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The Inner Peace	By : Katay Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16042 -:- 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
A/N: Aaaaand I just realised
that I need to get my arse in gear since the new book
is coming out in about 2 weeks and my story will most likely not fit any of the
parameters that JKR will set! Soo I am going to pick
this story up with renewed invigoration and pray to whatever deities are out
there, that I can make these characters act themselves out! And enough chit
chat, on with the show!

Chapter 17:

Hermione worked her way through a skill set, her sword cutting the
dewy, morning air of the garden. Her muscles gleamed
with sweat and use. Her body was in full fight mode; her mind, however, was
many worlds away.

Her thoughts were placed on the events of the past week: the
torture, the meeting, the attack on Alastor, her talk
with Harry, and subsequent talks on the sidelines with Order members had her
wound up so tightly, she thought she might combust. Hence, she conjured up a
dummy and went outside to work off her frustration, Even if it is bloody 4 in the morning.

As she entered into the new skill set, her mind drifted back to her
delivery of Moody�s warning�

Flashback

She had landed on his windowsill, being an Order member meant she
knew his location, and pecked the glass with her beak. She had disabled the
wards before she even attempted to lay a talon down. The old man had limped to
the window, looking rather shocked at the phoenix outside his normally
unapproachable window. His wand at the ready, he opened it thinking, Well if the bloody bird can get this close, I
doubt a window will stop it if it wants to get me. He snatched the
parchment off her leg quickly and shut the window with a snap, effectively
blocking her out. Huffing, she merely popped into his sitting room and perched
on his mantle.

He glared warily up at the bird but continued opening his letter. He
had a protection spell on himself, and there was a dampening ward on his home
that prevented an animagus from transforming, so he knew he just had to stay
vigilant. He glanced at the letter, reread it and then looked up with his one
good eye opened wider than Hermione had ever seen.

�Damn Scrimgeour! Bloody � good for
nothing � fucking � waste of my time ...� Alastor was
cursing under his breath as he moved around his room casting charms willy-nilly
and making sure that he was well protected for the full blast he knew would
come. Once his protection charms were in place and his security wards on high
alert, he rounded back onto the black phoenix sitting on the mantle. �And what
or who are ye blackie,� he growled. �It would be jest like Voldemort to have a
black phoenix at his command,� huffed the wary ex-Auror. He snorted as the phoenix puffed its chest out and
shot a fiery gaze his way after the last comment. �Perhaps
not. Well then who doya belong ta that can give me this sort of information?� But he was
not to receive that answer for a little while.

His alarm wards suddenly began chiming and the house went into a
flurry of activity. It seemed that everything was disappearing or blending into
the walls. Hermione activated her own charm and flew up to the rafters of his
vaulted ceiling to keep out of sight.

Four black robed figures suddenly burst through the doorway. Moody
took one down with a quick �Stupefy� and blocked a curse from one of the
others. The latter two were a bit more wary and came in with their Protego shields up. Hermione could see that Rodolphus was
one of the figures and she also sensed Draco which surprised her, I wonder what he did with Ginny. She
glanced down at the third figure that had shot the curse at Moody and
recognized Dolohov. Her father and Draco were
shooting off spells left and right, consistently missing Moody while Dolohov was attempting to disarm Moody.

Moody finally managed to stun Dolohov and
he flopped down next to the other unconscious figure on the floor. He then
turned his full force on the other two Death Eaters in the room and Hermione
knew it was probably time to intervene. She flew down and landed on her
father�s shoulder. He looked at her, slightly surprised, since he had only been
told about this animagus form. Moody immediately stopped his firing,
recognizing that the two had simply been deflecting the spells, but not
returning them. Add in the fact that the bird, which had basically saved his
life, had just flown down to one of their shoulders, and Moody was rather
confused. He said gruffly, �I take it that not all is as it seems?�

�Indeed,� was the muffled reply from one of the two hooded figures. �I trust that you will not speak of this to anyone
Mr. Moody. I shall be sending my phoenix back to you in communication should
the need arise. You understand what I am saying?�

�Blow me down with a feather. I�ve gotcher
meanin�. Jest let me know if I need ta do anything. I don�t suppose I�ll be getting� an
explanation?� He questioned, his mind whirling from the odd scene in front of
him.

The other figure stepped forward, �All shall be revealed in time.�
The bird on the person�s shoulder seemed to nod at him and Alastor
firmly believed that one of the curses must have hit him on the head.

The two Death Eaters walked over to the unconscious figures on the
floor, grasped their arms and apparated away. He
gaped at the obvious red hair falling out of the first, fallen figure�s robes.

So that's where she was, thought
Hermione. She flew back to the rafters unnoticed by Moody, and isn�t that a first, who was slowly putting his home to rights.
After about 5 minutes the floo was activated and he
turned away from his attempt to uncover his furniture to let the figure in the
fireplace in.

Hermione spotted Minerva McGonagall immediately and grinned to
herself. Minerva straightened up, looked around and then stared straight back
at Alastor. �What in Merlin�s name happened? We got a
report from your wards that Death Eaters were here!�

Alastor rubbed his forehead and sat down
on his still invisible chair. �Honestly Minerva? I�m not sure a�tall. If I didna know any
better I�d say I was goin� nutters.
Bah. This war is getting� ta me.�

Minerva gaped at the old Auror. He was
always in control of a situation! Clearly something was not quite right in the
world anymore.

Hermione refrained from making a giggle-like sound and quietly
popped back to her home where she knew she would be confronted by father and � what the hell are Draco and I anyways � oh
fabulous, another thing to think of �

End Flashback

Her father and Draco had been anything but pleased that she had gone
along. Draco was unable to make his displeasure known to her, since he was
reporting their �successful� overpowering of Moody to the Dark Lord. Her father
had given her a strong talking to. Hermione slashed
her sword against the dummy once again in frustration. Who are they to tell me what I can and cannot do?! I�m more powerful
than either of them. I�m the one who made Moody trust them! Bah, stupid
arrogant purebloods. She did a few flips and intricate defensive turns with
the sword and then threw it straight at the dummy � it pierced it through the
breast. She stood in the middle of the grass panting.

She then straightened up and began to work through some of her tai
chi routines. She let her mind drift back to the meeting that had happened the
night after the attack�

Flashback

All of the potential rebels had joined in the Lestrange sitting
room. The senior Malfoy and Lestrange stood at the front of the group, implying
that they were the instigators; Hermione had cloaked herself and hid towards
the back of the room, hidden in plain sight as most would say. They had decided
that should rumbles get out, she needed to be kept away from gossip due to her
relationship with the Dark Lord. Therefore she would be the silent leader of
the group, her father and Malfoy, Sr. otherwise taking the roles.

She watched the group carefully, marking their reactions and every
emotional face twitch. She felt that most were as trustworthy as she was going
to get, but she was still unsure about Millicent, And no its not because of that bloody cat episode � well maybe � but the
girl is bloodthirsty! Bulstrode had been acting rather twitchy and Hermione
didn�t like the feel of her aura.

The twins were seated on a couch to the side, watching the others
talk amongst themselves. Hermione mused on how sedated they were these days and
then thought on how they would take their sister�s betrayal. She glanced at her
father who was simply standing quietly with Lucius, watching the group get more
and more agitated.

At Hermione�s signal, he straightened and addressed the group, �If
you will sit down? Thank you. We have called you individuals to this meeting to
discuss something of a rather delicate nature. As much as I would like for Our
Lord�s ideals to pass and become law, this second war alone has been going on
for almost 8 years. I feel that something needs to be done. Potter is only
getting stronger; the more time we give him, the more time he can train. I for
one, am a Slytherin, and do not want to be massacred
for a simple belief that I can hold in my heart just as easily. I would prefer
to live. Dead, I will have no impact on the society that shall form once this
war is over. Alive, I can help.� He stopped at the uneasy shifting of the group
and glanced around.

Lucius took over and drawled, �We are hardly saying abandon the Dark
Lord and take up with St. Potter, we do have pride.
However, we feel that perhaps an attempt at mending some bridges with their
side would not go amiss.� He eyed the group, �My first instinct is survival,
having a finger in each pot will hopefully provide that instinct. My second is
power, and by surviving and helping we will gain that as well.�

The twins stood up and began speaking, �As you all know, the society
that forms after this war, should it end within our life times, will not be cut
and dry Pureblood or Mudblood. Just because the Dark
Lord will win, does not mean that Mudbloods will stop
being born.�

George picked up after his brother, �Indeed, and should Potter win,
we know that Purebloods will not stop being present within society. Magical
society itself will not transform into a Muggle one.�

Rodolphus took over the last stage, �What we are attempting to do is
to ensure that this war ends soon and that afterwards, we have some say in how
this world will run. We have chosen you, because we felt that you would be with
us on these beliefs, if you are not I would advise you to speak up now.�

Hermione had been eyeing the group quietly. Most had been nodding
their heads lightly as though agreeing, a few had
simply let their eyes flicker in agreement. The one that worried her, was
surprise, surprise Millicent. The girl had clearly been agitated through the
meeting and was committing each word to memory it seemed. Hermione disliked
that. At the end of the speech, Millicent had merely shifted her eyes around
the room when Rodolphus had told anyone to step forward. Hermione grinned to
herself and transformed into her fox animagus.

Like her dragon and phoenix forms, her pelt was a glistening black
that could in certain lights be different colors. She prowled over to the couch
where Millicent was sitting and began to growl at the young woman.

Everyone in the room looked at the animal in shock, Where the hell had she come from?! Draco
smirked and finally understood her old appellation; apparently she�s far more talented than she let on. He nodded to
his father and uncle. They quickly stalked towards Millicent, stunned her, and
then dragged her towards the front of the room. They tied her to a chair,
slipped a few drops of Veritaserum on her tongue, and
enervated her.

Lucius said harshly, �Why are you here girl?�

She said in a monotone, �To keep the Dark Lord informed on his
troops� actions. Also to find out for Pansy where Draco has
been going.�

Lucius grinned and looked over at his son, eyebrow raised. Draco
rolled his eyes and resolved to go set Pansy in her place after the meeting was
over.

Rodolphus glared at the witch on the chair, �Does the Dark Lord
suspect us?�

�No, He simply wants reports and thought I was unimportant enough to
give them.�

�Do you have a relationship with Him?�

�Not a relationship, he simply uses me when he needs to.� The fox
began growling at that point.

Hermione thought to herself, Well this is an
interesting development, perhaps I can play scorned lover? Ohhh
that would keep His filthy hands off me for a bit!

Lucius bit out, �Are there any others like you?�

�Not that I know of, but most likely. He
generally seems to know what I�m going to say.�

�Well you have been most informative Miss Bulstrode. Excuse us if
you don�t remember this tomorrow.� With that Lucius cast a memory charm over
her and then stupefied the girl once more.

She was eventually sent back to her home and enervated to remember
that she had simply gotten tired and went to sleep.

The rest of the members were looking at each other and the leaders
in slight apprehension. They had just been treated to the sight of a punishment
for betrayal, and that was merely the introduction to the group.

They had all filed out of the room silently, nodding to the Malfoys and older Lestrange as they left. The Weasleys shook hands with Rodolphus and then disapparated away to do their own spying for the Dark Lord.

The two Malfoys and male Lestrange turned
back to the room and the sole occupant, the fox. The fox suddenly began to
change, and then V stood before them tapping her foot. �Well that was
informative,� she said sarcastically.

Rodolphus began, �Now V ��

�Don�t now V me, Father! I find this rather amusing in all honesty.
The insane, shell of a man called the Dark Lord has the sexual needs of a
rabbit. He has practically no emotion and the only thing that hasn�t recognized
his repulsiveness and insanity is himself. I�m going to enjoy this game far
more than I though I would.�

Lucius stepped forward, �V, don�t play with Him too much. You can
easily get in over your head.�

She huffed and waved her hand, causing a few of the torches to
flicker, �I know, I know. But I think I can play this to my advantage. But
that's my job, not any of yours.� She glanced around at the group. �Now I need
to pull some Order members. The strike is going to need to be soon. I have a
potential plan, if all goes well with my ideas for Him, but it will need to
happen in the next month or so for it to work. Which would
also mean that I need to get Harry up to speed.�

Lucius picked up on her train of thought, �Which means you�ll need
to be talking to him in the next day or so.�

�Exactly.�

Rodolphus rolled his eyes at her, �I don�t understand why
you still care for that boy. He�s an idiot. But I�ll accept what you say.
Lucius and Draco, would you care to join me for some firewhiskey? I believe my
daughter has someplace to be.�

�Gladly Lestrange.� The three men
walked out debating the differences between firewhiskey and muggle
whiskey and the methods used to brew them.

Hermione watched Draco leave the room without so much as a glance her way. She felt hurt and betrayed,
even though she knew he had most likely been acting in front of their parents. I miss him � Gods now that's a thought that
will get me killed. Best put it out of your head old girl. You need to go visit
Harry and get him off this Ginny kick of his.

She stood up and scribbled out a few notes. She transformed
into her phoenix form and popped away to the Burrow. She handed one to Fred and
George, the contents basically telling them to approach their mum and brothers
about potentially ending the war. They nodded at her after reading it and she
popped away once again to Moody�s residence.

She had written down the ideas that her little group was
espousing and had basically asked his interest. He looked down and sighed at
the parchment. Without looking up he muttered, �Blackie, come by tomorrow and
I�ll let ya know. This ole fool needs to let �is mind
acclimate.� She chirped a few notes of an uplifting tune and popped away once
again.

She arrived at Lupin and Tonk�s place next, leaving the parchment on their kitchen
table for them to read the next morning. It merely mentioned a new potential
lead in the war, and if they would perhaps be interested in joining along with
other Order members.

Hermione had chosen her potentials very carefully. Many of
the old guard was either dead or very hostile to the Death Eaters, but they at
least were more than willing for the war to end. The new Order members had
brought a different feel to the society. They were far more militant and harsh.
They felt that it was only fair to fight the Death Eaters with their own
tactics. She felt they were purely hypocrites and wanted nothing to do with
them. Hence, she approached those she knew would listen. Moody was older now
and had lost everything in the war, she knew he would want it to finally
finish. Remus had a dark side that he tried to hide,
but she knew that he would be more than willing for a society that did not
scorn magical creatures, but accepted them as part of a magical society. Tonks too had connections to the dark side through her
family, even if she chose to shut them off. The Weasleys,
well, the Weasley�s would be the biggest proponents
if she could convince them. Molly clearly held the respect of most of society,
now that her husband was dead and she still managed to continue on.

Hermione popped once more to Grimmauld Place, the one place she had
hoped to avoid for the rest of her life. She took down the wards quickly and
silently, slipped through the door and replaced all of the wards within
moments. She quickly made her way up to Harry�s bedroom, ensuring that she kept
out of the way and made no noise in the old house.

After listening at the door for a few moments, she slipped
in quietly and looked around. The layout was the same as it had been when she
left. The comforter had changed to an ugly shade of green and the chairs had
been recovered in some strange fabric. Hermione waved a hand at one of the
chairs and changed it back to the way it had been. She then placed it in the
corner behind the door and sat, waiting for Harry to come to bed. She kept her
cloak and hood on, resolving to show him her real looks for the first time. She
sat quietly, waiting for the hustle and bustle downstairs to stop, and mulled
over what she would say to her ex-husband.

Hermione was broken out of her daze when she
heard Harry�s footsteps coming up the hall. She stilled herself as he opened
the door and walked in slowly. She took the time to really study him. His
shoulders were drooped as though weighted down and he walked as though there
was no point in walking. He seemed almost defeated. His face was much sharper
than before and she noticed now that his eyes were slightly sunken in and
almost hollow. She sighed to herself, If I�d known this was
how he�d react, Gods. The last thing he needs is pity though. She watched
quietly as he replaced his clothing with a t-shirt and silken sleep pants.
After he had padded in and out of the bathroom, he stood in front of the mirror
and simply looked himself in the eye.

She spoke quietly out of the shadow, �See
anything useful in there?�

He swung around, wand at the ready, �Who�s
there?�

Well
at least he knows to hide his wand, even in privacy; I certainly didn�t see it
before, she mused.� �A friend,� she opened her palm and curled
her fingers to her; Harry�s wand came through the air.

�A friend that sees a need to disarm me is
no friend of mine,� he stated back coldly, his eyes shifting around the room
trying to locate another weapon. All he could see was a dark-robed figure in
the far corner, seated on one of the lounge chairs � wait isn�t that the fabric that Hermione had? �Hermione?�

She grinned, �Very good Potter! Although it�s �Mi now. Much easier when you don�t have any
time left, don�t you think?� She stood up and walked towards him.

He sat down on the bed heavily, �What are
you doing here? You know if Ginny gets back ��

She interrupted, �Oh Harry, we both know she
won�t be back for a while, and even if she was, she wouldn�t come here.� She
looked him right in the eye.

He sighed, �How is it that you always have
situations pegged? You knew she and I wouldn�t make it before I even thought
about trying. What the hell has my life come too, �Mione?
I�m a complete screw up. Can�t keep my best friends, can�t even father a baby, and
can�t get the girl to marry me.�

She glared at him, �Oh fuck your little pity
party Potter. You�re better than this! Don�t you see where she has you?! You�ve
bloody given up.� She waved her arms at him. �The minute I walked out that door
and out of you life, you gave up. I didn�t walk out of that bloody marriage for
you to become a pathetic little man. I did it because I thought that maybe she
was what you needed. You were so bleedin�
self-righteous after Ron died. Gods!� She growled in
frustration and pointed at him, �Will you stop being so selfish for once? You
aren�t the only one who lost their family, you aren�t the only one who misses
Ron, you aren�t the only one that others depend on.
Bloody hell Potter! No one depends on you anymore! Everyone is doing it for
you!� He made to interrupt and she held her hand up, �Yes, yes the
prophecy.� Prophecy, shmophecy. You used to say you wanted to be known as
something other than the Boy-Who-Lived or the Boy-Who-Killed-Voldemort. How
about the Man-Who-Fought or the Man-Who-Was-Fearless? Fucking eh! Right now
you�re the Prat-Who-Gave-Up. Everyone in the Order is
fighting a losing battle and they know it. You should have the upper hand by
now! You�re in your prime, you�ve had plently of time to train your magic. You shouldn�t still be
waiting for Him to attack! Attack Him! Get this goddamn war over with!� She was
pacing in her frustration.

Harry sat back on his bed stunned. No one
had talked to him like that since she had left five years ago. Man I fucked up.

She grumbled, �You can think that again.�

He looked at her in shock.

�You were broadcasting that one Potter, I�m not an idiot anymore.�

��Mione, you were
hardly ever an idiot before.�

�I was enough of one to get married to you;
but that�s water under the bridge now.�
Now you need to get on with your life. Get over Ginny or at least ignore
her. I don�t give a damn. I�m tired of my family being threatened at all sides.
I want peace.�

�So you went back to them then? Are you one
of them?� He said harshy.

�Of course I�m a bloody Death Eater Harry.
I�d be dead if I weren�t and my parents with me. That doesn�t mean that I�m not
on your side though. Don�t forget what you did to Snape. All is not what it
seems and you should know that by now.�

Harry was looking at her with a mixture of
confusion and disgust. �How can you even say that? Your mother killed Sirius!�

�Yes she did. She has berated herself for
that every day since. She certainly didn�t mean to kill him, hell she shot a
simple spell at him! He�s the one that moved towards the veil.� She had stopped
pacing and was talking to him in a calming voice.

�Tell me, Hermione,
please tell me that you aren�t defending his murderess. Sirius was the last
thing I had!� He had tears rolling down his cheeks and his voice had broken at
the plea.

�I do not defend her actions, I merely cite
that there is more than what you can imagine happening.� She looked at his
destroyed face closely.� She took of her
hood and cloak carefully and tossed them away. �Meet Veronique Lestrange,
Harry.�

He looked up and saw someone very different
than what Hermione had used to look like. �Bloody Hell.�
This woman had dark straight hair with various colors that shone but resembled
Hermione�s old hair in its volume. She was tall, close to his height and her
body was rather thick. She wasn�t fat though, just muscled. The leather outfit
she wore, Harry would happily admit, was very arousing.

She raised an eyebrow at his obvious
examination. �Harry,� he looked back up and she continued once his attention
was reassured, �the Death Eaters aren�t the only ones who want others dead.
When we were babies, the Order was attempting to pass legislation that the
children of Death Eaters or even suspected Dark couples be killed on the spot.
Other legislation was passed against various associations and even Dark
creatures. When do you think it was declared illegal for werewolves to
breed?� Even though Remus
was in the Order, they were mistrusting of others. The Order was almost as
bloodthirsty as the Death Eaters back then. Raids were done on suspected homes;
the homes were burnt down to the ground � often with people still in them. My
parents took it into their own hands after Voldemort was gone to stop the laws
from being passed. They attacked the Longbottoms, not
because they cared about where the Dark Lord had gone, but to stop them from
possibly killing me.� The Longbottoms were an extremely powerful couple in the
Ministry and they were some of the most ruthless Aurors
out there; you�ve seen Neville�s Gran. Hell most of the Death Eaters were
pleased the Dark Lord was gone, they simply didn�t believe it was forever, so
they knew they had to keep up appearances.� She took a deep breath and sat down
on the bed next to Harry.

He looked over at her teary eyes and said
simply, �I guess that everyone has a bit of the Dark in them.�

�Oh Harry,� she knew that was as close as
she would get to comfort. She took his hand in one of her own and looked him in
the eye, �there is a group forming that wants the Dark Lord dead. They really
want the war to just be over, but feel that they would have more power if He
died. We � I � want you to join. The goal is to simply finish this war and put
the discussions back to the places they belong, in politics. The only thing
that some request is after the war, they be excused for earlier crimes. They
don�t ask for anything else but pardon. They accept that they will need to work
their way through society again and that no one will like them, but they are
willing to help you. Right now its mostly made up of
Death Eaters, but I have a few Order members lined up.�

Harry was slightly in shock; here was
Hermione Granger now Veronique Lestrange, formerly Muggleborn
poster-girl and walking rulebook, willing to break all lines of light and dark
to settle in a field of compromise? He had to wonder if he ever really knew
her.� �Look �Mione,
I need to think about this. I�m not going to put it off, but I need time to
accept what you�re saying. You�re welcome to stay here tonight if you need, but
I can�t give you a response tonight. You�ve given me way too much to think
about for that.� He half-smiled at her, �Although you always did that at school
too. Never anything simple from you, is it?�

She grinned and yawned. She waved her hand
and she was in one of Draco�s t-shirts that she had stolen and a pair of his
favorite boxers, by the warmth, she guessed that he had just had them on. She
giggled to herself and curled up in her old bed. Harry a little surprised
merely shrugged his shoulders and got in on his own side. He stayed awake
almost half the night, watching her sleep and thinking about everything she had
said.

End Flashback

Hermione was still giggling about that event
with Draco. He had apparently still been with their fathers when she had
literally taken the pants off of him. The moment she had stepped back into her
manor the next day, he had literally growled at her. Hermione smirked, Of course then I got rather aroused and we
made love like a pair of beasts in heat, but it was so worth it! Especially when Harry noticed that it was a
guy�s shirt and shorts that I had on. Haha!

She brought her body to the end of her tai
chi exercises and began to lightly stretch her muscles. She danced and spun
around on the grass for a little while, just enjoying the sounds of the
morning. She turned back to her spot and sat down with her legs crossed. She
controlled her breathing and did a few cycles of that in preparation for her
yoga. She summoned her mat and stood. As she folded her hands through the
motions, she let her mind wander and as she arched into Upward Dog, she drifted
back off into consideration of the Order members she had been approaching that
week.

Both Moody and Harry were extremely
tentative about the whole thing, but were willing to give it due consideration
once they had met with the other Death Eaters. Remus
had seemed almost pleased about the idea, and while Tonks
was a bit more reserved picked up some of her old enthusiasm and accepted the
idea too. The Weasleys were by far the hardest to
speak with. Obviously Ginny was excluded and Percy was so wrapped up in the
Ministry that they felt it wouldn�t be a good idea to tell him either. That
still left Bill, Charlie and Molly as potential naysayers,
and Hermione had been very tentative. She knew that due to Arthur�s death they
would all be very wary and vengeful towards the Death Eaters, but she hoped
that the promise of later retribution would be helpful.

Also she knew that Bill�s condition had
rendered him subject to a lot of controversy. He had been able to keep his job,
but was placed under many of the same restrictions as werewolves. He and Fleur
couldn�t have children and he was placed under lock and key, each full moon.
Hermione knew that he was considerably bitter about those results in
particular.

Charlie was also a decent possibility,
simply because he worked with such dangerous and Dark
animals on a daily basis. He obviously had a taste for adventure and the Dark,
even though he would never fully give into it.

It was Molly that Hermione was nervous
about. Molly had always seemed to see things as black or white, 5th year anyone? Hermione just hoped
that after the past few years of non-stop war and betrayal, perhaps Molly would
be a bit more understanding.

The twins had taken Remus
with them to talk to Bill and Hermione had gone in her Dragon form to talk to
Charlie. She had gotten out of it much better than the twins and Remus.

When Bill had found out about the twins
being Death Eaters, he had flung curses at them, hollering about Arthur and
their betrayal of their own family. Once Remus had
been able to calm him down, the twins had explained the sitation
they had been in at the time. Bill was slightly mollified by their
explanations, but was still considerably upset about the whole situation. At Remus� urging he had agreed to consider the group, but had
promised nothing. Both twins were glad for Hermione�s suggestion that they
bring Remus along. She knew he had become something
of a mentor to the curse-breaker and that he would listen to him out of anyone.

Charlie had been rather bedazzled by her
animagus at first and hadn�t paid much attention to her attempts to mentally
speak with him. She was a little fidgety about being at the Dragon camp, simply
because in the Dragon world, male far out numbered the females, and she was
being eyed by a number of them. Plus, she had a feeling that she may have been
in heat at the time, which made it all so
much better!

She smirked to herself as she moved from
Downward Dog into her start position and commenced her sequence again.

Charlie, once she had made mental contact,
had been rather hostile; but she had chosen her dragon form for a reason and
practically forced him to listen by wrapping her tail around him and looking
him in the eye. Even he was smart enough not to mess with a pissed of dragon animagi. She had discussed the ideals of the group and
stressed that there would be ultimate retribution on most Death Eaters in the
end. Its not as though we want them all
walking away again either, she had thought to him. He had agreed to come to
a meeting and also agreed to help her broach it with his mum.

She groaned as she arched backwards, her
back popping and abs stretching out.

That
was such a fun meeting, she
thought to herself sarcastically.

Molly, confronted by the twins, her eldest
sons, and Hermione, had not been docile. She had chucked pots, pans, even
knives at them as they hid behind the couch. The entire time she had wailed
about Ron and Arthur and their dedication to the cause. Hermione had finally
stood up, placed a shield around herself and spoke to
the matriarch calmly. �Molly, Arthur would have wanted this war to be over by
now. You know that he would have done anything to save you and your family,
just as Fred and George have, just as Bill and Charlie are willing to do, just
as I am willing to do.�

Molly stopped throwing things and looked at
Hermione through her tears, �Oh, I know dear. It�s just so hard sometimes.� She
walked towards Hermione and pulled her into a hug, still sobbing, �This war has
turned us all topsy-turvy and I just don�t know what to do anymore. If this
means that it will end and I won�t have to lose more of my babies in the coming
years, then so be it.�

The boys had slowly come out from hiding and
hugged their mother from behind, each grinning sheepishly as Hermione mouthed
the word, �Cowards� at them.

That
was one hell of a long day, yesterday was. Gods, I�m so bloody sore! Damn Draco
and his endurance. Darned horny male, she grumbled as she finished her yoga sets and flopped onto the now dry
grass, the sun�s full beams having dried it during her sessions.

Horny male? I think my ears are burning. What were you
thinking of my dear?

Hermione grinned to herself as she felt a
shadow come over her prone body and sensed Draco standing above her. Oh not much, just thinking about how sore I
am. She could even feel his proud smirk from the ground. Draco?

Yes
Miss Lestrange?

She cracked an eye open to look at his
handsome face. What are we?

He thought for a moment, Well, most would say that we are human, but
I like to think that I�m much more than a mere human � He was grinning at
her.

She glared at him and took his legs out from
under him. He fell to the ground with an �oomph.� That�s not what I meant and you know it. I
meant �what are we?� as in a relationship.

Well,
V, I�m as lost as you are on that one. We aren�t a couple � that�s just too
trite for either of us. �Bonded� sounds too clinical and �soul mates� doesn�t
seem to cover it does it?
He glanced at her with a serious expression on his face.

She shook her head in response and sighed, I guess we just, are. As odd a description
as that seems.

He nodded, No, I think it works. We can�t think of other things right now, we
simply have to be.

Unbeknownst to the pair on the grass, two
figures stood at the window in a similar position. The female muttered quietly,
�I guess now I�m glad that she wasn�t my true daughter, otherwise she wouldn�t
even consider him.�

The male laughed, �My dear, she is more like
you than any natural daughter could be. I just hope they know what they�re
doing.�

The female turned to him and said, �Rudy,
did we even know what we were doing at that age?�

He smirked and picked her up, �I remember a
few things I knew how to do back then, and I think I�m more than capable of
reminding you.�

She giggled and swatted at his arm, �Remind
me then Rudy-mine, remind me what it means to be loved.�

The older couple disappeared back into their
own room, as the girl on the grass laid her head on the man�s shoulder and he
wrapped his arms around her; the pair sat for the rest of the morning talking
about their plans for Voldemort and watching the birds play on the horizon.

A/N: So I�m going to
go collapse and soak my hands in essence of murtlap. Review and let me know
what you think!
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The Inner Peace