dropping to the floor. Harry did something he hoped he wouldn't regret. Amelia Bones had been Head Auror at one time so he pulled his father's wand from his robes and thrust it in her hand. She stared at it as though she couldn't understand what it was or why he had done it.
"That's my father's wand so don't lose it and don't fucking break it. I want it back. You used to be a pretty badarse auror from what I hear. Time for some revenge, Madam Bones. Kill them all," he told her. Her eyes went hard and a feral grin spread across her features.
"Absolutely," she said.
Just as he expected, men apparated into the large dungeons and started shooting spells as soon as they were able. Harry fought back, sending volleys of spells their way. Hermione had gotten the other four women behind all of them and they were huddled together in a corner trying to stay away from the spells. Hermione joined in the fray next to him and he was pleased to see that she had no problems with sending lethal spells at the Death Eaters before them either.
They were outnumbered. There was only six of them and close to fifteen Death Eaters. He didn't recognize any of them but it was hard to concentrate of their features while he was shooting spells their way. Hermione was the first one to drop a Death Eater; she shot a cutting curse straight at his neck, blood pouring down his chest. Ron took a hit next, though he wasn't sure what the spell was. He let out a yell but kept on fighting.
Remus took out the next Death Eater with a piercing charm straight to the face. It was rather gruesome but Harry didn't care. They needed to win and get out before they realized that he was Harry Potter and called their master. He couldn't face Voldemort until all the horcruxes were gone.
One by one, the Death Eaters started to fall. Suddenly, he felt the wards fall and he let out a yell. Yes, they could apparate away now but there was no way that they could stop fighting to get to the hostages. Bill appeared behind the Death Eaters and started sending spells at their backs, causing some to turn and attack him. Harry took the chance to attack their backs. Not very sportsmanlike but all is fair in war.
There was a soft cry next to him and was horrified to see that Hermione had been hit by a cutting curse. Blood ran from the wound on her arm and Harry couldn't control the rush of magic that left him. He hadn't been able to protect her before but he was going to protect her now. An enormous wave of magic left his wand and blew everyone in front of him to the ground, including Bill. His friends took advantage of it and started killing them where they lay. Harry turned to make sure that Hermione was alright, knowing that Remus and Madam Bones were working on the men in front of him. He had just reached her side and pushed her wand down when he heard someone yell and felt a spell collide with his back.
Harry's world went dark.
-O-
Hermione was cursing herself for not getting her shield back up quick enough to deflect the cutting curse. The wound hurt, she knew that it was deep, but it wasn't going to kill her. It wasn't her wand arm so she pushed the pain to the back of her mind and kept fighting. A wave of magic came from Harry, knocking everyone in front of him to the ground. Hermione jumped forward and managed to kill one of the men while they were down; Madam Bones was shooting off spells like a mad woman, clearly enjoying having her revenge. Harry had turned to her, most likely to make sure that she was fine, when she heard Remus yell and Harry fall to the ground.
Hermione whipped her wand and shot off the first killing curse she had ever cast; it hit the man who had cast the curse at Harry right in the face. He slumped over from his half-sitting, half-standing position. She moved in front of Harry's body, not sure if he was alive or dead, determined to protect him. There were only three men left opposing them and Hermione needed this to end yesterday. The Gryffindor waited until the first man was engaged dueling Bill and shot him in the side with an avada kedavra. Madam Bones felled another man while Ron managed to kill the last man with a piercing charm much like Remus had.
There was blood everywhere and the bodies were piled together, laying on each other. Hermione dropped to her knees at Harry's side and felt for a pulse. She found one but it was faint. Remus just stared, fear in his eyes at what she was going to say next.
"He's alive but his pulse is faint. We need to go now," she ordered. Remus bent down and picked Harry up, Hermione wasn't sure how since Harry was massive now, but she supposed that his werewolf strength was helpful. They disappeared with a pop. Hermione gestured for the women to get up and grab a hold of someone. Madam Bones grabbed her hand while Cho took Arthur's, Lavender's mum took Ron's, Dean's mum took Kingsley's, and Seamus' mum took Bill's. With a pop, they all turned and disapparated.
Hermione landed with Madam Bones in the Entrance Hall of Grimmauld Place. Remus hadn't even made it out of the room. Hermione rushed ahead and opened doors while Fleur and Molly conjured blankets for the women to wrap around themselves. Remus placed Harry in his old room while Hermione whipped out her wand. She started casting diagnostics on him while Remus just stood there.
"Go call for Madam Pomfrey, I can't heal this by myself. Send Fleur in if you see her," she snapped. Remus jumped and nodded.
Hermione watched her scan while she waited. It hadn't told her anything yet and it was interrupted when Fleur rushed in, her own wand in her hand. Since she had been working with Madam Pomfrey, she knew better spells and went to work immediately. Remus reappeared in the doorway and watched silently. Fleur finally sat back and gave Hermione a grave look.
"It's a curse to basically eat his organs. His gallbladder is already gone and it's starting on his spleen. Who knows what will be next?" Hermione felt tears prick her eyes but she blinked them away. Now was a time to be strong. Madam Pomfrey and her mother came rushing into the room, nearly knocking Remus over as they shoved him out of the way. Fleur repeated for Madam Pomfrey what her diagnostic said and she looked grim. She turned to Remus.
"I need you to go to Hogwarts. I have a potion to stop this curse but it's in my stores in the Infirmary. You can't be seen. Can you do that?" Remus gave her a grim nod. Hermione turned to him.
"Go to my room at Shell Cottage and get in my bag. Get Harry's invisibility cloak. You can't get caught," she told him. He gave her another grim nod and was gone. Hermione looked at her mother.
"Why didn't she just send you? Nobody would think twice about seeing you in the Infirmary," she questioned. Her mother looked down at her with tired eyes.
"I've been banned from the Infirmary because I was sneaking potions and bandages to the students. Severus had to do something because the Carrows reported it. There's a ward that won't allow me in now," she said sadly. Hermione cursed.
Madam Pomfrey was still waving her wand over Harry and Hermione had to restrain herself from going to him. The need to be with him was strong and she felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin. There was a knock on the door and Cho appeared, blanket still wrapped around her tightly. There were tear tracks on her cheeks and Hermione didn't want to deal with her at the moment.
"I just wanted to say thank you so much for rescuing us. I was hoping to tell Harry thank you as well but I can see he's still hurt. I'm so sorry that he got hurt rescuing me. The others told me what he is to you and I really hope that he's okay," Cho said quietly. Hermione wanted to snap at her but knew it wouldn't be right. Those women had been beaten and raped for who knows how long, they had watched their loved ones die before them. They didn't deserve her anger.
"You're welcome, Cho, I just wish we had gotten there sooner. I'm sorry for what you had to suffer while you were there. If you need to talk about it, I'm here," Hermione told her. She really wasn't all that fond of Harry's ex-girlfriend but she knew that talking about it had helped her. Cho didn't deserve to suffer anymore. The girl nodded and bowed out of the room just as Remus came thundering up the stairs. Hermione moved out of the way so he could rush into the room and thrust a vial into Madam Pomfrey's hands.
Hermione watched as the woman spelled the potion into Harry's stomach and they sat there in silence, watching the monitoring charm that she had on him. His pulse got stronger and more regular. After several minutes, he began to stir. Madam Pomfrey made a poking motion with her wand and he went still again.
"Why aren't you letting him wake up?" Hermione demanded as she finally went to his side. She couldn't stay away any longer. Her tone didn't seem to bother the mediwitch.
"Because he'll still be in pain. There's no sense in him suffering. I just put him a medical sleep. He'll sleep for the next twelve hours. Once he wakes, the pain should be gone. Now, let's see what damage was done," she said to herself. The mediwitch cast another diagnostic and after a few minutes, cast the reading away.
"Well, his gallbladder and spleen are gone. It started to eat away his kidneys so they're a little damaged. I will return to Hogwarts after seeing to the other patients and bring a potion that will repair them. Other than that, he seems fine. He seems to do better when you're closer, dear, look at how steady his vitals are now that you're over here," Hermione didn't wait another minute. She kicked off her shoes and slid into the bed with him. Madam Pomfrey clucked at the sight of her arm, cutting away the sleeve so she could see the wound.
It wasn't overly large, only three or four inches long, but it was clear to the bone. The mediwitch's magic was warm against hers as she healed the cut, her mother clearly not happy that she was injured. Afterwards, Madam Pomfrey gave her a disapproving look.
"You know I haven't cleared you for missions yet," she said sternly. Hermione huffed a little but nodded.
"I know. I'm fine, though, you know it. You just don't want me going out and getting hurt," she said. Madam Pomfrey shot her an irritated look but nodded.
"You're cleared. Don't go and get yourself hurt anymore, do you understand?" Hermione nodded against Harry's arm.
"Yes, ma'am," she told her. Madam Pomfrey gave her another stern look.
"He's going to be asleep for the next twelve hours. You need to sleep too," she said, concern coloring her tone. Hermione shook her head.
"I can't. Molly Weasley is here and there's no way I'm allowing her anywhere near him when he's like this," she said vehemently. Remus and her mother took seats on each side of the bed.
"We aren't going anywhere. We won't let anyone near him until you're awake," they both promised. Hermione finally nodded, demonstrating how much she trusted them. She really was exhausted.
Hermione heard them talking softly to each other after Madam Pomfrey had left, promising to return with Harry's potion. She moved her head to his chest and concentrated on the beat, reminding herself that he was indeed alive. However, it didn't make her feel any better about the fact that she had almost lost him. Her eyes finally fell closed, her last thought being that they really needed to hurry up and end this war.
A/N- Boom, another chapter down. I'm not really that proud of it, I rewrote it several times because it just didn't sound right. If that makes sense. This is what you're getting because I'll drive myself crazy trying to make it right. Anyways, thanks again for reading. Leave me a message after the beep and let me know what you think.