Blood Ties

A/N: Sorry I missed yesterday. I normally don't work on Friday and yesterday I did. Needless to say, it threw me off. So, here it is, only one day late. :)

Chapter 45

They waited outside of Malfoy Manor under the cover of darkness. Hermione used her power to scan the stately house thoroughly. She sensed the Malfoy's first. From the state of Lucius' mind he was deeply asleep. Narcissa had done her part.

From Narcissa herself, she could tell that the woman was awake. Her thoughts were dismal and filled with guilt over the thought that she'd drugged her husband, that she'd betrayed him. Her thoughts also focused on Draco. She felt like she'd failed him as a mother, that she should have protected him better. She also had the hope that someday he'd be able to forgive her.

Bellatrix and Voldemort were together. It was almost too much evil for Hermione to endure. She was also disgusted to find that they were both basking in the afterglow of post coital bliss. She quickly left their minds and scanned the rest of the house. Wormtail was awake, prowling around the corridor outside of Voldemort's chambers. The Carrow twins were asleep in their room, as was Yaxley and Rookwood. Everyone other than the rat was asleep.

She relayed all of this information in low tones to the order members standing around her. "Everyone is asleep," she whispered lowly. "All except for Pettigrew."

"Wormtail is mine," Growled Lupin, his eyes flashing amber through the darkness.

"Patience, Remus," Dumbledore cautioned as he laid a comforting hand on the werewolf's arm. "Keep the end goal in sight. Do not lose yourself in thoughts of vengeance. I know that you still mourn for them. We all do but we can't afford to lose focus."

Remus looked down and nodded but Hermione could see that his eyes still shown yellow through the night. If Remus didn't finish the rat, she would. He'd been the one to betray Harry's parents. He was the reason for Harry's suffering through his childhood.

She looked to Draco and nodded. She watched as he withdrew his wand and began the incantation to lower the wards. He worked slowly and steadily, each movement of his wand precise. She could feel the magic thickening the air around them. It was rather seductive to watch him work. She tamped down the warmth pooling in her abdomen and averted her eyes.

He chuckled lowly, a sound so quiet that only hers and Lupin's ears picked up the sound. He eyed her curiously and she was sure that if she was still human her face would resemble a giant tomato at this point. Draco laughed again and she growled at him quietly to silence his antics. They needed to focus.

"Later, love," he murmured quietly as the wards fell around them. He turned to face the order. "The wards are down," he addressed the group. "Please allow Hermione and I to go in first, just to scope things out. She can send her patronus when we have the all clear."

Dumbledore nodded and Draco took her hand. They took off, zipping with their vampire stealth and speed to the front door. Draco opened the door and they quietly let themselves into the front hall. Hermione opened her mind to the house and found its occupants still fast asleep.

She scanned some more and found that Nagini was being kept in her own warded room in the lower level, presumably the dungeons. She squeezed her mates hand and telepathically projected the location of the snake. He nodded and she sent off her patronus. She turned back to Draco just as he seized her waist and pulled her in for a soul consuming kiss that set fire to her very blood. She moaned quietly into his mouth as his teeth pricked her lip. She groaned again as she tasted the decadent flavor of his blood.

"I know that I haven't said it before," he whispered urgently. "But I know it's what I feel. I love you. I have for a long time I think. I was just too foolish to act on the feeling. I hope after all this is over that we can move on and try to make this work and be a real couple. I feel much more for you than I could ever put into words."

Hermione's eyes misted as she embraced him one last time before Harry and the rest of the order filed quietly into the main entry hall. She turned and directed who should go where to take care of who. Remus and Tonks would be her and Harry's backup. Draco would take care of Nagini and Shacklebolt and Molly would take care of Yaxley and Rookwood. Dumbledore and Arthur would take care of the Carrow twins. They expected by then that the whole manor would be in an uproar.

Everyone paired off with their partners and crept silently through the old house. Under the cover of disillusionment charms, they closed in on their targets. Hermione grasped Harry's hand and ticked off people in her mind as their minds blinked out one by one as they were stupefied and magically shackled. So far so good.

That was until they rounded the corner into the hallway that housed the Dark Lord's chambers. They stilled immediately as Pettigrew turned to face them. The man had spent so much time in his animagus form that he'd permanently taken on some of its attributes. Such as their superior sense of smell. He might not see them but he could sure as hell smell them.

"Intruders!" he yelled as his form shrank down and he turned into the rat that he was.

Remus fired off a stunner and missed, blowing a large hole in the wall. Then all hell broke loose as the Dark Lord and Bellatrix appeared in the hall.

End Note: On that note, tell me your thoughts if you are so inclined. I'd just like to say that I'm sickened by the events that unfolded yesterday in Connecticut. As a mother of four, I can honestly say that I wouldn't know what to do if I were put into the position that those poor people are in right now. My heart goes out to that entire community. Things will never be the same for them again. I don't necessarily believe in God or the Devil but for this sick bastard, I certainly hope that there is a hell and I hope he spends the rest of his eternal days writhing in agony. It still wouldn't be enough...