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Hermione Full of Grace	By : AdamantEve Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 13378 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Now, I know
you�re all nervous, and I suppose there�s a reason for you to be, but we�ll get
through this, yes? You know we will.

Again, Aurabolt deserves lots of thanks. Dear readers and reviewers, the encouragement
I get from all of you is appreciated.
There are three more chapters after this, but don�t worry� something will be resolved in this
chapter, alright? Alright! On with the story!

Standard
disclaimers apply. Harry
Potter naa n�amin. Harry Potter nae onta ne JKR.

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Chapter Sixteen � Protect the Ones You Love

In which
Hermione understands the powers surrounding sacrifice and love.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry got bumped, yet another time, by some stranger
trying to get a drink from the bar. It
was getting annoying, but less because he had been getting shoved repeatedly by
various patrons of the Leaky Cauldron in the last thirty minutes, and more
because Hermione was late. Plus, it was
becoming increasingly clear that the Leaky Cauldron that night was not the ideal place to be having serious
conversation. It was too loud and too crowded.
He just wanted Hermione to arrive so he could bring her over to their
favorite Spanish restaurant.

He had called her earlier that evening from field-work,
telling her that Shacklebolt would let him out of the
office by seven thirty. She agreed
to meet with him at the Leaky Cauldron around that time. She still hadn�t shown up.

The fact was he had been craving to get back to her since
he left her at home that morning. Their
conversation the previous night hadn�t exactly been reassuring, and his
feelings about it hadn�t been assuaged by their love making later that night,
either.

It was bad enough he had to leave her on the couch alone
when he got up for work, but his worry nagged him all day, especially when a couple of rogue Dementors
broke loose of the charms controlling them in Azkaban. He had barely mustered a fawn when he was struck by the barrage of bad memories and cold
fear.

Ron had left the house early, too, grumbling about how he
had been summoned by his boss to apparate to France because one of their most
promising Chaser recruits had managed to get himself imprisoned in a muggle detention facility.
Harry had frankly hoped Hermione wouldn�t be left alone at home. He wasn�t sure yet why he wanted her to have
company. She was a big girl. She�d certainly manage by herself for a day.

�Sorry �bout the crowd tonight, Harry,� said Tom with a
grin. He actually looked like he was
enjoying the business he was generating, but he did really manage to convey the
sincerity behind his apology. �How about a shot of whiskey on the house?�

Harry cracked a smile, appreciating Tom�s way of saying,
�You�re a regular here and I like your business. Let me buy you a drink so these newbies don�t tick you off.�

�Thanks, but I�ll pass on the alcoholic drinks for
now. I�m waiting for Hermione and we�ve
got some place else to go after we meet.�

Tom shrugged, unaffected.
�I�ll buy you both a drink some other time, then.� He was called over by a customer before Harry
could give a reply.

Five minutes later, Harry decided he would go pester
Hermione. He excused himself from the
bar, aware that he would lose his place the moment he left it. He didn�t care. He wasn�t planning on sticking around anyway.

Pushing his way out of the Leaky Cauldron and out to Muggle London, he paced around the sidewalk as he dialed
Hermione�s mobile.

She answered almost immediately. She didn�t even say hello. �Oh, Harry, I�m so sorry I�m late! I�ve been trying to call you��

�It�s alright. I
was just a bit worried. Are you heading
here anytime soon?� He didn�t mean to
sound impatient, but he was worried,
and the sooner she got to him, the sooner he could be certain of her
safety.

�Yes. Fifteen
minutes.�

He sighed. �Fine. I�ll go sit
inside� �

�I�m so sorry, darling.
I love you.�

Well, he was always rather easy when she brought out the
tender persuasions. His impatience
waned. �I love you, too. Get here soon. I miss you already. I�ve been thinking about you all day.�

�I�I�ve been thinking about you all day, too, and I desperately want to see you� in a while,
alright?�

�Alright.�

They disconnected.
Harry was just about to step back into the Leaky Cauldron when his phone
rang the second time around.

He smiled, thinking it was Hermione again. He was really beginning to like this mobile,
but when he looked at the caller I.D., it was Ron. That was rather amusing, as he had never had Ron call him before. He picked it up. �Hey, mate.
Milestone, this one. You actually used the telly-phonie!�

�Shut it. I�m in a
fix. I just got back from France and�well, I think something�s
wrong with me.�

�What? Are you
alright?�

Ron sighed exasperatedly.
�Oh, I�m fine, but� where are you?�

�The Leaky Cauldron.
Muggle side. Ron, what�s��

�Okay, great.� Ron
cut off the line.

There was a loud crack nearby, and Ron appeared from the
shadows looking extremely agitated.

�I don�t get it!� he hissed to no one in particular.

Harry arched an eyebrow.
�Err�you alright, mate?�

�Harry, I think I�m going stupid� well, stupider than
usual. I�ve been trying to apparate to Grimmauld Place for the past half hour but I
can�t seem to manage it! I keep getting
transported all over the place!�

Harry frowned. �But
you got here fine.�

�That�s just it! I
can apparate wherever I want except
there.
I�m beginning to think you and Hermione secretly want me out of the
house since you started shagging each other.�

�Don�t be a prat,
Ron!� he hissed. �You live in that house same as we do, so
only you and the house get to decide whether you want to live in it or not. Hermione and I have no say in that.�

�Well, why can�t I apparate
there?�

�You must be
doing something wrong.�

�Bloody hell, I honestly don�t care right now. I just want to get home and sleep!�

Harry sighed. �I�ll
side-along you, then.
We�ll figure it out in the morning.
Hermione�ll be here in fifteen minutes, so I
have other things to worry about.�

Ron didn�t argue.
He took hold of Harry�s sleeve.

Harry apparated them to Grimmauld Place�

And found themselves in
Paddington.

0000000000000000

Hermione felt the ripple in the wards as she sat in the
center of her ritual circle. The wards
were holding, but that hadn�t been the first time she felt someone trying to
get through it. It mean either Ron or
Harry had been trying to apparate to Grimmauld Place and was finding it
impossible. It would only be a matter of
time before they found out something was very wrong and try another means of
getting home.

That was fine. By that
time, she�d have the protection spell in place for them, and they wouldn�t be
able to throw themselves between her and danger, even if they wanted to.

She had to expect that Lysander
would employ measures to stop them from interfering, but at least he wouldn�t
be able to hurt them.

Placed in front of her were two items of material and
sentimental value to Harry and Ron: Harry�s Firebolt
and Ron�s battered, but autographed, figurine of Krum.

She smiled fondly.
The two most important men in her life would forever be bound by Quidditch when it came down to it.

She looked up at the moon, barely visible in this stage of
its life. The roof of Grimmauld Place had always been excellent for
stargazing. Tonight, she was
hard-pressed to enjoy it.

Nearby, the things she would need to prepare for Lysander�s arrival were ready. To be able to see the auras, she needed to
drug herself with dragon-potion. It was
necessary, or else she wouldn�t be able to manipulate her aura and Lysander�s at all over the scrying
mirror.

The other materials for her counter spells were around
her, and tucked in the small of her back underneath her jeans was the Nauta Oira. It would be the most essential tool in
her ritual. She couldn�t afford to lose
it.

She had studied up on a few more Elven
spells that might be useful, though she desperately hoped she didn�t have to
use them.

Hermione swept her arm over Harry and Ron�s things,
muttering the Elven incantations to complete the
spell. �Yala onna en� vilya, kemen, naur, i
alu.�

A slight wind blew through her from all directions. The runes around her, drawn on the floor with
her chalk, glowed bright, warm pink...

0000000000000000000

Harry apparated both of them
back to the Leaky Cauldron with Ron screeching, �You see!� as they went.

Harry had stopped speaking all together, grabbing Ron by
the collar of his shirt as he dragged him inside the pub. He went to the fireplace, using his magic to
push people out of the way. There were
surprised yells as they went, but Harry didn�t care. The worry he had been harboring for Hermione
all day was coagulating into chilling fear at the pit of his stomach.

Perhaps seeing the look on his face, many of the patrons
moved out of his way of their own accord, wondering who the hell Harry Potter
was going to murder and why.

He grabbed a handful of floo
powder from the corner of the hearth.

�Grimmauld Place!� he enunciated, throwing the
powder in.

The green flames erupted for a second, but died almost as
quickly. Harry tried it again and the
same thing happened.

�Blimey!� cried Ron.
�Not even the floo! The house has gone batty!�

�It�s not the house,� Harry hissed, his voice hoarse. �We have to get back there.� He stalked to the bar in big strides. �Tom!�

Tom turned to him instantly.

�Have you a flying broom handy?�

Tom looked apologetic.
�Well, I have a really old Cleansweep��

Harry shook his head.
Way too slow, and not worth the trouble of violating
the Statute of Secrecy. A taxi
would be more sensible. �Thanks
anyway.� He made for the doors and Ron
followed.

�Harry, why are you acting so
weird? Is there something you know that you�re not
telling me?�

Harry nodded, pushing out of the pub doors. �I think Hermione�s in trouble.�

�In trouble!
What kind of��

�I don�t know, but it�s really bad trouble. I can feel it.�

Harry raised an arm to flag a taxi and one immediately
pulled up the curb. He swung the door
open. �Get in, Ron.�

Ron did and Harry was about to follow when he heard his
name being called from behind. He didn�t
want to be bothered, so he got into the taxi anyway, but when he looked up, he
saw that it was Luna Lovegood. Her blonde hair was tied up in a strange,
messy bun and her wand was, of course, tucked behind her ear. Her bottle cap necklace didn�t completely
show, but it was evident that she had it tucked beneath her shirt.

�I�d like to talk to you, Harry Potter,� she said in her
odd, spacey way.

�Sorry, Luna, but I really can�t right now.� He was just about to slam the cab door shut when
Luna spoke again.

�Don�t you want to know what you�re up against when you
get there?�

Harry froze. He
didn�t know why he was even giving Luna the time of day. Every second he wasted may mean something
terrible was happening to Hermione.

Fortunately, Luna didn�t want him wasting time either. She
hurried into the cab after him, pressing the boys more tightly into the
backseat so she could accommodate herself.

�Oy!� Ron cried, whose impossibly long
legs were making things difficult enough as it was.

Luna paid him no heed as she pulled the door of the taxi
shut. �Tufnell Park, please. Grimmauld Place,� she told the cabbie. �And make it quick. It�s an emergency.�

The driver nodded, taking off.

Harry just then recovered.
�I hate to be rude, Luna, but what the hell are you doing?�

�Harry Potter, you have not changed a bit,� she said
dreamily. �You are still so foolishly
brave.�

�Hey, now, don�t you be calling Harry foolish!� cried Ron.

Luna smiled.
�Hello, Your Majesty! You haven�t changed either. You�re still following the brave fool.�

�What!�

Harry was getting tired of being disparaged. He scowled,
ready to stop the taxi and have her step out of it. �Look here, Luna��

�My, my, you were certainly more polite to me when you
were speaking to me the other day.�

Harry�s scowl deepened.
�I haven�t spoken to you in ages Luna,
what are you on about?�

�She�s gone more mental than usual,� Ron muttered.

Luna�s eyebrow arched as she smiled. �I get that a lot. As for you, Harry� been
to the Department of Mysteries lately?�

Harry gave a start.
�How did you�� He paused to stare at her a
moment before the significance of her words hit him. �No��
He couldn�t believe it, yet it actually made perfect sense. She was his Unspeakable!

�Yes,� she said. �I
must say, I�m quite glad you came to me with your concerns. Your information has proven to be a
challenging study in research, but it was that last bit of information you and Remus brought me the other day that really got my work
rolling.�

�What is going on?� Ron asked irritably.

Harry was in no mood for niceties. He had no choice but to take Luna�s word for
it. �Later, Ron! Luna, what have you found out?�

Luna did not dally further. �Quite simply, Harry, Mr. Athanasius
is a Nordic Elf.�

Harry was not processing this. He shook his head vigorously. �A what elf? You mean there are kinds?�

�Wait, you mean Athanasius isn�t
human?� Ron cried. �What��

Luna rolled her eyes.

�Well, of course there are kinds,� she said, ignoring
Ron. �We wouldn�t be calling House Elves
House Elves if there wasn�t any other
kind of elf. We�d just be calling them
elves, period.�

Harry gritted his teeth.
�I�ve only ever known of one kind.�

�Yes, well, so has the rest of the Wizarding
World today� well, most wizards, at least, but apparently, there�s more than
one kind of elf. As you probably
figured, Nordic Elves are different from your average House Elf. Nordic Elves are prettier, taller, more
seductive, more powerful��

Harry made a circling gesture with his hand to hurry
things along. �Yes, yes� what is he doing to Hermione?�

�He�s using ancient Elven magic,
which is why we couldn�t pinpoint what it was he was doing. Their magic is different. Subtler, but it�s a purer form of magic
wizards use today, therefore it�s inherently more powerful. Any text on Elven
magic is transcribed in Elvish, so a very, very
select few have the ability to read it at all.
Everything I know about Elves at this point came from very obscure, banned literature written by dead
wizards in English, so I�m not even
certain of my information�s accuracy.
One thing I can tell you for
certain is that only Nordic Elves and their human familiars can speak and read Elvish.�

�But Hermione�s not a Nordic Elf.�

�Your powers of deduction are great, Harry,� Luna breathed
as her eyes glazed over.

Harry simmered. He
wanted to tell her that this was no time to be snarky,
but he supposed that would be a waste
of time in itself. He moved the
conversation along. �Are you telling me
Hermione�s��

�It�s possible she isn�t a familiar yet, but potential
familiars begin to share the base magic of their masters when the binding
process is begun and this includes the knowledge of reading Elven
text,� she said. �It doesn�t mean
Hermione got into it voluntarily, mind you.
She could have been tricked, but be that as it may, tonight� with the
waxing moon, she�s going to become his familiar if she doesn�t put a stop to
it��

00000000000000000

She checked the time as she finished the first few steps
of the protection process. It has been
more than fifteen minutes since she first began feeling the disturbance in the
wards. Harry would likely be coming
around soon. She had to enact the final
step to put the protection spell in place.

Hermione grasped the athame,
enclosed it in the grip of her left hand and swiped it out with her right.

She hissed at the sting but let the blood drip through her
fingers. The trails of red fell upon Harry�s broom and Ron�s Krum
figurine. The items pulsed. She knew then the spell would work.

�Amin
serke o sina amin mahta,

Varya o yaara tuure turma.�

Blood of mine, with this I wield,

Protect with ancient power�s shield.

The runes flashed a blinding pink, exploding upwards and
around her as she sat in the middle of the magical upheaval.

0000000000000000

Harry saw the flash of pink light coming from the roof of Grimmauld Place.
�Shit,� he hissed.

Ron�s eyes widened like saucers at the sight. �Harry!
What in Merlin�s name��

They passed the house.
The driver didn�t seem to notice anything.

�Stop the cab!� Harry cried.

The cabbie stepped on the breaks and the vehicle came to a
halt with a screech. All three
passengers lunged forward before falling back on their seats.

Harry plucked two galleons from his pocket and tossed it
at the cabbie.

�Oy!� the cabbie protested.

�That�s real gold, mate,� said Harry. �Keep the change.�

The cabbie�s eyes widened. If his concern for his cab fare was any
indication, he wasn�t seeing what the wizards were seeing. He bit into the galleon, checking the
metal.

No. 12 Grimmauld
Place was bathed in a coalescing pink light, shimmering under
the waxing moon.

Harry was still processing everything Luna had told him
along the way, but he still felt ill prepared for whatever it was he had to
face.

He stopped in his tracks as he felt a thrum of power pulse
through him, like he had walked through a wall and it vibrated the very core of
his bones. A
comforting warmth settled upon him for a heartbeat, then it was gone.

�What the hell was
that magic?� cried
Ron frantically as the taxi sped off.

Harry looked at him.
�You felt it too? Like a wall?�

�Yes!�

�I didn�t feel it,� said Luna, her brows knotting. �Did it feel warm afterwards? Comforting?�

Harry nodded. �What
do you know about it?�

�It�s probably an Elven
protection spell,� said Luna with wide-eyed expression. �Hermione likely cast it for you and
Ron. I don�t think I can go with you
now. If I do, I can be putting Hermione
in more danger.�

�But�� Harry sought words
desperately. �But you�re the only one
who knows what we�re up against!� He
can�t have Luna backing out now. Without
Hermione, Luna was the only one who had the brains to match!

An expression of despair came over Luna�s face and Harry
felt his stomach drop. He didn�t like it
when she lost the dreamy look in her eyes.

�Where you go, I can do no good,� she said. �I�ll explain� later.�

If we get out of
this alive, thought
Harry grimly.

�Lysander can be harmed by wizard magic,� said Luna. �But you�ll find it difficult, especially if
he has complete control of the situation.
I doubt he�d be able to harm you.
The protection spell Hermione cast on you, I�d expect, is a high-level Elven charm. If she
used blood, it can only be broken if she wills it. Just remember that a lot of Elven magic is based on binding. She binds you to be protected. Lysander has bound
her to answer his summons. He�s trying
to bind her to become his familiar. So
it�s only logical if you break the
binding��

�We can break him,� said
Harry. �How do we do that?�

�I don�t know if there is
anything you can do. The difference
of magic presents a problem. It�s like
he�s using fire when all you have is earth,� she said, her dreamy eyes turning
apologetic. �But it bears mentioning
that at this point in time, he shares very similar traits to very dark
creatures.�

�Explain that to me as briefly as you can, Luna.�

�Dark creatures: Vampires, Lamias� they all live off a host of sorts.�

Harry nodded, absorbing this information. �Understood. What other information do you have?�

�The problem with Hermione�s protection spell is that
while you might be able to attack Lysander, you won�t
be able to lend your power to her,
like she and Ron did for you with Voldemort.�

Harry didn�t even bother to ask Luna how she knew about that.
He let her go on.

�She�s the only one right now who can really harm him
because unlike you, she has access to Elven magic, so
the fact of the matter is, you�d be very helpful
to her if you can give her your aura and strengthen her magic, but the
protection spell will prevent you from connecting with her, because if she
breaks and gives in to Lysander, any connection with
you would bring you down with her. The
protection spell therefore forbids you to put yourselves in that situation.�

Harry felt the blood draining from his face.

Oh, sweet Merlin,
Hermione� why?

But Hermione already answered that question last night,
didn�t she? He knew why, and he could even
understand, but it didn�t change the fact that he might be absolutely helpless
to save her.

�I�m so confused,� Ron groaned. �But if hexing Lysander
Athanasius is involved, I�m all for it. Let�s go then, Harry.�

�I�ll summon the proper reinforcements,� said Luna. �But it�s going to take a while. Hermione�s wards around number 12 are
strong. If I manage to get the calls out
on time, the aurors would have to travel the muggle way.�

Harry understood.
�Just do it.�

She nodded. �Merlin speed.�

With that, she apparated
away.

Harry and Ron didn�t need to speak. They rushed on along the block to reach
number 12, breaking off into a run. The
front lawn had never seemed so vast, and Hermione�s wards were making it
difficult to get across.

�Bloody hell, Harry!
Why has she done this?� cried Ron.

�I don�t know, Ron.
Right now, I don�t care. We just
need to get to her.�

Ron looked up and his jaw dropped. �Fuck!�

Harry followed his gaze, and above them, in a traveling
mist, apparated Lysander.

He was too far up to hex, even for Harry, but it was clear
that he was going straight for the roof.

Harry grabbed Ron by the collar and fought against the
wards to drag them to the porch. Harry
didn�t bother with keys. He blew the
knob off the door and kicked it in, stumbling across the threshold with Ron.

They rushed as one up the stairs, both of them afraid to apparate lest the house expel them to Merlin Knew
Where.

Reaching the top floor, they bounded through the hallway
and flung the door to the roof open.

What Harry saw made him pause for an instant.

Hermione knelt at the center of the roof in the middle of
a glowing pink circle. Harry recognized
his Firebolt and what looked like a mangled toy
figurine. Both were smeared with
something dark and red.

Blood, he realized.

As the tendrils of pink rose from her circle and the runes
written around it, Harry could make out various other materials placed around
her.

She moved her hands over a pot that caught fire instantly,
and the fumes rose up in a rush. She
inhaled them before taking something from the pot and ingesting it. Then she closed her eyes.

At the edge of the roof, Lysander
hovered, watching her with barely veiled glee.

Rage overcame Harry, and he raised his wand with the
determination to hurt Lysander very badly.

�Sectumsempra!�

Ron�s own wand whipped through the air. �Stupefy!�

Lysander didn�t even spare them a
glance.

000000000000000000000

Hermione gasped as she heard the fire of hexes. She turned, seeing Harry and Ron at the door,
and for an instant, she felt a crippling fear; that her protection spell hadn�t
worked.

Lysander grinned, calmly raising his hand,
palm out. ��Kshonna wanya.�

The play of auras around her were
explosive and she stifled the wave of nausea that was beginning to creep up on
her. She didn�t know if it was because
she had rushed the process with the dragon-potion or if it was because she was
scared out of her mind; either way, she wouldn�t be surprised if she threw up
all over herself.

The hexes dissipated before they could reach Lysander, and before Harry and Ron could recover from the
shock of it, Lysander muttered another spell in his
tongue. �Bragollach tel�llach.�

Hermione shrieked as a ball of fire hurtled towards Harry
and Ron.

She heard their combined cries of protego but she knew the charm would be useless.

Lysander�s curse passed right through their
shield. Harry and Ron raised their arms
in a futile gesture to protect themselves, acting more on instinct than logic,
but the fireball passed, dissipating into cool air as it hit them. There was smoke, but they were unharmed.

�H-Holy mother of Merlin!� Ron cried.

Hermione almost fainted with relief as she found her
breath once again. It worked!

Lysander scowled, throwing a spell out
from his hand. �N�tess gothamin!� A blue light shot out from his fingertips
and encased Harry and Ron in a pale blue box.

�Shit!� Harry hissed, banging his fist against the surface
of it. �Athanasius, you freak! I�ll kill
you with my bare hands!�

Ron frowned grimly.
�I think killing him quickly would be too kind, Harry.�

Lysander wasn�t pleased, but Hermione
doubted it was because of their less than affectionate words.

�Hermione Jane Granger,� said Lysander,
eyebrow arching in her direction.
�You�ve cast a protection spell on them.
How very� impressive
of you.�

�I invoked dominion, too,� she said to gather her courage
as she got to her feet. �You crossed the
threshold of the house without my express permission. You can�t harm them, and now you can�t harm
their kin, either.�

More surprise rippled through his handsome features. �My, my, my, poppet� you have been reading your Elven spells!�

�Don�t call me poppet,
parasite!� she spat.

He seemed amused.
�Then what do you want me to call you, Familiar?�

�I�m not your familiar yet,
so you can forget coming up with pet names.�

�Hermione,� said Harry desperately. �Love� sweetheart�
lift the spell from us. Let us help you.
Please, just��

She looked at him, her eyes filled with apology. He was such a dear. �No.
The spell holds unless I expressly recant it, and it won�t break even
if�even if he manages to kill me��

�Kill you?� Ron squeaked.
�Oy, you bloody
skirt, you can�t die! We defeated Voldemort,
you ninny! You can�t let this twat do
you in!�

Hermione gave him a plaintive smile.

Lysander choked on a laugh. �Is he comparing me to Voldemort? I can�t say I�m flattered,
really. That man was a little batty, if
you ask me.�

Hermione glared at him.
�Look who�s talking!�

Lysander scoffed. �I�m perfectly sane, ma petite. World domination
was so last season and really, who wants the trouble of ruling the world,
anyway?�

The magical wind rippling through the roof blew a bit of Lysander�s collar open and Hermione saw a hint of a deep
scar. Remembering Flitwick
telling her about the injury Danaides sustained while
at Hogwarts, it confirmed what she had already long suspected. �I�m ending this tonight, Danaides,� she hissed. �No matter
what happens, I�m not going to let
myself be enslaved for five hundred years.�

He winced. �Five
hundred seems like such an awful long time.
My father, Isidore, couldn�t stand to keep
them for longer than two hundred, but you, ma
petite, look to be good for three hundred, at least. You will after all, be my first.�

She growled. �Stop
calling me ma petite!�

His eyes darkened, and he glared at her. �Yalla onna en� vilya!�

A burst of wind shot past her, blowing all of her ritual
materials away. The scrying
mirror flipped and shattered at her feet, sending shards everywhere.

�Shit!� she hissed, bracing herself
against the blast and squeezing her eyes shut.
She felt her stomach clench in dismay.
The drums of owls toppled over, making a thunder-like racket as
envelopes scattered all around. She felt
panic come over her in waves.

�Hyandea
en� luhta,� said Lysander, his tone
menacing.

She felt the surface of her skin sting abominably and she
gave a shrill shriek. She opened her
eyes and was horrified to see cuts all over her arms, blossoming with
blood. Her jeans were tattered in
countless places, staining her denims red.
The pain was nothing to her terror, an ocean of doubt swallowing her
whole.

�I can call you whatever I want,� he said. �The
choice is mine to make. I am your master and you are the familiar!�

God, can I do
this? I can�t defeat him! What the hell was I thinking?

But she had to believe.
She had to force her will or else Lysander
would win, and she simply couldn�t let him.

She looked at Harry and Ron who stood helpless within
their magical prison. Harry was begging
her with his eyes and Ron was yelling for her to lift the spell off them.

She would do no such thing, and she found her resolve
gaining strength again. She would do
this for them. She chose to fight
because of them.

Lysander�s aura began to prod hers. She could see it with her dragon-drugged
eyes. He settled his feet to the floor
and a circle of blue, wrought with runes, began to glow around his feet. He didn�t need any chalk. His powers of conjuration were great, after
all.

She heaved against his aura and magic, pushing him
back.

He sneered. �Bitch.�

She sneered back, arching her eyebrow. �Wanker.�

That probably wasn�t a good idea.

He forced himself through her power and the pain caught
her instantly. It was agonizing, like
hell had opened up inside her and poured molten rock out of her wounds.

She screamed, crumpling to the
floor as the waves of his aura forced itself into her. She pushed and refused. She would not let their auras combine.

There were explosions.
She didn�t know where it was coming from, but there were pieces of roof
tile flying; wood chips; eroded metal.
Emotions of anger sent debris flying.
It wasn�t Lysander, and it certainly wasn�t
her. She hadn�t the strength to be angry
right now. And then there was
someone�no, two voices, were calling her name.
Her vision, blurred by pain, began to clear, and she remembered where
she was; who was hurting her.

�Fighting it will only bring you pain, Hermione,� said Lysander. �Give in
and I�ll make it easy for you in the next three hundred years.�

She opened her mouth and she found her voice amidst her
gasps. She pushed herself off the floor.

�That�s it, Hermione!� cried Harry from the side. �Don�t give in!�

Ron gave a whoop.
�Yeah, show that nasty piece of shit who�s
boss!�

Their encouragement helped her summon the courage to speak
out, her eyes boring through Lysander�s. �I�d rather feel that pain the next three
hundred years than give in to you, you son
of a bitch!�

And the agony of his touch was upon her again. Claws down her body as she burned from the
inside-out. The pain was so intense that
she wanted to die; to end it. She wanted
to leave the prison of herself to unattainable relief. Tears fell.
She couldn�t stop them if she wanted to.

The world was suddenly unimportant. There was only her and the pain. She couldn�t
take it.

But if she gave in, he would take her, and she would be
his until he tired of her. For all his
promises of love and affection, familiars were just slaves in Wizard�s
clothing.

When the pain went away, she slumped to the floor, cheek
pressed to the rough surface of the roof.
She couldn�t even look up. She
was breathing, and she was alive, but she didn�t want to be alive.

She felt herself being lifted from the ground by invisible
hands. He pulled her to him, her feet
hovering above the floor.

Relief washed over her.
Warmth and happiness and comfort. Nothing felt better. Nothing could be better.

�Feel that?� asked Lysander in a
whisper. He held her near enough to
touch. �It can be like that always if
you just give in.�

Weakly, she lifted a hand to touch his face.

Maybe it wasn�t so
bad.

Then she heard voices, begging her not to listen to him,
shouting for her to stay with them.

�Hermione!� It was a voice she knew so very
well; loved so deeply. It was
Harry�s. �Amin ve laa er
lle hanya! Hermione,
you remember that, don�t you?�

I am like no one
you�ve met.

And she understood.
She had said those same words to Lysander in a
dream, because she had believed in herself.
She had believed she can get through this. That belief would get her through.

�Amin
nauva i noole,�
she
whispered. My will is the key.

The hand she had lifted to touch him turned, and she
brushed her knuckle against Lysander�s cheek before
she raised her middle finger right to his face. She flashed him a malicious
smile. �Screw you.�

His rage pierced through her, making her double over in
mid-air. It was like a great hand had
taken her into its grip and crumpled her.
She felt crushed, like she was being forced into a ball. Then he threw her back, sending her crashing
to the old perimeter wall. The impact
knocked the wind out of her as chips of old wood and paint burst through the
air, sprinkling her with age-old debris.

Her vision blurred.
Her back and head hurt from hitting the wall and she felt rather weak
with all the pain she had had to endure.
Her vision spiraled for a second before settling to a dull hum.

She thought maybe she would retch, her stomach roiling
violently.

She blinked.

She saw, several feet away, Lysander,
tilting his head at her in amusement.

He tutted.
�Nwalmaer, lle lava?�

Tormented one, do
you yield?

She could see his aura prodding hers. She resisted, but she couldn�t put up a
fierce fight at the moment.

�Detholamin,�
she whispered
feebly.

My choice.

�Detholamin an n�degina
lle.�

My choice to destroy you.

He smirked.

She closed her eyes and summoned the only Ace she
had. Her �Ace� had already rushed up the
stairs, padding quickly through the roof door and leaping over boxes to set
himself on the ledge of the roof. His
tail swished as the back of Lysander�s blonde head
came in view.

Hermione opened her eyes.

Now, Crookshanks!

Crookshanks leapt from behind, his own
familiar magic glowing from his claws.
He jumped Lysander and sank his magic-enhanced
claws right on Lysander�s cheeks.

Lysander screamed as Crookshank�s
nails dug into his flawless skin.

Hermione caught hold of his tendrils of aura just when the
caging charm around Harry and Ron disintegrated.

�Sectumsempra!� Harry
cried.

The hex caught Lysander from
shoulder to chest, slashing upward in a red trail. Lysander�s blood
poured from the wound just as Ron executed a stunning hex.

Lysander screamed, but he did not go down,
flinging a protection charm outward as he healed the cuts Harry dealt him and
protected himself against the rain of curses.

Hermione watched as Harry and Ron fired spells at Lysander. He
deflected every single one, and that with a cat clawing at him, too, but it was
time bought for what Hermione needed to do.

She struggled to push herself up from the ground, but it
was difficult. The pain all over her
body felt too sharp to bear. She had counted on the pain, but she hadn�t
counted on it physically impairing her.
She had always thought that there were certain aches that could be
overcome by will. This was not that kind
of ache.

Now her arms shook.
Will, she possessed, but she was drained of power. Even with her contingency plan, she might not
have enough to carry herself through.
She would lose.

And then she felt it, the quiet strength of wizarding magic coaxing her to accept. She looked up and saw Harry casting her a glance. He was
offering magic and she took a moment to be awed by him. Lending magic, without a proper ritual, was
no easy thing. Harry wasn�t her
familiar, and they weren�t connected in any magical way, yet Harry was giving
her his power.

He was using some kind of complicated spell, or else he
just knew how to do it without knowing how to explain it. It was familiar, anyway, even if it wasn�t a
controlled gesture, but rather an instinctual one. She remembered this spell signature from the
night they combined to defeat Voldemort�

Either way, he had to be using serious wizarding powers to manage it at
all. But then this was the extraordinary, the amazing Harry Potter, after
all.

Only one question remained. Would she take it or not? If she did, she would break the protection
spell on him and she would be risking the freedom of his soul. If she didn�t�

If I don�t take it
and I fail; if Lysander manages to overcome me, Harry
will never forgive himself�

She remembered everything he had done for her, and
everything she had done for him. It was
then she understood the full extent of what love could accomplish. It wasn�t just about suffering for your loved
ones or shielding them from danger. It
was also about loving them enough to give them strength; holding them in times
of weakness; empowering them to have a choice, whether it�s to leave or let
them stay.

At that moment, the spell that had bound her to keep it
all a secret�to refuse their help; to make her feel alone�finally shattered
under the power of their combined emotions of love and the need to protect.

Harry�s offered magic poured into her, she felt warmth and
comfort, giving her the strength to rise to her feet. She knew then she couldn�t fail. His power boosted hers and it would be enough
to get her through.

She bled her hand and let her blood drip to the
ground. �Elea i�dolen!�

A circle surrounded by runes glowed from the floor where
once it wasn�t there, creating her ritual space in an instant. It was a back-up circle, prepared in case her
initial plan crumbled. Her foresight was
always a handy thing.

�Tyela nuema!� She
called to untrap the gestalt magic she had stored
inside Crookshanks hours before. The magic contained
within him erupted and flowed back to her, combining with Harry�s borrowed
power. It gave her the strength she
would need to perform the final rite.

The wind blew in her hair and her eyes glowed silver.

She pulled the Nauta Oira from behind her and held it out. �Bela ed� templa.�

The book levitated just beneath her down-turned palm.

Raising her wand, she used the biggest mirror shard she
could find and enlarged it while she summoned the shard to settle in front of
her.

Crookshanks, let him go.

The cat leapt off Lysander and
he gave an enraged howl, blocking Harry�s and Ron�s spells as he cast his eyes
on her.

�Avarier!�
he roared. �Lle tar finwa!�

Unwilling one! You are beyond your means!

�Lle
naa haran e� nausalle, L�sandre!�
she hissed
back. You are king only in your imagination, Lysander! �Ar
sii� lle naa amin.�

And now� you�re
mine.

She called the candles to her, their flames erupting as
they settled around her circle. The
circle and runes pulsed pink before deepening to red.
She was now using the power from his aura, the aura he had forced upon her; it
was borne of pain, will and sacrifice, exactly what this final spell required
of it. She smirked and the terrified
look in his eyes as realization hit him just strengthened her resolve. She spoke the incantation over the Nauta Oira in
whispered reverence.

�Lle
yeeta an mauya fea, mirima nauva
ar onna vanima,�
she began,
throwing the magic of the words to him.

�Ermiad-na!�
he cried in her Elven name. �Mani na
lle umien?�

Hermione, what are
you doing?

She ignored him, knowing that he was trying to distract
her. The beginnings of the spell was
restraining him; already starting to bind him.
If she let him break her concentration, he might be able to break
through the restraints.

He began an incantation in Elvish
and Hermione�s concentration broke momentarily.
Panic suffused her. She needed to
regain her momentum and she had to regain it fast.

He was trying to force his aura in her again and she
couldn�t force him back and finish the spell at the same time. If she didn�t find a way to buy herself some
time in the next second, he would have her bound, and all the pain she endured
would be all for naught.

�Lle
naa amin, Ermyad-na,� Lysander drawled.

You�re mine,
Hermione.

Her eyes widened just as a blinding white light flashed
all around them.

A silver shimmering stag materialized, throwing his mighty
head back to show off its spectacular antlers.
It charged at Lysander, bucking its hooves in
a righteous rampage as it passed right through his shields.

Lysander tried to fight it back, but this
was the same patronus that drove away a dozen dementors all at the same time.

Pride replaced Hermione�s feelings of fear. She found the strength, and knowing she could
continue the spell unimpeded, she recited the final verses with powerful
focus.

�Hanay
naikelea nauta temma, lle suule
harya lye nuquerna,� she breathed. �Mi unque lle kara; an atsa
lle mi lle ingole. Fainu lle
uutuuva, tenna lle tuuva moota
mane!�

You who sought to force the spirits, Free by will and
nature�s right

Will know the pain of binding limits, your spirit owned we
now indict

Within a prison of your make; to
trap you with your magic�s own.

Never will you find escape, until in goodness you atone!

The book beneath her hand shuffled open, pages flipping in
the whirling wind.

Lysander screamed and threw a curse at
her.

Badgered by the patronus, his
weak hex bounced harmlessly off her protego.

She raised her palm, the book moving in sync.

�You can�t!� cried Lysander
as his aura began to get sucked into the book.
�You haven�t the power!�

Hermione fought to pull him in and she narrowed her eyes
at him. �Oh� yes� I� DO!� She
jerked her hand into a fist.

She heaved him in and his skin began to tear from his very
bones. The book, one he claimed to have
kept by him since he was a child, was a prison of his own making, and it ate at
him piece by gruesome piece. His
screaming never ceased and he fought with tremendous strength. She poured what magic she had to pulling him
in, but if he fought long enough, he�d simply outlast her, and she wasn�t about
to let him get away from her when she�d come this far.

She had to make sure she could end this now.

�Harry!� she cried, hoping that the desperation in her
tone would be enough.

Lysander turned disembodied eyes at him,
the dark light in them shining with menacing hate. �Human, don�t you dare!�

Harry didn�t need an explanation. He glared back, eyes flashing with equal
intensity. �Dare this, you degenerate fuck!�
He raised his wand and cried out the incantation. �Effligo pravus!�

Harry�s aura burst far and wide as ruby red magic shot out
of his wand. His aura extended before
crouching into a massive wave-like entity.

The spell that destroyed Voldemort
engulfed Lysander in its power and the elf�s roar
resounded through the night as he fought off the effects of the
enchantment. He didn�t melt the way Voldemort
did, but it shattered what strength he had fighting Hermione�s binding
magic.

Lysander stumbled into the book, his
screams following him.

And just when Hermione thought they had him, Lysander�s hand shot out of the pages, grabbing for the
book�s hard cover. Harry hissed, aiming
his wand.

�No, allow me,� said
Ron. He flicked his wand delicately,
holding it by his thumb and forefinger like a teacup. �Reducto!� he chimed.

The hand was reduced to powder and its specks were sucked
into the pages.

Hermione felt her aura being pulled, and just when the
book began to consume it, she screamed the incantation to close the gates.

The book banged shut, slamming against her chest and
sending her flying backwards on impact while the piece of scrying
mirror exploded into tiny shards.

Hermione felt like Hagrid had
punched her right on the chest, but she held the book tight against her even as
she gasped to get air back into her lungs.

�Hermione!�

She wasn�t sure who had said it. Probably both boys, because seconds later,
they were staring down at her, both of them looking like they were just about
to have a stroke.

The effects of the dragon potion were gone, dispersed by
her closing of the ritual.

It�s over, she thought with wearying
relief. It�s really over.

And she was alive.

Barely.

�Fuck�� she breathed, unable to find a
more appropriate swear word. She winced
at the twisting pain all over her body.
�I never thought he�d be so fucking
hard on me! Bastard!� There had to be something broken. All the pain had to account for something.

�Ron, call St. Mungo�s, now,�
Harry said.

Ron nodded, getting to his feet.

Cracks began sounding from below and Ron jogged to the
side of the roof.

�The cavalry�s arrived!� he said. �I�ll get a medi-wizard. Hang on, Hermione.�

Ron apparated,
probably to the front lawn.

�Harry,� she gasped.
�You have to seal the book. Seal
it now.�

�Please, Hermione, you have to relax.�

�Seal it!�

He sighed, placing the tip of his wand lightly on the Nauta Oira�s cover. �Obexicis.�

A swath of light wrapped around the book once and then
another across it. Nobody but Harry can
open it now.

Hermione nodded.
�Harry, whatever you do, don�t let anyone try to open this book or read
from it. Alright? Not until I can explain everything. They�ll likely sedate me, and frankly, I�m
feeling a little woozy right now.�

Harry sighed again.
�Hermione, you�re going to tax yourself into a coma. Please don�t make me go through that
again! I�d simply roll over and go mad.
It�s bad enough I had to watch you do all that
by yourself! Please!�

�Just promise me you�ll let no one touch this!� Of course, it wasn�t that easy to release Lysander from the book.
It would take a lot of complicated spells, bloodshed and rituals to get
him out without the book deeming him reformed, but she wasn�t going to take any
chances.

�I promise, now stay calm.
The medi-wizard will be here soon.�

She hissed as another pain jabbed at her side. �Cor, Harry� I
think he broke everything��

Harry looked terribly worried. �The medi-wizard
will give you something for the pain.�

She watched him, deciphering the look in his eyes. It was a deep pain laced with what was his
personality: The compulsion to protect and save the ones he loved.

He�s probably
worried sick and angry at the same time, she thought, trying not to chuckle, as it would
hurt a bit too much to do that right now.

�I would have told you if I could, Harry,� she said,
cringing at the resonating throb of pain.
�I would have, but I was bespelled, and I
couldn�t give you details.�

He seemed surprised by this, but instantly, the anger
began to dissipate.

Then rethinking her own words, she frowned. �I would have told you, but I wouldn�t have
asked you to help. Too
dangerous for you.�

This time he did scowl, but he gently took her hand and
squeezed it. �We�ll talk about
everything later. Right now we just have
to get you better.� He looked up as two medi-wizards arrived.
Behind them were Ron, Remus and Gail.

Hermione shoved the book in his hands and he took it,
tucking it into the pockets of his robes to assure her. She managed a smile.

The medi-wizards fell upon her,
and the moment Harry left, the medi-wizard put her in
stasis.

And her world turned incomprehensible.

0000000000000000000

Harry let the medi-wizards work,
watching them put her in stasis. It
wasn�t sleep, but she wasn�t exactly conscious, either. It removed the risk of putting her in a coma
but relieved her of anymore pain for the time being. They would remove stasis when they had her
completely stable.

He looked up from her and found Ron, Remus
and Gail.

�Good lord, Harry,� said Gail, eyes wide at the evident
destruction around them and Hermione�s bruised, bleeding and battered
appearance. �What the hell happened
here?�

�A lot of things are still fuzzy,� he said wearily.

�It was terrifying,� said Ron, eyes still somewhat wide with
disbelief. �There was all this magic, like the entire house was going
to explode with it. I thought�I thought
Hermione�I thought something really bad was going to happen!�

Harry massaged the bridge of his nose and squeezed his
eyes shut. It might as well be
said. �We thought she was going to die.�

There was a brief silence after he said it.

�Did you catch Lysander then?�
asked Remus a moment later.

Harry nodded, taking the book from his robes and waving it
a bit. �He�s in here.�

Ron stepped away from him, his eyes watching the book
closely.

Gail and Remus exchanged
questioning looks.

�Like Tom Riddle�s diary?� asked Remus.

Harry shook his head.
�No. That was a horcrux. This is�
containment. He�s inside this book. Hermione put him in it.�

Gail looked nonplussed.
�Well, that sounds like a really wicked spell.�

�It�s Elven
magic,� said Harry. �It�s not something
they teach at Hogwarts.�

Remus frowned. �Elven?�

Harry didn�t think they were going to get anywhere with
him explaining all of it. He hardly knew
anything about it himself. The only
person who knew exactly what had happened was Hermione, and he just wanted her
to get better first.

He looked around.
�Do you happen to know where Luna Lovegood
is?�

�Left her downstairs,� muttered Ron. �Driving Tonks batty.�

�Battier,� said
Gail.

Remus scolded her mildly with a slanted
look and Gail rolled her eyes.

�Luna knows more than any of us do,� said Harry. �She�s the one who told us what Lysander is.�

�Well, what is he, then?� asked Remus.

Harry saw that he would have to answer some questions. �An Elf.�

Remus and Gail�s eyebrows arched at the
same time.

�A Nordic Elf,� added Harry.

�There are kinds?� asked Gail.

�Well, of course there are,� said Ron. �If there was just one kind then we wouldn�t
call House Elves House Elves. We�d just call them plain Elves.�

Harry couldn�t believe Ron remembered that from their
conversation in the taxi with Luna.

Ron scowled. �Well,
she�s right, ain�t she? Makes perfect sense!�

�Anyway,� said Harry.
�He�s been trying all this time to turn Hermione into his human
familiar. Luna told us some details and
I can�t recall most of it, but that�s the gist.
Hermione fought Lysander back and she had to
put him in this book. I promised her I
wouldn�t let anyone get their hands on it until she can tell us all about it.�

�Uncanny,� said Remus, almost in
a whisper.

Harry couldn�t agree more.
�We can let Luna explain some or we can wait for Hermione to wake up and
have her explain it all herself.�

Remus�s eyebrows furrowed. �Where does Luna fall in all this?�

It took a while for Harry to realize that Remus should have known, and that Luna had performed a
memory spell on him too.

�She was our Unspeakable,� said Harry, watching for Remus�s reaction.

Predictably enough, Remus�s eyes
widened in disbelief.

�Hang on,� said Gail.
�What do you mean she was your Unspeakable? How come you and Remus
get one while I don�t?�

Remus gestured placatingly
at her. �It�s not exactly Standard Issue,
Gail. I�m surprised Luna didn�t dedisco the memory of her off Harry and Ron
already. Unspeakables
like her have a strict code of secrecy.�

Ron frowned. �Will
she get in trouble?�

Harry arched his eyebrow at Ron but said nothing, wanting
to know the answer, himself.

�I�m not very sure,� said Remus. �The Unspeakables
like to keep mum about their departmental policies, if you�ll pardon the
pun. They don�t make it a habit
announcing who they are to the world, either.
I don�t know how this will affect Luna.�

Luna emerged from the door with Tonks
behind her. Luna made straight for Ron
while Tonks looked around at the carnage; broken
glass, envelopes everywhere, unintelligible runes, sprays of blood, scattered
materials and Hermione lying in stasis in the background.

�Good gracious!� Tonks
cried. �Tell me Hermione is going to be
alright!�

The surprising part was, Harry
was pretty sure Hermione would be. She
certainly had a lot to say before the medi-wizards
took her. She sounded disgruntled that Lysander had hurt her at all.

�� and they were talking
in this really weird language, you know?� Ron was telling Luna.

�Elvish,� said Luna. �Likely Elvish. It sounds like a song, doesn�t it? Very breathy. Very sensual.�

Ron rolled his eyes.
�It didn�t feel particularly sensual at that moment, you
understand. There was blood and magic
everywhere.�

Luna looked to the waning moon. �Typical Elven
ritual: Blood, magic and lots of talk!�

-------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Of
course that�s not the last of it. There
are three more chapters to come to wrap this mess up! But it�s done, isn�t it? It�s Ron and Hermione. ::sick, twisted
laugh:: Just kidding! Harmony
all the way. ^_^
- 16
- 17
- 18
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Hermione Full of Grace

Now, I knowyou�re all nervous, and I suppose there�s a reason for you to be, but we�ll getthrough this, yes? You know we will.

Chapter Sixteen � Protect the Ones You Love

Now, I know
you�re all nervous, and I suppose there�s a reason for you to be, but we�ll get
through this, yes? You know we will.