Chocolate Enchantment

47: The Horcrux Falls

Chapter 47: The Final Horcrux Falls

Several more days passed before Severus declared Hermione ready to return to dueling practice with the Order members. Even then, he did so with the caveat that the 'instructors' understood to use only Level One spells on her, as her health was delicate. Bill and Remus would be involved in this round again, though other members had taken turns training the boys while Hermione was recovering. The two of them knew to take her pregnancy into consideration.

Severus would have preferred Hermione didn't participate at all, but agreed she couldn't stay in hiding her entire life and needed to be able to defend herself. Even cotton wool wouldn't stop every jinx, she had reasoned.

The paddock at the Burrow was still the best place for the dueling to take place, as it was large, surrounded by trees, and a delineated area. The day was cooler than the first time they had met for practice, a fact Hermione appreciated. She, Harry, and Ron entered the paddock knowing their trainers would already be in place, though a look around them revealed nothing.

A flash of light shot toward them from the right, and Hermione rolled onto the ground. The hex zoomed above her and she jumped up again, flashing her shielding charm before another hex could hit her, then zapped something back to where the hex had originated. The boys scattered as they were pulled in different directions.

Bill came into view and engaged Hermione in a focused duel for several minutes before he disarmed her. He helped her up, dusted her off, and they began again. The players changed, moved around the field and occasionally went two on one. At the end of two hours, the three younger Order members were standing together, back to back, facing their opponents. Exhausted, numbed, Hermione fought to keep focused when everything seemed to be coming at her at once.

Then a blue flash of light made it past the shield Hermione was trying to erect again and hit her, causing her whole body to cramp up. She rolled onto her side and began to pant as the cramping increased even though the curse was no longer being held on her.

She screamed out, and Remus called an end to the battle. Bill dropped down on his knees beside her and called out finite incantatem—which did nothing—then began a diagnostic spell. He murmured a few other spells and she felt the cramping ease. The pain calmed and Hermione was able to hear Remus cussing Kingsley for using whatever it was he had shot at them.

"We said only Level One spells on her, Kingsley. Do you know what that means?"

"It wasn't a dangerous spell; if she had only been worn out from her previous illness it shouldn't have been worse than a Level One. The only reason it would be different is . . . . " He didn't finish the sentence as understanding lit his eyes and he came to the right conclusion.

Remus's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, exactly. And if you share around this bit of gossip like you did the last—mistaken—bit, I promise you'll be sorry. Sebastian is a force to be reckoned with and appears to be quite protective of his lady, to my everlasting surprise."

Hermione saw Harry catch Remus' eye, and they nodded knowingly at each other. She couldn't blame them; even she was sometimes surprised by the gentleness, the possessiveness her husband displayed when he felt it warranted.

"There you are. You'll be fine, but you really should see a mediwitch, Hermione." Bill helped her sit back up so she could look at the circle of men surrounding her.

"You're starting to sound like a broken record." She smiled vaguely and met the other men's eyes. "I'll be fine, really."

Charlie's eyes narrowed and he put his hands on his hips. "You're pregnant? What is this, an epidemic?" Obviously Charlie knew what spell had been cast and its possible side effects.