Claim for Life

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I am not making money from this. This is just for fun and fans.

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Chapter 15

Several hours later a crash emanating from the common room woke the trio with a start.

“Shit,” Blaise muttered, waving his hands over them to conjure some clothing, “We forgot to set the wards!”

“We don’t know for sure that it’s anyone who’s not suppose to be here,” Hermione reasoned.

“Only one way to find out,” Draco replied, slowly approaching the door with his wand in front of him. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to follow but Blaise held her back.

“Stay here, cara,” he ordered. Hermione began to protest but he cut her off, “Just until Draco gives us the all clear.” Hermione gave an aggravated sigh and nodded. Blaise looked up at Draco who was watching their interaction and nodded. Draco returned the gesture and turned to the door quickly opening it and stepping into the entrance. What he saw made him tense up before he quickly stepped into the room pulling the door closed behind him. Hermione and Blaise exchanged a startled look before creeping to the door silently and listened for clues as to who was there.

Draco entered the common room; every defense mechanism he had ever developed was turned on in full force. Sitting on the sofa facing the bedroom door with a stunned owl sitting on the coffee table in front of him was his father, Lucius Malfoy.

“Father,” Draco greeted stiffly.

“Ahhh, son, so glad to find you here and not in class,” Lucius said coldly, “I have received several interesting owls concerning you today.” He glanced meaningfully down at the stunned bird, “I also hear you’ve been chosen to replace the Head Boy, though no one seems to be interested in talking about why your predecessor had to resign the position less than a week into the term.” His last statement had the hint of a question in it.

“I highly doubt that you came all the way to Hogwarts to ask me what happened to Goldstein, Father,” Draco said.

Lucius stood up, and in a faux casual way began to examine the room. “I have also heard that you are going to have the misfortune of having to associate with Potter’s Mudblood whore.” Draco let out a low growl and Lucius eyed him curiously before continuing, “Of course, I’m quite sure we will be able to make this situation advantageous for our Lord. Is something the matter with you, son?” Lucius asked after Draco let out another growl. Draco shook his head, eyeing his father dangerously. “Well I guess this brings me to my next point. I sent your summons this morning, I had expected to receive a note from you confirming you would be arriving this evening. I did not expect to have my prized owl returned to me, stunning and injured, by a filthy Hogwarts house elf! Care to explain yourself, Draco?”

“I think my message was quite clear. I want nothing to do with the Dark Lord!” Draco snarled.

Lucius’ eyebrows arched as he regarded his son, “Really? And when did this change of heart occur? Answer wisely, Draco, I really would hate to kill my only son and heir,” he mocked, removing his wand from the base of his cane.

“I will not follow that half-blood psychopath in his unjustified, genocidal war,” Draco spat.

Lucius regarded his son levelly for a moment before once again turning to observe the room, “Something has changed in you Draco; your entire magical signature is different. There is more that you are not telling me.”

“Yes, I am different, Father, and more powerful than you could imagine.” Draco attempted to intimidate his father, brandishing his wand.

“I find it curious that, although you supposedly have to share quarters with that wretched Mudblood, there only appears to be one bedroom door. You haven’t allowed yourself to be seduced by that whore have you?” Lucius asked, clearly disgusted at the thought.

As Draco’s anger mounted he began to lose control of his Veela side and had to fight not to transform. Unfortunately, Lucius noticed his son’s struggle and witnessed parts of the transformations and recognized the symptoms.

“By the Gods! You’ve become a Veela!” Lucius said in awe before his calculating mind kicked back in, “Don’t tell me the Mudblood is your mate?!”

Rage flooded through Draco at the profane word and he sent out a wave of energy that knocked his father off his feet and damaged most of the contents of the room.

Blaise burst from the bedroom, “Draco, calm down! Control yourself!” he commanded. Draco’s Veela instincts immediately obeyed Blaise’s voice. Draco felt his body relax and almost collapsed as he felt a few waves of momentary lethargy before regaining his equilibrium. Blaise had moved to his side, his concerned eyes examining his mate for any sign of injury. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that Lucius had recovered or that Hermione had followed Blaise out of the room. They realized their mistake as they felt a shot of panic race through their bodies right before Hermione gave out a startled shriek. The Veela whipped around to find Lucius holding their mate with his wand pressed up against her neck. He had snuck up on the Head Girl, who had foolishly assumed that he had been fully incapacitated by the raw magical attack that Draco had emitted.

“Well, well, well,” Lucius mocked, “It seems that not only is my son a freak, but he is a sexually deviant freak!”

Both Draco and Blaise snarled and found themselves fighting off their Veela transformations, attacking now could be fatal to them all.

“The Dark Lord could use the power of a triad on his side,” Lucius sneered, “Pledge you allegiance to the Dark Lord, or the slut dies!”

***

Harry had found himself increasingly distracted as his final period Practical Transfiguration came to a close. His scar was twinging in a way he had never experienced before. It wasn’t Voldemort but it wasn’t good. His instincts immediately turned to the thought of Hermione. He found himself glancing at the clock at increasingly frequent intervals, waiting for class to end. When it finally did he packed up his books and bolted out the door. He had to find Hermione, if only to prove that he was wrong and going crazy. He was so focused he didn’t realize that Ginny was walking beside him, eyeing him curiously.

“Hey lover, what’s got your knickers in a twist?” She asked. Harry jumped in realization that she was there. He had forgotten that she had a study period last period Fridays, and had promised to meet him outside of his final class at the end of the day.

“Something’s wrong,” he said, continuing to hurry down the hall in the direction of the Head Dorms, “We need to find Hermione, come on!”

Ginny, startled, hurried after her raven haired boyfriend, “What’s wrong with Hermione?”

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted, “It’s just a feeling, my scar has been tingling for the last 20 minutes and not because of Voldemort. Some other magic, within the school, is screaming for help. And all I can think about is finding Hermione.”

Ginny eyed her boyfriend curiously, “Didn’t Dumbledore tell us not to go looking for her until she reappeared on her own?”

“Yes,” Harry conceded, “But I sent a note to her this morning and got a response. She said she was going to come to the common room after classes ended anyway.”

“Oh,” was Ginny’s only response.

When they reached the Head Dorms they were met with a terrified and slightly singed portrait.

“Is Hermione in there?”

“What happened to you?”

Harry and Ginny asked simultaneously.

“Oh! It’s good that you’re here,” the genteel nobleman said, looking quite distraught, “The new Head Boy’s father arrived and of course I denied him access to the rooms without a password but then he began attacking me and I don’t know exactly how it happened but one of his spells caused me to open the door unwillingly! He’s mad, that man. And causing so much trouble! You must help the Lady of the Rooms! Password?”

“Destiny revealed!” Ginny and Harry practically yelled, pulling out their wands and bursting into the room, both casting well aimed stunning spells that sent Lucius flying.

As soon as it was apparent that Lucius’ attention was no longer on the two Veela they sprang into action, snatching their shocked mate from his clutches and darting out of the way just as the spells hit the Dark Wizard.

Blaise and Draco were all but crushing Hermione in between them, mentally recovering from having their mate in such an precarious position only moments before.

Harry and Ginny, seeing that the triad weren’t about to move, to secure or kill Lucius or to attack them, approached the unconscious blonde, conjuring ropes to tie him, gagging him and removing his wand. Ginny walked over to the fireplace and found a small bag of floo powder on the mantle and threw a pinch into the fireplace calling for Professor Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster, to please report immediately to the Head Dormitories. She then did the same thing two more times, requesting Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

Silence then filled the room, only to be disturbed then three swooshes from the fireplace signaled the arrival of the requested Professors.

Dumbledore surveyed the situation calmly, a hint of a twinkle in his eye, “Could someone please explain what happened here?”

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look before turning an imploring look at the triad. Blaise and Draco, still shaken, were now blocking Hermione from everyone’s sight, much to her consternation.

“I don’t know how Lucius got in here,” Blaise said, eyeing the prostrate body warily, “But Draco and he conversed before he provoked Draco to a dangerous point, at which point Draco let out a wave of raw energy. I came out to calm him down before he destroyed the room and endangered us all further. Hermione,” he turned to send a disapproving glare at the girl struggling to get passed him and Draco and face the other occupants of the room, “foolishly followed and didn’t make sure that Lucius was incapacitated. He got a hold of her, and threatened her life if we didn’t join the Dark Lord. That’s when Potter and Weasley showed up and stunned the bastard.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the two Gryffindors. “My scar was bothering me in Transfiguration, and I couldn’t pay attention, sorry Professor McGonagal,” Harry briefly outlined the chain of events that lead to him and Ginny being present. Dumbledore approached the entrance and cast a few spells on the door, seeking which spell had been cast that caused the door to open. No known spell registered, but it reeked of dark magic. Dumbledore turned back to the expectant faces of the other professors and the students.

“I cannot tell at this time what spell was used on the door, however I’m sure the aurors will conduct a full investigation. Professor McGonagall, please go contact Kingsley Shaklebot and report this incident, Professor Snape please retire Mr. Malfoy to a safe location for the time being,” he calmly requested. He waited for the professors to exit the room before addressing the Veela. “Mr. Malfoy; Mr. Zabini, I am sure that in lieu of this situation you will have to admit that remaining neutral in this conflict puts yourselves and your mates in equal, if not more, danger than if you were to choose a side. If you joined the Light you would have more than just each other to look out for the well being of yourselves and your mates. You don’t have to make a decision now…”

“We’ll do it,” Blaise cut the Headmaster off. Draco and Hermione gave their lover a surprised look, “If Hermione is a part of the Order then so will Draco and I. On one condition though, she doesn’t go anywhere without us. No missions, no secret meetings, no battles unless we are at her side.”

Dumbledore nodded, “Of course,” and then gave Hermione a brief triumphant smile before turning to observe the damage in to room, “I do hope in the future you aren’t so prone to destroying this room, this is the second time in two days,” he chuckled.

Blaise waved a hand and everything was restored, “And that’s not all that we can do,” he said smugly. Harry and Ginny gave him surprised looks, and Dumbledore just continued to smile, the twinkle in his eyes brighter than usual and practically dancing.

“I would be disappointed if that was not the case,” Dumbledore responded, “I have another offer for you, if you care to hear it.”

Blaise narrowed his eyes and studied the old wizard for a few moments before gesturing for him to proceed.

“I would like to help guide you in developing your bond magic.” Dumbledore offered, “I have an extensive knowledge on natural and elemental magic, most of which you wouldn’t be able to find in any books.” His eyes rested on Hermione as she mentioned this last part. She grimaced slightly from the thought of not being able to find something in a book, her thoughts returning to Divination in third year. She liked things to be definitive, not wishy washy.

Blaise nodded once, “We’ll consider your offer.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore accepted, “Seeing that this situation is dealt with I should go meet the aurors who will be arriving shortly. They may want to speak to you so please make sure you are decent for the next little while,” his eyes rested on the triad. Blaise and Draco smirked, their glee increasing as they saw Hermione trying unsuccessfully to suppress a blush. “Please let me know about your decision concerning my offer soon, the sooner we start the sooner you can realize your full potential.” And with those final words the Headmaster turned and walked out of the room, leaving the students to come to their own devices.

There was silence in the room as the boys stared each other down. Hermione, who had finally been allowed passed her overprotective mates, shared an exasperated look with Ginny at the boys staring contest.

“Thank you, Potter, Weaslette,” Blaise acknowledged.

“Any time,” Harry replied, “So are now that we’re here are you going to let us converse with our best friend or are you going to keep trying to seclude her from everyone?” he asked, daring them to deny Hermione permission.

“We’re not trying to seclude her,” Draco argued, “We’re trying to protect her.”

“Yeah, cause you’ve done such a great job of that so far,” Harry muttered under his breath.

“What was that Potter?” Blaise asked dangerously.

Ginny cut in before Harry had time to retort, “Hermione, why is there only one bedroom door now?” she asked, grinning from ear to ear as she eyed her best friend.

Hermione’s blush said everything she refused to articulate in the next few moments.

“Ginny!” Harry exclaimed, “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to!”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty keen on hearing the details associated to her new living arrangements,” her eyes never left the crimson Hermione.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business, Weaslette!” Draco snapped.

“As Hermione’s best girl friend I think it is my business,” Ginny retorted, “And for your information, my name is Ginny. Get used to using it, ‘cause I’m going to be around for a while.”

“Is that right, Weaslette?” Draco spat.

That was when Hermione finally found her voice once again, “Stop this bickering, everyone!” She glared at the boys, but shared an amused grin with Ginny before continuing, “Draco, Blaise, please refrain from insulting my friends, as Ginny said they are going to be sticking around, and no that doesn’t mean all the time, but I will be spending time with them still. So I would appreciate it if all of you at least try to get along, for my sake?”

Harry and Ginny immediately agreed and Hermione turned an imploring gaze at her lovers. Reluctantly they nodded. Hermione smiled gratefully at them and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek as a thank you. She turned back to find Harry looking else where and Ginny grinning ear to ear still watching her. Draco turned his attention to his father’s still stunned owl. He woke it with a quick spell, cast a few healing charms and had just told it to return to the Manor when he heard,

“So Hermione, when does the private girl talk begin?” Ginny asked, dropping the not so subtle hint.

“Who said anything about private chats?” Draco asked, whipping around and narrowing his eyes at the redhead.

“Boys,” Hermione scolded mildly, “I’m fairly sure that there are going to be topics of conversation that Ginny and I will explore that you have no interest in…”

“Or the stomach for,” Ginny added.

Hermione shot Ginny a look to quiet, “And besides, we can’t spend every single moment together, even if we’re meant to be that would only serve to aggravate us in the end. We may be a triad, but we are still three individuals and I for one am not about to give up my individuality.”

Harry and Ginny tried not to laugh as they watched Hermione scold the proud Slytherin’s who were looking distinctly put out by their mate’s speech.

“Now, if no one has anything else to say I have a suggestion.” Hermione turned back to address Harry and Ginny for her next comments, “Since it’s almost supper why don’t the boys go to the kitchens and request that the elves bring us dinner here in the Head Rooms and we can all dine together. Ginny and I can stay here and….catch up while you’re out.” Seeing that Blaise and Draco were about to protest Hermione continued, “Or Ginny and I can go to the kitchens, either way we are going to have a private conversation.” She crossed her arms and eyed the boys expectantly.

“But what about Lucius?” Draco asked, tentatively.

“Lucius is under the watchful eye of your Head of House, I am not concerned about him.” Hermione brushed off his concerns, “And besides the aurors should be in the castle by now. If you don’t agree soon Ginny and I will just leave and be back before you know it.”

“No,” Blaise growled, “Alright, we’ll go, under one condition.” Hermione gestured to him to proceed with his request, “Draco and I set wards when we leave and under no circumstances are you to lower them until we get back!” Hermione eyed him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.

“Sounds reasonable to me,” Hermione had a slightly triumphant look on her face, “Well shouldn’t you get going, Ginny looks about ready to burst.”

Harry left immediately, throwing an amused smile at the know-it-all Gryffindor as he left. Draco gave a low snarl, but after a look from Blaise huffed and strode out the door, joining Harry in the hall.

Blaise walked up to Hermione and leaned down to place a tender kiss on her lips, “Don’t be so sure that you’ve won this, love. Draco and I will find a way to pay you back for this later, when we’re alone again.” With that he stepped back, pulling Hermione’s hand up to place another chaste kiss on her hand before turning and striding out of the room.

Ginny watched the Italian go before turning back to Hermione, “So they’re not as whipped as they seem.”

Hermione laughed, “Hardly, but they are going to be hard pressed to get me whipped.”

“Alright, enough small talk,” Ginny blurted, causing Hermione to laugh again, “Tell me everything! What did Goldstein do to piss off your lovers? And what exactly is have you been doing for the last 24 hours that kept the illustrious Hermione Granger out of classes?”

Hermione blushed, but with a little more prompting from the enthusiastic redhead, found herself regaling the tale.

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A/N Review please.

Wow, so 143 pages and 65732 words so far... That seems kind of crazy for me, especially since I haven't even been working on this for two full weeks yet. I think I am going to try and wrap this up soon before I abandon it, my attention span is fickle. So I may not be going into as much detail about things in the future, sorry. I feel back for it too, writing just takes so long. Ron will be coming back soon, not next chapter though, but I will tell you that in the next chapter Hermione levels the playing field once and for all and shows them who they are messing with. Anyway, so hopefully I will have that posted tomorrow, I need to finish editing a movie tonight though and finish prepping it for a festival. I also need to finish writing this so I can work on a script for a film I will be doing starting to shoot next month.

Thanks to all you readers, you all rock my socks! And I have cool socks!