Delighted To Love You: A Dramione Story

Part 1: Chapter 10

Aries was sitting next to Hermione on a bench in St. Mungo's, holding the piece of cake he had been saving for Narcissa. He looked up at Hermione, his big blue eyes filled with tears. "Mummy's not coming for her cake is she?"

"Oh sweetheart!" Hermione's heart shattered as she pulled the weeping child into her arms, crying with him. She looked up and saw Draco watching the pair of them with a pained expression on his face.

He walked over to Hermione and kissed her forehead. "Harry asked if you would come view the--the bodies," he said, tightly.

She nodded and carefully untangled herself from Aries who immediately launched himself into Draco's arms. 

Hermione walked timidly through the double doors where Harry and a few aurors were talking. "Harry?"

Harry looked up and walked over to her, giving her a tight hug. "Hey. How are you holding up 'Mione?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "I think I'm still in shock to be quite honest."

He nodded. "Well, we're doing our very best to get to the bottom of this. I called you back here because I think you can help us. Let me know if this is too much for you right now but the culprits left another message and I think it would be--"

"Take me in Harry."

He nodded grimly and led her into the room. She shivered as she studied the markings on Narcissa and Joseph for a few minutes. She compared the markings to the pictures from the other crime scenes. After a few minutes she gasped in horror and tears streamed down her face. 

"What is it 'Mione?"

"Harry we're in danger. Draco is in danger! Ginny, the Weasley's, Pansy, Blaise!"

"Hermione what's going on?! What does it say?"

"It says 'It's time for purebloods to feel our wrath.'"

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Merlin's beard, you're kidding?! You would think after the war that all this nonsense would stop." He sighed. "Well, come on Hermione let's get you out of--"

"Wait! Harry do you see that?"

Harry leaned closer to see what she was pointing at. "What? I don't see anything."

"There Harry! That mark." There was a small mark etched into Narcissa's palm. "I think they're coordinates!"

Harry called in one of his aurors to take down the coordinates. "'Mione, let's get you out of here; You're trembling."

She allowed him to guide her back out to the lobby where Draco was waiting with Aries and Athena.

"Let's go home," Draco said simply, picking up Athena's carrier and taking Hermione's hand. Aries clung desperately to Hermione, as if he was afraid she too would disappear from him. Two aurors escorted them to their empty house and were to stand guard the entire night. Scorpius was with Ginny and her kids at the burrow, where Harry had also put protection in place.

Hermione busied herself getting Aries fed, bathed and ready for bed. She held him tightly as he cried himself to sleep and tucked him in, casting a sad glance back at him as she turned out the light and left the room.

She found Draco in their bedroom, sitting with his back against the headboard of their bed, cradling Athena in his arms. "Draco?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice. "My mother?" he started, his voice cracking. "Why Herms? I know I'm not a good person but why do these things keep happening to me? Am I being punished, still? Was having Lucius as a father not enough?" There were tears in his eyes and Hermione felt her heart break again, seeing her husband so hurt. She reached to take Athena from him but he shook his head.