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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
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Draco held Hermione close as they watched Harry and Ginny slide the covers on the boys’ coffins. It was a surreal moment, knowing that you’d lost part of your family… but not really lost them. Their Albus was perched on Harry’s shoulder and Martin on Emily’s. The funeral had been a huge undertaking, especially having to break the news to everyone back home.

It was the Creeveys who took it the hardest. The whole family felt guilty, having to lie. Martin had been conversing with Emily all day, the twins trying very hard to find some way to console their distraught parents. It was a no win situation. Worse yet, the Creeveys wanted Emily to return home with them permanently. She refused, clinging tightly to Jacob as they ordered her to come home. She understood their feelings; the whole family had. But she couldn’t leave the family now. They had to finish… and this was her family now too. In the end, the Creeveys had remained deathly silent as the funeral progressed and everyone was on pins and needles, wondering when they would finally crack.

Molly had an exceptionally hard time of things. She couldn’t believe her grandbaby was gone. Knowing she’d lost one… nearly two right on the heels of Lily’s ‘accident’, was devastating. She was almost inconsolable. Alex had finally slipped the poor woman a calming draught so she could deal with her emotions. Arthur was once again strong and silent, but it didn’t take a legilimens to know he was hurting. They kept looking at Harry and Ginny oddly every time they spoke to one of the phoenixes. It probably had more to do with them forgetting Al’s new name. Eterno didn’t exactly roll off the lips like Al did. They’d have to tread carefully.

Ron was openly crying as he held Luna to him. He’d exploded twice when he learned the danger that Hugo had been in. It had taken them a long time to convince him not to go charging after the attackers. Actually, it had taken them even longer to explain the Master and what she had in store. His eyes darkened and he offered his aid, whenever they needed it. He remembered all too greatly what Voldemort had done to the wizarding world. He wouldn’t stand by and watch them fight alone.

Dumbledore sat towards the side, silently watching the proceedings as he stroked Fawkes. They had filled the Headmaster in on what happened, primarily since he’d known all of their secrets. If it was one thing that Albus Dumbledore could do, it was keep a secret. The old Headmaster offered them his condolences and congratulations in the same breath, right after he offered them whatever assistance he could still give.

It warmed them all to know they had such amazing friends to fight for them. Draco pulled Hermione even closer as the Potters covered the children’s graves. They’d attended too many burials and not near enough births in the world. It was becoming clear what they were faced with. They hadn’t confronted the Gods yet, but it was looming in the back of their minds. They’d have to fight like they’d never done so before… and possibly risk their lives once again for the good of mankind.

Draco’s eyes flickered over to his mother on that thought. She looked positively radiant, if a little pale. Addie Mae was tucked into the crook of her arm, resting her little cheek against Narcissa’s shoulder. They were an odd pairing, but the tiny tot seemed to prefer the company of vampires. Draco had to admit that they made quite the beautiful family. He wished he’d grown up knowing so much love from two parents instead of just his mother. It actually made him feel more at ease to know that she’d never suffer again. She’d adjusted well, probably from the fact that she’d lived with a vampire for so long.

The words Severus spoke over the bodies of Albus and Martin sounded like they came from a deep well. Draco couldn’t piece them together if he had all the spellotape in the wizarding world. His mind was worlds away, focused on the task set ahead of them. Salem had closed down until the New Year, citing the need for law enforcement to step in and handle things… and for families to mend. They were grateful for that at least.

‘What will we do love?’ Hermione thought sadly as Severus stepped down and allowed Alex to speak words over his grandchildren.

‘How much do you fancy sticking around the earth?’

Hermione shuddered. ‘You want to expose us.’

‘Only when we’re sure we can end it. But I’m afraid it is the only way. This goes way beyond anything we’ve ever dealt with love. We’re no match for the Gods… but if we can stop this war before they get involved, we might stand a chance.’

‘Do you think Nemesis and Fortuna know about this?’

‘No. They seem to fancy us, for whatever reason. This goes beyond them.’

Hermione shivered again, knowing that Draco was right. They had to end this. But they couldn’t do it alone. They’d have to work harder than ever before. The children needed to be put to rights. They needed to be trained and to discover their limits. There was no time and so much to do still. They hadn’t even sorted through all of MacNeeley’s memories yet, but there was no doubt that the Master had found him. The searching runes that had sprouted all over Dormer and Cygnus’s bodies were testament to that. Malfoy Manor’s wards had blocked the linking spell to keep from reporting their whereabouts, but they were still wary of what else the Master had up her sleeve.

The funeral came to a close, tears and hugs and condolences marking the end. If they didn’t know better, they’d say the entire wizarding world showed up for the boys’ funerals. There was one person that wasn’t invited though, and Draco wanted nothing more than to squash her like a bug.

“I’ve got her,” Melody hissed softly as she stalked around behind Hermione and Draco.

She’d had it out for Rita Skeeter ever since she realized the conniving old reporter liked to nose her way into private affairs and twist them to her own means. She still had to repay her for years of articles defaming Severus, his marriage, herself, her marriage, her vampire husband, and of course, the Golden Trio and spouses. Oh, she was going to get her this time.

“Hello Skeeter,” Melody growled as she picked up the animagus cockroach by one of her antenna. “I warned you to stay away, didn’t I?”

Draco and Hermione watched as she cast the spell that forced an animagus to stay in their form until released and then throw her on a couple of prim and proper ladies. They screeched, flailing and stomping the scurrying bug, vowing vengeance on it, and hexing it as it scuttled underfoot. Melody brushed her fingers off and went to join her husband. She didn’t care one whit what happened to Rita Skeeter. Served the bitch right.

Albus trilled happily and flew over to Melody’s shoulder, nuzzling her hair with his beak. She reached up and scratched the beautiful bird on the chest. “Thank you Eterno. I must say that it felt quite brilliant.”

The reception after the funeral was held at Grimmauld Place, the only place big enough to hold it… that wasn’t Malfoy Manor. Draco trusted the ancient wards on the place, but he didn’t want to take any chances of a stray guest wandering down to the dungeons. For the past week and a half, Cygnus and Dormer had been held captive there. They were attended by a house elf instructed to feed them the bare minimum and heal any life threatening injuries. Beyond that, they were consumed with the darkness spell Melody had given them. They hadn’t gotten a whole lot more information from the two, but they would. They had to finish this though, celebrate the first lives of Albus and Martin.

The children immediately flooded upstairs to the bedrooms with their ‘new’ pet phoenixes. Their parents attributed their lack of interest in the party to shock and grief. The guests didn’t see it as out of the ordinary and let it go. It was excruciatingly painful, trying to act like you were mourning when you were finished. They’d mourned the loss of the boys until they passed into their new bodies. Now they were trying to look past that and get used to their new forms.

While the adults were downstairs trying to pretend that the world was painted grey, the children were upstairs laughing at Albus and Martin as they lifted the little children up in the air and flew them around. Their newfound strength was put to use frolicking around, trying to prove that they were the same, if a little feathery now. Emily translated for them and they were having a grand time. Almost.

The threat of war loomed over all of them. They’d all been a bit morose after the battle. James and Nahuatl were barely starting to get back to themselves. Nahuatl had been named some unspoken guardian of the phoenixes, the boys gravitating to her. They had cried profusely over her broken body after they had transformed, healing her as best they could. James received the same treatment, but Nahuatl had deeper scars that they sensed needed healing.

James and Annabel were damn near inseparable, going so far as to insisting they even use the loo together. They claimed they were physically unable to part and no one questioned it. After reviewing Draco and Hermione’s account of their rescue, there was no question about it. Their souls had touched, causing some sort of unseen damage that none of the fated twins would speak about. Even now, as James was lying in bed because he was too tired to sit, Annabel draped herself over him protectively.

Aiden curled his arm around Zandra, pulling her a little closer to his seated position in the corner. He’d been hurt badly in the battle. His wounds were healed in short order but he wouldn’t gain his strength back until he consumed blood. Zandra had insisted he take hers, baring the fact that her wolf wouldn’t infect him. Melody assured them it wouldn’t but Aiden had been extremely reluctant. He knew what taking blood meant. It wasn’t a true bond, but it was something very deep and primal and he didn’t want to subject Zandra to that. He didn’t feel she was ready for it. Zandra had practically come unglued at that, sticking him to a wall and thrusting a sliced wrist into his mouth so he couldn’t refuse.

Aiden buried his smirk in Zandra’s shoulder at the thought of how quickly the family had raced from the room. He couldn’t help himself, feasting on Zandra’s blood until he could feel his strength returning. Her sounds of ecstasy still rang in his ears and it took everything in him not to take advantage of her in that moment. Exercising control his father would have been proud of, he pulled back and healed her wounds before promptly leaving to relieve himself. Since then, Zandra had been glued to his side and he couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed.

Serena watched from the far corner as Timmy whooped and hollered, soaring around the room in Martin’s talons. In that moment, he didn’t look like the terrified little boy that had been rescued from the bowels of Khrones. He looked normal, light and carefree, the way all young children should. Her mind weighed heavily on the upcoming fight. They would have to do so much better than that had, less they end up in a worse fate.

“You think any harder and your brain will leak out your ears.”

Serena snorted at Jonah’s words. “I might welcome it at this point.”

Jonah nodded and scooted closer to her, daring to put an arm over her shoulder. He, too, had insisted Serena drink from him. She was more worried that she couldn’t stop than the repercussions the bite would cause. She didn’t have the control that Aiden did. Lucky for her, Jonah didn’t mind. He’d held steady while she took tentative sips from his wrist. She fought down a blush when she remembered the deep groans coming from him, the bite pushing him over the edge of pleasure. She’d never really been one to masturbate a lot, but that night she’d brought herself off to thoughts of Jonah.

How strange, to go from hating the chauvinistic prat to fancying him. He’d seemed to do a complete turnaround during his short time with his family. He still hadn’t spoken with Draco about his time spent at Khrones, but he seemed to be dealing with it better. Separating from Zandra had worked wonders as well. He was still a first class jerk sometimes, but he’d mellowed out… and he followed her around like a puppy. It was sort of… endearing.

Zach and Nate were lying up against the wall by James’s bed. Their mates had fallen asleep on them almost as soon as they had sat down. It wasn’t surprising. They had both had terrible rows with their families, insisting that they needed to stay with the family rather than return home. Neither had slept much in the past week. Violetta’s mum caved pretty quickly but piled more guilt on one girl than ten Molly Weasleys could in a year. Anastasia’s mum banished her from the sea, a low blow for a merperson. The boys were overwhelmed by their support and vowed then and there to protect them always. If they were to be pillows, so be it.

Rhapsody, Deven, Cadence, and Matt sat on the opposite wall, watching Albus and Martin play with Lily and Cecil. They looked truly happy, something that Rhapsody had been deeply worried about. It was one thing to know what was to happen, another to accept it. The boys seemed to have come through with flying colors. Lily was a slight bit clingy to Albus, but she was coming around. Cecil had helped her tremendously, though watching his brother be carded off to jail was sobering for him.

“Think we’ll win?” Matt asked as he lazily stroked Cadence’s arm. They’d become closer in the last few days, relaxing into their relationship with ease.

“We have to,” Rhapsody sighed, snuggling further into Deven’s side. “Failure isn’t an option.”

“Isn’t that a movie quote?” Deven asked with a laugh.

“It is. But just like Apollo 13, we can’t abort this.”

“We have to summon them,” Cadence said quietly.

Rhapsody nodded. “And then we train.”

Scorpius felt Lizzy shiver and draped his cloak over her. She’d fallen ill after their battle, having been bitten by a half-breed werewolf. Alex had insisted that she wouldn’t turn, but the girl had gotten a nasty infection from it. It was the one way they were able to get her out of her home environment and away from the abusive bastard that posed as her father. Her mother had snuck out of the house a little after he’d sent Lizzy away in disgust, armed with all of her personal affects and a token Lizzy’s birth parents had given her as wee babe before they died.

Scorpius was secretly very happy but his mother had beaten enough manners into him to keep his mouth closed on the subject. Lizzy would miss her mother greatly and he would be there for her. He was truthfully worried that her infection had gone on too long. His mum and dad reassured him that it would just take time, but seeing her limping and shivering as her body fought the infection was nerve wracking.

The other three Malfoys were with their respective mates taking in the atmosphere. Jacob held Emily close as she watched the boys flying around the room. Losing Martin’s corporeal form was a tough blow, though it was eased by the fact that he didn’t actually pass. Still, she couldn’t just run up and grab a hug from him any time she wanted. She’d confided in Jacob that she was proud of him for being brave enough to do what had to be done, but she was still sad.

Ara wasn’t sure she could sit still any longer. She’d been anxious ever since the battle, almost to the point of losing control with her dampening bracelet on. Colton said he’d felt it to. She’d asked Scorpius one night and he’d confirmed the same thing but said he could rein it in because he was secretly casting healing spells for Lizzy at night. Something was definitely happening. She’d have to tell her parents soon. She knew they’d understand, but they’d had enough stress as it was. She didn’t want to burden them anymore than possible.

Ara’s magic sparked at that thought, shocking poor Nahuatl who was lying in a bed across the room from James and Annabel. She yelled that she was sorry, checked to make sure the girl was okay, and promptly left the room. She didn’t want to hurt anyone else. It looked like she wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer. It was time to have a chat with her parents.

“Where are you going?” Colton asked as he trotted along behind her.

“I’ve got to talk to mum and dad. I’m not sure I can keep from hurting anyone else. I just… I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Are Rose and Jacob experiencing the same thing?”

“No!” she moaned. “And that’s the problem. It’s just me and Scorp.”

“And me,” Colton said quietly.

“And you,” Ara allowed. “I’m wondering if Lizzy is taking so long to heal because of it too. Scorp said he’s been secretly healing her at night and that it almost looked like her magic was tearing the progress she’d made during the day out. Remember the circle? Mum and dad tore themselves apart because they kept too much inside. What if that’s what’s happening?”

“Slow down,” Colton said as Ara jumped a flight of stairs. “I happen to agree but we can’t just go barging in there and tell them something is wrong. They’ll have a heart attack.”

“No they won’t,” Ara snorted.

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because they’ve been eavesdropping,” she sighed and pointed to the next flight of stairs where Hermione and Draco were standing.

“Oh,” Colton gulped.

“Don’t look so scared,” Hermione chucked. “We really don’t bite.”

“Well, anyone but each other,” Draco clarified.

Colton turned to Ara then, a bit paler than usual. “You are sure you don’t have fangs, right?”

Ara beamed. “Positive.”

Colton nodded and followed Draco and Hermione, who were trotting to a little used den on the first floor. They warded it tightly and sat down with a sigh. Mingling with guests who were intent on coddling and rehashing every moment of the lives of Albus and Martin was tiring.

“So there is something wrong,” Draco started once he’d made himself comfortable on the small loveseat.

Ara nodded and sat down. “I shocked Nahuatl just a second ago. She’s okay, but I’m worried. It seems like the bracelets aren’t enough.”

“And Scorp feels this too?” Hermione asked quietly.

Ara nodded and gulped. “Guess you heard about his healing.”

Draco nodded. “We aren’t mad sweetheart, so you can relax. We are concerned though. You have an interesting theory.”

“Why just me and Scorp though? Why not Jacob and Rose? They aren’t having any outbursts.”

“But Colton and Lizzy are,” Hermione said quietly. “Think Ara. What is the difference between you and your twin and your brother and sister?”

Ara shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Wait,” Colton said quietly. “Do Hugo and Emily wear dampening bracelets?”

“No,” Draco said. “And I believe that is where the difference is. You four all have extremely powerful magic, as strong as you can get while still balanced. It could be gearing up for something. Ours did.”

“But you weren’t balanced,” Ara said, her brows furrowed.

“And there haven’t been any complete balanced couples in… ever,” Draco countered. “You are an experiment, all of you. We won’t know what you can do until we test it out.”

“But what if I sting someone else?”

“We’ll need to start figuring this out quickly,” Hermione sighed. “For now, have you tried expelling some of your energy?”

Ara nodded. “I do at night, walk around and blast things and put them back together.”

“I believe it’s time for a little lesson in the elements,” Draco said thoughtfully. “They tired us out when we were still learning. They should do the same to you?”

“What do you mean?” Ara asked curiously.

“Elements,” Hermione began, “are the hardest to control unless you are born with the ability like Nahuatl. They require careful study and a great deal more strength if you aren’t attuned to them. Severus had us freeze the forbidden forest and then reshape it, thaw it, and freeze it again. Moving earth and water and air and fire, it’s very exhausting. It should allow you to remain in control until we can start testing.”

“When will that be?” Ara asked, her eyes automatically darting to the door.

Draco sighed. “Well, we have to get through the day first. And we must summon the Goddesses this evening before we begin. So, if you are feeling particularly unbalanced right now, we can cast a shield while you to duel for a moment if you’d like.”

It took almost half an hour for Ara and Colton to wear themselves out, mostly because Colton didn’t know how to cast anything stronger than a disarming spell. Hermione and Draco vowed then and there to get the other children up to speed as quickly as possible. When the teens were finally panting and sweating, they sent them upstairs and returned to the reception.

It was late when the last mourner left, that mourner being Molly Weasley. Arthur had finally dragged her out the door, promising they could return the next day. They were really worried about the poor woman, but she doted on her new children the same as always. Maybe they would keep her from falling too far in despair. Victoraire had done the same when she lost Percy.

“Alright crew,” Melody announced tiredly. “Time to return to the Ranch. There are some Goddesses who have a lot of explaining to do. Everyone grab your partners and let’s head out.”

Draco cleared his throat. “We’re going to go check on our… guests. We’ll meet you all out there.”

He grabbed Hermione and they trotted across the street to apparate to the Manor. They just needed to check on Dormer and Cygnus before they went back to the states. They could hear the screams as soon as they entered the room. That was nothing new, but the high pitched keening was. They muffled their ears, just to be on the safe side, and cautiously crept down the stairs.

In their cell, the men were writhing as a white light shot into their bodies, back and forth, causing small squirts of blood about the circumference a needle to leak from their bodies in various places. Draco growled and put a shield around the men, effectively stopping the light from damaging them further. Apparently the Master was trying to evoke a blood rite. That was magic much more advanced than a mere squib would have devised. Even Dumbledore would have problems creating a blood rite.

Hermione quickly healed the men while Draco banished the light. It hadn’t managed to get enough blood to complete the rite, but it was strong enough to make him pant as he abolished it. He summoned his and Hermione’s robes and masks. They needed to ask questions now.

“Wake up,” Draco growled.

The men startled, eyes wide as Hermione lifted the darkness from their vision. They looked paler, sickly, and best of all, hopeless. Isolation was the key, Draco realized. These men had been part of a family unit and being separated was taking its toll.

“Care to explain why your Master would call you so brutally?”

“Fuck off,” Dormer spat.

Draco sighed and sent a hex that simulated the feeling of having all his bones broken in his lower extremities. Then he tweaked the slave spells. He had to be close to insanity from those alone. When Dormer squealed, Cygnus started begging.

“Please stop. We don’t know. She’s never done it!”

Draco stopped the spell, listening intently. “Why now?”

“We’ve never been gone this long,” Cygnus sniffled.

“Shut up you weak twat,” Dormer spat.

Hermione silenced him with a spell that would make his lips burn if he so much as twitched them. “Go on.”

“She doesn’t like us away this long.”

“Have you participated in a rite before?” Draco asked, searching Cygnus’s face for any sign of a fabrication.

“Y-yes… but I was little. I don’t remember it.”

Draco quickly entered Cygnus’s mind, pleased that he’d finally cracked his occlumency walls. Cygnus’s mind was jumbled and jagged, threatening to send him down a rabbit’s hole at every turn. No doubt Lucius had carefully explained how to rearrange his mind to be the most treacherous it could be. He carefully navigated his way through, picking at memories here and there. There were memories of his father’s visits, all including a sneering Lucius singing Draco’s praises while putting Cygnus down. Then there were happy memories where Moira held him and rocked him to sleep. They got darker as he got older, Moira cooing filthy things in his ear regarding blood purity and his superiority.

It was frightening how much more of a zealot than Lucius she was. She cooed her approval of the Dark Lord, singing his praises and swearing they’d come into a new rule. If he didn’t know any better, he would have sworn that it was Bellatrix purring those disgusting words in young Cygnus’s ears. There was obsession, too. And Dormer, acting as father figure, whipping him soundly when he put one toe out of line. Dormer, as expected, held the exact same views, though he seemed to overlook the fact that Moira couldn’t perform magic. It was rather surreal for a hardened Death Eater to so blindly enter into a relationship. What exactly did Moira have that he wanted?

Then he found it, the door he was looking for. It was guarded with thick spikes, threatening to puncture anyone who entered. Luckily for him, he had Melody and Severus as teachers. They’d taught him the precise way to crack tricky passages open. He pushed all his weight against the opposite door, a rather nasty scene depicting Moira in and three-way with Lucius and Dormer while he and Michael were forced to watch. He ignored it, waiting for the moment the spikes withdrew to keep the painful memory sealed.

The door clicked and rattled as Cygnus tried to protect his mind from the flood of memories that Draco had unleashed. He used the time to slip into the heavily guarded door and fought back his revulsion. This scene must have been why Michael bled out. Moira was sitting on a throne, bathing in a tub full of blood, chanting a spell in Latin that allowed her complete control over the donors. Across the room, Cygnus, Michael, and Dormer were kneeling reverently. He almost fainted when he saw who was beside the throne. It could be no other than Hades. He had a long beard and was holding a bird-tipped scepter.

Draco ran out of the door, disengaging himself from Cygnus’s mind and hastily replacing the spell. “We have to leave… now.”

Hermione nodded and they made a mad dash for the apparition point. They had a God to confront. Immediately.

AN: TA-DA. I finished this one! Yay. It's only a few hours past posting time, at least. I wonder what the Gods have to say for themselves. As always, thanks to everyone for reviewing. Keep them coming and let me know how I'm doing. Until next time... love you guys!
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Fooling Fate *sequel to Bound*

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound