only hope

“Breakfast!” A cherry voice shouted as if right in her ear in the early morning. Hera startled, body launching upright as she reached under her pillow for her switchblade. She pulled it out in front of herself protectively, heart beating and body ready for a fight when she looked upon the empty room. She blinked, realizing stupidly that they must have used their fancy wand-things to project their voice. She huffed, closing the blade and dropping her hand unceremoniously at her side. She rubbed her eyes, sighing and turning back down to the bed longingly. She had never slept so well in her life and she was reluctant to leave the comfy bed, but the promise of food rumbled her belly and she stood slowly. Her feet pattered softly on the wooden floor as she dressed in yesterday’s clothes. 

She’d have loved to have gotten some warning of her abduction so she could’ve at least packed a bag. At least she had her knife. She rolled her eyes before carrying herself down the stairs toward the sound of chatter.

“Hera!” the kind woman from the night before said cheerily as she entered the dining room. The room fell quiet, eyes falling on Hera’s still form. She glared back. “Sit, sit!” The woman commanded kindly, ushering her into an empty seat.

Hera complied silently, resisting the urge to shake off her hands. The woman, Molly she believed her name was, took out her stick— er wand— and floated over a fancy looking plate in front of Hera. Hera blinked, her mind unused to seeing people do what she could. Shaking her head to rid herself of her stupor, she looked down at the plate filled with more food than Hera had seen in days. Her stomach decided to make itself known, rumbling audibly much to her company’s amusement. Hera glared at them as the group laughed. She wanted to see how they would fare starving their whole life.

But, despite her annoyance, she wasn’t going to turn down free food– even if they were trying to get her to fight in some war. She grabbed an ornate fork, shifting slightly at the strange feeling of holding something so obviously expensive, and took a bite of the food. Her eyes widened as the bacon hit her tongue. She held in a groan, not wanting to be laughed at again, and tucked into her food. She finished in record time, her stomach satiated and slightly upset for the speed she ate 

“Hera,” Hermione spoke across from her. Hera looked up with a questioning brow, body tense. “I thought you’d like to borrow some clothes and maybe take a shower?”

“Oh.” Hera relaxed. “Yeah. Cheers, mate.”

Hermione grinned brightly. 

After the most extravagant shower of her life, Hera dressed uncomfortably in a plaid skirt and a woven sweater. She felt like a posh schoolgirl and she wasn’t sure she liked the feeling. Well, at least she was clean.

She stepped down the stairs in her heavy boots where chatter sounded from the dining room and she huffed, pulling on the skirt and rounding the corner. The chatter stopped. They really had to stop doing that.  

“Yes, I’m here,” she said flatly, waving her hand. “You can continue.”

“Of course, dear girl,” Dumbledore said fondly before continuing on. “As I was saying. Hera is in need of a wand and we shall have to take her. In disguise of course.”

“So, what if I said I don’t really need it?” Hera posed, raising her hand.

“That’s ridiculous,” Ronald scoffed. “Everyone needs one.”

“Well, ginger,” she glared. “I don’t.” She grinned, eyes falling on her sitting abductor. “Ask Theo here.”

He looked back at her with a bored look. “Moving someone without a wand once does not mean you don’t need one.”

“Oh, yeah?” She challenged. “You wanna see me do it again?”

“Enough,” Dumbledore interjected. “You shall get a wand and we shall hone your magic, end of discussion.”

She glared back at the old man but remained silent.

“Now, as for who should take her…”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Theo walked stiffly beside a glamoured Hera Potter in the heart of Diagon Alley. Gone was her midnight hair and piercing green eyes, replaced by honey blonde locks and deep brown irises. Her skin was perfectly clear, no trace of a scar to be found. He only hoped it would be enough to fool everyone.

She looked around in awe at the magic of the alley and Theo internally sighed. “Stop looking around like a fool. You’re attracting attention,” he whispered.

She paused, heated eyes falling on his taller form and Theo had to resist the urge to grin at the obvious annoyance written on her face. But before she could retort, a voice had Theo freezing in his step.

“Lord Nott,” the familiar haughty drawl voiced from the path in front of him. White blonde hair came into view as Draco Malfoy stepped out of a store onto the street. 

“Lord Malfoy.” Theo nodded, his arm itching to pull the girl at his side into him. 

“Who might your companion be?” Malfoy asked as his eyes fell onto the glamoured Hera. She might look different then her usual self, but there was no subtracting from her beauty. She stiffened at his side.

“None of your bus-“

Theo was quick to cut her off as he answered the question with the rehearsed line the order had agreed upon should anyone ask. “A cousin.”

Draco raised a perfectly sculpted brow. “Oh? I think I would remember a cousin as lovely as she.” He flirted before turning to Hera. “Where are you from, Miss?”

“Willow,” she blurted. “And I am from France.”

Theo shut his eyes briefly and suppressed a groan as Malfoy’s face lit up. “Oh? Ta beauté m’étonne.” 

Hera blinked at his side and Theo resisted the urge to glare at the foolish girl. “Uh, oui?”

Malfoy stared, his eyes probing.

“We really should be going,” Theo said quickly in an attempt to get her out of there. “Have a wonderful day, Lord Malfoy.” He bowed briefly and dragged the girl away.

“Theo?” Malfoy called and Theo stopped, turning around with a raised brow.

“Yes?”

Malfoy looked amused between the pair before he said. “You should be more careful parading around your lovers.” Theo stiffened, eyes falling on Hera briefly who stood, looking at Malfoy indignantly, before relief coursed through him that that was all Malfoy thought.

“I shall take your advice into account, Lord Malfoy.” Theo said smoothly, hand gripping Hera’s arm to silence the retort he knew would be on her tongue. He could feel the glare she sent his way.

“I bid you good day.” Malfoy nodded with a shit-eating grin on his face and began to walk away from the pair with a pep in his step.

As he rounded the corner, Hera tugged her arm away harshly. “Do not touch me without permission again if you wish to keep your life,” she said lowly.

Theo raised a brow, unperturbed at her threat. “It shall not happen unless necessary.”

“It bloody well not,” she huffed. “Lovers.” She laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“Let’s go,” he said stiffly.

“Yeah, yeah. Wand and all that. Hey?” she paused a grin taking over her lips. “Is being posh a necessity for wixen or whatever you lot call it.”

He rolled his eyes. “If it were, you would not be here,” he challenged with a quirk of his lips.

She rolled her eyes. “Like I’d want to fit in with a bunch of boring trust-fund babies.”

“As opposed to scruffy miscreants?” He paused. “And you are as you said ‘a boring trust-fund baby’”

She paused, a dark look coming over her face. “I am?”

He looked at her, wondering where her sudden harsh demeanor came from. “Well, are you ready for your wand?”

She looked at him, the darkness in her face diminishing slightly as she answered, “As I’ll ever be.”

They stepped into the old store and Ollivander looked up immediately. “Lord Nott,” he greeted with a bow. Theo nodded back. Hera rounded his body and stepped into view. “Miss?”

“Evans,” she provided stiffly.

“Evans, yes.” Ollivander responded, a gleam in his eye.  “I assume you’re here for a wand?” Theo nodded once, answering for Hera. “Let’s try this,” and so it began. 

Theo stood back as Hera tried wand after wand, none so much as sparking in her hands. Until Ollivander’s eyes glazed over and he became pensive. Theo stepped in front of Hera. “I wonder.” He stepped into the back without another word. The pair left shared a look. 

“This isn’t gonna work,” she groaned.

“There are plenty more wands. Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Theo said but internally he thought it was looking a little bleak.

Hera didn’t respond, sitting in silence until Ollivander returned a contemplative look on his face, wand box in hand. He opened it silently and held it out to her. She glanced back at Theo for a moment before a sigh left her lips and she reached out for the wand in the box. It was a beautiful wand, with a golden ornate handle with emeralds embedded. “Holly wood, 11 inches, Phoenix feather core.” He said as her fingers made contact and Theo could see it in her face that this was the one.

As she picked it up, a contented smile painted her peachy lips and he couldn’t stop the quirk of his lips as a gust of wind tousled the group’s hair in the shop. A carefree laugh sounded from her lips as she stared at the wand in awe and Theo couldn’t help but admire her radiance. Where did that come from? Shaking his head to rid himself of the stray thought, he cleared his throat and said to the girl, “Looks like we found it.”

“Curious,” Ollivander mused. “How curious.”

Theo’s eyes fell on the man and he asked, voice hard. “What is curious?”

“Forgive me, Lord Nott. It is just there was one other wand that held a feather from this phoenix. That belongs to our sovereign leader.”

Theo’s eyes widened. “The leader?” Hera asked, eyes hard and voice sharp. “You mean Vol-“

“Do not call him by his name in public!” Theo hissed hurriedly. “The Dark Lord does not take kindly to disrespect.” Hera shut her full lips, hand clenching at her side. Theo looked away from her, eyes falling on the old wandmaker. “Speak no word of this.” And without another word he threw a handful of galleons and was walking out the door, calling out, “Come.”

He could hear Hera grumbling under her breath behind him but he paid her no mind. All he could think was that no one could find this new information out. They would think she was as evil as him. Brother wands. He couldn’t be serious.

As Theo led them into a dark corner of the alley, Hera spoke. “So is this where you murder me?” Her tone was joking but he could hear the tension in her words as she looked around the corner. “Because I’ll have you know. I won’t go quietly.” Her eyes sparked dangerously as her hand reached into her pocket.

Theo eyed her amusedly as she readied herself for a fight. “Keep your knife away. I am no danger to you.”

“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Cause I can surely just take your word for it.”

He looked at her, seeing the undercurrent of fear in her violent demeanor and he sighed softly, mind wondering what she had seen in her life. “If you wish to hold your knife, go on. I won’t hurt you.”

She looked at him, studying his face before she removed her hand from her pocket, seemingly seeing enough truth there. “Don’t make me regret trusting you,” she said slowly, eyes gleaming threateningly. “Why are we here?”

He looked down at her seriously. “You can tell no one of what we learned today.”

A brow raised on her face as she looked up at him. “About the wands?” Theo nodded once. “What does it mean?”

He shook his head. “Later. Just trust me, tell no one.”

“Why?” She questioned.

“No one.”

She huffed, “Whatever. Not like I have anyone to tell.”

Theo nodded, relieved that she agreed. Another connection to the Dark Lord would do nothing good for their trust in her. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” She questioned as she trailed after him.

“Clothes,” he answered simply.

“Oh, joy,” she groaned.