The Fusion Paradox

Chapter One: All The Good Things

When it's over 

That's the time I fall in love again 

And when it's over 

That's the time you're in my heart again 

And it never ends 

All the things that I used to say 

All the words that got in the way 

All the things that I used to know 

Have gone out the window 

"It's been a bloody year to the day now, Harry," Ron said, as they trudged inside their apartment building. They dropped their bags in the lobby as they waited for the elevator. "And how did we celebrate your 22nd birthday yesterday? Gah, what kind of celebration is it when we just spend another day looking for Hermione again? I'm telling you, when that girl decides to get lost, she stays lost. As the 'most intelligent witch of our generation,' " said Ron, as if quoting from a magazine, "she could be expected to have certainly covered her tracks well. And she did, so maybe now we can just wait until..."

Harry turned savagely toward Ron, saying in a tight voice, "I can't believe you of all people would be telling me this. Hermione goes missing and all you can complain about is how tired you are..."

"She left me too, Harry!" exploded Ron, his fists bunching at his sides in the effort not to strike out physically. "You act as if she betrayed you by leaving. I knew that there was something going on between the two of you during your party last year but what I'm wondering about is what happened to make her leave!"

"I already told you that she spent the night with me. Me," Harry said in a monotone. "I know you also had feelings for her but didn't we lay out all cards on the table during our seventh year? Didn't we agree 'may the best man win'? Sometimes I wonder if you are not as concerned about her leaving without a word because you knew she picked me."

"Shut up!" shouted Ron, finally taking a swing at Harry, which missed the mark. They started struggling with each other until they ended up rolling on the floor, trading a few punches. The elevator doors suddenly opened and out stepped Malfoy, immaculately dressed in black. He cocked his head to the side and looked appraisingly at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Nice of you to drop by. But, don't you think it's better till you reach a bedroom before you start shagging each other?" drawled Draco.

Harry and Ron sat up, shirts torn and new bruises starting to show. They both stood up and straightened their clothes. Ron shot a malevolent look at Draco.

Ah, if looks could kill, Draco thought, biting back a smile. He turned to Harry and said in clipped tones, "Harry, I knew you'd be here. There's an emergency at the Headquarters."

Ron marvelled at the ease with which Draco could talk to them. If not for the fact that Draco had fought on their side in their last battle with Voldemort, he doubted that they would even be acting civilly towards each other. For his part, he wouldn't trust Draco not to steal the last leg of a chicken from a starving man but he would trust him with his life. The irony was enough to make him throw up. However, Harry would not appreciate it if he spoiled the carpet.

"What happened?" Harry asked, picking up his bag and walking towards the elevator. He stood inside for a minute before recalling that all it required to reach its destination was a thought. Ron and Draco were looking at him curiously as they stepped inside with him. It was so very different from his Muggle upbringing. He expelled his breath forcefully and thought of his apartment, which whisked the elevator up to the penthouse. He stepped out, dropped his bag carelessly on the carpet in the corridor and probed the lock of the door with his mind. Wandless magic was certainly something he was definitely getting used to. The lock gave a soft click, and the three of them went in. Ron immediately dropped his bag and robe and headed for the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and began taking out the makings of a sandwich. Draco took out a pitcher of ginger ale as well and with an "Accio, glass!" poured out some for himself. Harry asked in amusement,

"Don't either of you have any food in your own apartment?"

"I probably do, but when you can get things for free..." Ron grinned as he looked as his sandwich, which was overflowing with the slices of meat and the amount of garnish he put into it.

Draco just looked at Harry coolly, downed the whole glass and poured another.

Harry sighed. He went into his room, stripped off all his clothes and went to shower. The hot water automatically switched on and poured out of the shower head. He rotated his neck lazily so that the stream of water snaked its way down, hitting all his sore spots. Listening to the two men trading insults in the dining area, he smiled at the thought that they had all come a long way from Hogwarts.

"Oh, yeah, Malfoy? Well, your father couldn't find his way out of..."

"Let's leave the dead out of this," Draco said tersely. He had become independently wealthy, thanks to his parents' demise in the last battle with Voldemort. Although he could have lived in the Malfoy mansion, he chose to purchase a whole floor in the building Harry owned. Living in an apartment building set in a Muggle environment was a new experience, one that he was curious about.

Ron shut up, conscious of his faux pas. His own parents, thankfully, were alive and well. His father had expanded his interest in all things Muggle by opening a repair shop near The Leaky Cauldron, in addition to his Ministry work. Ron snickered at the thought that unsuspecting Muggles who were regular customers never guessed that their appliances were being fixed magically when Arthur Weasley could not figure out how it worked. The shop's success rate had been so phenomenal that Harry had to warn Mr. Weasley to slow it down, otherwise, people would become suspicious, advice which Mr. Weasley took to heart.

He was given a reprieve when Harry came out of his room, dressed in his Auror uniform. It was made of smooth black cotton twill and creased in the right places. Thankfully, it was not the type which wrinkled, given the kind of assignments they had.

Ron picked up his bag and robe on the way out, waving a careless goodbye to the others. He intended to go down two floors to take a shower in the apartment he bought from Harry with the reward money he got in the battle with Voldemort. Little did he know that the money he paid was being kept in a secret vault under his name at Gringotts.

As soon as he left, Draco turned to Harry and asked, "What was the fight all about?"

Not getting any response, he soon found out that the other man was lost in his own thoughts. He went over to the living room and sprawled on the white leather couch, crossed his arms under his head and started thinking about what had happened in the lobby before they all came up. He had realised that there had been unresolved issues that stemmed from Hermione's disappearance right after Harry's birthday the previous year. Both men probably just needed to release some tension. He glanced again at Harry, whose head was buried in his hands. He resumed staring at the ceiling and began to wonder why Harry, of all people, had chosen to buy an apartment building in Muggle London and disguise it as a dilapidated, shabby old structure when in reality, its furnishings and other amenities were as modern as possible. Granted, it was near enough The Leaky Cauldron...he shrugged elegantly. Not that he was complaining, as he was perfectly willing to take advantage of it as well. All the residents were witches and wizards, most of them old schoolmates from Hogwarts. And disguising the facade apparently worked, as no Muggle had ever been curious enough to inquire about living in the building.

A frown crossed his face as he contemplated his own reasons for being there. All his life his father had raised him to believe that all Muggles were inferior to him. His eyes narrowed as he remembered taunting Hermione with the term 'Mudblood,' for which he was now repentant. The reason for the shameful snobbery was now revealed to him as the disguised fear of people who could not adjust to what the magical world was evolving into. Pureblood, he sneered at himself bitterly. He shifted his position slightly, biting the inside of his bottom lip. He did not realise how affected he was by his thoughts until he tasted blood. Wiping his lips absentmindedly with the back of his hand, he thought about a lifetime of beliefs, wiped out by the treachery of his own father. Readjusting his viewpoint had been difficult, to say the least. It had been a hard five years clawing out of the darkness in which he had floated. Hermione had been a compassionate companion in his journey, forgiving him their immature bickering. Now, he vowed silently, I will find my own truths.

Hermione. His thought shifted back to the most probable cause of the fight in the lobby. Apparently, there were still unresolved issues about her disappearance, and the lingering tension had made the two friends trade blows. She was the reason Harry was opting for field assignments more frequently now, in the hopes that he would find her in the places he was assigned to. All Aurors had the choice of domestic or international assignments. Draco, although he had chosen international assignments at first, had been selecting domestic assignments lately.

Hermione had always been headstrong and independent, which, added to her intelligence and compassion, made her a fairly attractive witch. And a bane for any man who happened to fall in love with her. Draco knew that she wanted to live on her own as a single woman and marriage was the farthest thing from her mind. He shifted again and propped his pale blond head on his left fist as Harry snapped out of his trance and started walking to the armchair beside the couch. He quirked an eyebrow at Harry, who responded with a question.

"What was it you were asking again?"

"Never mind. I figured out the cause of the fight for myself."

Harry sucked in his breath, expelled it slowly and shook his head. He hated fighting with Ron. And over Hermione yet. Although it seemed that Ron was quite over her and had been dating other witches, it must have rankled that Hermione had seemingly chosen Harry over him. Not that it was an actual choice, since she had left. He went crazy trying to find her, certain that she had been taken forcibly. But it was impossible as it looked like she had taken care of her affairs before leaving. She had given George, one of the Weasley twins, access to her apartment so that he could check on it from time to time. Crookshanks and her house plants were being cared for by Neville. Since both lived in the building, it wasn't really much of a bother. It was as if she had taken an extended trip, except that she had not left word as to where she would be, which was a first. Harry had a bond with Hermione and Draco which he could not explain. It happened when they were all in that last desperate fight with Voldemort...

************

Ron rushed into the Forbidden Forest, casting aside the bushes with a flick of his wand and a muttered spell as he looked desperately for signs as to where Ginny went. It was a source of confusion for him that while the others were busy putting up additional wards, preparing the castle for a siege from the Death Eaters, he saw his sister slip off, running in the direction of the woods. Harry and Hermione were following in his wake. He was nearly in the state of panic as the castle was the safest place for everyone. Where had Ginny gone off to?

Harry and Hermione stopped, out of breath. It seemed as if they had lost Ron. They looked around and tried to re-orient themselves. The Forbidden Forest was frightening enough by day but at night... Goosebumps came out on Hermione's arms as she frantically tried to look at signs for Ron's whereabouts.

Suddenly, a scream and a flash of light emanated from the side. Rushing to the scene, Harry and Hermione found Ron on the ground beside a huge stone in the clearing. She rushed to his side and checked him for vital signs. Harry looked around anxiously as he guarded his friends. Hermione looked at Harry with trepidation mixed with hope.

"He's alive...barely. His pulse is weak. Maybe he was struck by one of the giant spiders. We have to get him back to the castle quickly..."

Then she noticed the amount of acromantula scattered about on the ground around them, just on the periphery of the clearing...dead. Their legs were sticking grotesquely up in the air.

Hermione stood up after she saw Harry staring in the direction of a hooded figure walking toward them in a deliberate manner. The figure flicked off the hood on her head and what they saw made them freeze in shock. It was Ginny...but with red eyes. Harry took a step back, shielding Hermione and Ron. Hermione took out her wand and grasped it firmly, although she was shaking inside. Ginny's features suddenly dissolved, until they were left gaping at the sight of Voldemort.

"Harry..." Hermione whispered, breaking the fragile silence that seemed to have been cast over them. Harry spoke in a loud and clear voice,

"Where's Ginny?"

Voldemort laughed derisively as he surveyed the two teenagers in front of him. He looked at Ron as he lay prone on the ground, then back again at Harry and Hermione. The two shifted their bodies to protect their unconscious friend. Voldemort narrowed his eyes as he looked at her intently. "Ah, the Mudblood. Good, good. I have much use for you...

"A pity that you came so early. I was planning to toy with your friend here first, to make him suffer by making him believe that it was his beloved sister who was torturing him to death. But since you are all here...just as well. The real celebration can begin. Lucius, bring the sacrifice."

Another hooded figure appeared from the shadows, followed by two others who were holding a struggling figure between them. Hermione looked wide-eyed at Harry and he returned her gaze grimly as they noted the younger Malfoy bound in ropes with a rag tied across his mouth. Lucius Malfoy took off his own hood and looked coldly at his son.

"Act like a real man and stop struggling against the ropes for they are magically bound. You will only hurt yourself," Lucius admonished his son, who glared back at him.

Hermione looked around frantically, trying to discern for any additional presence behind the trees. Voldemort noticed the direction of her gaze and smiled at her, making the blood run cold in her veins. It seemed as if she would never be warm again.

Voldemort hissed, "I do not need other people just to deal with children. They are now preparing to attack the castle. As soon as the sacrifice has been made, they will storm Hogwarts. We will be invincible."

Harry stood there as if cast in stone. "You will never be able to defeat Dumbledore," he said confidently, staring at Voldemort.

"That old bumbling fool?" Voldemort said contemptuously. Lucius spat on the ground. The other two robed figures removed their hoods as well and Harry saw that they were Crabbe and Goyle, senior.

"Even he knows how powerful a living sacrifice is. Especially during the full moon." Voldemort gazed at the sky as if entranced by it. His attention was then called to Draco, who had doubled his efforts in struggling against his bindings. He stepped towards the boy and painfully whipped off the rag that covered Draco's mouth. Hermione sucked in a horrified gasp as the welts on Draco's face came into stark relief, proving his intense struggle against his bonds.

"Father..." Draco whispered to Lucius Malfoy, his voice cracking from lack of use. Voldemort slapped him hard across the face and there was a sickening thud as Draco fell to the ground. Both Harry and Hermione flinched at the loud crack of sound. A trail of blood snaked its way from the corner of Draco's mouth to his chin.

"You'll never finish this alive, Voldemort," Harry stated in a calm voice. Hermione admired his nerve for saying that, especially since it seemed that they were the ones on the losing side.

Then Harry spoke, "Accio, wands!" He caught all their wands in his left hand, giving back Hermione's wand to her, along with Ron's.

A slow smile spread across Voldemort's face. It seemed that he admired Harry's aggressiveness. "What makes you think I even need a wand?"

He raised up his hand and said, "Crucio!"

Hermione had never felt such intense pain in her life. Her head hurt like it was going to explode, her eyes were rolling back in her head...she felt like she was going to faint. She felt herself drop to the ground.

It was gone all in a sudden. Her head cleared and she looked at Harry, who it seemed, recovered faster and was looking at her in concern. He gathered her in his arms and shot a look of fury at Voldemort, who laughed softly, menacingly.

Harry whispered urgently in Hermione's ear, "Do not resist the pain, it will only be harder on you. Use your mind to disassociate yourself from it." Comprehension dawned on her face and she gave him a slight nod.

Voldemort taunted Harry, "My, my, what a touching scene. Too bad, each and every one of your friends will die tonight and there is nothing you can do to save them." He slowly turned his head towards Lucius Malfoy in an unspoken signal, and Lucius brought his struggling son to the stone. The other two men stepped towards Harry and Hermione, who were preparing to resist when Voldemort once again uttered another unforgivable curse, "Imperio!"

Harry saw Hermione stare in horrified fascination as their feet brought them closer and closer to the stone where Draco was leaning on. Voldemort looked on as his three assistants bound together the three teenagers tightly. They were sitting on the stone, their backs to each other with their legs sprawled outwardly. Voldemort strode towards them, his robes flickering behind him as a gust of wind suddenly blew about, making them all shiver in the cold.

He began to chant, "Animae nunc confundite numine lunae, hic hostia decorum cultere accipe." Over and over, Voldemort chanted until Harry felt his head spin and his heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it would jump out of his chest.

Suddenly, Harry could feel Hermione and Draco inside him. No, he mentally shook his head, they weren't really inside him but that was how it felt. He could feel their presence and it shook him. Hermione was terrified, although it did not show on her face. And Draco was intensely furious. He felt their emotions as though it were his own.

Voldemort put his hand beneath Harry's chin, looked at him appraisingly and saw the turmoil in his eyes. "Ah, it worked. The soul-binding spell worked!" He cackled gleefully.

Voldemort walked around the stone, speaking to himself in concentration. "The only begotten son. The vestal virgin. The lucky one. What else is needed for the ultimate sacrifice of the ages?" He continued his pace until Draco could no longer hold it in and gritted out,

"Can't you stop that? I'm beginning to get dizzy. We all are. Hermione is about to throw up, I need to pee and Harry..."

"Shut up!" snarled Voldemort, as he halted his walking. Oh no, thought Hermione. The only unforgivable curse he hadn't used yet was Avada Kedavra and he just might... she almost screamed as she felt Draco nudge her with his elbow.

I don't understand it but...I can actually imagine your thoughts. You're projecting them. Harry inclined his head slightly.

I know. It must be the spell he used... Draco's voice filled her mind again. At least it's not a body-melding spell. Imagine if I had your hair and Harry's little..."

The two boys suddenly saw the image of a stone wall in their minds. It seemed that Hermione did not appreciate their intrusions, nor humour in this situation. Lighten up, Granger, Draco projected. She couldn't have undergone a worse experience than he, finding out that he was going to be sacrificed to the Devil by his own father. Power-hungry bastard, he thought resentfully, as Hermione nudged him with a shoulder. Sorry, she channelled and Draco saw an image of her penitent face. It's just that, I don't know how to handle this right now...

Harry saw Voldemort looking at them through narrowed eyes. "Hmm. It seems that there is more to this soul-binding than I thought. He placed his hand over Harry's head gripped a fistful of hair. He saw Hermione wince and drop her head. Draco's expression did not betray anything at all. "Curious. Curious, indeed."

"I have chosen you all for special qualities. One for luck, another for intelligence and the last for beauty. Aside from other symbolism."

Harry felt Hermione stiffen at the insult. He pressed his arm against her warningly. Looking at the ground beyond Voldemort, he saw Ron starting to stir and sent up a plea that he keep himself down. Hermione saw the image of Ron. Evidently, Draco had the same image, because his arm twitched suddenly.

Ron stopped moving. It looked as if he were dead. Hermione couldn't stop the tears from falling silently on her cheeks. She bit on her lip until it bled. Voldemort saw the blood as it bloomed on her lip and reached out to touch it. He brought it close to his face and licked his finger. Then he flicked his robe and strode towards Lucius Malfoy and the other men. He gave them some instructions and they rushed off into the night, in the direction of Hogwarts.

Voldemort turned back to them, red eyes glowing. "Thank you for reminding me the next step in the sacrificial process," he bowed mockingly in front of Hermione. "I needed to be alone for this, otherwise, the power from the blood sacrifice might get dispersed. Now I will raise my power to unleash the forces of victory!" He threw back his head and the screech of mirthless laughter that issued from his mouth prickled the hair at the back of their necks. He turned his back to them and started chanting eerily again, his hands raised towards the night sky, a dagger with a jeweled hilt glinting from his right fist and his eyes fixed upon the full moon.

He did not notice Ron's hand flick his wand to loosen the bindings on the three. Hermione gave a start when she felt the ropes loosen around her and wanted to kick herself for reacting. The others were as still as stones. She heard the counting in her mind, one, two, three...and then Harry and Draco jumped from the stone, bringing her along with them and landing on top of Voldemort. They quickly removed the rope and stood up. Ron joined them, dragging himself wearily.

Voldemort stood up and they all faced each other confrontationally. They started circling around Voldemort, trying to keep him off-balanced. The silence was deafening.

Harry spoke up. "This is between you and me. Leave everyone else out of this." He gazed unwaveringly at Voldemort.

"Ah, you think you will still be as lucky this time," he said, turning to keep up with Harry. "You forget so easily. I can touch you now and I can just as easily crush you."

They eyed each other warily. Hermione could see an image of Draco jumping Voldemort just as Harry distracted him from the front. What do I do? she wondered.

Just play the damsel in distress part. You're good for it, floated a sarcastic voice.

Hermione had to remind herself not to glare at Draco. Otherwise, Voldemort would be reminded of the side effect of his little spell.

Isn't that such a cliché? Wouldn't he figure it out fast? she thought.

Harry's strong voice filled her mind. This Voldemort is slightly demented. It must be a side effect of coming back literally from the dead. Remember when he licked your blood off his finger?

Ewwww, two voices resounded in Harry's mind.

Hermione saw Ron positioning himself from behind Voldemort. Draco was poised to spring from the side as soon as Harry distracted Voldemort. However, before Harry could do anything, Voldemort stopped moving suddenly, raised his hands in Harry's direction and started uttering the killing curse, "Avada..."

He never got to finish what he was saying. Ron was roused into action and tackled Voldemort. Voldemort instinctively folded his arms. He forgot the dagger he was holding.

Ron staggered into an upright position and they all looked at Voldemort, who was lying there prone and still. Draco kicked him him over and they saw the jewels from the hilt winking at them. The dagger had been buried deep in his chest and his eyes stared fixedly at the sky. He was dead.

Hermione checked him for vital signs. She breathed a sigh of relief as she shook her head at the others.

"Why did you have to check him? He was clearly dead," spoke up Draco.

"Well, in Muggle horror movies..." she trailed off as she saw that only Harry understood her and was fighting back a chuckle. "Never mind. Just take my word for it, you always need to check."

She walked over to the side, picked up all the wands that had fallen to the forest floor and handed Harry, Ron and Draco their wands. She stuffed Voldemort's and the Death Eaters' wands in the pocket of her robe before flicking her own to levitate the body. They walked silently to the castle where they saw the Death Eaters fighting the occupants. They had come just in time. Some bodies were already strewn on the grounds and the rest of the Death Eaters scattered as soon as they saw Harry and the others with a body floating in front of them. Draco saw his father and his mother among the bodies that had been left behind. He dragged their bodies together and removed his robe, and knelt to cover them with it partially. He stayed there for a moment while the others waited at a respectful distance until he composed himself and joined them.

Dumbledore welcomed them gravely as he looked at Voldemort's body. "They believed they would be invincible. It led to their defeat. The fact that he had been raised by your blood before, Harry, ensured that he could not harm you --- although he was not aware of that. He was connected to you and killing you would have killed him as well. Dementors were already at the parapet of the castle in preparation for the command to go in but they started gliding back in the direction of Azkaban upon sensing the death of their master."

The hospital wing was overflowing with the amount of people who were wounded in the battle. Susan Bones looked up from her bed, pale-faced, as Hermione tiredly entered the door. "Hermione," she blurted out in anguish, " I killed someone..." and burst into tears as Hermione gathered her up in her arms. She whispered to Susan, "I know what you mean..." and tears started running down her face as well.

Harry looked at her, Ron and Draco. Was it just him or did they seem to age all of the sudden?

************

Harry found himself left with a feeling of frustration that he could not seem to sense Hermione as well as before. He knew for certain that she was well, as he seemed able to be aware of her life energy. But that was the extent of it. He could not sense from which direction it came from. It irked him that they had this imperfect gift, one that had not been fully honed and therefore prone to miscalculation. At least that was how it seemed to him.

Draco checked the locator alarm on his wrist. All Aurors were assigned one but Harry's locator had just been damaged in his last mission. Since all the locator alarms would feature the name of the one who was being summoned urgently, he had been able to inform Harry about it so everything was fine.

"I guess you're the only one who has an emergency there. I'll be dropping by my place for a while and then I'll go catch up with you at the office," Draco said carelessly as he went out the door. One could not just Apparate anywhere inside the building. There were protective wards to make sure that the inhabitants were protected. That was one lesson Harry took to heart from Hogwarts.

Draco went inside the elevator and visualised his apartment. The elevator moved silently and before he knew it, it had stopped in front of his door. He stepped out into the hallway and probed the lock with his mind automatically, almost absentmindedly. As soon as he came in, he headed straight for a room at the end of the apartment. He knocked softly on the door and it opened. He cautiously stuck his head around the door and looked silently at the woman with unruly brown hair who was seated at the writing table. She looked up from her book, walked over to him and gave him a hug.

I'm fine, she thought at him. Thanks for asking.