Nineteen
September 18th 2017:
“I’ll go report to the Minister. You all start on your mission debriefs.” Harry Potter told his team.
“I’ll come with you, mate.” Ron put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“How are we supposed to tell her we failed?”
“We use our training. We have to treat it like any other case.”
“This isn’t any other case. This is Lyra. You and I were with Hermione when Lyra was born.”
“I know.” The two friends walked to Hermione’s office and knocked on the door.
“What happened to ‘I’ll send a patronus as soon as we’re done’?!” Hermione yelled at the two of them as they walked through the door. “I have been worried sick.” She wrapped the two of them in a hug.
“Mione,” Harry started. Hermione looked at both of them.
“You found nothing.”
“There was no trace of anyone. We searched for hours, we did every spell in the book. There was nothing.”
“Not a single trace of his magic was there?” Draco asked.
“No, I’m sorry there wasn’t anything.” Ron answered him.
Hermione stood frozen. She had hope. She had too much hope that this would have been the mission to bring her daughter home. Hermione had never felt more like a failure than at this moment.
“Please excuse me.” Hermione mumbled before running from the room.
“Hermione!”
“Mione!”
“Granger!” The three boys yelled their own name for her.
Draco started to walk towards the door before his mother put her hand on his shoulder.
“Let me.” Narcissa said. “Sometimes the only comfort a mother needs is that of her mother. And I know Ms. Granger’s mother is not able to be here.”
Hermione sat on the floor of the women's restroom with her knees to her chest and her sobs shaking her body.
“Ms. Granger?” Hermione looked up to see Narcissa standing at the door. Hermione immediately turns to try and wipe the tears from her face. “You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”
Narcissa surprised Hermione by lowering herself to the ground, and sitting on the floor next to her.
“You have been brave for so long, it’s okay to let go. It’s okay to let your emotions go. You shouldn’t hold them all in.” With that, Hermione let out a gut-wrenching sob. Narcissa wrapped her arms around the younger woman. “That’s it. Let it out.” Narcissa sat and supported Hermione as she cried. As the tears ran down her face and as she let sounds of pain, anger, and sadness out.
Narcissa held her until her shoulders stopped shaking, her breathing returned to normal, and the only sound that could be heard was the sniffing of Hermione’s nose.
“Thank you.” Hermione mumbled.
“You do not have to thank me. As a mother, I can only imagine the pain you are going through.”
“I failed her. I failed my daughter.”
“You have not failed her. You are fighting every day to be strong for her. You are working yourself into the ground, trying to find her. You have not failed her.”
“It feels like it. None of this would have happened if I had just taken her to the platform that day. I always take her to the platform. Every year since she turned eleven, I have taken her to the platform. But this year, she insisted. I should have dropped everything to be with her that day.”
“When Draco got his mark, he almost died.” Narcissa started and Hermione looked up at her. “It’s a very painful process to receive the dark mark. The mark takes a piece of your soul. It takes apart the good in your heart and replaces it with Darkness. Not everyone survives it. The day Draco got his, he almost died in my arms. I had a reaction very similar to yours now. I thought I failed my son, I did fail my son. But when the fever broke and he woke up, he looked at me and told me he loved me. He thanked me for loving him and told me he fought to stay alive because he could hear my voice.” Narcissa paused. “I failed my son when I let him get that blasted mark. I didn’t even try to stop it. My husband wanted it, so it happened.” Taking a deep breath, Narcissa looked too Hermione. “You are fighting for your daughter’s life. You are killing yourself just to fight for her return.”
Hermione moved to wrap her arms around the older woman’s neck. Narcissa, after recovering from the surprise hug, wrapped her arms around Hermione.
“You are not a failure. Draco worships you. He would tell me stories about you all the time.” Hermione released the hug and went back to her spot. “One time when I woke up because of a nightmare, he told me a story of how you’d sing to him whenever he woke up with nightmares. He even sang it himself, for me.”
“My mother taught me the song that I would sing.”
“I tried to sing it to Lyra, when she was younger but since it’s in french, that did not work out very well.”
“We will find her. I can feel it in my heart.” Hermione smiled at Narcissa.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“If Draco had come to you, all those years ago and told you about our relationship, would you have approved of me?”
“In short, yes.”
“And in long?” Hermione grimaced at the wording but Narcissa smiled.
“Let me tell you a story.” Narcissa paused to smile. “When Draco came home for Christmas in first year, he could not stop talking about this muggle born witch. She had big poofy hair and was irritatingly smart. Those were his words. And when he was telling me all about you, I asked him if he thought you were pretty. Him, being an eleven year old at the time, was disgusted that I even insinuated that he could find a pretty girl. Yet, he could not stop talking about you. When I found out he had called you that disgusting slur, he had been grounded for a month. That was all my husband’s teachings. I taught him to respect women. I was disgusted with my son when I heard he’d been calling people that. It wasn’t until fourth year, after the yule ball that Draco admitted to finding you beautiful. When asked about the dance, all he could talk about was you. Your dress, your hair, your dancing and your date. He was enraged that you went with Viktor Krum. That is when he admitted to me that he always liked you but because of my husband, he felt like he wasn’t allowed too. I told him he is allowed to love anyone he wants and I would always support him.” Hermione had tears in her eyes once again.
“Why? I mean, not to be rude, but why would you be upset that he called me a mudblood? You come from one of the sacred twenty-eight. Sirius told us all about the Black family and their values.”
“As a teenager, I went along with the ideals of my family, just like Draco did, because it was all we were told. It wasn’t until I lost my sister that I realized, it shouldn’t matter. Someone’s heritage shouldn’t matter. I just wanted my son to find someone he loved and who would love him back.”
“I’ve been in love with him for a very long time.” Hermione mumbled. Narcissa rested a hand on her shoulder. “I love him and losing Lyra feels like losing him all over again.”
“We will find her and then you and my son can be together again.”
“Only if he takes me back.”
“Oh honey, my son is head over heels in love with you.” Hermione smiled.
This time with Narcissa, has reminded Hermione of her own mother.
“I suppose we should go back out there now. Thank you for sitting with me.”
“Of course, my dear.”
The two women stood from the bathroom floor.
Hermione quickly used her magic to refresh the little makeup she wore since it had been ruined with the stains of her tears.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Narcissa intertwined their arms together as they walked back to Hermione’s office where Draco, Harry, and Ron all stood concerned.
“Okay, what is the next step?” Hermione asked the room.
Draco was staring at his mother and Hermione’s arms and hands being entwined.
“Hermione, are you okay?” Harry was concerned for his best friend.
“That’s a stupid question Harry.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“The next step is taking a break, Hermione.” Hermione looked at Ron. Harry and Draco looked at him as well, but in their case it was a matter of Ron’s safety.
“Take a break? You want me to take a break?” Hermione questioned him. “It’s my bloody daughter, Ron! If it was Rose, would you take a break?” Hermione turned to Harry, “Or Lily? Would either of you take a break then?”
“Hermione! For once in your bloody life, listen to me!” She was shocked by his outburst. “No, If it was my daughter I’d be killing every bloody person who got in my way. I love Lyra. She is like a daughter to me. I love her with all my heart and it pains me to know she’s out there, in pain or lonely or scared. It pains me. I floo into Hogwarts yesterday just to hug Rose because I could not even imagine what it would feel like to have her missing. But I also know that if it was Rose or Lily, you’d be forcing Harry and I to take a damn rest! You’d tell us that we won’t find her in a night or that if we’re tired we are no use to the case anyways. So for merlin’s sake, go home and take a bloody rest. Tomorrow is your birthday. I know it hurts that she’s not here with you to celebrate, but we are. Let us be here for you.” Ron finished.
“Hermione, he’s right.” Harry was now a victim of Hermione’s glare.
“I can’t.”
“Hermione-”
“I can’t go back home. Every inch of home, reminds me of her. I haven’t been home since Draco and I went.”
“That was two weeks ago.” Draco spoke. “Have you been sleeping in your office the past two weeks?”
“I don’t know if you can call it sleeping.” Hermione admitted. “The last time I slept was when you forced me.”
“Granger.”
“Don’t. Don’t Granger me. I’m about to say something really shitty, but you have no idea what it’s like. It’s my fault that you don’t, I know that. But I raised her in that home. I have lived there with her since the day she was born. She has slept in that room since the moment I brought her home. She should be safe and comfortable at Hogwarts, I can’t sleep in my bed knowing that she isn’t.”
“You know what. It is because I don’t know what it is like, that I can tell you to shut the fuck up Granger. You think your daughter would want you to be here, like this? If she is anything like you, anything like you have all said she is, she would be bloody pissed at you. So I swear to Merlin. If you step foot in the Ministry tomorrow, I don’t care that you are the Bloody minister, you are taking a damn personal day. We are all, taking a damn personal day. We can get drunk and cry and talk about her all you want, but you are not doing any work tomorrow, do I make myself clear?”
“Who do you think you are bossing me around?”
“You used to like it when I bossed you around.”
“Draco,” he had forgotten that his mother was in the room. “As undignified as my son is, he has a point, Hermione.”
“Okay. We can take a day. Everyone can come over and we can drink and celebrate. But only for a few hours. Then, we are back on the case.”
“Deal.” Harry said first. “I will write to Gin to send the message out. We can invite everyone.” Hermione nodded.
“I cannot believe you yelled at me.” She said turning to Ron.
“Someone had to do it.” She hugged Ron.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime, Mione.”
“Why don’t the two of you head on and go home. Ron and I have paperwork to finish and then we’ll meet you at your house.”
“Okay.” Hermione said and Harry and Ron left.
“I will leave you both as well.” Narcissa kissed Draco’s cheek.
“You should come over tomorrow.”
“I am sure it will be a wonderful night, but I do not think you’d all like me to be in attendance as well. I also have no need to see my son drink in excess with his friends.”
“The offer stands, if you do want to drop by.”
“Thank you.” Narcissa left.
“You just had to make a dirty joke in front of your mother, didn’t you?”
“I forgot she was here.” Hermione laughed. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
Hermione took a deep breath before gathering her things. Draco took her bag from him.
“Draco,”
“Just let me.” She didn’t argue. “Following you,” He held his hand out towards her floo. They both stepped into it.
“Granger Residence.” They were transported into Hermione’s living room. “Home Sweet home.” Hermione whispered.
“She’s gonna be okay.”
“How can you say that? Of all people.” Draco stayed silent. “You told me about all the cruel things your father has done. He has our daughter, my little girl. He hates me, Draco. He has to be taking it out on her.” He took a step closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Hermione, I swear to you. When we find her, when we find him, I’ll kill him.” Draco mumbled to her.
“Legally and ethically, I cannot condone that.”
“And unethically?”
“You’ll have to beat me to it.”
“I’ve never been more attracted to you, than in this moment.”
“Even more than when I wore your Quidditch Jersey?” Hermione took a step closer to him.
“Even more.” He said. “Is that strange? The thought of you all murderous, turning me on?” Hermione shook her head.
“Draco,” Hermione whispered. “Will you kiss me?” He did not have to be asked again.
Leaning down, he connected their lips together.
This is the first time in sixteen years that either one of them has truly felt passion and love. Draco bent down slightly, placing his hands on Hermione’s legs and picking her up. Hermione yelped, as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
Draco, basking in the sounds Hermione made, walked them forward. Hermione moaned into his mouth, the second her back hit the wall.
“I’ve missed you so much.” Hermione told him.
“I missed you more than you can imagine.” Draco’s hand began exploring her body. Something he missed deeply.
“And none of us, missed this.” The voice of Ginny Potter separated them.