Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

It had been a month since returning to Hogwarts and the incantation to fix the vanishing cabinet circled Hermione’s head like water in a drain.

On the second night back at the castle she, Draco, Theo, and Blaise found the mate to the cabinet at Borgin and Burke’s in the room of requirement. She’d had a feeling it was there and asked the room to show her where things that were broken might be hidden. The room didn’t disappoint.

The room was full of old furniture, magical items, broomsticks, and various other things. Some piles stacked so high Hermione couldn’t see the top of them. A dusty, mildew smell clung to the room which surprised her, as she would have assumed the room would take care of any decay. It had taken them an hour to find the cabinet and then another half hour to memorize the journey from the front entrance back to it.

It had become something like a second home to the young Death Eaters. Hermione had even spent the night of her seventeenth birthday in the room, the small group joined by Daphne, Pansy, Luna, and Ginny.

Daphne had provided a spectacular looking cake with shimmering, golden frosting.

“Blimey, Daph!” Theo exclaimed, reaching to drag his finger through the frosting but instead got his wrist smacked by Pansy. “How’d you manage this?”

Daphne had thrown her bright blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly.

“I've been friends with the house elves since third year.” She shrugged as if this was the most normal thing in the world. “Sometimes I go down there to chat and catch up. Yesterday I mentioned it was Hermione’s birthday and sweet old Mipsy insisted she make this for us.”

“Oh that’s wonderful,” Hermione beamed, pulling Daphne in for a hug. “Could I come down there with you sometime to say thank you?”

“Of course!” the blonde girl replied, then waved her wand so the cake magically cut itself into even slices.

Hermione had been showered with gifts, some a bit strange like the butterbeer cork necklace that Luna insisted would keep the nargels away, since they were so present whenever Draco wasn’t around, but others much more practical.

Theo had given her a dainty, long chained necklace with a beautiful golden pendant attached. When she held it to the light, she saw her initials had been engraved into the shiny metal in beautiful gold script.

“Thank you,” she whispered in a thick voice, pulling him in for a tight hug.

“It’s charmed to heat whenever danger is close,” Theo said, tightening his arms around her. “So please pay attention to it, yeah? Can’t have my sister running into things without a little warning.”

Hermione blinked at him in surprise as he pulled back, drawing the pendant closer to her face as if she could see the spell work.

“That’s… incredible ,” she breathed.

Theo blushed, rubbing the back of his neck while he ducked his head.

“I can’t take all the credit,” he said, drawing Ginny close. “Gin had the idea.”

“Thank you both, I’ll never take it off,” she said, pulling the chain over her head. The chair was long enough that the pendant settled against her sternum, out of sight.

Blaise and Daphne had given her a sleek leather wand holster designed to house not only her wand but also the dagger the Dark Lord had given her. He’d explained that it could be worn anywhere she needed and would adjust to fit perfectly.

Pansy gifted her a set of goblin-made silver hair combs spelled to de-frizz and smooth her hair when they were placed in it. Hermione couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the fact that Pansy still seemed to feel that Hermione’s hair was a personal affront to her.

Ginny had already given Hermione her gift earlier with the Gryffindors – a set of beautiful quills she was sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had helped pay for.

Draco was the only one empty handed, but he only smiled and took her face in his hands.

“I have your gift, it’s just not ready yet,” he whispered against her lips before pressing his mouth to hers.

“I don’t need you to give me a gift,” she answered between kisses. “You’ve already given me so much.”

Draco pulled back, his grey eyes alight with amusement.

“What did I tell you about Malfoy men and their witches?”

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn’t fight her grin.

“Right, right. Weakness, splendor, all that,” she deadpanned.

The rest of the night had been so enjoyable it made Hermione smile for weeks to come. But something from that night floated back to her as she stood once again in front of the cabinet in late October, a few days before Halloween.

“I often find…” Luna had said as if she were continuing a conversation from earlier. “That when something is broken, it takes more than one hand to put it back together.”

At the time everyone had just stared at Luna with raised eyebrows, unsure of what she was talking about. Pansy’s face had clearly stated that if anyone made so much as a rude sniff in Luna’s direction they’d be missing a limb, so everyone nodded – Daphne had murmured some sort of polite response – and the party had continued.

But now, as she watched Draco once more place his hands upon the cabinet and begin the chant, her eyes widened.

More than once Ginny had told her that she thought Luna had seer blood. There were things the girl would say that made no sense at the time only to later come back around. Perhaps this was one of those moments – not that Hermione believed in divination or anything of the sort. If asked after the fact, she’d probably chalk this moment up to desperation.

“Wait,” she said quietly, not wanting to startle Draco as he tended to fall into a bit of a trance.

He paused, turning to look at her. There was a slight sheen of sweat on his face. Some time ago he’d shrugged out of his outer robes and had rolled his shirtsleeves up his forearm. The Dark Mark slithered across his skin and she couldn’t deny the things it did to her body. She cleared her throat, turning her attention back to him.

“I don’t think it’s enough,” she continued.

“What’s not enough?” Draco asked, obviously trying to keep the frustration out of his tone.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, pushing away from the old desk where she’d been perched watching Draco work, and looked over to Blaise and Theo who were pouring over old texts.

“Do you remember what Luna said during my birthday? About how sometimes fixing things requires more than one hand?”

Draco’s pale eyebrows pulled together but he nodded.

“I think this is what she meant,” she said, placing a hand on the cabinet.

“Holy shit,” Theo exclaimed from behind her. “You think she knew we were fixing the cabinet?”

Hermione shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Luna’s always been a bit… strange. But Gin is convinced she’s got seer blood in her. At the beginning of last year she had said to Harry: kiss the bright star in the sky goodbye and then Sirius died. Harry never got to say goodbye to him…” Her voice trailed off, borrowed grief circling her throat for a second before she cleared it. “What if this is the same sort of thing?”

Blaise shut his book, a plume of dust billowing around him. He coughed, waving it away with his large hand.

“Worth a shot, I think. Not like we’re getting anywhere,” Blaise said, then raised his hands in defense towards Draco. “No offense, mate.”

Draco shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

“None taken, let’s try it,” he answered in a tired voice.

There seemed to be permanent dark circles under his eyes and Draco’s usually bright, handsome face had taken on a bit of a sallow look as of late. Hermione knew he was taking on all the responsibility of the Dark Lord’s mission, regardless of the fact that she, Theo, and Blaise – and Professor Snape – were there to help him.

“How many do you think, Mione?” Theo asked, stepping up beside her.

To be honest, she had no idea. It was unlike her to try something without extensive research and deliberation, but she could feel the same pressure Draco had put on himself and was desperate for any sort of success. The cabinet was more than just a way to leave Hogwarts, it was a way for Draco to escape once their mission had been completed.

“I think it’s best to start with just myself and Draco,” she said after a moment. “Then we can add on from there, yes?”

All three boys nodded.

She and Draco stepped up to the cabinet, placing their palms flat against the smooth wood. It hummed with their touch, the wood warming after only a moment as if greeting them. Draco nodded once, and together they began to chant.

The cabinet groaned, but nothing happened. Draco opened the door to see the green apple still inside and exhaled in a gust of frustration. He’d sent a letter to Borgin to be waiting on the other side and she wondered how much longer the old man would wait.

“Theo,” she said, pointing to the third side of the cabinet.

At his touch the cabinet hummed louder, but still no change.

Finally, Blaise stepped up and they all shifted to allow him space. Hermione stepped closer to Draco and smiled when his pinky covered hers.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

The cabinet shuddered, groaned, and a dark light burst from the inside. Hermione always thought she could hear magic humming around her, feel it moving through her veins.

But now? Now magic sang . It floated through the room like a harmony not meant for this world. It raced down her spine and through her lungs. She breathed it out, took it in. Shivered with the pleasure of the power.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

Harmonia Nectere Passus.

The cabinet gave one more great sigh of magic. There was a quiet click before silence fell around them. Hermione panted, pressing her forehead against the wood and she noticed beside her that Theo had taken a step back, pushing his damp curls away from his face. On her other side Draco stood much like her, his palm sliding to cover the top of her hand.

Then he stepped back, and swung open the door.

There, on the dark shelf, sat the green apple with a bite taken out of it.