Broken

All that Glitters

Chapter 6

Severus Snape had been pacing back and forth for almost forty-five minutes when the door opened and Draco motioned for him to come back inside. Snape followed Draco into the room, trying not to appear too concerned for the girl. When he entered, he noticed that she had gone.

"Where is Miss Granger?"

"She's in the bathroom, putting your robes back on." Draco sat heavily back onto his abandoned bed and sighed, cradling his head in his hands.

"Is it... that bad?" Snape sat in the chair next to Draco's bed. He allowed Draco a moment's pause before he cleared his throat. "Draco, I asked you a question."

Draco looked up at his godfather, but before he could answer, Hermione reentered the room. "Draco, did you find anything?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't understand it. You appear to have been... Hermione, do you mind that we include Severus?"

"Of course I don't mind. Why else would I have wanted him to stay? But, Draco, you're starting to worry me. What did you find?"

Draco regarded her for a moment and sighed. "That's the thing. All my examination told me was that you were... uh... penetrated. You said you were a virgin. And I believe you. It's just that - Hermione, I've seen rape victims before. They are usually heavily bruised. They are usually torn pretty badly. Other than the natural signs of one having sex for the first time, you don't have any marks. It's almost as if he was careful."

Snape looked puzzled. "I know Lucius. He's not careful. However, from what I saw in both of your minds, he was mad. I really don't know what any of this means. Draco, was there anything else that you could gather from your examination?"

Draco looked pensive for a moment. "No. I didn't see anything else. There is no sign of spell damage. There is no sign of anything other than penetration. I'm really sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry I couldn't do more to stop him."

Hermione sat on the bed next to Draco. With a trace of hesitancy, she patted him on the back. "I've already told you that I didn't blame you. I shudder to think of what I'd be doing right now if you hadn't taken that curse with me. I might not have even been alive right now. You saved me, Draco. For that, I will forever be grateful."

Draco was slightly uplifted by Hermione's words until the hard facts hit him. "I never should have asked you to help me. It was too dangerous for you to be at the Manor, and I should have recognized that."

Snape cleared his throat, standing. "I hate to break this up, but we really must be going. Miss Granger, I'm sure you'd like to take a shower and get into your own clothes. These last couple of days have been rather grueling for the both of you."

Hermione stood. "You are right about that. I'll ask Dobby if he'll have your robes cleaned for you."

Snape waved a hand, dismissively.

"Oh, I do hope that Ginny's had her baby." Hermione stopped dead in her tracks as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Oh, Merlin, Harry! If Gin's had her baby, Harry has to... go. We will have to fight."

"You'll do nothing of the sort, Miss Granger. You and Draco will be in hiding until Lucius is apprehended. I'm sure you recall the discussion we had before our arrival here."

"But you don't understand, Professor. I'm supposed to be by Harry's side. Ron and I pledged our loyalty to him when we were first years. I'm meant to be there."

Draco put his hand on Hermione's shoulder in an effort to calm her. "Hermione, if Lucius sees you, he might try to finish what he started."

"But Draco, that's not possible. You said that you and I are bound by the curse. If we are bound, how can he bind me to him?"

Draco looked at Snape for some guidance. This is something he was hoping to speak to Hermione about after they had settled in at number twelve.

Snape took his cue. "Have a seat, Miss Granger."

Hermione sat down mechanically. "What are you not telling me?"

Snape took a breath. "You and Draco are bound to one another. However, Lucius being the caster of the spell, he is the only one who can remove the spell. The only way to seal the bond is for the two of you to become legally married and consummate the marriage, thus consummating the bond."

"You mean to tell me that Lucius can take this bloody thing off of us?" At the nod of both wizards' heads, Hermione continued. "Well, let's find the bastard and make him do it.

If Hermione hadn't been looking at Draco when she said this, she would have missed the flash of hurt in his eyes. Hermione hesitated for a moment. "Draco, it's nothing against you. It's just that I don't want to be married to anyone. What your fath - Lucius -- did was wrong. You are just as much a victim in this as I am. Surely you don't want to be married."

Draco shook his head. "Of course I don't want to be married. But right now, we don't have much choice. You don't know him. It's not safe for us to be anywhere around him. And I am most certainly not going to go looking for him. Hermione, he can't be trusted. We can't make him do anything. It's useless. We're stuck like this."

Hermione stood up abruptly, throwing her hands up in the air. "So you're giving up? Just like that? I don't believe you! I don't care what it takes. We can put the Imperius on him for all I care." Hermione shot a look at Snape. "And, yes, I know it's illegal. After what he did to us, I don't rightly care."

If the situation weren't so delicate, Snape would have laughed at her outrage. "I wasn't going to comment. To be honest with you, if I ever saw the man again, I would probably use an Unforgivable myself. I might even use some that should be Unforgivable." Snape was lost in his own thoughts for a moment when Hermione cleared her throat.

"Right, then. I say we get you two back to Headquarters. Then we can discuss things further. And, Miss Granger, you are not going with Mr. Potter. Do I make myself clear?"

"But, Sir!"

Snape gritted his teeth. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hermione hung her head. "Yes."

Back at number twelve, the kitchen was full of redheads. Fred and George were sitting at the table with Bill and Charlie, describing their latest invention - a snitch that disappears as soon as you catch it.

They were hysterical with laughter until the fire blazed green, announcing new arrivals. The brothers sobered immediately and stood, pointing their wands at the fireplace. When they saw Professor Snape, followed by Hermione and Draco, they lowered their wands.

Fred went immediately to Hermione and engulfed her in a crushing embrace. "Fred, I can't breathe."

"Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry." George was right behind him and gave her a quick hug.

"We heard you're married to this git." George pointed his thumb in Draco's direction.

Draco frowned indignantly. "Hey!"

Hermione shrugged. "It's a little more complicated than that. But if you don't mind, I really don't feel like getting into it right now. I want to take a shower, change clothes, and check on Ginny. Has she had the baby yet?"

Fred and George both swelled simultaneously with obvious pride. It was Fred who answered. "She did. She and Harry have a beautiful baby girl. She looks exactly like us, except for the darker hair. We haven't seen her eyes yet, so we don't know what color they are. I'll tell you this, though, she looks right mischievous, that one. We have so much to teach her."

George sighed. "Better not let Mum hear you saying that. She chucked us out when Fred mentioned it. She said we were already corrupting her perfect granddaughter. If my niece is anything like her mother, we won't need to corrupt her. We got blamed for loads of stuff that Ginny did. She has always made us so proud."

Hermione beamed. "A little girl? How wonderful. I can't wait to see her. I wonder if they would mind if I just peek in for a moment."

"I don't think they'd mind at all," George said. "Mum, Dad and Ron are up there now." George grinned. "You should have seen the look on ickle Ronnieken's face when Mum tried to hand the baby to him. He was terrified. Imagine that. Ron can survive McGonagall's chessmen, but he's scared of a tiny baby."

"Well," Hermione reproached. "You can't blame him. He was probably just afraid to hurt her. What did they name her?"

Fred and George sobered. Bill quickly took his teacup to the sink, and Charlie cleared his throat, not meeting her eyes.

"What on earth? It can't be that bad, can it?" Hermione was looking from one brother to the other.

Charlie, still not meeting her eyes, sighed. "They haven't named her yet, Hermione. They're waiting until... until Harry gets back."

Hermione looked at Draco and Snape and then at the other men as if they all had a secret. "Until Harry gets back? Back from where? Where did he go?"

Charlie looked at her, puzzled. "Back from fighting You-Know-Who. You knew he was going, didn't you? He hasn't gone yet, of course. He's waiting for his cue from Dumbledore and Snape." Charlie nodded his head toward Snape and continued. "He's ready, Hermione. He wants to get this over with so he can live his life. So we can all live our lives."

Hermione straightened. "Then I suppose I should go and see him now. I want to wish him luck. Draco, would you like to come with me?"

Fred and George exchanged amused glances, which Hermione caught. "What? What are you two smirking about?"

Instead of answering Hermione, George addressed Draco. "The little woman is already telling you what to do, Malfoy? How very domestic."

The corners of Snape's mouth twitched. That's exactly the sort of thing he'd say. Oh, Merlin, thought Snape, I'm comparing the Twin Idiots to myself.

Hermione merely rolled her eyes. She'd had enough of the Weasley twins' humor to last her a lifetime. Draco, on the other hand, gave a weak smile, not really knowing how to take them.

Hermione turned walked out of the kitchen, and Draco, not wanting to be the butt of anymore marriage jokes, followed her. Snape stayed behind. He wasn't very keen on meeting a new Potter, no matter how cute and cuddly she may be.

As Hermione and Draco approached the bedroom, Draco stopped her. She turned to see what was up and felt taken aback by the sadness in his eyes.

"Draco, what's wrong? Don't you want to see Ginny's baby?"

Draco sighed. "Yes, of course I do. It's just - Hermione, we haven't had much of a chance to talk since all of this happened. After we see the baby and get cleaned up, do you think that maybe you and I can sit down for a cup of tea and talk? I mean, you and I have so much to discuss. I know we won't be able to iron out any details of what the future might hold in one evening, but I think we need to get started."

Hermione didn't answer; she just pursed her lips and nodded. Draco gave her a grateful smile and gestured for her to go in.

Hermione gave a light knock and said, "It's Hermione and Draco, can we come in?" Ginny squealed. "Yes, of course!"

As they walked in, the happiness in the room lifted Hermione's spirits more that she thought possible. She and Draco were both pulled into an embrace by Mrs. Weasley. "Oh, there you are! I have been so worried. You just missed Professor Dumbledore. He had to go back to the school for something. How are you? Come, come. Sit down and meet my wonderful granddaughter."

Mr. Weasley came over and kissed Hermione on the cheek and shook Draco's hand. "Draco, I can't tell you what it means to us for what you did for Hermione. She's like another daughter to us. We just... well, thank you doesn't seem to cover it. If there's anything you need, anything we can do for you, let us know."

Not knowing how to answer, Draco just smiled shyly and nodded. He then turned his attention to Hermione, who was already holding the baby.

Mr. Weasley whispered something to Mrs. Weasley and she nodded. "Arthur and I are going to go down to the kitchen and get started on dinner. You all are probably very hungry. Besides, we've left Fred and George too long without adult supervision."

"Mum." Ginny gasped. "Fred and George are both adults." Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows at her daughter. Ginny giggled. "Well, okay. But Bill and Charlie are adults, and they're down there. On second thought, perhaps you should go down."

Hermione looked over the top of the baby's head. "Actually, Mrs. Weasley, Professor Snape is down there, so I think the house is safe."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "Come along, Arthur. Let's leave them be." As they headed out the door, Hermione was reminded of what George told Draco: "The little woman is already telling you what to do."

The room was quiet for a moment after Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left. Hermione noticed Ron throwing furtive glances toward Harry and then Ginny, who exchanged looks with each other. Hermione felt uneasy. "What's going on?"

Harry walked over and took Hermione by the hand. "We, that is to say Ginny and I, would like it very much if you would be our baby's godmother."

Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry. "Do you really mean it? Oh, Harry - Ginny. I would love to. Thank you so much. So is Ron her godfather?"

Harry and Ginny looked at Ron, and Ron shook his head. Hermione's face fell. "I don't understand."

Ron grinned. "Hermione, I'm her uncle. Harry's my best mate, but we decided that it wouldn't be fair to all her other uncles if I was made godfather, they weren't. It comes down to this: if anything - Merlin forbid - ever happened to Harry and Ginny, this baby would always be taken care of, no matter who her godparents are."

Hermione's heart swelled at Ron's maturity. "So, who's her godfather, then?"

Harry smiled. "Well, we were hoping that Malfoy here would take on that responsibility." Harry stood and clapped Draco on the back. Draco's jaw dropped.

"You want me to be her godfather? I mean, I would love to, but are you sure?"

Ginny smiled at him. "Yes. Hermione and Ron may be Harry's best mates, but you're mine. And besides..." Ginny trailed off.

Harry finished for her. "After what you did for Hermione, I know that my daughter would be safe in your hands, Malf - Draco."

Draco fought the blush that threatened to expose itself. "Thanks... er... Harry. That really means a lot to me. Hermione, my I hold my goddaughter, please?"

As Hermione handed the baby to Draco, he felt a surge of happiness and warmth. He cradled her in his arm for a moment, and his heart skipped another beat when she snuggled into him. This is what we fight for, thought Draco. The feeling of absolute trust and loyalty overwhelmed him as he fought to hold back tears.

Draco looked at the smiling faces around him -- the faces of his former enemies. He knew they would probably laugh at him, but he had to tell them how he felt. Hugging his new goddaughter closer to him, and knowing that everyone in the room was listening, he spoke quietly to her.

"I promise you, little one, I will look after you until my last breath. I never knew what it was like to have a good father, but I do know how to be a good godfather. You will have both. You are very lucky to be loved so much. How unfortunate for any boy who ever fancies you, though. He'll have your father, your uncles, and me... your godfather. I like the sound of that."

Wiping a tear that threatened to spill onto the baby's face, Draco looked up. He noticed that they all had tears in their eyes. Guessing that now would probably be the one and only chance he would give himself to be this emotional in front of a crowd, he addressed them all.

"I want you to know," Draco began. "I have touched the most expensive jewels. I have traveled to the most far away places. I have been exposed to vaults that would make a king cry. I have had and held riches beyond your imagination. I have always thought that I was worth something because of those riches."

Draco looked down at the baby again, who was sleeping soundly and holding tightly to Draco's finger. He went on with his dialogue. "Holding this baby in my arms, and knowing that she is my goddaughter, makes me realize that I have never held anything more valuable in my life. And I have never felt so unworthy. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to live up to whatever expectations she has for me. Ginny, H-Harry, this honor is the greatest gift I've ever been given."

Silence fell until Ron got up to retrieve the baby from Draco. "I take it back, Harry," Ron said jovially, wiping his eyes. "If it's that great of a feeling; I don't want to be her uncle, I want to be her godfather."

Everyone laughed at this and when Draco pulled the baby closer. "Get back, Weasley."

At that moment, there was another knock at the door, and Ginny, still half laughing, half crying said, "Come in."

The laughter died when Dumbledore came in, followed by Snape. Dumbledore was holding something, wrapped delicately in a sheet, and addressed Harry and Ron. "It's time." Harry looked questioningly at the package. Dumbledore pulled the sheet away, and Godric Gryffindor's sword blazed from the light of the candles that lit the room. Harry nodded his understanding.

Having already said their "goodbyes" in private, Harry kissed Ginny on the lips without a word. He stood resolutely and watched as Draco handed the baby to Ron. Ron hugged her close and kissed her on the top of the head. Harry took the baby from Ron.

Harry touched her cheek and whispered softly to her. "You, my little angel, are going to save us all." Harry held his breath as his daughter opened her emerald green eyes - his eyes - his mother's eyes. He knew, at that moment, that he would, indeed, hold his daughter again.