Triumvirate

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters nor do I make money off them. These stories are for entertainment only.

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Love of mine some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

I will follow you into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

~

They had searched everywhere. But found no sign of Lucius’s blood. Draco lay on the rooftops of Malfoy Manor, his scales slowly losing their sheen. He had no energy, he had no fight left.

Why should he?

They had saved the world. And for what?

Hermione was fighting for her life in St. Mungo’s, he was fighting for his own and still the wizarding world that owed them so much refused to accept them. As a Triumvirate government yes, as lovers no.

So what is it all for then?

He closed his eyes, she wouldn’t make it, he wouldn’t make it and then… none of this would matter anymore.. Would it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I don’t care what he wants!” Luna shouted from the foyer, “leave him alone, be damned! I won’t give up on him. Do you hear me? Stand aside!”

The house elves had tried to bar her entrance, seeking to fulfill master Draco’s wishes. To be left alone and let the end come. He’d even banished Harry from his sight. He wanted to be remembered as the fighter, not the shell he was now.

“Let her pass” Maddy called imperiously over the other elves. A few balked but she silenced them, “Let. Her. Pass.”

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

She stepped onto the roof and saw him at once. He opened one eye. “Go away Luna”

“I won’t”

“Let me die in peace. I think it’s coming along nicely.”

“You selfish bastard! Stop thinking about yourself. This is about all of you!”

He turned away.

She ran around his head to stare at him angrily.

“Leave or I will eat you”

“Liar, blondes aren’t your preference.”

She had pluck, he’d give her that.

“Look, we all tried ok? I don’t blame you Luna.”

“Of course you don’t. I am blaming you. I have a theory you see, and you haven’t listened to it.”

“What?”

“Blood Draco. The reason the blood wasn’t found is because Voldemort wasn’t storing it in jars. He was…using it.”

He blinked, “Using it how? Who cares, it’s gone.”

“He drank it.”

“He’s a vampire now? How’d that happen? Nargles do it?”

She slapped his shoulder soundly but he barely felt it. “Did you notice that he looked a little better when you… skewered him? More..human?”

Draco sighed and nearly blew her off her feet, “Yeah, so?”

“He was augmenting his power and his own bloodline using some of the darkest magic out there. Blood magic. Snape told us all about it.”

“So what if he did?”

“That means that we have the blood. He was taken to the morgue and Neville had all the blood drained from his stomach just in case we were right.”

“And I punched a great bloody hole in it.”

“Even so this might work.”

“And it might not.”

“You have nothing to lose Draco. Nothing at all.”

He eyed her for a very long time.

“Fine. Hurry up and kill me then”.

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

Hermione woke nearly a week later. Her body ached but was nearly healed. She stared up at the white curtains around her before fear sank in. She bolted upright.

“Harry!”

The curtain jerked back he was there, gathering her close to his heart, “Shh, I’m here Mione. I’m here.”

She shuddered in his arms as the memories assailed her. The smell of the smoke in Spinner’s End. The smell of him. The bitter taste of him. Her stomach revolted and Harry was quick to swing a basin under her face.

She clawed at her gown, nails rasping against her thighs and stomach. She drew blood in her fervent efforts.

Harry caught her hands and held them down, “Stop Mione! It’s ok. It’s alright!”

She shook her head, tears cascading from her eyes, and she shook all over. “No. It’s not! He touched me Harry. I felt him inside of me! Gods I can taste him in my mouth still!”

Harry grasped her face tightly between his hands and slammed his lips to hers. His tongue plundering her mouth, bringing the taste of dark chocolate mints he’d been eating to her.

Her hands clung to him and she sucked his tongue, eager to drown out the terrible thought of Voldemort coming in her mouth.

Harry broke the kiss slowly resting his forehead against hers, “Better now?”

She nodded, licking her lips.

“Where is he?” she asked.

Harry sat beside her on the bed, “Gone Mione. Dead. For good this time. No coming back.”

She sagged against the pillows, “Sort of anti-climactic wasn’t it?” she mused, “I mean it was over so quickly once it began.”

“Thanks to Draco.”

“And him?”

Harry pulled a large teardrop shaped opal from his pocket, “For you. I don’t think Luna’s potion worked. I think he knew it wouldn’t and didn’t want anyone to see him…well… you know.”

Hermione let the opal fall into her lap, only then realizing that it was a scale. A dragon scale.

She shook her head, bit her lip. “It…it just can’t be” she whispered,
After everything..”

Harry pulled her close again, “I’m so sorry Mione. We are looking for him…”

She nodded, “I suppose when I am better I can visit him in your soul garden.”

She was trying so hard to be brave and she was failing she knew.

“That just it..” Harry whispered, “He isn’t there. Do dragons….do… they have… souls?”

The enormity of his question hit her and she doubled over in wrenching sobs. Try as he might Harry was unable to comfort her.

She was released two days later and made her way home. To Wit’s End. To the portraits of Severus Snape and to the memory of what she had lost.

She knelt on the carpet, gathering the small silver rings, but no matter how long she worked at it, she couldn’t get the order correct and so, the three stones were not joined.

“Put it down Mia” Severus called from his frame, “Rest.”

Harry came to see her in the evenings, even though she insisted he bring work…he refused.

She was on leave.

Harry held her, dried her tears as best he could. Made love to her, and even them they both felt something was missing.

One evening he noticed her bare hands. “No ring” he murmured.

She nodded, moving to get the little rings of silver, “I couldn’t…..get them…back together. They are like us now aren’t they?… we will never get the pattern right again.”

He gathered her close and carried her off to her room, Snape kind enough to leave his frame.

But he just held her, until she cried herself to sleep.

“Was she like this when I died?” Snape asked later that night.

Harry nodded, “Worse actually. I could touch her at all. Snape… can I ask you something?”

“You wish to know if dragon’s have souls?”

“Yes.”

“I am not an expert on dragons Lord Potter. I wouldn’t know. But if a new bloom hasn’t shown up in your garden I would be more likely to think the reason is because he isn’t dead.”

Harry shook his head, “He would have come back.”

Severus arched his brow, “Would he? The world as you know it wasn’t quite…receptive of this little menage trois. Was it? If his last transformation left him…changed….he might not. I wouldn’t.”

That gave Harry quite a bit to think about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco shifted painfully on the forest floor. His joints hurt, his eyes hurt. Hell everything hurt.

“How do you feel?” came the angelic tones of Luna.

He blinked up at her, “Like complete shite” his voice rasped. Deeper now.

She smiled, “That’s wonderful to hear!” she clapped her hands and he scowled at her.

“You’ve a bent sense of humor Luna Longbottom.”

She smiled all the more, reaching out to smooth his hair from his eyes. “But it means that are alive” she pointed out, “And even though there are only a few more noticeable changes… I’d say you are none the worse for wear.”

“Changes?” he asked. He knew some of them. For example he was a little larger through the private department. That was no hardship. His senses remained magnified. A mixed blessing, considering all the brewing Luna and Neville did.

“Your eyes for one. They are still silver, but rimmed in blue. They are quite ethereal actually” she told him, “The fangs remained and the black nails, but they are much like claws now. You some muggles find that look very appealing I think they call it Goth….or is Emo now?” she muttered to herself.

Draco slowly rose to his feet, swaying slightly.

“Ah yes” she said, “You are taller now. I am thinking you are close to 6’4 now. Neville is 6’0 so I am only guessing. And your hair is longer, lighter too.”

Draco made his way to the small stream and looked down at himself.

“I’m cured though?”

She nodded, “Oh yes. Though these traits will never completely recede. I’m sorry Draco.”

He blinked, “And the bloodline curse?”

She smile softly, “Broken. You can live now Draco. You can have a normal life.”

She was surprised but accepting when he gathered her tightly to his chest. “Thank you!” he whispered, pressing kisses to her cheeks and eyelids.

“Hey now. Stop mauling my wife. Go get your own. I’ve sent word to Harry that you are alive after all. So go on, go get her.”

Draco smiled broadly, feeling the weight of years fall from him shoulders. “Oh I intend to.”