A/N: It has certainly been a while since I last updated. Hopefully, a long chapter such as this one both satisfies and makes me worthy of forgiveness. I've spent several days working on this chapter and making it much longer than I normally do. I hope you're all doing well and staying safe.

Enjoy!

Day by day

Put the pieces back of you

This is all I want to do

Damaged and broken

But keep your heart open

For me

And day by day

Put the pieces back of you

-Day By Day, Picturesque

When Narcissa woke the following morning, she was still on the floor next to her sister's bed, clutching her hand tightly. The candle on the nightstand had burned out hours ago and the only light was that which was able to sneak through the heavy curtains covering the window. The prickling at the back of her mind was gone, and she began to wonder if it had all been a product of wishful thinking and her imagination before she quickly terminated that train of thought. Narcissa played with Bellatrix's fingers in the way she used to when they were kids, manipulating her long, slender fingers. It was a game they played when Narcissa had been nervous; Bellatrix would thread their hands together and allow Narcissa small moments of control over something. Andromeda had done it too, but she had been out of Narcissa's life for so many years that it was harder to remember.

"Good morning, Bella," Narcissa whispered after moving Bellatrix's thumb, index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers in order, and then reverse order.

She moved Bellatrix's fingers in this way two more times before she laid her sister's hand on the bed and stood up. On a whim, she decided to open the curtains enough to let a sliver of light into the room, just enough to see by. She pressed a kiss to her sister's forehead before leaving the room, making her way down the corridor in as dignified a manner as she could manage.

"Narcissa?" came Hermione's voice from behind her.

"Hermione, good morning," Narcissa said, eyeing Hermione's outfit with a little distaste. She understood Hermione's preference of Muggle clothes, she had been brought up in that world and they looked much more practical, but she had been trained from such a young age that her reaction was still unconscious.

"Good morning," Hermione responded, pausing for a moment, "Are you okay?"

Narcissa offered her a reassuring smile, about to insist that she was before deciding at the last moment to be more honest with the perceptive young witch before her. "I miss my sister. My sisters. They are not easy to love, and neither am I, but when I was younger I never thought we would be separated by any force in this world. And now Bella has been kissed and Andy wants nothing to do with me."

Hermione found herself at a loss for words as she saw tears form in the corners of the normally composed woman's eyes and her voice grew thick with emotion. Without thinking about it, she enveloped the blonde in a tight hug, almost surprised that they were the same height because Narcissa always seemed so much taller. Narcissa found herself sinking into the warm embrace, surprising herself at the vulnerability she allowed herself to show Hermione. But she knew Hermione would never abuse vulnerability the way many people would.

"I miss my parents, too, but they'll never remember who I am," Hermione said softly.

"They'll always miss you," Narcissa said, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve to remove the evidence of her tears, "They won't know that's what they're feeling, but it'll always be there."

Hermione didn't say anything. She knew her parents would always feel like there was a hole in their lives, but she had to protect them. It was the only way she could think of at the time.

"Ginny will be here soon," she finally said, gingerly pulling away from the embrace they were still sharing.

"Yes, I'm glad she gets along so well with Draco," Narcissa said, silently grateful that Hermione had not commented on her clearly disheveled state.

"I should be back before dinner, but in case I'm not-"

"Ginny is more than welcome to stay for as long as she wishes. Anytime," Narcissa said, politely interjecting. The young redhead's fiery spirit reminded her so much of Bellatrix that she felt a little less alone on the few occasions she had been in her presence.

"Thank you, Narcissa. And try not to dwell too much on the past. Everything will be as it should be," Hermione said, unsure why she had so much confidence in that statement, but not doubting that it was true even if she had no idea how things should be.

Narcissa watched the retreating form of Hermione, frozen in place while the rest of the world continued moving forward. She wanted to go back to the days where her sisters were still there, where they were carefree, which hadn't ever been a time that existed but she wished it was and she wished she could go there. She decided to spend the rest of her day reading in her sister's room.

Hermione, after what felt like an age, finally reached the residential wing of the manor, waving at the Auror dutifully standing guard outside Draco's room.

"Good morning, Charlie," she greeted.

"Mornin' Hermione," he said, relaxing from his position.

"You can have the weekend off, Charlie, I'll ask Ginny to stay. I'm sure your wife misses you," she said, offering a kind smile.

"Very much, yes. Thank you," he said, nodding respectfully.

"You do an excellent job, you deserve a break."

He nodded at her, making his way to the foyer after she knocked on the door. Hermione waited patiently for Draco to open the door, shifting her weight from her heels to the balls of her feet and back again as she allowed her mind to wander. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice when Draco emerged from his room, which she always found surprisingly bright.

"Morning, Hermione," he said cheerily, beginning to walk toward the Dining Hall.

"Morning, Draco," she responded, falling into step beside him.

"What time are you going to see her?" Draco asked, running a hand through his hair and whispering the last part.

"Whenever Ginny arrives, I suppose," she answered with a shrug.

"Do you think Ron and Harry will ever owl you?" He cast her a sideways glance, noticing the flash of annoyance that crossed her face.

"Honestly, I haven't the slightest, but believe it or not, this isn't the first time they haven't spoken to me," she answered, her strides becoming faster.

"They've done this type of thing before?" Draco increased the length of his stride to keep up with her, unsure if it was wise to pry but curious nonetheless.

"The first time was when I was promoted to a higher Auror level than them, the second time was when I transferred to a field agent for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the third time was when I was appointed to the Head of the Department, the fourth time was when I argued for Bellatrix, and the fifth time was when I sponsered you. And that's just since we graduated from Hogwarts, there were plenty of times while we were in school, too," Hermione recounted, her voice sharp and her pace increasing as she grew more annoyed.

"They sound lovely," Draco chuckled sarcastically.

"Downright heavenly," she responded dryly, slowing her pace and glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "It's not all bad, though. There are some really good things about our friendship. Sometimes we disagree and they're a little less mature than I am, but we usually work it out."

"How long does it usually take them to come around?" Draco breathed a sigh of relief since they had finally reached the Dining Hall, slightly out of breath from how fast they had been walking.

Hermione just shrugged, choosing a chair at random and helping herself to breakfast. Draco took that as the end of Hermione's willingness to discuss the subject, so he didn't pry further. Instead, he helped himself to his own breakfast, wondering where his mother was and why she wasn't there yet. Before he could finish the thought, a sound rang throughout the house, announcing the arrival of a visitor. A few seconds later, Ginny entered through the double doors, plopping into the seat next to Hermione and greeting them with a lopsided grin.

"Morning, Ginny," Draco said, hurrying to swallow his breakfast before speaking so he didn't seem rude.

"Morning," she greeted cheerfully, catching sight of the food on the table and piling it onto a plate in a manner that would have made Ron jealous.

"Morning," Hermione muttered, her mood still a littlke soured by the conversation she had with Draco.

"Whatever has your knickers in a twist, you need to get over it," Ginny began, pausing to shove a piece of toast into her mouth, "You shouldn't see Andromeda when you're irritated, and also I have good news. All the field agents received passing scores on their special training assessments on the first go around and Kingsley wants to give you some type of distinction or something, but you didn't hear it from me."

"That's wonderful, all I did was do my job," Hermione muttered bitterly, not as thrilled as she should have been. She had a feeling there were ulterior motives behind it, as there so often were. It was probably to placate her for letting the Wizengamot block her from Bellatrix's trial.

"I know what you're probably thinking, but you can use that as a platform if you ever run for Minister, Hermione," Ginny said while Draco looked between the two witches, slightly confused about what was going on.

"You'd make a great Minister," Draco chimed in, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Thanks, Draco," Hermione said, attempting to shake off the foul mood that seemed to wrap around her like a blanket, "I should get going."

She stood up and left before either of them could respond, leaving them to stare after her with various expressions of mild concern. Hermione summoned a hoodie from her room, waiting in the foyer as it zoomed into her outstretched hand. She pulled it on, sinking into the comfort of the slightly oversized article. She scooped a handful of floo powder into her hand and stepped into the floo, announcing her destination and letting the powder fall through her fingers. In a burst of green flames, she was emerging in Andromeda's cottage, where she was immediately greeted by Teddy.

"Hermione!" he shouted in delight, his 'r' sound verging on a 'w' sound.

"Hi, Teddy," she said, scooping the toddler into her arms and spinning him in a circle, eliciting raucous laughter, "Where's Andy?"

"Kitchen," he said, gripping her hoodie tightly when she made to put him down.

She relented to his unspoken request, shifting his weight so he was riding on her back as she walked the short distance to the kitchen. Andromeda sat at the table, drinking tea and scanning the newspaper in an almost bored fashion. Hermione knew Andromeda was aware of her presence, and she wasn't offended by the lack of greeting the witch offered her. She wasn't sure what she had wanted to talk about, but she knew it would probably be an awkward conversation.

"How is it?" Andromeda asked, not looking up from the newspaper.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," Hermione answered, letting Teddy climb off her back and into a chair, "They're very kind to me."

"Polite?" she corrected questioningly, without meaning to.

"No, they're nice to me. It surprised me, too, the first few days." Hermione decided to make herself a cup of tea, stirring in sugar and a little bit of cream.

"Good," Andromeda said distractedly.

"Andy, I know there's something you want to seriously talk about," Hermione said, not having the patience to play this game.

"Why did you do it?" Andromeda asked, setting down the paper and staring intently at Hermione.

Hermione leaned against the counter, unfazed by the woman's hostility. "It was the right thing to do."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Andromeda snapped.

"Then what are you talking about?" Hermione asked calmly, pointedly looking at Teddy.

Andromeda took a deep breath before clarifying, "Why did you try to fight for Bellatrix?"

"My answer is still the same," Hermione said, taking a sip of tea.

"My sister-" she began.

"I know what you're going to say. And I can tell you that the Bellatrix I experienced didn't deserve what she got. She helped us, Andy, what don't you get about that?"

"She still hurt so many people," Andromeda protested.

"Who hasn't?" Hermione asked, not in the mood to argue about this.

"Hermione, she tortured you," Andromeda hissed in a whisper.

"Teddy, will you go build me something out of blocks?" Hermione asked, sitting once he rushed out of the room and addressing Andromeda, "She didn't have a choice. And if anyone should be hung up on that, it should be me, and I'm not, so you shouldn't be either. Do you really believe that Bellatrix is evil? You're her sister, Andromeda, you should know better."

"She made sure I wasn't her sister when I married Ted. Narcissa, too," she said bitterly.

Hermione stood up from her chair, sensing Andromeda wasn't going to hear her out. "Perhaps you should reevaluate your views on your sisters. They aren't bad people, and they didn't disown you, your father did. You're better than this, Andromeda."

Andromeda was too ashamed to respond. She was mad that Hermione was right, she was mad that her excuses were so flimsy. She was just mad. From her spot in the kitchen, she vaguely made out the sound of Hermione appraising Teddy's building before the burst of green fire engulfed her. She continued to sit at the table, her tea completely forgotten as she seethed at herself quietly. Hermione was too observant and rational to argue with, and that hadn't been the point of inviting her over. She was just too much of a coward to admit she was wrong.

"Granny?" Teddy asked, waddling into the kitchen.

"Yes, love?" she asked, leaning her head against her palm and spinning her teacup in a circle on the table.

"Why are you mad at Hermione?" he asked timidly, grasping the doorframe as if he could hide behind it.

"I'm not mad at her, sometimes we take our hurt out on other people, even when we don't mean to," she said, moving out of her chair to sit on the floor.

He ran over to her, throwing his small arms around her neck. "Why are you hurting, Granny?"

"I miss my sisters sometimes, even though they hurt me," was all she managed to say. It felt strange to admit it.

"You should tell Hermione you're sorry. And you should see your sisters. Maybe they did what you did to Hermione."

"Maybe," she muttered into his hair.

"Can I meet them?" he asked, squirming in her embrace.

"Let me see how it goes first, okay?" She let go of him.

"Okay," he said, running back to his blocks.

Andromeda sighed, brushing her curls out of her face and pushing herself off the floor. Teddy had more logic than anyone his age should have, but she supposed he was right. She knew he was right. She had wanted to ask Hermione today, but she had chickened out. It was easier to be angry.

Hermione strode through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, growing more frustrated with each wrong turn she took. She silently cursed the person who had designed it, as she stomped through hall after hall to her desk. She hated coming in on weekends because she wasn't able to use the lift to get to her department. Irately, she threw open her door with as much force as she could muster, nearly blowing it off its hinges with the leak of her magic. She took several deep breaths, contemplating doing paperwork because that always helped her clear her head, but deciding she needed something more active to occupy her. She turned on her heel, marching out of her office and slamming the door closed, ignoring the crack that formed in the glass as she marched to the training field. She transfigured her clothes as she went, the sound of her footsteps changing as her trainers became boots.

When she reached the training field, she pulled her hoodie off and tossed it in a crumpled ball onto the floor. She kept her wand tucked into her sleeve, opting to practice without it. One of her favorite feelings was casting wandlessly, because the power coursing through her burned so much more, reminding her that it could tear her apart from the inside. It kept her humble. As she warmed up with basic spells, she tried to focus on the events of the week, processing everything that happened and what she wanted to do moving forward. All the Death Eater trials had taken a lot out of her, and they had taken such a long time, but none moreso than Bellatrix's. It had been six months to begin her trial, two and a half for her trial and sentencing, and then a year for the sentence to be carried out. Hermione had fought to be heard for the entirety of it, and she had been shut down every time. It was exhausting.

As the dummy Hermione was using slowly turned to dust, she thought about how ready she was for a break from it all. There had been so many questions from people, so many criticisms and praises from people who didn't know her or what she stood for, and political bullshit she was getting frustrated with. Part of her wished she was in charge so she could just overhaul everything, and part of her didn't want to be the one to undergo the ordeal and resistance. Maybe that was why Kingsley hadn't done much to change things.

Hermione had effectively turned her fourth dummy into dust and still wasn't closer to feeling better. She had pent up so many things, more than she realized, but once it started, it just poured out of her. The dummies were hardly a satisfactory opponent.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, his footfalls echoing in the empty room.

"Harry," Hermione said, barely out of breath, "What are you doing here?"

"Andy owled me. I figured I'd find you here." He shuffled his feet, observing them with interest.

"I'm not really in the mood, Harry," she said, annoyance leaking into her voice.

"I didn't come to talk about it. I came to offer a sparring partner," he quickly said, looking up at her sheepishly.

"Oh. Well, I guess it would be nice to have someone that could fight back," she said, standing up straight and blinking in his direction a few times.

"Okay," he said with a slight smile, drawing his wand.

"I hope you don't mind if I practice without mine," she said, smiling wickedly.

"You know I love a challenge," he said, rolling his neck to loosen up, "Mind if I get a few warm-up spells?"

"Knock yourself out," she answered, gesturing to the sad excuse for a dummy.

Harry fired a few mild spells at the dummy, the two of them watching in satisfaction as it crumbled to dust under the force of the blows. With a chuckle, he turned to her, bowing slightly. She bowed back, barely waiting until she was at her full height to begin firing spells at him. He deflected them without much of a struggle, he was one of the more talented Aurors, and quickly put himself in a position to retaliate. Hermione had sparred with Harry enough to know his weakness, and knew she could end the duel with ease, but she enjoyed having someone to push her back, and she appreciated that he hadn't come to talk. They exchanged spells nonstop, dancing around each other and putting more effort into it as time passed. A slight sheen of sweat had formed on both their faces, reflecting the light of the spells that they sent toward each other. Their breaths came faster and their limbs grew heavier, but Harry pushed on until Hermione ended the duel. He had come as her friend, and he was determined to keep dueling until she was ready to stop. At the moment, he didn't feel like it would ever come, but he could see Hermione growing more tired with every exchange.

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, offering him a hand to pull him to his feet.

"You know I love a good duel," he said, taking her proffered hand and allowing her to pull him to a standing position, "We may not always see eye to eye, but we're still friends. I know I'm pretty daft most of the time, but I'm not useless."

"I don't suppose you're ready to stop being mad at me, yet?" she asked sheepishly.

"I'm done being mad, but I need a little more time to process. I promise I'll send you an owl soon." He gave her a pat on the shoulder, too sweaty to want to give her a hug, but still wanting to show her that they were close.

"Bye, Harry," she said with a smile.

When he had gone, she scooped her hoodie off the floor, pulling it on over her training shirt and letting the hood hide her unruly hair. She felt significantly better after the duel and their brief but meaningful conversation. For some reason, she felt the urge to visit Bellatrix, which was becoming a very regular feeling. She shoved her wand into the pocket of her hoodie, trudging to the floo. She wasn't sure she would be able to floo directly to Bellatrix's room, but it was worth a try, and if anything, she would probably just end up in the foyer of the Manor.

As she stood in the floo, with the words on her lips to take her to the place she now considered home- a realization that both surprised and comforted her- she made the split-second decision to utter a different place. When she stepped out of the fireplace in her parent's old home, she cast a look around, her heart growing heavy in her chest as she realized how much dust had accumulated since the last time she had visited. She made to scourgify the room, but in the end, she decided against it. She couldn't really remember the last time she had visited. She could remember how she felt, because it was always the same. Phantom memories played themselves out, visible only to Hermione.

She tiptoed up the stairs, making her way to her room. It was the only room in the house that still had furniture. She had slept here occasionally, enough to warrant a bed and even a dresser, but more often than not she had spent her nights at the Burrow, sharing a room with Ginny. Now, her nights were spent in Malfoy Manor, a place she couldn't say she ever expected to stay, but found herself glad to regardless. Hermione opened the drawers of her dresser, pleased to find a few sets of clothes. She didn't have much, but at least it would provide her with some variety. Hermione shrunk the clothes, tucking them neatly into her pocket before turning on her heel.

The change in surface caused Hermione to stumble slightly when she appeared in the foyer of Malfoy Manor, but she quickly caught herself and was grateful no one had been there to witness her clumsiness. She could hear voices coming from the direction of the library, and she inwardly groaned, wishing it could've been empty. She forced her heavy limbs toward the room nonetheless, identifying the voices of Ginny and Draco with ease. Upon hearing footsteps, they fell silent, and Hermione couldn't help the downward twitch of her lips.

"Yikes, you look like shite," Ginny laughed when Hermione entered the library, "I take it things didn't go as planned? Oh! Do you need help hiding a body?"

Ginny was leaning over the back of the couch, nearly falling onto the floor with laughter.

"Just what I wanted to hear. You've always been a charmer, Ginny, really, I have no idea why you're single," Hermione said, the upward twitch of her lips giving her away.

"Says you," she retorted, sticking out her tongue.

"Be honest Draco, is it bad?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes at Ginny.

"Erm," he grimaced, "She's not wrong."

"HA!" Ginny taunted, leaning forward a little too far and tumbling over the back of the couch.

"I'm pretty sure that's what they call poetic justice," Hermione teased, offering Ginny a hand.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't care what it's called. You suck when you're grumpy." Ginny accepted Hermione's outstretched hand, using it to pull herself to her feet as she spoke.

"Draco, is this true?" Hermione asked.

"How do I get myself involved in these things?" he asked glumly, sinking further into the couch.

"I promise I won't hex you if I don't like what I hear. Look," Hermione said, pulling out her wand and tossing it onto the couch, "I'll even give you my wand."

"We all know that wouldn't stop you," Draco murmured, eyeing her suspiciously.

Ginny was doing her best to stifle her laughter, earning a faux-angry glare from Hermione, who was also trying to stifle her laughter. The look broke Ginny's will, and she began laughing, causing Hermione's own resistance to break. Draco looked between them a few times, confusion visible on his face until the realization dawned on him.

"Haha, very funny," he mocked, "Yes, it's true, Hermione."

Ginny collapsed with laughter, gasping and trying to catch her breath as tears streamed down her face. Hermione dropped herself onto the couch next to Draco, picking up her wand and placing it back into the pocket of her hoodie. Ginny joined them on the couch when she composed herself, plopping gracefully between them.

"So," she began, "It really didn't go well?"

"Not at all. We started arguing before we even got to the point of the conversation, so I left. I went to the Ministry to do something. I ended up on the Training Field and Harry showed up after a while and we dueled to destress. I went to my parents' old place."

"How was that?" Ginny asked.

"I think it might be time to let it go," Hermione mumbled, turning her face away slightly.

"It's probably for the best," she said sympathetically.

Hermione stood on the stage with a blank expression, trying to ignore the flashing cameras as she half-listened to whatever Kingsley was saying. Her eyes scanned the crowd as they always did, a habit she didn't think she'd ever be able to let go of. She knew the six Aurors behind her and Ginny next to her were doing the same thing. There was no reason for her to think anything would happen, but something was nagging at her and she just couldn't shake it. Ginny was just as on edge as she was, her posture more rigid than normal and her discerning eyes flicking back and forth over the crowd. Hermione knew Ginny was paying more attention to what Kingsley was saying- she always did- so she had no problem continuing to tune him out as she scanned the crowd. A quiet throat clear from Ginny signaled to her to tune in, so she shifted her attention to Kingsley, catching the tail of his speech.

"And so, for her dedication to service of the wizarding community, it is my great pleasure to award Ms. Granger with a medal for distinguished service!" As Kingsley finished speaking, a large cheer rose through the crowd, punctuating his sentence.

Hermione fought a grimace, maintaining her stoic composure even as Kingsley moved in front of her to present her with the medal. She managed to quash the impulse to look around him and continue scanning the crowd, despite the feeling in her gut. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ginny begin to move, and on instinct, she grabbed Kingsley and spun them so he was behind her, shoving him into the protection of the Aurors. They moved around him, forming a ring as Hermione turned to face the crowd, a particularly nasty slicing jinx nicking her wand arm.

"Ginny, on me," she said, scanning the crowd for motion.

She caught sight of someone ducking through the crowd and she sprung into action, Ginny on her trail. They weaved through the crowd, trying to follow the disturbance. They finally managed to push through the crowd, looking in every direction for the attacker.

"There!" Ginny said, pointing at a figure cloaked in black.

They took off after him, carefully deflecting the spells sent their way so they weren't sent into the crowd. Hermione did her best to slow the flow of blood from the cut on her arm, but healing and running and deflecting was no easy task. The blood made her wand slick, so she opted to stow it in the sleeve of her other arm. The figure stopped and turned to face them, firing a heavy barrage of spells in their direction.

"Ginny, flank him," Hermione ordered, using both her hands to hold up a Protego to protect them and the crowd.

"You got it, boss," she said, stepping out from Hermione's Protego and spinning away from the spells sent her direction.

As the attacker's attention became split between the two of them, Hermione slowly pushed forward, closing the distance between herself and the attacker. Unable to keep them both at bay, the attacker turned to flee again, and Hermione dropped her shield and rushed at him, closing the distance faster than any person should have been able to. She slammed into them full speed, knocking the breath out of the attacker as they collided with each other and the ground.

"Don't move," Hermione growled, pressing her arm against his throat, "You're under arrest for the attempted assassination of the Minister and assault of Ministry officials."

"Hermione," Ginny said, a hint of uncertainty seeping into her voice.

Hermione looked up, turning her attention to where Ginny's was focused. The Aurors were struggling to fend off similarly dressed attackers, easily outnumbered two to one. The crowd had all but dispersed, some photographers hiding but staying to take pictures.

"Un-fucking-believable," Hermione muttered, "Stupefy! Take him in, send every available field agent here immediately, as soon as he's in a cell, come back."

Ginny nodded, placing a hand on the limp body of the attacker and apparating to the nearest floo. Hermione brushed the dirt off her shirt, casting a more effective spell to staunch the blood coming from her wound. When that was taken care of, she rushed into the fray, sending weak spells towards the battle in case she hit an Auror. Three of the attackers focused on her, pulling away from the fray and intercepting her.

"Well, this is hardly fair," she muttered with a wry laugh, glaring at the attackers. She couldn't see their faces or discern much about them, even with her perceptive nature.

She took up a defensive stance, knowing she would have trouble against three people, but all she had to do was hold out until field agents arrived. It shouldn't be too long. Hermione knew it would feel like an eternity, though. She steeled herself, preparing for the onslaught she knew was coming. Already, she felt a bit dizzy from the combination of blood loss and exertion, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Hermione observed the three carefully, reading the few signs she could see to anticipate their attacks. She ducked and sidestepped, careful not to expose herself to an attack or put herself in a vulnerable position.

She attacked when she had an opening, unable to send her usual strength spells. Hermione felt her energy draining much faster than she had thought, and she felt it dip substantially as she caught one of the attacker's spells in her hands, adding her own power to it and sending it back in the direction it had come from. A quick glance up at the Aurors showed them fairing marginally better than they had been, but the slight disparity in numbers was taking its toll.

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione thought, gritting her teeth as debris from a barely-dodged bombarda hit her.

Her retaliation wasn't as frequent anymore, her dwindling energy mostly focused on not taking any hits. She grit her teeth harder, pushing herself not to give up yet. She called her magic to her, commanding even the depths of it to rise and give her strength. It was a risky move, she knew; not only had she never even practiced the technique, but if it failed, she would be powerless. But it would buy her more time, which was all she needed. She focused her remaining energy on calling every bit of her magic, impervious to the spells sent her way, at least, for now.

As her vision cleared, she felt a new awareness coming to the surface, a buried instinct she never knew she possessed. The three attackers faltered, shocked by what they saw, giving Hermione the opportunity to begin her offense. As she hurled spells at them, they were still too in shock to dodge, barely able to deflect them in time. She continued her onslaught, knowing if she stopped now that she was a goner. One attacker crumpled to the ground, still alive, she was pretty sure. The other two adjusted their grip on their wands, moving to opposite sides to flank her. Hermione knew she couldn't give them the chance, curving her spells to force them closer together.

Another attacker went down, definitely alive, she was certain, and she turned to the remaining one, only for him to be knocked to the ground by a spell she didn't cast. Exhausted, she crumpled to the ground, hitting her knees hard on the unforgiving asphalt. She could feel glances in her direction, but for the most part, everyone was working to bring the attackers in.

"Hermione! Are you alright? What the fuck was that?" Ginny asked, rushing to her side and pulling her to a standing position by her underarms. She slung Hermione's uninjured arm over her shoulders, holding it with her left hand and supporting her waist with her right arm.

"Everything hurts," Hermione mumbled, leaning heavily on Ginny.

"I've never seen anything like what you did, what was that?" Ginny asked, guiding her to a place to sit.

"It was," Hermione grunted as she stumbled slightly, "A technique I read about to give yourself a fighting chance when the odds are against you. I found it in the library. When done properly, it enables a witch or wizard to access every bit of their magic, heightening their senses and bringing forth a magical instinct to block and attack."

"Right. And you read about it. And I'm assuming you've never used it before, because why practice something before attempting it in a life or death scenario?" Ginny asked sarcastically, lowering Hermione to the ground gently.

"Well, it's not as if I ever had the option to practice. But I think I- I think I have done it before, without knowing. During the Battle of Hogwarts. Everything is a little fuzzy, but we all know I wasn't the best dueler. If I had unconsciously tapped into that, it would explain a lot. How's Draco?" She mumbled, sleepily.

"He's fine. Stay with me, Hermione, the healer is almost here. Keep talking," Ginny urged, doing her best to heal Hermione's minor injuries.

"What took you so long to get back?" she asked, trying to force herself to a more aware state.

"The damn anti-apparition wards are a pain in the ass during an emergency like this," Ginny laughed.

"No kidding. You'd think there'd be a better system by now. Or at the very least an alert system so we don't have to send someone back and wait so long. I honestly wasn't sure you'd make it in time," Hermione said, wincing as she tried to adjust so she was more comfortable, "Merlin, everything hurts."

"That tends to happen after fighting. You don't look too great," a familiar voice said.

"Andy?" Hermione asked, squinting her eyes to try to get them to focus.

"Merlin, what did you do to yourself? Can you not see?" the older witch asked, leaning closer to Hermione.

"I can see...just not well. It's a little blurry. You're a little blurry," Hermione answered, beginning to laugh a little.

"Let's get you patched up. I'm sure it's just exhaustion." Andromeda set about healing Hermione's arm, having Ginny administer some blood replenishing potions.

"Andy, she said she did this thing. Hermione, what was it called?" Ginny asked, lightly poking Hermione's face to get her to focus.

Hermione's face scrunched in concentration, "It was called...something like..." she trailed off, struggling to remember the name it had gone by in the book she had read, "Aural projection?"

Andromeda slowed slightly, staring at her in awe. "I'm guessing you found that in Narcissa's library?"

"Yes," Hermione mumbled, leaning her head back.

Andromeda frowned, focusing on a diagnostic spell before beginning, "I'm not here to lecture you, Hermione, but that technique is very dangerous, there's a reason it isn't taught anymore. You're lucky to be alive, let alone as conscious as you are."

"I couldn't see another way. I was out of options and I needed time."

"Andy, Hermione thinks she used it at the Battle of Hogwarts," Ginny whispered, too low for Hermione to hear.

Andromeda pondered for a while, working in thoughtful silence. "It's possible she did without knowing what it was. It's clear she can do it, which usually takes years of training and conditioning. Maybe she just instinctively possesses the ability."

"Is she going to be okay?" Ginny asked, casting a glance at her barely conscious friend.

"She'll be just fine, she just needs to rest. I'll take her home, I know you have a lot of work to do in her stead." Andromeda began packing her supplies, glancing at Hermione every time she moved slightly.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, looking between the working field agents and Hermione.

"Make sure you bring Draco," Andromeda said, scooping Hermione- who was surprisingly light- into her arms and standing.

Ginny nodded, slipping into her normally self-assured self and directing the field agents and uninjured Aurors. Andromeda turned on her heel, going the one place she didn't think she would anytime soon. She fought the slightly awkward feeling that spread through her as she looked around the mansion, judging which way she should go. Before she could take a step, a house-elf appeared in front of her, its already large eyes widening even more.

"Mistress Hermione!" she squeaked, quickly disappearing and reappearing with Narcissa in tow.

"Andy?" Narcissa asked, blinking in confusion at her sudden change in surroundings.

"It's Hermione," she grunted, shifting her gently. Hermione wasn't particularly heavy, but the strain of keeping so still was starting to get to her.

Narcissa's eyes were drawn by the motion, quickly stepping forward to ease the burden of carrying her. Andromeda gently shifted her weight to Narcissa, drawing her wand and beginning to cast a levitation charm.

"It's okay, I can carry her," Narcissa said, marveling at how much lighter Hermione was than she had thought, "Is Draco okay?"

"He's fine, Ginny is bringing him soon," Andromeda said, following Narcissa through the large mansion, pushing down the awkwardness she felt. In a way, this is what she had wanted, but under better circumstances.

"What happened?" Narcissa asked, skillfully maneuvering through the corridors to Hermione's room.

"I don't know the details, just that there was an attempt to kill Kingsley during his speech. And that Hermione somehow possesses the innate ability to call her magic to her," Andromeda said, holding Hermione's door open for Narcissa.

"How?" Narcissa began.

"That's not all. Ginny said Hermione thinks she might have done it at Hogwarts."

Narcissa set Hermione gently on the bed, checking her for injuries out of habit. "Without even knowing about it?"

"I don't know. Maybe Bella-"

"Don't," Narcissa said sharply, glaring at Andromeda with tears in her eyes.

Andromeda took a step back, unaccustomed to Narcissa turning her anger to her. "I'm sorry."

"I think you should go," Narcissa said, turning her attention back to Hermione.

Andromeda hung her head in defeat. "Okay."

Narcissa listened to Andromeda's retreating footsteps until she couldn't hear them anymore. Her jaw clenched and unclenched in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. She flung open the curtain, allowing light to flood the darkened room. Methodically, she began checking Hermione for injuries, knowing she wouldn't find any but the task was more of a distraction- and a way to reassure herself that Hermione was okay- than anything. When she was satisfied that Hermione was as patched up as she was going to get- not that she doubted Andromeda's ability- she set about cleaning off the dirt and dried blood with a cloth and warm water she had asked her house-elf to bring. She reached up Hermione's sleeve to remove her wand, flinching as her fingers brushed against the scar on her arm. Carefully, she cleaned the blood off her wand, setting it on the nightstand.

"Mum?" Draco's voice called, echoing slightly through the empty corridor.

"Draco," she breathed with a sigh of relief, enveloping him in a hug when he entered the room.

"How's she doing?" Ginny asked when they broke the hug, trying to give them some privacy.

"Better than she should be, given the circumstances," Narcissa said, "She'll probably sleep for a while."

"You don't know Hermione as well as you think. I give her ten more minutes before she's up and trying to work," Ginny said lightheartedly.

As if Ginny's statement prompted something within Hermione, a soft groan escaped her lips as she shifted slightly.

"That's not possible," Narcissa breathed.

"Hermione is too stubborn for her own good, which is why we are going to make sure she doesn't get up," Ginny said, sitting on the foot of Hermione's bed "I'll tell you what I can about what happened, it'll be in the newspapers soon enough, anyway."

Draco moved the chair at the desk to the side of Hermione's bed, getting comfortable and looking expectantly at Ginny. Narcissa resumed her self-imposed task, listening as Ginny recounted what she could. It really didn't take her too long, but by the time she finished, she was yawning intermittently. Hermione stirred occasionally, not quite waking up but certainly more than Narcissa would have thought. Ginny leaned her head on her hand, closing her eyes with a yawn but politely refusing Narcissa's offer for a room.

"Trust me, you do not want to deal with an injured Hermione by yourself. Not until you've had some practice, first," Ginny mumbled, startling awake when Hermione moved, "Speak of the devil."

"Watch it Gin, I am still your boss," Hermione croaked good-naturedly, "How long have I been out?"

Ginny scrunched up her face, doing her best to figure out how much time had passed. "Like half a day, give or take a few hours, maybe."

"That long?" Hermione asked, moving to sit up but finding that something was preventing her from doing so.

"You should not be awake, let alone trying to sit up," Narcissa said gently, a firm hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I'm fine," she insisted, struggling harder.

"What happened?" Draco asked her, changing the subject.

Hermione winced, looking at Narcissa apologetically. "Don't get mad at me."

"Andromeda already told me what you did," she said, ice seeping into her words.

"I didn't have a choice," Hermione said, pushing against Narcissa's hand until the older witch relented, "The Aurors were overwhelmed, I was fighting three people, and I had already used so much energy. If I had known there would be so many attackers I never would have poured so much energy into that protego. But I did, and I was losing and help still hadn't come, I wasn't sure if it would. So I called my magic to me in a last-ditch attempt to buy myself some time. I know it was risky, but it was a risk I had to take."

At Narcissa's glare, Ginny intervened, "She's not entirely wrong. By the time we got there, half the Aurors were unconscious and only a few of the attackers had been incapacitated. Hermione was still up against two people when they arrived. I didn't get back until it was just the one guy Hermione was fighting. Even when help arrived, the focus is always protecting the Minister, no one would have helped Hermione until Kingsley was able to apparate away with at least three agents or Aurors."

"That doesn't make what you did any smarter," Narcissa scolded gently.

"I thought it was awesome. Hermione, you were all bright and scary looking, I definitely wouldn't have wanted to fight you," Ginny laughed.

"You shouldn't ever want to fight me anyway, I'll knock your ass into the dirt," she teased lightly.

"Don't I know it. It was insane, though, I didn't even notice until you stopped. You went all, like, dim when you collapsed, and that was pretty scary."

"That sounds awesome," Draco breathed quietly, earning an enthusiastic nod from Ginny, a smile from Hermione, and a stern look from Narcissa.

"You're lucky to have done it right, it could've easily killed you," Narcissa said, hoping the gravity of the situation would sink in.

"I know, but I was not going to survive that attack if I hadn't. I was bleeding too much, even though I tried to close the wound before I fought them. It opened up from all the moving around." Hermione observed her now-nonexistent injury, marveling at the unscarred skin, "We should really work on better field healing techniques."

"You should really get some rest," Narcissa said pointedly.

"She's right," Ginny said before Hermione could respond.

"Says the one who's just as bad as I am. How long have you been yawning?" Hermione retorted smartly.

"I'm not injured," Ginny pointed out.

"I'm not either," Hermione said, holding her arm out for evidence, "See?"

"Shouldn't you eat?" Draco asked timidly, reminding everyone in the room that it had been some time for all of them since their last meal.

"That sounds reasonable," Hermione shrugged, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed not blocked by Narcissa.

"How can you even walk after that?" Narcissa asked, "It takes a major toll on the body and mind."

Hermione shrugged, but frowned, testing out her limbs. "I'm pretty resilient. I've been through a lot, even since the war."

Narcissa gave Hermione a skeptical look, trying to judge if she was actually fit to be moving around so soon. With a defeated sigh, she gave in, standing and ushering them to the dining room. They made their way through the corridor, Narcissa catching Hermione's clandestine glance at Bellatrix's door. By the time they had reached the stairs, Narcissa noticed Hermione was paler than before, grimacing when she walked and moving slower than normal. She looked at her sternly, unnoticed by Draco and Ginny, who were walking slightly ahead of them and discussing Quidditch. Hermione sent her a bright smile, hoping it was more reassuring than she felt. Narcissa didn't say anything, which Hermione took as compliance. She could feel her ice blue eyes studying her carefully as she made to descend the stairs, stumbling and reaching out for the railing as her legs trembled under her.

"Ginny, Draco, go ahead without us," Narcissa said, reaching out to steady Hermione.

"You okay, Hermione?" Ginny asked, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Better than the other guys, I'm sure," she retorted, leaning heavily on Narcissa.

"That reminds me, Kingsley said you can't come back to work until you're given the all-clear by a healer," Ginny said, chuckling at Hermione's predictable reaction.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows in disbelief, fixing Hermione with a stern look, who didn't even try to look apologetic. "Ginny, I insist you stay the night again."

"It beats the Burrow," she said cheerily.

"No kidding," Hermione said, rolling her eyes and allowing Narcissa to guide her back the way they came.

"Are you ready to tell me how you really are?" Narcissa asked quietly when Draco and Ginny were out of earshot.

Hermione remained stubbornly quiet for a moment, focusing on walking. When Narcissa halted, she grunted, "Everything hurts."

"I thought so," Narcissa answered knowingly, guiding Hermione not to her room, but to Bellatrix's.

"You aren't going to make me rest?" Hermione asked when she realized where they were going.

"Make no mistake, I am going to, but there's something we need to do first."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to Narcissa's cryptic answer, so she remained silent. Her brow furrowed when they entered, expecting the normal flare of light to greet her but met only with the moonlight streaming in through the window.

As Narcissa guided her into a chair, she asked, "Did you not have the room enchanted to get brighter when you enter?"

Narcissa gave her a curious look as she settled herself in her own chair, calling the house-elf to bring them dinner and not responding until after they had eaten. "No, I didn't."

Bellatrix knew the moment Hermione had walked into the room, and she couldn't help the small thrill that ran down her spine. Something felt different though, and a tingle of panic followed the thrill. A moment later, she recognized Narcissa, her presence slightly obscured by Hermione's until there was more distance between them. She struggled to pull herself up into her excuse for consciousness, catching only Narcissa's response.

"You didn't what?" Bellatrix thought groggily, not quite understanding what was happening. Hermione felt...less than she usually did, her presence seeming smaller than usual, but still the center of her focus.

"Andy told me you think you've done it before, at Hogwarts," Narcissa said, not providing any precursor to the statement.

"Andy knows?" Hermione asked, scrunching her brow and mumbling, "Ginny."

"Done what?" Bellatrix thought, frustration seeping into her consciousness.

"She was going to suggest that Bella maybe told you," she continued, leaving her obvious question unstated.

"Told her what?! I told her so much!"

Hermione glanced at Bellatrix's immobile figure on the bed, a strange resolve coursing through her. "I'm not sure."

Bellatrix would've growled in frustration if she possessed the ability. Narcissa's lips twitched up as she felt a tingle in the back of her head, opening her mind to her sister while continuing the conversation with Hermione, "She knew how to do it, you know. He taught her how. It was an unpleasant experience for everyone, but particularly for her. The body alone is not capable of withstanding the strain without being conditioned to do so. He conditioned her by torturing her, and he made me watch, knowing it would hurt her more."

Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to formulate a response. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Narcissa and Bellatrix, noticing the tears the blonde witch was attempting to restrain. Anger coursed through her at the revelation, marveling at the cruelty of Voldemort.

Bellatrix knew what they were talking about now. A pang of regret coursed through her as she remembered what she had done to Hermione to prepare her. Sadness followed close behind at the thought of her sister watching as she was tortured.

"Are you- is that-" Hermione stuttered, before a look of revelation passed over her face, "Call to it, and it will come."

"And it will come," Bellatrix chorused, the twin statements resonating in Narcissa's mind.

"I didn't know what she meant. But if it's so dangerous, how come it didn't kill me that time? I mean, I didn't really know what to do at all."

"I think that's something only Bellatrix would know," Narcissa answered, simultaneously thinking "Good to hear you, Bella."

"Hi, Cissy," Bellatrix thought, momentarily distracted from what Narcissa had verbalized, "Does she know?"

"I'm not sure," Narcissa thought back.

"That first night you stood outside, what drew you?" Narcissa asked Hermione, watching her carefully for more signs of fatigue.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip, staring at Bellatrix as she tried to figure out the answer. She was pretty sure she would sound crazy if she told Narcissa she felt like maybe Bellatrix was still in there somewhere, could still be helped if someone just tried. She looked at Narcissa, deciding that she trusted the older witch enough to tell her the truth.

"At first, I didn't know she was here. It just felt like where I needed to be. Like something was calling me to be there, and I couldn't bring myself to enter because it wasn't my place to snoop. And when you told me she was in here, I thought maybe it was her, calling to me and that maybe I could help her."

Narcissa smiled serenely, whispering, "She's in there, buried deep down, but she's there. You bring her up."