Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 44179 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That lucky duck JK Rowling does. I don't make any money from this fanfic. I just play with her toys and put them back in relatively good condition.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
The door fell off its hinges and hit the floor with a thud, revealing a distressed Aiden. His fangs were fully extended, eyes glowing bright indigo.

“You’re fixing that,” Melody growled.

“What is she doing here?” Aiden hissed, ignoring Melody’s chastising.

“Healing,” Alex said, deftly putting himself in between the frail girl and the seething boy. “She one of those girls Aiden.”

“What girls?” Aiden asked slowly, attempting to calm down.

“The ones that are trapped in those necklaces,” Melody said softly.

“What?” Aiden choked out. His head was slowly shaking back and forth in denial. “No. She can’t.”

“I’m afraid so,” Melody whispered, knowing that it would sound like a scream to Aiden about now. “She’s only got half a soul left.”

“No,” Aiden whispered. His knees buckled and Severus barely managed to catch him before he hit the floor. His father pulled him over to Zandra’s bed and sat him down on the corner, careful not to disturb the sleeping girl.

“It’s not all bad Aiden,” Melody said softly. “We have the necklace.”

“But she’s been…tainted.”

Melody nodded. “She’s technically a werewolf, in spirit at least. She’ll be like you creature wise: strong, fast, excellent hearing, fast healing, and a wolf animagus form.”

“With only half a soul,” Aiden cried. “What good is the necklace when her soul is torn?”

“We’re going to put it back,” Melody said firmly.

“How?” Aiden asked. He looked lost.

“We don’t know yet sweetie, but we’re going to figure it out,” Melody said.

“Wait!” Hermione cried. She’d been wracking her brain for a way to join the girl’s soul back together ever since they had found her but it had just come to fruition.

“That’s brilliant!” Draco crowed and kissed her for all she was worth. A bright light filled the room, evidence of their returning strength.

“Care to share with the class?” Alex asked, interrupting their moment.

“Those necklaces,” Hermione began. “When they are worn, the soul latches on to the wearer, right?”

“Yeah,” Melody said slowly, trying to follow her logic. “Harry said the boys visibly wilted without it.”

“And it called to me,” Draco said softly. “Begged me to wear it, use it.”

“Exactly,” Hermione said excitedly. “The soul isn’t trapped like it was in the horcrux. It isn’t just hanging out behind a wall of wards. It’s being tortured. It wants to possess someone to escape.”

“So she could wear it?” Aiden asked weakly. “It’ll latch on to her but…she’ll still be torn. If I understand horcruxes right, destroying the vessel destroys the soul.”

“It does,” Hermione said. “BUT, the Master apparently knew what he was doing in one aspect. They doused Cecil with that potion and gave him a necklace.”

Melody nodded. “They were trying to get him to bond with…OH FUCK!”

“Yes!” Hermione said excitedly. “They were trying to get the soul to latch onto him to make him a phenom, but they are going about it the wrong way. You can’t have more than one soul in your body.”

“I beg to differ,” Severus said softly. “Do you not recall Quirrell?”

“Oh, right,” Hermione said, her face falling.

Draco shook his head. “He was a host. Their souls weren’t bonded.”

“But he still inhabited it,” Melody said. “A soul is a soul no matter how it is attached.”

Hermione looked up suddenly. “How did the fates restore Alex’s soul?”

Melody sighed heavily. “It was…complicated. Once a person becomes a vampire, their body obviously dies. A soul can normally only inhibit a live body but it is cursed in the turning process so it sticks around, lying dormant and largely unused until the vampire is destroyed. Then it moves on to eternity in hell...or wherever cursed souls go. If a soul touches a living being though, it comes back to life. They essentially ripped out a piece of my soul, sparked Alex’s, and then placed it back into me. Touching the cursed soul is why I am a daywalker. I’m half cursed, just like Severus, able to move on but scarred heavily from it.”

“Did they shove your soul into Alex though?” Hermione pushed.

“They would have had to,” Melody said with a frown. “Once a soul is released from the dead, it crosses over. It’s why that ritual is so horrible. To catch a soul half way out…I couldn’t imagine it.”

“How would one function with another half a soul in them?” Draco asked curiously.

“It could go one of two ways I guess,” Melody said. “One, they end up schizophrenic because the soul won’t meld. They’d be like Quirrell, talking to themselves, only there wouldn’t be an appendage on the back of their head to talk back. It would all be in their minds.”

“The other?” Hermione asked.

“Best guess, megalomania. The main soul, the one intact, would be overly confident. After all, they have two people in one now. Who could possibly win against that?”

Aiden snorted softly. “Certainly not the two most powerful beings in creation.”

“Good point,” Melody said. “So you’re wanting to what?”

“Recreate the potion they doused Cecil with,” Hermione said. “Zandra is still magically balanced isn’t she, even with half a soul?”

Melody nodded. “She’s highly unstable but yes, balanced.”

“Then she’d need the new potion to start the bond because there isn’t an imbalance to correct,” Hermione said. “We pour it on her and then throw the necklace around her.”

“That spell is only for magical cores, not souls,” Severus said, sadness evident in his tone. “It wouldn’t react to a soul except to leach whatever magic is held in the necklace.”

“It would make her stronger,” Melody countered. “Just not whole.”

“That book,” Draco said suddenly. “It had instructions on how to extract a soul. Could we do it in reverse?”

“I-“ Melody’s eyes went wide. “Back in a flash.” She disappeared in a gust of wind.

“This is highly dangerous,” Severus said softly. “She might be better off just wearing her necklace.”

“No!” Aiden protested. “What if she lost it or worse, it was stolen? She’d be defenseless and missing half of herself!”

“Aiden, she could die trying this!” Severus said.

“She’s already half way there,” Aiden choked out. “Could she physically wake up right now?”

Alex sighed. “Yes. She’s healed enough to revive.”

“Do it then,” Aiden said fiercely. “I bet she won’t. I bet that’s why she was dumped. They didn’t expect her to live, just like all the rest.”

Alex checked her vitals again and then nodded, casting the spell to revive her. It settled over her skin, making her flinch but she never opened her eyes.

“See?” Aiden cried. “She can’t function like this!”

“Put the necklace on her,” Hermione said. “Put it on and try it again.”

Alex raced from the room and returned with a small black box. Inside was a necklace the same design as the one Draco destroyed. He could hear it calling to him, begging him to take it. Alex slipped it on over Zandra’s head and positioned it at the base of her throat. Then he ran the spell again. Her eyes flickered open and she immediately screamed and tried to jump up and run. He quickly petrified and silenced her to keep her still.

“Easy Zandra!” Aiden said a bit too loudly and cringed at the harshness of his voice. “You’re okay Zandra,” he cooed a bit softer. “It’s Aiden, Aiden Snape, from school? You’re in my house. This is Alex. He’s a healer and a doctor. You’re safe. I promise! Alex, could you unfreeze just her eyes?”

Alex nodded and adjusted the spell holding her. “Done.”

“Thanks. Alright Zandra, blink once for yes and twice for no. Okay?”

Zandra blinked once.

“Good!” Aiden said, joy in his voice at that little step forward. “Now, do you remember me?”

Zandra blinked once.

“Good. Do you remember what happened to you?”

Zandra blinked once. Tears started streaming down her face.

“Oh Gods, I’m so sorry. I’m such a fucking prick. I didn’t mean to make you remember.” Aiden pulled a handkerchief out of thin air and gently dabbed at her cheeks. The tenderness of the gesture made Hermione sniffle a bit.

“Zandra,” Alex said softly. “I’m so sorry sweetheart but I’m going to have to ask you some very personal questions. It’s important that you answer them because it will affect your treatment. Do you understand?”

Zandra blinked once, tears continuing to flow steadily.

“Oh sweetheart,” Alex sighed. “You are one tough young lady. Now, do you remember everything that happened to you?”

Zandra’s eyes fluttered for a moment before she blinked twice. Tears started flowing harder.

“Okay, it’s okay,” Alex assured her. “We’ll just go with what you remember, okay?”

She blinked once.

“We know how badly they cursed you but we need to know. Were you assaulted sexually?”

Her eyes slammed shut.

“Shhhh,” Alex said and ran his fingers over her forehead. “I’m sorry little one but I have to know. We have to check you for any ill effects.”

Her eyes flew open, horror evident in them. She blinked once and then slammed her eyes closed again.

“Alright,” Alex breathed out. He waved his wand in several intricate patterns before cocking his head in confusion.

“It’s dark,” Draco broke in. “You’ll have to strip it away and look underneath.”

Alex growled. “I might be dark Draco, but no one knows Dark Magic like you and Severus.”

“I’ll do it,” Severus said softly and stepped over to the girl.

Zandra cracked open her eyes to see what was going on. They landed on the exposed faded mark on his left arm. Her breathing sped up, going erratic and verging on hysteria.

“Whoa, easy!” Aiden said softly and ran a hand over her hair. “That’s my dad. He won’t hurt you.”

She kept staring at Severus’s arm, her breathing dangerously thready.

“I believe that this is the source of her distress,” Severus said, pointing to the faded mark on his arm. “Cadence said that the new mark was like this one, only with horns like the muggle Satan.”

“Oh!” Aiden said in shock. “Dad’s not like that Zandra. He was a spy for the light during the war. He isn’t anything like those other monsters, I promise.”

Zandra focused on him, her eyes pleading with him. She wanted to trust him so badly but it was hard. He was the only familiar face she’d seen in months.

“Shhh, love.” Aiden said softly, unaware of the term of endearment that slipped from his lips. “You can trust me. I’d never do anything to hurt you. I swear on my magic that I’ll protect you as best as I can.”

White light swirled around Aiden as the oath took hold. He looked shocked that it happened but not remorseful at all. He would go to the ends of the earth to protect her. She was different than any other girl he’d met. She was shy, reserved, yet friendly and accepting. It was her brain that first attracted him, followed by her looks. He’d fallen hard, unable to consider anyone else. He had no idea how much he was like his father in that aspect.

“There,” Aiden said strongly. “See? Dad wouldn’t hurt me. Trust me. You’ll be fine.”

Zandra took in a shaky breath and slowly blinked her eyes. It wasn’t like he could do anything worse to her than what she’d already been through.

“Alright Zandra,” Severus said gently. “Unfortunately, all Dark Magic leaves its traces. I’ll not lie to you. Stripping it leaves a sting behind, much like rubbing across a sunburn. There’s nothing I can do about it but it is necessary to make sure you are healthy and we didn’t miss anything. Blink three times when you are ready.”

Tears continued to flow down her cheeks but she finally gathered up the courage and gave him the signal to start. Severus moved his wand slowly, deliberately so as not to startle her. This spell took more power than finesse. Several minutes later, a murky black fog circled the room.

“Whoa!” Melody cried as she barged into the room. “No fucking way!”

“Yes fucking way,” Alex hissed.

“That’s just lovely,” Melody growled. “Two minutes Sev and then I’m going to snap it.”

“Very well,” Severus said softly and held the spell until it formed a black ball.

Melody raised her hand and snapped, shattering the ball into a hundred tiny pieces, each turning white before sparking into nothingness. “It’s done. Ugh!” She turned around and breathed deeply.

“What are we missing?” Alex asked softly.

“I-I can’t,” Melody said in a strangled voice.

“We need to know!” Severus snapped.

“Fine.” Melody turned around, her eyes bright with disgust and anger. “SIT!”

Severus walked calmly over to Draco and Hermione’s bed and sat down. Melody came over and placed her hands on his temple. A glow surrounded them and then Melody’s legs collapsed. Severus caught her easily before placing her in his spot. He walked over to Zandra unsteadily. His glassy eyes roved over everyone in the room before landing on the girl. A few minutes into his inspection, tears started slowly rolling down his face.

“Dad?” Aiden asked in shock. He’d never seen his dad cry, ever.

“Shhhh,” Melody said and wobbled over to her friend. Alex came up beside her to steady her. “Do you understand now?”

Severus closed his eyes and gave a curt nod. He jumped when Melody and Alex reached up to brush the tears from his face. They each placed a kiss to his cheeks and coaxed him to open his eyes. He nodded and did as he was told. His wand rose and fell with a violent slash, hazy purple filling the room before it coiled into a red snake-like figure. The serpentine form slithered in a zigzag pattern over the girl before enveloping her body. He went to make a circular move before he was stopped with a sharp shout from Draco.

“No, break the next two in the opposite order,” Draco said. “It’ll be faster with less pain.”

Hermione closed her eye and searched her husband’s thoughts. What she found there sickened her. The spells Severus was removing was a version of the one Melody pretended to have during the war. Only, instead of a sense being taken, part of Zandra’s soul had been taken from her and fidelity wasn’t the imposed slavery, obedience was. The one after that was the same one Voldemort cast on his torture victims, designed to make them feel hopelessness with every movement. The third, a nasty little thing, was designed to keep her ready for sex at all times. It also enhanced the pain of any intrusion into the vagina. The last, and possibly the worst, was one designed to keep her in a hypersensitive state of feeling. Every touch, even a whisper of a breeze would feel like being burned alive.

‘How did you know the sequence?’ Hermione asked him. No one had said anything about the list of spells being used.

‘Classic slave training combination,’ Draco answered uncomfortably. ‘Voldemort patented it. I’ve removed it a few times but it leaves scars, emotional ones. It takes ages to get over something like that.’

Hermione’s stomach lurched at the flood of memories she felt through the bond. ‘Lucius cast them on you.’

Draco sighed. ‘The male version. The sex spell makes your bollocks swell and burn.’

‘That’s horrible!’

‘It was. She’ll have her work cut out for her.’

‘You’ll tell her?’

“I will,’ Draco sighed.

“It’s done,” Severus panted as the last spell fell. “I must go and rest. Melody, take it back. Please?”

“Of course Sev,” Melody said weakly and repeated the ritual. Severus stumbled out of the room and she stood up shakily to make her way out as well. She turned once more before leaving. “You’re in good hands Zandra. The counters were successful. You shouldn’t have any more problems.”

“What the hell was that?” Aiden whispered when they were gone.

“Melody gave him her gift,” Alex answered quietly. “It’s enough to make weaker men break and not the first time she’s done so to Severus.”

“But why?” Aiden asked.

“Because,” Draco answered. “Those particular spells are so horrible it is hard to even say their names, let alone try and explain their counters.”

“Why would they do that to her?”

“It’s Voldemort’s classic signature, makes his victims more compliant, more easily broken. Go get some rest Aiden.”

“No. I’ll not leave her,” Aiden whispered fiercely.

Draco sighed. “Aiden, I need to have a talk with Zandra. It will be…quite personal and highly embarrassing. I’d ask if you could give her some privacy for this. It is going to be hard enough with just me and her.”

Aiden froze for a moment before he nodded his head sadly. “Alright. But…could you…let me know?”

Draco gave him a weak smile. “You’ll be the first.”

Aiden nodded again and got off the bed. He gave Zandra a tender pat on the hand. “That is my brother, Draco Malfoy. He’s the best.” He smiled but it didn’t quite hide the pain in his eyes. He quickly righted the door, reciting a few spells to put it back on its hinges. He was gone the next moment, having reached the end of his control.

Alex sighed sadly when he heard Aiden screaming in anger and pain. The sounds of a hundred blasting hexes followed and soon, the screech of the roc permeated the air. “Well, he’ll be gone for a while.”

“Probably for the best,” Hermione said softly. “This is going to be hard.”

Alex nodded. “I’m afraid Melody isn’t strong enough to sit in for this. I have no idea what all those curses were, but I gather that they were significant, if Severus’s reaction is anything to go by. Should I get Harmony?”

“No,” Hermione said. “I’ll be here. Let her rest.”

Alex nodded again. “Very well. I’ll only be a call away. She’s stable for now. Severus will replace the charms tonight, especially since you will be sleeping here.”

“Thank you,” Draco said sincerely. He was glad the dampening charms would be replaced. More often than not, the horcrux dream would return and they would try to use their magic to escape. There would be no telling the damage they could inflict while asleep.

When the door closed, the couple slowly shifted out of bed. Hermione shuffle stepped over to Zandra’s bed and made her way to the opposite side so Zandra could have full view of Draco who was perched on the edge in front of her. She needed to see his face to know he was sincere. This would be a painful trip down memory lane.

“Zandra,” Hermione called softly. “I’m going to take half of the petrifying and silencing spells off of you now. I’d ask that you remain quiet. You’re still too weak to be speaking or moving around much. My name is Hermione Malfoy. I’m Draco’s wife. We both work at St. Mungo’s and we treated you when you came in. You are safe and we will do everything in our powers to keep you that way. Please blink once if you understand.”

The tears that had slowed when Severus started removing Zandra’s curses were returning with full force now. These people were Aiden’s family. Could she trust them? They’d done nothing terrible to her so far. The removal of those spells had hurt but she felt so much better now. The burning fire was gone. Zandra decided that nothing could be as bad as what she had been through. She blinked once.

“Good girl,” Hermione said affectionately. “Please try to keep calm.” She removed the spells and helped maneuver Zandra to sit up just a bit. It would be easier for her in that position.

“Hello sweetheart,” Draco said softly when Zandra was able to look over at him. “You are a very lucky girl. I know it sounds hollow, but you really are.”

Zandra shook her head sadly. She didn’t feel lucky at all.

“You are alive, something that hundreds before you can’t say,” Draco countered. “I also know that right now, death probably looks like a great alternative to the pain. Trust me, it’s not.”

“How?” Zandra croaked.

Draco smiled sadly. “Because I’ve been there.”

Zandra shook her head in denial. There was no way this gorgeous man before her could have gone through what she did.

“Seems outrageous to claim, doesn’t it?”

Zandra nodded.

“There was only one thing they did to you that I didn’t receive. What happened in lieu of that though, it is a pain that I am sure you could relate to. My biological father was Lucius Malfoy. Have you heard of him?”

Zandra’s eyes widened and she nodded. “They talked about him,” she croaked out. “Said he was the best when they-“

“Shhh,” Hermione consoled her. She ran a comforting hand across the sobbing girl’s back as she wiped tears from her face. “You don’t have to talk about it right now.”

Zandra nodded but her sobs continued.

Draco waited patiently until she calmed down. The best thing for her right now was to work through her emotions. If she needed to cry it out, he wasn’t going to rush her. When she settled down, he offered her a tissue and steeled himself for the next part of his story.

“By they, I assume you meant your attackers?”

Zandra nodded jerkily.

Draco hummed. “Well, if they were former Death Eaters, they would know best. They were right, too. Lucius was the best of the best in terms of torture. He could break someone in a fraction of the time it took others, a skill that Voldemort held in high regard. I know first-hand, since many of his techniques were perfected on me.”

“No,” Zandra squeaked.

“Oh yes,” Draco said sadly. “He taught them to me as well. It’s how I knew what order would work best to remove them. The four used on you are the basic spells used to enslave and torture muggles. They are painful, humiliating, and something that you won’t soon forget. Going through that, you start to wonder if they’ll ever stop. You crave death and are denied it. Am I right?”

Zandra was sobbing so hard she started hiccupping but she nodded all the same.

“The most important thing to remember is that you didn’t break. You’re here. You’re alive. You can get past this. I won’t lie. It is not going to be easy. No amount of time with a mind healer or a muggle psychiatrist will make it go away. You’ll have nightmares, days when all you want to do is make the memories stop. My advice to you? Don’t let them get to you. If you do, your attackers win. You see, that is what they want. They want you to be weak, to break, to sink so low that you’ll take your own life. It is the ultimate form of power. Will you consider this, consider living?”

Zandra’s breath caught in her throat. For weeks, all she wanted was death. Now, when she was finally free to end it, she was being asked not to. This man had been through what she had, if what he said could be trusted. He was married and a healer, helping people. He knew how to torture people like she had been tortured and he chose to help them instead. She wanted to be like him, so strong and proud, even though he looked as if he could barely stand.

“You’re ill.”

“I am,” Draco acknowledged. “But it isn’t from what I experienced at the hands of Lucius.”

“What then?”

“Your attackers decided to experiment on my niece. It took everything my wife and I had to save her.”

“Is she okay?”

“We don’t know,” Draco said softly. “But I’m told that it looks like she’ll make it.”

“Tortured,” Zandra said sadly.

“Actually, she wasn’t,” Draco corrected her. “Your attackers have followers. One of those followers carried out the experiment on his half-brother. It was sheer coincidence that my niece got involved.”

It was a smooth lie. There were no coincidences.

“Did he die?”

“No. He’s with my niece in the next room.”

“Who?”

“You might know them both,” Draco said thoughtfully. “Have you heard of a Slytherin named Cecil Gregory?”

Zandra nodded. He was quiet boy, a lone wolf. Word was that his American dad had left his wife who was pregnant with his second kid to be with an English witch. After the English witch had Cecil, he left again. Cecil didn’t seem to be the following a group type. “He was with them?”

Draco shook his head. “His half-brother conned him into it, from what we can tell.”

Zandra nodded again. That sounded more like him. “Niece?”

“Lily Potter.”

Zandra gasped.

Draco laughed dryly. “Yes, well, I’m sure they weren’t aware that the only daughter of the Boy Who Lived would be a victim. Nevertheless, there was no way I’d let my niece die.”

Zandra shook her head. “Not related.”

“It’s a different kind of relation,” Draco said softly. “One that I hope to share with you one day. We’ve already taxed you way beyond what we should but I’d like to give you something to think about. Would that be okay?”

Zandra nodded. He’d already given her plenty to contemplate but she could stand to have a few more things clutter up her brain. Anything to distract her from her memories would be a blessing.

“I figured you’d agree,” Draco said sadly. “It helps to keep the mind busy, but don’t forget to grieve. If you keep it all bottled up, you’re likely to explode one day and it won’t be pretty.”

“Did you?”

“I did!” Draco grinned at the thought. “It cost Lucius a good portion of his wine cellar, a cell or two in the dungeon, a good amount of landscaping, and my favorite bit, all of his hair. No potion or charm could grow it back. He wore a wig for months.”

Zandra giggled. The hoarse sound startled her. How long had it been since she had laughed? Then she realized how rude it must have sounded and snapped her mouth shut.

“It’s okay, you can laugh. I know I do. After that, all I had to do was picture Lucius’s bald head as shiny as a door knob and the anger receded to a manageable level. Take it from me though, work through it. Don’t ignore it. It might not be a building and some hair that gets the raw end of the deal if you explode. It could be someone you love. Alright?”

Zandra nodded. She didn’t want to work through her pain but she understood. She could hurt someone very seriously if she wasn’t careful.

“Good,” Draco said with some relief. He could tell he had gotten through to her. “Now, on to what I was going to say. We are going after your attackers. We’re going to take them down…permanently. However, we can’t do it alone. We’re going to need your help. Anything you can tell us about your experience, anything at all, the color of the dungeon floor, it could help. Any clues you can give us can be used to find them. We want to stop them before anyone else gets hurt. Could you do that for us?”

Zandra brushed the tears from her face. Great. The one thing she didn’t want to do was the one thing they needed from her. It wasn’t an unreasonable request. “You’re really going after them?”

“You bet your bonnet we are,” Draco said fiercely. “No one goes after my family, does what they did to you, and gets away with it. We’ll track them down and we’ll make them pay.”

Zandra nodded. He was serious, if his tight jaw and clinched fists was anything to go by. Making them pay sounded like a good idea. She was so angry, angrier than she had ever been. She wanted to just…rip them apart. Sparks flew from her fingertips at the thought.

“Whoa, easy,” Hermione cooed and massaged her hands until they weren’t rigid anymore. “Try to calm down. I know it’s hard but you have to rein it in. When the charms come back up tonight, any bursts of magic are going to be squashed and it’ll be painful. Calm down sweetheart.”

Zandra took several deep breaths, trying to sooth her frazzled nerves. She wanted them to pay. She wanted to make them pay. “I want in.”

Draco smirked. He liked this girl. Beneath that meek exterior was the heart of a warrior with the soul of a wolf, a dangerous predator indeed. “I can imagine but you must hold back. If we go barging in, we’ll blow it. We have to know what they are up to, what they are planning in the future, and most importantly, how to stop them permanently. If you kick over a garbage bin, the cockroaches just scatter, but if you eradicate their breeding grounds, they disappear.”

“I don’t want to hold back!” Zandra growled. Her eyes started glowing.

“As much as I fancy yellow, it is most unsavory for an eye color,” Draco said evenly. “Please calm yourself.”

Zandra blinked. Her eyes were yellow? What was going on? She started to panic. “What did they do to me?”

Draco sighed sadly. He hoped she wouldn’t ask but he could hardly deny her the truth. “Sweetheart, all those tortures where you were strapped to the table, they were part of an experiment. Do you remember them chanting anything?”

Zandra closed her eyes and fought hard to calm down and remember. She had tried to block the memories, the pain overwhelming. However, if this would help her learn what happened, she’d do it. She was safe, right? “They strapped me to a table and-“ She choked. She could almost feel their filthy hands roam all over her body.

“Shh,” Hermione said softly. “Take your time. You’re here with us. They can’t hurt you anymore. We’ll protect you.”

“Why do I feel like I need to believe you?” Zandra croaked.

“Because you do,” Draco said softly. “It’s the truth. Our sole purpose in life is to protect others. I know you have no reason to trust us right now, but you can. If you can work through this part right now, you’ll be one step closer to healing.”

“It hurts!”

“I know. I’ll make you a deal though. If you can get through this tonight, we’ll sit up with you all day tomorrow and tell you all about us. Deal?”

“Who are you, besides Aiden’s brother?”

Draco grinned at her cautious nature. Aiden would love her even more. “What do you know of the second wizarding war?”

Zandra frowned for a while. She tried to remember what Professor Binns had said but the ghost was just so dry. He could make a game of quidditch sound like watching paint dry. She remembered the basics though. “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Harry Potter’s parents when he was only a baby. He tried to kill Harry too but Harry lived and he supposedly died. Several years later, he returned to finish his work. Harry defeated him again with the help of his friends.”

“Do you remember the names of Harry’s friends?” Draco pressed.

“Ron Weasley and a girl, Granger someone,” Zandra repeated. She couldn’t remember the rest of the girls name but she’d never forget Weasley. Leif went on and on about how his dad was a great hero.

“Hermione Granger,” Draco supplied.

“That’s her!” Zandra said. She remembered she had an odd name.

Draco smiled and pointed to his wife. “That is Hermione Granger.”

“No way.”

“Yes way,” Hermione said with a smile. “I was actually a Malfoy at the time, but no one knew that. We left the wizarding world shortly after the war. We needed to heal.”

Zandra nodded. “I couldn’t imagine.”

“Actually,” Draco countered. “I bet you could now. The fear, the pain, it’s the same in a war. Everyone has their scars. Some just decide to wear them proudly.”

Zandra’s hand shot to her chest to rub over the thick pink mark. Memories came flooding back to her. “They strapped me to a table and did- horrible things. I thought I was going to die. I begged for them to stop but they just laughed. Then they…they c-cast some spell and I saw a white light. Then…I burned everywhere. Then…nothing. Afterwards I felt empty, weak, like I’d never be whole again, worse than after even the most horrible things they’d ever done to me. The next thing I remember, I was in so much pain. They said if I wanted to avoid another session, I would remember a name, Melody Bach. That’s all I remember.”

Draco nodded, a scowl on his face. “Melody Bach is the woman who was here earlier with Aiden’s father. They want her and Severus alive for something. Did they mention her at all before or after that?”

Zandra closed her eyes and wracked her brain but nothing came forward. “I’m sorry, I can’t-“

“It’s okay,” Draco interrupted. “Don’t fret over it. We’ll figure it out sooner or later. Now, the other thing, the white light and the burning, the empty feeling afterwards. I’m afraid there is no easy way to tell you this. That ritual was to remove your soul.”

“What?” Zandra squeaked, tears starting to form in her eyes again.

Draco nodded. “I’m so sorry. When your soul was half way out, they cut it and stuffed the free half into a necklace, the very one you are wearing right now. The necklace was then charmed to torture that piece of your soul, make it want to bond with whomever wore it so it could be whole again.”

“I-I..w-what about the other piece?” Zandra stammered.

“They shoved it back inside you,” Draco said, anger seeping into his tone. “Then they added the essence of wolf. Essentially, you are a part werewolf. It’s why you’re having a hard time controlling your anger and your magic. The spirit of the wolf is crying for revenge. Not that I blame it, but you must learn to control it.”

“Why?” It was the only thing Zandra could think to ask. She felt as if someone had dropped a castle on her head.

“We’re not entirely sure,” Draco said. “I wish we knew their reasoning. What we gather is that they want to use that necklace to increase their powers.”

“How?”

“Your magic is tied to your soul. When they split it, half of your magic went with it.”

“So-so I’m only, I…I only have half my magic?”

“In your body, yes.”

“Oh gods.”

“Calm down,” Hermione said when the girl started hyperventilating again. “There is a silver lining. We found the necklace. You should have full use of your powers as long as you continue to wear it.”

“But my soul!” Zandra cried.

“We’re going to work on that,” Draco said. “We’ll do everything we can to reunite it with your body. It’s going to be a while though. I’m so sorry. I really am. If we knew how to do it, we would in a heartbeat. As it is, we’ll need to research…and my wife and I need to heal. There is one other thing we need to do too. There are others that suffered your same fate, two boys. One would be about your age. The other is a small boy, maybe five.”

Zandra let out a choked cry. “Jonah and Timmy. I remember them.”

“Were there any others there?” Draco asked in alarm.

Zandra nodded stiltedly. “There were at least a dozen of us in different cells. I was put in with Jonah and Timmy.”

“Do you know where that was?” Hermione asked.

Zandra nodded again. “Khrones castle.”

“Fuck,” Draco said flatly. “Well, we at least know our next stop.”

Zandra’s eyes widened in horror. “No! You’ll never survive that place.”

“Why do you say that?” Hermione asked.

“The people who were guarding us, they started out with twenty. Over the weeks, they dwindled down to ten, only the worst ones. Something kept attacking them...and us.”

Draco glanced at Hermione. The rumors were most definitely true then. Only the most evil at heart would survive outside the dungeons of Khrone’s castle. Well, they weren’t giving up that easily.

“Zandra,” Draco started, unsure if he wanted to push her any further that night. “There is one more thing I’d like to ask of you.”

“What?” Zandra asked in a small voice.

“We need to see everything that happened to you from the time you were taken to now. Would you be willing to let me take your memories and put them in a pensive so we can study them?”

“I won’t remember it at all?”

“Unfortunately, you will. I’ll only be making a copy of them. You might experience some detachment from them but you won’t forget. Would you let me?”

“Do I…do I have to relive them?”

“No,” Draco said softly. “I am very good. You only need to think of the moment that you were taken and then push everything up to the front of your mind. I’ll make a copy and you won’t even see them. Okay?”

“Okay,” Zandra said after a while. “They’ll help, right?”

“More than you’ll ever know sweetheart,” Draco said sincerely.

Thirty minutes later, an extremely exhausted Draco and a nearly comatose Zandra had dozens of bottles lined up on the nightstand. Alex came breezing in when the last vial was placed. He’d been eavesdropping most of the evening.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. Into bed, all of you. Zandra, this is a fast acting dreamless sleep draught. It should keep away the nightmares.”

Zandra took the potion without question. Sleep without nightmares? Surely there was nothing as blissful. She fell back to her pillow almost immediately, already sinking into a deep slumber.

Alex turned to the couple who were curling up with each other. “I’ll take these, label them, and add them to Bracken’s memories. None of us have had a chance to look at them yet but we’re going to have to over the weekend. Try to get some sleep. I have a mild muggle sedative for you two since potions don’t seem to work.”

“Thank you Alex,” Hermione sighed and took the pill he offered. It wasn’t but mere moments afterwards that the couple drifted off into a fitful sleep.

AN: Memories...how they linger. Okay, I'll stop singing now. :D I tell you what, writing two stories is hella challenging...but I love it. Check out the latest chapter of my other story. As always, thanks to those of you who have reviewed. I have to say I'm a bit nervous. Is it too drawn out for everyone? Drop me a line and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any errors. Until next time...Love you guys!
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Fooling Fate *sequel to Bound*

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound