Choices

Hermione bottled the last of the Polyjuice potion with Draco at her side. He was corking bottles for her while she filled them. He was also glaring at Ron with an evil plotting look.

“Draco, please,” she sighed.

He turned his blue eyes to her, “I don’t share what’s mine. He can’t have you and I’ll make him pay for whatever he did.”

“He did nothing. We just argued.”

“I suppose that’s why his voice was higher for a good hour. Hermione don’t lie to me.”

“Draco, I handled it. Please, don’t do this. They are my best friends. Ron will come to grips in his own time. Please Draco, for me, don’t do anything. Swear it.”

He frowned and glanced one last time in Ron’s direction, “This time. If he touches you again, I won’t back away. I don’t share what’s mine.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Severus watched the small group of young people. Hermione was still ticked off at Weasley. He could tell as well as feel her thoughts. He also knew what had happened but it was not his place to say.

The girl was in such a mental state of confusion it did not take Severus saying Legillimens to read her mind. She practically shoved her thoughts into his mind. He would have to teach her to shield her mind better. But passion brought out a strange anger in women that Severus did not understand.

Severus looked at the ticking clock it was time to go. He rose and turned to the youths, “Please do not kill each other while I am gone. I do need all four of you to complete these tasks, so mind yourselves and don’t make me treat you like stupid imbeciles.”

He did not wait for responses but grabbed a bottle of polyjuice from the stash Hermione had made and stalked out the door. It was a safety precaution taking the polyjuice. He had several hairs from various fellow death eaters to use if it came down to it.

Severus traveled from Hogwarts through hidden passages and tunnels to Hogsmeade. He entered the Hogs Head Inn and walked to where Narcissa Malfoy was sitting in a booth towards the back of the bar.

She was dressed in traveling clothes and muted colors. Her face looked sad and her eyes were red as if she had been crying.

He did not sit but passed her table and headed out the back door towards the spare rooms. The rooms that were rented by the hour but were never talked about in polite wizarding company.

She rose and followed him and they walked silently out the door, turned and headed out of the very back of the Inn and down a dark street.

Severus stopped and Narcissa pulled out a strange device from her cloak. He looked at her oddly and she smiled, “Muggle hockey stick.”

“What’s it for?”

She raised the stick and with a whack smacked a raven perched near them. Severus turned his wand and stunned the bird, which turned immediately into Dolohov.

“An interesting weapon choice,” he said to her.

“I found it in the lavatory and decided that it might come into use. I thought it was for beating the things growing in the lavatory.”

Severus chuckled and looked at Dolohov waved his wand and whispered, “Obliviate.”

Narcissa pulled her wand and changed the death eater into a blast ended skrewt.

“I always thought he looked like one of these gross creatures,” she snorted haughtily as they continued on. They traveled a good distance to the end of the town and then apparated. They had to make sure they were not followed.

“Why Godric’s Hollow Severus?”

Severus lead her to the Potter’s half destroyed house, “I felt this horcrux deserved to be destroyed here."

Severus opened the bag that Narcissa had placed the gilded mirror in and placed the mirror on the remains of the Potter’s table.

Together they aimed their wands and the mirror and both began to whisper the words that Dumbledore’s portrait had told Severus to use to disarm the horcrux.

It began to pulse through several shades of greens and reds and blues and to whine with an intense noise.

Narcissa pulled out a pure gold letter opener as the mirror began to toss. Severus held his wand on it as a mist began to rise out of it.

The mist took several forms from Lucius to Lily to Sirius to Andromeda Black and others, each cursing the pair for the infidelity and deception. Narcissa was practically crying as the mist of Lucius whispered hated words at her and Severus had to admit there was a pain in his heart as Lily told him what a hateful person he was.

Albus had warned him the Horcrux would fight its destruction and it was until Narcissa strode towards the mirror and with a hard thrust from the gold letter opener she shattered the mirror. There was a terrible scream and then darkness and silence.

“Did we destroy it?”

“Yes,” Severus replied scooping up the shattered mirror and placing it back in the bag.

They watched as a thin mist vanished around them. There was a silver spot on the table like a candle had melted into it. In a few moments it to disappeared and blew away like dust.

There was a rustling at the gate of the Potter’s fence and Severus turned to see Arthur Weasley standing there. Narcissa stepped behind him and Severus looked at Arthur for a moment before saying, “Chocolate Frog Cards.”

Arthur nodded, “I let the others know it’s done then.”

He disappeared quickly down the street past the statue of the Potters. Severus looked at the statue. Lily was caught in all her youthful beauty with her son and husband. It did not hurt to look at the statue now.

He turned to Narcissa, “Let’s get you home before someone sees you here and tells the Dark Lord.”

She hugged him close and they apparated to the yard of Malfoy Manor to be greeted by the screams of albino peacocks strutting and fluttering about, their red eyes eerie in the darkness.

They walked into the manor and Narcissa removed her cloak, “Do you still love her Severus?”

“Lily? No. Not the way I did. I love the memory of her before she turned against me. Not the woman that the statue was done after.”

Narcissa turned to him, “I am confused Severus. He protected me. He knew about us and yet he protected me. He is angry with Draco for choosing that muggle girl…”

”Hermione. Her name is Hermione.”

Narcissa looked at him and frowned slightly, “I am trying to accept Draco’s choices since he has cared her most of his life, but it is hard.”

“Are you going to spout some pureblood nonsense here Narcissa?”

“No Severus, I am just trying to understand his feelings as well as my own. I…”

She turned and climbed the steps towards the bedrooms. Severus followed her.

She frowned from the landing down at him, “Lucius would not be pleased to see you here.”

Severus crested the stairs and gently pushed her to the wall, “I don’t care what Lucius wants. I want you. I have not had you in a long time and I want your decision. Do you love me as you tell me in your letters or are you using me?”

She bit her lip and her eyes welled up with tears, “It’s complicated. I love you both.”

Severus pushed her firmly to the wall and captured her lips with his. He could taste her tears. She didn’t struggle but returned his passion with an intensity of her own. He looked at her as they parted, panting softly.

“I won’t share,” Severus snapped at her as he tilted her face to look up at him.

The door flew open from behind them and they turned to see Lucius lying in his bed with his wand pointed at the door, “Nor Severus, will I share what is mine.”