Lord of the Land

Chapter 24


Harry sank to ground panting, looking at Hermione.
Hermione leaned up against him and started to weep, clutching his robes.

He put his arm around her and layed her on the ground,
“Lie still,” he said softly.

“Did someone get the doctor?” Harry called out to the crowd surrounding them, a few yards away,
“And someone get a Minister from the Ministry as well.”

A young man started to move in the crowd; but was stopped, grabbed by another. The other man walked forward with a limp towards Harry.

The man had one eye on Harry and an artificial eye on the young man he had by the shoulder.

Coughing hard out loud so as to get the attention of crowd,
“My boy why are you running to the authorities?”

“ Lord Harry strangled Mr. Malfoy. He is dead sir,” the young man said pointing to Draco.

“ I think you are mistaken my boy. The drunken fool fell off his horse and hit his head,” the man said winking at the boy.

The man looked at Hermione and shouted,
“ Has anyone gone for a doctor or healer?”

Some one in the crowd said, “Two men went for the doctor.”

Harry looked at man,
“Mr. Moody?” he asked.

“ Lord Harry I’m honored you know me, we haven’t been properly introduced. Alaster Moody, sir.” He said as he bowed to Harry.

“ I’m sorry to say you’re mistaken,” Harry said weakly,
“I did it.”

“No you didn’t.” Mr. Moody argued.

Mr. Moody turn to the tavern owner,
“Tom? Is the Puckle Wake still going on?”

“Course it is, he has a lot of friends it will be going on for hours.”
Tom commented.

“Good, get Lord Harry over there as soon as possible and make sure he is seen.” Mr. Moody ordered.

Mr. Moody turned to the crowd of people and said,
“Now what did you see? “ Moody asked part of the crowd.
Pointing to his own chest and explaining,
“ I saw Draco MALFOY fell off his horse after he BEAT on his wife.”

It took a few moments for one person in the crowd to say,
“Aye he did. He fell off his horse, the drunken bastard. I’m surprised he hadn’t fallen to his death sooner. He won’t be destroying any more of my merchandise.”

Another person said with great enthusiasm,?“ Draco won’t be bothering my wife any more. Yeah he fell off his horse.”

One by one, people in the crowd nodded until everyone agreed
that ‘Draco fell off his horse after beating his wife.’

Moody went over to the body healed the bruises on the neck and picked up Draco and put him on the horse that Tom brought over.

Moody scared the horse and made it buck throwing the body in to the air.

Draco’s head hit first and hard. Blood flowed from behind his head.

“There you see. He fell,” Moody said amused and chuckled.

Hermione looked at Harry and asked
“What’s happening Harry? I don’t understand.”
Harry was in shock, shaking his head,
“I don’t know.”

A second later Tom and two men came up behind Harry grabbed him under the arms and threw him into a wagon.

Harry protested but one of them must have stunned him because Hermione heard a spell uttered and Harry was silent.

Hermione was too weak to think or talk. She closed her eyes and felt someone picking her up. She opened her eyes to see Hagrid.

“Don’t you worry Miss Hermione, we’ll get you fixed up.

Hermione closed her eyes again feeling cold as the sun was setting.

Hermione opened her eyes from time to time, first she was in a fireplace, then in a bed, Draco looking at her from the foot of the bed.
She felt her tummy being pushed and squeezed.

She saw Lucius looking at her from the side of the bed in the dark.
Hermione dreamed she was on fire again. Her body glowed with the heat and then she was freezing in cold water. She felt herself drowning. She heard shouts and people pulling her up and pushing her down then all went quiet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione felt the sheet under her, it was cool and soft and the velvety thick blanket keeping her warm.

She kept her eyes closed afraid to open them. Was she at the Malfoys or home?
Hermione slid her hand on to her belly,
‘Did I really lose the baby? There was so much blood and pain. Was Draco dead, and where was Harry, did they hang him?’ She wondered.

She slowly opened her eyes to a room she didn’t recognize.
Hermione looked around in the dark room, the fire giving off the only light.

She saw a figure in the dark coming towards her and a soft familiar
voice echoed in the room.

“Are we waking up? Opening our eyes this early morning?”
Madame Pomfrey asked her.

The nurse walkedto the side of the bed.

“ You had us very worried .. very worried indeed.” The nurse said sitting on the bed and taking Hermione’s hand.

The woman expression was of concern and sadness.

“The baby?” Hermione whispered tears forming in her eyes.

“I’m sorry my dear.” Madame Pomfrey said regretfully.

Hermione nodded.

“Harry?” Hermione posed.

“It’s very early he’ll come and see you after breakfast. He’s barely left your side. I had to kick him out late last night. I’ll get you something to eat perhaps some eggs, toast, a little sausage and some tea?” Madame Pomfrey suggested.

Hermione nodded.

The woman got up and left the room.

Hermione lay there rubbing her belly, feeling empty.
She turned and cried in to her pillow. She remembered what happened; the rape and cutting off her finger and flying away but it felt like a bad dream.

She remembered signing the papers and Draco. Was he really dead?

She looked at her finger. It was healed with just a thin scar.

A few minutes later the nurse returned with a tray of food.
Helping Hermione sit up the nurse asked,
“ Would you like some company for breakfast?” the nurse asked as
she put the tray down on the small table.

“Sure,” Hermione answered expecting the nurse to sit with her,
but she went to the door and waved to someone to come.

A tall man stood in the door way his hair dark and streaks of white and gray thru it.
Hermione blinked her eyes for a moment.

“Dad?” Hermione cried out.

Hermione's father walked into the room staring at his daughter,
“Thank god you’re alright. When I saw you that first night I was sure I
was going to lose you Hermione.”

He sat down on the bed looking at her as though he hadn’t seen her in years.

Her father looked older with the streaked hair and his face was thinner and paler.

“ When did you get here?” Hermione asked hugging him, he hugged her back gently.

“A few nights ago. You’re looking much better now, “ he said with relief in his voice.

“ How are you feeling Dad? Crabbe and Goyle tried to….”
Hermione was saying but her father interrupted.

“ I was sick as dog but your aunt took care of me. Crabbe and Goyle were supposed to poison me a little at a time. Fortunatly for me, they were inexperienced at that sort of thing and they put all the poison in my tea. I vomited most of it up so I just got very ill and did not die. I don’t remember much until Marie came and then Remus came and helped us too.” He took hold of Hermione’s hand and said,
“I shouldn’t have stayed away so long. I shouldn’t have ask Richard to find you a husband, this is my fault entirely. I’m so sorry, truly I am.”
He said with regret.

“Well you ‘re home now.” Hermione said patting his shoulder trying to comfort him.

“You need to eat Hermione. Poppy has been pouring tea down your throat for days now. You must be starving.” Mr. Granger said getting her tray of food.

“How long have I been here? What day is it?” She asked.

“It’s Monday. You’ve been here four days. You …. you lost the baby and it took the doctor a while to expel it. You ran a fever at the same time. You lost a lot of blood. The infection spread quickly.
Poppy got the fever down. She wanted to take you to the infirmary
in London but you were too sick. I’m glad she kept you here.” He said with relief.

“Where‘s here. Where am I?” Hermione posed.

“ This is Poppy’s house. She been caring for you night and day.”
Her father informed her, “ She a wonderful woman.”

Hermione ate her breakfast as her father told her that Draco was dead and was buried the day before. That Lucius Malfoy came by to
see how she was doing and that Draco’s Will was going to be read in a few days.

“I don’t want anything to do with that family. I just want my things back, for instance my dowry,” she said angrily.

Hermione told her father that she moved her mother and cousin onto the farm.

Her father nodded saying, “ Your mother did mention she wanted to be buried near the garden.”

There was a long silence between the father and daughter.
“Your aunt has been here to see you. She’s a bit nervous, she’s not sure if you’ll forgive her.”

“ I forgive her because she found you and nursed you back to health.” Hermione said simply patting his hand.

Then her father said with an up-beat tone and a curious smile on his lips
“I heard you and half the village harvested the farm. That was a good idea and very good of you to share. You’re very clever and you’ve got your mother’s heart in you.”

Madame Pomfrey came in and took the tray away.
She came back a few moments later and told Hermione she
should get out of bed slowly and stretch her legs.

Hermione was rather weak and wobbly on her legs, but she was soon walking around the room with the help of her father.

She heard a door open and slam shut in the front of the house and footsteps running up the stairs to her bedroom doorway.
Harry stood there a bit out of breath and looking at Hermione and her father.

He nearly leaped to her embracing her tightly.

Hermione put her arms around his neck her cheek on his chest.

“ I thought .. I was so afraid I was going lose you Hermione,” Harry choked out, fighting back tears.
She looked into his tired bloodshot eyes and put her hand to his unshaved cheek stroking it wiping a few tears.


A frown came on to Hermione’s quivering lips
“ I lost him Harry. I lost our baby,” tears streaming down her
face.

Harry held her tight with one arm and pressed her head under his chin saying, “ We’ll have others,” slightly rocking her back and forth.

Hermione felt something going down her leg and your body went cold then everything went dark.


Hermione woke up in bed.
Madame Pomfrey was just washing blood off her leg.

“What happened?” Hermione asked her.

“ You got dizzy and passed out. You’re still bleeding heavily and I don’t like it.” the nurse said as she put the washing bowl on the table.
She put her hand on Hermione’s forehead and cheek and lifted her chin up to looked in to her eyes.
“ You still have an infection and a temperature.”
The nurse shook her head,
“I’m perplexed. I’m taking you the infirmary tomorrow. I’m going to arrange a portkey for us.”
Madame Pomfrey puffed up the pillows and straightened out the sheets and blankets on the bed.
“Get some sleep. If you can’t, I’ll give you a potion.”

But Hermione couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking how she could have stopped Draco. Why didn’t she get away faster or hide from him.
She knew he was dangerous. She just didn’t think he would use something like the Crucio curse on her, believing she was carrying his son.

Hermione wondered what really happen the night Draco died.
Did Harry strangle him or not?

Hermione waited for an opportunely to ask Harry but they were never alone.


Hermione spent four days in the hospital. She was give potion after potion to get the infection under control and the fever down.

She returned to Madame Pomfrey’s house for another day before
Hermione asked when she could go home.

“As long as you don’t have a fever you may go home tomorrow,” the nurse said, “ Your bleeding is lighter now and the infection seems to be gone.”

Harry was waiting patiently at Hermione’s bedroom door, he wasn’t allowed to visit her in the hospital. He waited for the nurse to
wave him in to the room.

“ How are you feeling today?” He asked kissing her forehead and sitting next to the bed.

“ Better!” She said.

“Hermione if you are going home tomorrow why not… ehmm .. “
Harry looked at Madame Pomfrey, who was lingering at the door,
“ Can I have a moment alone with her?”

The nurse put her hands on her hips and glared at him,
“Fine, but you know the rules,” and she left.

Harry took Hermione’s hand in his and said gently,
“Why don’t you come and stay at my estate. Maggie will help me look after you.”

“Oh thank you Harry but I just want to be in my own bed, in my own home,” Hermione confessed.

“Well then I’ll come to see you.” Harry said in a weird tone.

“What’s wrong Harry?” She asked.

“ Your father and Poppy don’t seem to trust me for some reason.
I couldn’t see you in the hospital. I swear she’s trying to keep us apart.” Harry was saying when the nurse came back in.

“ I’m not trying to keep you apart my lord.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“ I’m trying to make sure no one does anything to harm her… Hermione, you can’t have sexual relations with anyone until your bleeding stops. Other wise, you’re at risk for another infection.”

“That’s all you had to say Poppy.” Harry cut her off heatedly,
“I can wait.” Harry said confidently turning back to Hermione.


The next day, Hermione went home. Harry was over at the farm as much as he could to court her properly, with her father and aunt chaperoning.

Aunt Marie tended over Hermione and her father seeing to theirwants and needs.

The homage was a few days Harry was busy, getting things ready.

Hermione got a note from the Mr. Flint, Malfoy's legal representative saying he would speak to her a day after the homage at Judge Couch’s office.