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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
- 52
- 53
- 54
Draco and Hermione surveyed the crowd left in their rooms in the hotel. They weren’t sure where to start to find Cygnus and were sort of hoping that Nate, Zach, and their mates would be able to convince Eldin to divulge more information. They were also waiting on Al or Martin to fly in with the results of Nahuatl’s scouting. They didn’t want to go gallivanting all over New York on a hunch. Still, they weren’t sure they wanted to stay for the dramatics either.
“This is bullshit,” Serena spat.
“It’ll be a grounding if you do not desist this instant,” Severus growled. He was tired of his daughter’s foul mouth.
Serena crossed her arms and huffed. “I don’t see why we couldn’t go.”
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “You need training.”
“And Aiden and Zandra don’t?” Serena spat.
“Shut it Serena,” Scorpius growled. “Ara and Colton went too and you don’t see me throwing a fit like a toddler.”
“Please,” James taunted. “Addie Mae is much better behaved than Serena.”
“That’s enough, all of you,” Celeste snapped. “Fighting and picking at each other is getting us nowhere. We need everyone to focus.”
“What good will it do us to sit here twiddling our thumbs when everyone else is off risking their lives?” Jonah growled.
“Has it ever occurred to you that we might be backup?” Severus drawled, effectively shutting everyone up. “Now, those of you left, we will be headed down to the large conference room to train. Melody has managed to book it for us today. We’ll be working on lending, shifting, and team fighting. Any questions?”
“I have one!” Talia cried. “What are we supposed to do?”
Severus shot a look at Celeste before clearing his throat. “Has anyone ever taught you the extent of your powers?”
She cocked her head. “What powers?”
“How fast you can run, how many forms you can take, things like that.”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, we know we’re fast and we really want blood but we’ve learned not to take it.”
Severus nodded. “Then we shall teach you that as well.”
Just as Severus turned to open the door to lead them downstairs, there was a knock. He drew his wand and opened it cautiously to find a grave faced Harry Potter, his wife frowning behind him.
“Potter?”
“Dormer is dead,” Harry said flatly.
Draco pushed his way to the front of the room, ignoring everyone’s protests. “When?”
“A few minutes ago,” Harry sighed. “He bled out, sustained too much damage from trying to escape.”
Draco’s lips pursed. “Where were you when they were escaping?”
Harry frowned. “In your parlor, speaking with your mother. The wards flashed several times and she collapsed from the strain of keeping them up.”
“Is she okay?” Draco asked in alarm.
Harry nodded. “She had to feed afterwards but she was okay. She managed to keep the wards up against Dormer but Cygnus was gone by the time I got there. She said that she felt something very odd.”
“Well, what was it?” Draco asked impatiently when Harry paused.
“An animal of some sort.”
“The shifter,” Hermione murmured, finally having made her way through the crowd. “But that means that he would have had to make the bond then.”
Draco frowned. “We need to go to the Manor. I’ve got to feel the wards for myself.”
Harry nodded. “Be careful you two. They still feel very unstable, almost eerily similar to that place that you had an attachment to right before the war.”
“What?” Draco snapped.
Harry frowned. “That place where those three people threw something gross at you and you caught it. It showed you something horrible.”
Draco was about to ask Harry what kind of drug he’d been using when it popped into his mind. The Fates, they’d thrown their eye at him at the Ranch. It had shown them their possible futures if he hadn’t decided to bond with Hermione. He remembered how strange the place had felt before they removed the blood circle, how it had sucked them in to memories. It was so powerful that Melody hadn’t been able to see it… a God fueled spell.
“Fuck,” he spat. “We’ve got to hurry. They’re getting stronger.”
Harry nodded and stepped aside so they could leave. “Hey,” he called after them. “If you need anything-“
Draco nodded. “We’ll call you on the mirror.”
He grabbed Hermione’s hand and pulled her down the hall to the elevator. He didn’t think they could run fast enough. If Moira had called on the Gods to release Cygnus from his prison, they were running out of time. He silently sent a prayer to his children, hoping they flushed out the Master’s men before it was too late.
“Draco, we’ve got to shut this down now. If there is another war-“
“I know,” he cut her off. “We’ll be exposed. She’s too close.”
“The children,” she gasped.
Draco’s jaw tightened. “I think I know the grand design now.”
Hermione blinked tears back. She could see it too. “We’re Harry.”
Draco nodded and pulled her close. “There’s no one I’d rather be with.”
She nodded and reluctantly broke away from him as the doors opened. They didn’t stop running until they got to the apparition point. Moments later, they were standing on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Draco had to bend over and collect himself, less he spill the contents of his stomach.
“How bad?” Hermione murmured.
“They’ve been completely reconfigured,” Draco gasped. “I don’t know how mother held them up.”
“Sheer will.”
Hermione spun to see Demitri hovering in the shadows by the front door. He looked tired and drawn, and it was no wonder. Harry had to be glossing over how badly it had affected Narcissa to hold up against an onslaught of the Gods.
“How is she?” Draco asked quietly.
Demitri sighed. “She’ll be okay. Addie Mae is keeping her company. Come in.”
They followed the vampire through the dark halls of the Manor. It felt so strange now, so chillingly familiar and hauntingly evil. It reminded them of being in Voldemort’s presence combined with the oppressive feeling of Nemesis’s visits. The Gods had most definitely tainted this place. The closer they got to Narcissa, the worse it felt. When they entered her bedroom, they felt like crying. Narcissa was propped up in her large bed. Addie Mae as a wolf cub was curled up in her lap, whining softly as she watched her adopted mother tremble.
“Mother,” Draco rasped, heartbroken as he watched his mother suffer under the weight of the wards.
“My baby boy,” she whispered.
“Let me have them,” Draco ordered.
“They are too much.”
Draco snorted. “Not for us. You’ve been so strong. It’s time to let us take over.”
Narcissa nodded and reached for her wand, waving it weakly in an intricate pattern. Her motions were precise despite the fact that she could barely hold still. Draco and Hermione braced themselves for the weight of the Manor to come down on them. They hadn’t felt anything so heavy since they’d shielded all of Hogwarts. No wonder Cygnus was able to escape.
“Damn,” Draco grunted, searching for the tendril that the Gods had helped Moira tweak. It was woven in a dozen other archaic spells designed to tie into bloodlines.
Hermione gasped beside him. “There. It’s attached to the anchor on the dungeon.”
“The new one,” Draco confirmed. “On three?”
Hermione nodded. They held hands, trying to balance themselves out and build their magic up. When it reached a level strong enough to tackle the anchor ward, they struck, twisting the altered spell back into its original form with a complicated mixture of Latin commands, pure will, and blood recognition. After that, the old wards of the Manor took over, recognizing the Master of the house and repairing themselves. The wards on Malfoy Manor were truly remarkable, strong… and deadly if one wasn’t powerful enough. It was a wonder Narcissa held it.
“Oh, it’s done,” Narcissa cried, collapsing back into her pillows as the wards settled.
The oppressive feeling was gone, though the taint of evil still left a chill on the house. They knew from experience that it would linger. It had taken several years after Voldemort’s defeat for the wards to destroy all the dark magic that the despot had left behind after his occupation.
“Will she be okay now?” Demitri asked softly.
Draco nodded, panting from the exertion of manipulating the wards. “She’ll be okay now. And with Dormer gone and Cygnus in another country, I don’t think Moira has enough pull here to do that again. I could kick myself though. I should have thought about that after the last time Moira called them.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Narcissa rasped.
“You need more blood,” Draco said quietly.
She chuckled. “Always the worrywart.”
Draco smiled softly. His mother always use to tell him that, right after he’d heal her from whatever misery Lucius had afflicted upon her. He’d always been anxious until she was back to her normal self. It seemed he’d never grown out of it. Even now, when his mother was technically dead, he was still worried for her health.
“You’d best hurry,” Demitri said softly. “If I understand magical theory correctly, the trail goes cold quite quickly.”
Draco frowned at the thought of having to leave his mother but Demitri was right. If they didn’t start tracking the magic now, they’d lose any chance of tracking Cygnus. “You’ll watch after her?”
Demitri nodded grimly. “Always.”
“Good luck,” Narcissa called. “And be careful!”
Addie Mae raised her little head and yipped her agreement. Hermione couldn’t resist dropping a kiss on the pup’s head before hugging her mother-in-law and running toward the dungeons. Draco did the same, staying hot on her heels. As they neared the dungeons, they smelled the awful stench of death that had always permeated the area. Only now, there was a fresh body to taint the dungeons. They just hoped that the magic hadn’t grown cold.
“Holy Mother of God,” Hermione cried when she got to the cell Dormer was being held in.
Draco couldn’t speak at all. It looked like a warzone, worse than Hogwarts had been. The iron bars were twisted into shards, twirling around each other to form jagged teeth similar to that of a Dragon’s mouth. Blood was spattered everywhere. And on the ground, what was left of Dormer lie in a congealing mass of human entrails. It was positively horrendous.
“What the hell?” Hermione whimpered, trying desperately not to vomit.
Draco closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic to feel the residual magic. Hermione grabbed his hand, lending him strength. He searched high and low before he found it, the ward that his father had placed here years ago to record their lessons. He loved watching them over and over, sick entertainment for a twisted man. Now Draco was glad they were here. He’d be able to see exactly what happened.
He cast the spell to draw the memory into a vial and capped it quickly before searching again. He was thankful that Melody had taught them how to sense magic. While they were nowhere near efficient, he could get a general idea. He felt a shiver up his spine when he touched the blood ward.
“Fuck,” he spat, pulling back. “Moira, that blood rite with Cygnus, she had to have offered it up as an offering to the Gods.”
“So what, they did this?” Hermione asked, trying to sort through his thoughts.
Draco nodded. “Cygnus’s blood is the closest you can get to mine genetically, my father and my mother’s sister. Even with the wards set to both families, Cygnus could pass through them both.”
“Not without help,” she whispered. “We set the new ward specifically to your blood.”
Draco nodded gravely. “And that’s where the blood rite comes in.”
Hermione shivered. “Dormer never had a chance.”
“No. The blood wards protected Cygnus when the Gods came.”
“Will that memory show everything?”
Draco nodded. “Let me cast the tracer spell, see if I can pick up Cygnus’s signature and then we’ll go look in the pensieve.”
Hermione waited patiently as Draco swept high and low, looking for Cygnus’s magic. He finally found it, a tiny tendril on Dormer’s body. He’d tried to shield him, but it was no use. The Gods hadn’t needed him anymore. When he was done, they cleaned everything as best they could, burning Dormer’s body to ashes and scourgifying the blood. Then they ventured upstairs to Draco’s office where he kept a pensieve.
“Ready?” Draco whispered, starting down at the bowl full of the ward recordings.
Hermione took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
They cautiously stuck a finger in the bowl, instantly falling into the dungeons. Cygnus and Dormer were right where they had left them, shackled to the walls, naked and afraid. Nothing had changed since they’d gone to New York. In fact, they didn’t even seem conscious.
“Get up, blood rite patron.”
Draco and Hermione flinched at the sound. They recognized the reverberating voice of a God, even if they couldn’t see them. The cell was still dark, the inhabitants barely stirring.
“I said up!”
Draco couldn’t help but hold Hermione as she flinched. “Do you think it’s Hades?”
Hermione shrugged, trembling as she searched the recording. “It’s hard to say. I’d think a major God would have more presence than a mere voice, wouldn’t you?”
Draco frowned. “Unless he didn’t want to appear.”
“UP!”
The dungeons shook with the force of the order. Draco noticed the walls sparking. “There. The wards activated. Mother must be summoning Potter right about now.”
Cygnus lifted his head, his eyes staring sightless into the hall. Their spell hadn’t worn off then. He truly couldn’t see anything. They wondered if he could hear. They’d left him deaf, if memory served them right. Perhaps it was the rumbling that had stirred him.
A gold light suddenly filled the room. It was so bright that they had to shield their eyes. They could barely make out the form of a man walking toward them. Wind whipped around the dungeons and lifted the occupants of the cells up, shattering the shackles. The bars twisted like molding clay. Cygnus scrambled towards Dormer as they fell toward the ground, shielding him the best he could. The man laughed, making the dungeons rumble.
“Pitiful. He is weak. Leave him.”
“No,” Cygnus whispered, too weak to say more.
The God growled. “Come forth and accept your gift.”
Cygnus held fast, not wanting to move. He was trembling with fear and trying valiantly to stanch the blood flowing from Dormer’s neck. The shackles had neatly severed his jugular when they burst. The God grew impatient, wrenching Cygnus from his body with a crazed howl that made Hermione’s hair stand up on end. Draco held her tighter as they watched the God pull something from a dark spot around him. It was a boy, not much older than thirteen, writhing in pain.
“You will bond with this shifter,” the God said authoritatively. “He will give you the strength to finish your Master’s deeds.”
Draco fought back nausea as he watched the God perform a dark version of a bond similar to the one he and Severus shared. Only this one was designed to allow Cygnus to draw his essence until the boy was completely drained. As Cygnus grew stronger, the boy’s struggles lessened until he was limp. The God carelessly tossed him back through the darkness before wrenching Cygnus up and casting him through. The light disappeared, leaving them standing in the office blinking back spots.
“Oh my Gods,” Hermione whispered, falling to her knees in shock.
“We have to find him now,” Draco growled, yanking her up and dragging her behind him. He didn’t stop until they were outside the Manor’s wards. He pulled her into him, kissing her deeply. “Back to New York. We’ll trace him from the docks.”
Hermione clung to Draco to avoid falling flat on her face when they landed. He was pretty unsteady, but somehow managed to hold them both up. She would have protested his handling of her if she didn’t know how utterly important it was to get to Cyngus before he had a chance to do any damage. With whoever that God was behind him, he was damn near unstoppable. Well, unstoppable to everyone but them. They’d have to strike hard and fast, killing without mercy. It was deplorable and turned their stomachs, but it had to be done. Quickly.
They practically flew out of the alley and summoned a cab, ordering it to take them to Pier 62, the last place Cygnus had been spotted. It was a nerve wracking drive over, the urge to just apparate clawing at them. But they couldn’t risk it. They’d probably have a surveillance team around the loo they’d used earlier. They just hoped Nahuatl and Samuel and the boys hadn’t drawn too much attention.
“Keep the change,” Draco snapped, pulling Hermione from the cab before it even came to a stop.
They raced down the river, easily spotting a bright red bird flying low. They waved it down, waiting until Albus had landed on Draco’s shoulder.
“Al,” Draco whispered. “Cygnus has to be taken out now. Have you seen him?”
Al warbled a sad song, shaking his head no.
“Is Nahuatl and Samuel safe?”
Al nodded his head, changing to a happy song that made them feel butterflies in their stomach.
“You mean they’re starting to like each other?” Hermione asked with a grin.
Al chirped happily and hopped up and down a few times.
“That’s terrific,” Hermione gushed before frowning. “Keep close to them and get them out of there if you spot Cygnus.”
Al chirped and hopped off, hovering long enough to nuzzle his beak against their cheeks and then flew off. They tracked them with their eyes, watching as he swooped low and landed on a tall boy’s shoulders. He was wearing a hoodie but they had a hunch that it was Samuel.
“Let’s get started,” Draco breathed, holding out his hand for his wife.
Hermione took it and closed her eyes, reaching her senses out to help him search for Cygnus. They found an old trail and took off, following it down a couple of winding alleys. When the trail didn’t get any stronger, they switched tactics, casting a spell to map where they’d been. Even though he’d been all over the place, he was headed in the general direction of the Statue of Liberty. They had to get there before he reached their children.
They ran so fast they almost tripped over their own feet, finally finding a fresher trail. It was only minutes old. They slowed down, casting spells to make their detection nearly impossible. It wouldn’t do for Cygnus to catch them before they could even see him. It was nerve wracking, trying to concentrate on the spells to dampen their footsteps and keep on the trail but it was rewarding. They could see Cygnus now, standing arrogantly in front of a coffee house. He looked irritated and was glancing back and forth between the door behind him and his watch.
‘How are we going to do this?’ Hermione thought. ‘We can’t very well strike him dead in front of a crowd of muggles.’
Draco observed their surroundings. She was right. There were way too many people loitering around. Who got coffee so close to night time anyway? He weighed their options carefully. If they cast any more magic, Cygnus might be able to detect it, especially if they cast repelling charms. Muggles didn’t just do an about face in the opposite direction without a little magical coercion. There was also the question of who he was waiting on in the coffee house. What if it was Moira?
‘Let’s follow for a while,’ he finally answered. ‘He’s bound to stray off the beaten path soon.’
‘And if he doesn’t?’
‘We’ll attack him on the boat before he gets to the island and toss his sorry carcass out to sea.’
They didn’t have to wait long. Just as Cyngus was about to storm into the house, another person came running out. Gregory. Of course. They tailed them down to the docs, noticing that they kept up the same zigzag pattern they’d used to get there. Who were they trying to fool? They transformed into hummingbirds, slipping aboard unseen by hovering behind a few people who were chatting too loudly to notice. They flew over to an empty corner where no one was looking and transformed back, casting notice-me-not spells so no one would be startled.
“Well, well,” the heard a familiar voice drawl from the side of the boat. “I take it you heard.”
They turned to see Cygnus standing there, a smirk on his face. His wand was pointed straight at them. Gregory stood to his right, his wand aloft as well. For all pretenses, they seemed to be covered. But even Cygnus knew they were better than that.
“You’ll lose in the end,” Draco promised darkly.
“I think not,” Cygnus said with an ugly sneer. “You see, I have the Gods on my side… and you two don’t stand a chance against them.”
They resisted the urge to bait Cygnus, less he actually call upon the God who’d helped him escape. They kept a wary eye out, hoping their spells were holding strong. They seemed to be. No one was paying them any attention. They’d have to do this quickly, striking both at the same time. It was the only way. But they had to be careful. Should the God’s detect them, they could be in for a world of hurt. Who knew if Zeus had been informed of his brother’s treachery yet.
“Cat got you tongue?” Cygnus taunted.
“What do you want?” Hermione asked.
“Me?” Cygnus grinned. “I want to be powerful. What else?”
“She’ll strip you,” Draco warned. “She won’t stand for anyone more powerful than her.”
Cygnus frowned. “I’m her son. I’m all she has left. She loves me.”
“Love,” Draco said with a bitter chuckle. “Because you’d recognize that emotion, father having bestowed you with so much of it.”
Cygnus growled. “You know nothing.”
Cygnus started singing the praises of his mother, telling them how much she loved him, how devoted she was, how wonderful she was to have summoned a God to save him. While he was pontificating on the joys of his Master, they began drawing power, tamping it down until the very last moment. They’d have to hit strong and true, not leaving a second for him to react. They also needed a shield around them in case they missed. It would be similar to the tower all those years ago. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do it the same since they would be the casters as well. It would take precision they hadn’t needed in years.
Just before they cast, they heard another voice, an eerily familiar one rumble out, “not so fast.”
They turned to see a man standing off to the side. He was tall with a long flowing black beard and coal black eyes.
“You won’t get it done that easily.”
Their stomachs dropped to their shoes. The Gods had shown up to play.

AN: Okay. So, working a split shift between 12 hour nights and 8 hours days means one dog tired Goldhorse and a seriously fucked up Muse. Add internet trouble, and well, you understand. Ugh. Anyway, I apologize for the cliffe and I'm seriously hoping that my next update will be soon. I can seen the end in sight. As always, thanks to everyone for your reviews. They make the 12 hour nights a little less awful. 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