Triumvirate

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the songs included in this fanfic nor do I make money off them. These stories are for entertainment only

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To Lisa: stay strong, the lashes are almost over and you'll be stronger for this storm. To Natasha, I hope you get your chicken tomorrow. And to Shelly, thank you for liking my stuff :)
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Winter has come for me, can't carry on.
The chains to my life are strong but soon they'll be gone.
I'll spread my wings one more time.

Is it a dream?
All the ones I have loved calling out my name.
The sun warms my face.
All the days of my life, I see them passing me by.


The swan song - Within Temptation

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Hermione had lost her wand in the fall, and was now plummeting unconscious toward the valley below. Her wild hair flying around her, her glamour fading. Large black talons reached for her, closing around her small form.

“Get off her you great scaly snake!” Ron shouted from behind him, recovering just enough to rescue Hermione from him. Another curse, this time the Cruciatus hit Draco and he tucked his wings, his roar of anger and pain ringing out.

His claws caught her, folding her in the safety of his grip as he spiraled downward the ground. Ron was nearby flinging hexes every few minutes demanding that Hermione be released. Draco swiftly drew tired of it and flipped his long, powerful tail upwards. The tip like a spear, struck the broom, neatly snapping it in half.

Ron screamed as he flailed into open air.

Draco looped upwards in a dazzling display of flight and strength as one of Ron’s men flew past to save him. Draco barely had time to note the spare broom. He turned towards the cliff they’d fallen from and his great wings beat, catching the updrafts and riding them higher.

His brilliant blue eyes taking in the movements of many bodies below. He landed on the rocky outcropping, opening his palm to look at her. Hermione was safe, he blew his warm breath over her. Like one might do to revive a wounded butterfly.

Slowly, she stirred.

Hermione became aware of the hardness under her palm and stared down at the pearly stone. Another gust of warmth, smelling faintly of mint and fire whiskey reached her. She looked up to see a massive scaled chest, a long slender neck. A reptilian head, crowned with bluer than blue eyes and black horns.

She jolted at the sight, nearly toppling from her perch, until the long clawed fingers carefully tipped to balance her again. She held that blue gaze for several moments, taking in the pale blonde of the wings. The familiar scent.

Tears filled her eyes as comprehension hit. “Draco?” she whispered.

Those blue eyes were sad as they stared back and the great beast sighed, “Secrets out” he whispered. And it was Draco’s voice, roughened but his.

He lowered her to the ground before him, and she stared up at his massive size. “I’ve never seen a dragon so large” she murmured, “and you speak!”

“And you never will again” he told her darkly. He felt the thrumming of his muscles and knew he would revert soon.

Ron and the others lifted over the rim and leveled their wands at him.

“Stop it!” she shouted, moving between them, throwing her arms out like a barrier, “Leave him alone!”

She stepped closer to Ron to explain that this was Harry’s glorious third but Ron had other ideas.

She was promptly pulled onto the broom and lifted high and away, a series of cruciatus curses erupting upon poor Draco.

“Stop! You’ll kill him!” she shouted, wriggling but Ron tightened his hold to near painful.

“Look at him Mione!” he shouted, “Look!”

Suddenly death eaters poured into the area and Ron signaled his team away. They had Hermione safely. They would return to seek out the Third.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco felt the pain ebb just in time to see the magical nets fall in and then he was changing once more and the pain returned followed by blackness.

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“Damn fool! Put me down. We have to go back!” Hermione shouted once more and Ron seriously considered using Silencio just for a moments peace.

“You just left the third behind Ron!”

“Hermione, there was only you and that great scaly git Malfoy. Blimey he’s a dragon! Always knew he was more snake than man.”

Hermione smacked him hard atop his head, “Malfoy IS the third!”

Her words didn’t have the reaction she had hoped for. While Ron did go pale and look concerned, his hand slapped up to her forehead. “Think you are feverish Mione” he said gently, “Or did you smack your head?”

She jerked his hand away, “I am not sick or delusional Ronald. We have to go back for him, right now.”

He shook his head, “You need rest. Malfoy is a death eater plain and simple. We will go and look for the third once you are settled. Now stop struggling or I will petrify you. I don’t want to do that.”

Hermione felt hot tears well up and roll down her cheeks. She wanted to curse him, but a quick check showed no wand. Well that was just perfect.

“Ron please” she said then, “He has been killing of the death eaters for Harry for years now. They know that, they uncovered him in Venice! They will kill him!”

Ron frowned sadly, then placed his wand near the back of her head, and muttered a spell for sleep.

Hermione slumped in his arms and he eased her back against his chest. The others watched him carefully.

“She ok?” Montrose asked quietly.

Ron nodded, “Yeah. She’s just had a time of it. I mean c’mon… Draco Malfoy, the glorious third? Mental.”

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Harry felt the moment the three neared one another and sighed with relief. The sooner they all gathered the better. He hated putting his friends in harm’s way. He was just going back to his reading of the latest reports when something struck him.

Something was wrong. A flux in power.

He glanced to Narcissa where she stood like stone in her portrait. “He’s changed.”

Harry felt his heart sink, the curse had progressed farther than any of them had thought. It sank further when two captains remained close but the third fell away. What the hell was happening out there?

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“Where is Hermione?” Harry thundered from the fire. His green eyes snapping around the room.

Ron glanced to the leather couch where she was curled, still sleeping. She was unharmed. Thankfully.

His green eyes roved the room, “And the third?” Those green orbs locked on Ron.

Ron shook his head, “He wasn’t there. We went back to the area to find him but there was no sign.”

Harry glowered, “Hermione was alone when you found her?”

“Well, no, I mean there were a few death eaters there, we took some smaller injuries but we are fine”

The fire hissed with Harry’s irritation, “And Malfoy?”

Ron hadn’t mentioned him so he assumed Harry had updated intelligence.

“He was there. Harry! Did you know that he can turn into a dragon?”

“Yes Ron I knew that. Where is he? Transformations leave him very weak for sometime after.”

“Well we left him with his death eater friends… we didn’t want to risk losing Mione…and..”

“What?” Harry felt his anger growing with the passing seconds.

“We left him..my lord” Ron said quickly.

The fire roared higher sparkling green and gold, “You have sacrificed the third!”

“We didn’t” Ron assured him, “It was only Malfoy.”

His gaze snapped back to Hermione, “Wake!” he thundered, obliterating Ron’s spell.

Hermione sat upright slowly, clutching her head, “Ow Ron” she grumbled, “How dare you hex me!”

Her eyes widened when she saw Harry’s form in the fire, “Harry!” she cried, rushing to the grate, “You have to help me, we have to save him!”

Harry met Ron’s gaze, “She told you.”

Ron swallowed hard, “I didn’t listen. It’s bloody Malfoy, a slimy big snake!”

Harry glared at him, “My bloody third! You will assemble a team and find him at once.”

He turned back to Hermione, his expression unreadable, but his tone was softer, “You may be the best one to lead in this matter. You are connected.”

She flushed at his words, recalling how connected they had been. She nodded, “Yes. Right away.”

Harry turned back to Ron, “You and I will discuss this later. Hurry up and get him back before they really do kill him. No more mistakes Ron, get back to England.”

The grate went dark with the force of Harry’s departure.

Ron met Hermione’s gaze with wide eyes, “You meant it?”

She scowled at him, “Yes! Now lets go.”

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It took two days to track them down, they might as well have gone back to Venice for all Hermione cared. She was tired, exhausted.

She’d grown used to sleeping in his arms, now the night felt dark and cold and when she did sleep she was plagued by nightmares.

Nightmares of him. Of his death, his pain.

And dreams of Harry watching them.

She pushed Ron’s team as hard as she could. Pushed herself harder. The constant search and squabbles with Ron were wearing on her.

She hung her head one night in her small room, fighting tears. This couldn’t be happening.

The door burst open and one of Ron’s lieutenants rushed into the room. “Found him!” she crowed.

Hermione was on her feet and out the door before the woman finished speaking.

“Where?” she called imperiously as she moved towards the door leading into the night.

“Paris catacombs.”

She nodded, “Less than an hour away, lets hurry shall we? Once we have him, we will return here and have the others open the floo network so we can pass through. It will save time”

“But over such a distance?” one asked.

Copper eyes silenced then, “Got a better idea?” Those eyes swept the room but no one seemed eager to stand up to her. If she said it would work then it would. Simple.

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Draco closed his eyes against the pain shooting through his limbs. Time had ceased to move for him, he knew neither day nor night, aside from the small fluttering in his chest to alert him of the dawn. He believed that an eternity had passed in his dark, dank prison.

The magically charged chains were cold like ice against his skin, burning his flesh, cutting deep. His arms lifted over his head and he was starting to wonder if the chains kept them from going numb just out of spite.

He was perched on the very tips of his bare toes, the chains not long enough to allow him even that small comfort. His back was shredded from the whipping they’d given him and his nerves screamed from the Cruciatus.

Again and again they’d struck, asking where she was.

She.

Hermione.

Once long ago, the frightened boy that had been Draco would have told everything he knew and then some. But Draco feared no pain and now, even death didn’t scare him. His future in the balance of two forms far too painful to face.

They’d seen. She’d seen.

Hermione Granger. Her face danced behind his eyelids. He could have told them something, anything and perhaps hastened his death. He could have. She was no doubt far and safe away. But he refused to betray her, not even in his mind. Why was that?

Her smile was so warm when she had looked up at him from the bed linens. Her eyes so sad when they had seen his draconian form.

For a moment he had let her in, past that winter he held so dear and she remained there. But it was better this way. Hermione was not for him. She was still good, pure. And he would never be again.

He would miss her though, for the duration of his life, which he was certain wasn’t long. He’d miss Harry too. He’d miss seeing the world they made. Where bloodlines and aristocracy weren’t the most important things out there.

Things he’d learned too late.

Friendship. Loyalty. Sacrifice. Honor. Joy. Love….

‘Yeah’ he thought, ‘I love her. Somehow’.

“Ready for another round Malfoy?” the cackling voice asked, followed by the snap of the whip.

Draco pulled himself back to the grim reality, “You know if you keep beating me you are going to turn me on” he drawled, too tired to care what they did now. He was resigned.

But resignation doesn’t make a hit to the manhood any less painful.