CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

Hermione's POV:

Alice was correct. Harry dropped Edward off a few minutes before seven, as well as several different potions for Bella- bone strengthening ones, mostly, before returning to England.

With Bella looking less like she was about to drop dead any second, Edward and Jacob calm enough, Leah and Seth reunited, and the mansion securely warded, Alice and I decided to go home to spend the night at our own house for the first time since I brought a pregnant Bella back from her honeymoon.

As much as I'd missed participating in our... other activities, when we arrived back, I was too tired to do anything but stumble through the door and fall into bed. Despite my twelve-hour sleep and hour nap, I was still drained, and it didn't take long for me to slip back under.

I woke to the delicious feeling of Alice's fingers between my legs. For several long minutes I panted and moaned, until my finish washed over me like a wave of warm water. "Good morning," I whispered when my heart had resumed a normal rhythm.

"Mm," was Alice's only response as she held me tight. We laze together like that for several minutes, before I spoke up again.

"You know we have to get up soon, right?"
"No, I want to stay in bed with you all day," Alice pouted.
"As nice as that would be, we are expected back over at the mansion by ten."

"And who's brilliant idea was that?" Alice grumbled.
"Yours, actually." I laugh, kissing her forehead. She sighs.
"Damn."
"We can probably have a quick shower together," I suggest, with a smile.

"Perfect," Alice beams, automatically bounding right up off the bed, before grinning at me, "I like showering here much better. No need to worry about someone knocking on the door and interrupting us."

I stand up, and smile at my cheeky pixie. "And what exactly would they be interrupting?" I tease her. "Me making love to you." Alice gives me a look as if to say 'duh!' and I can't help but laugh. "Again? You just did!"
"I'll never get tired of making love to you," she announces, stubbornly. I smile at her.

"Well that's certainly a hypothesis I'm happy to test."

-

After the shower, I walked over to my closet, a towel wrapped around my body, and another one around my hair. Seeing what I was doing, Alice danced over to me, already dressed in something short, tight and slinky.

"I'll help!" She said, enthusiastically, moving like lightning as she picked out a matching bra and pantie set, a knee-length black skirt, a salmon colored camisole and an expensive looking designer jacket. "It's perfect!" she announces, proudly.

"It's not bad," I admit, "but I intended on picking trousers." Alice pouted. "But I like the skirt!"

"And I like denim. I'll wear the other stuff though." I compromised, hanging the skirt back in the closet and swapping it for a pair of dark jeans. Then, very abruptly, Alice tore away my towel and I let out a squeal at the rush of cold, hugging myself. "Alice!" I exclaimed. Alice gives me an innocent look.

"Yes?"

"Some warning please!" I huff. Giggling, Alice reached out to the towel in my hair and untwisted it until it fell to the floor. She smiled, running her fingers gently through my damp, limp curls. My hair was already starting to frizz near my temples and forehead.

"You smell like strawberries," she said, standing on her tiptoes to nuzzle her nose into my hair. "That would be the shampoo," I smile.
"I could eat you up!" she growled, playfully, her hands sliding down my arms. I laughed. "You're insatiable, sweetheart! Later, Alice, we have things we need to do today."

"And I'm one of them," Alice wiggled her eyebrows, and I laughed, again.

"Insatiable." I repeat. She grins and kisses me. Thoroughly. I let out a soft moan and my resolve started to drift away, only for our activities to be interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

"Who's that?" Alice looks surprised, pulling back.

"I need to get dressed- can you answer it?" I ask, and she nods. "Don't open it without seeing who it is though," I add, and she rolls her eyes at me over her shoulder.

"I wasn't born yesterday, dear heart... I was born last century, in fact." I can't help but laugh.

My laughter doesn't last long, though. Not when the sound of Ron's worried voice travels from the living room into the bedroom, and suddenly I'm rushing, not even bothering with the jacket, just rushing out to see what's going on in my jeans and camisole, wand gripped firmly in my hand.

Ron is standing just a few feet passed the doorway, dressed in his deep-green, black-lined Auror dueling robes. With small slits in the sides and an open front, the robes allowed full range of motion for any sort of scuffle, and came complete with dark grey trousers with specialized pockets and a black shirt made of special fiber that was as good as any armor and breathed like cotton.

My heart stuttered in my chest as realization hit me- Ron in his Auror robes, on my doorstep... he'd come straight from work, straight from the Ministry. Something was wrong. Something had happened, something big.

"Ron?" I whispered. His face was pale, making all his freckles stand out. There was a certain look of helpless anger on his face. "What happened?"

Scenario after scenario flashed through my head, each more terrible then the last. I was on the verge hyperventilation when Ron spoke. "Lucius Malfoy escaped from Azkaban, approximately seven hours ago."

Lucius Malfoy. Death Eater, murderer, torturer, sadistic bastard and all round monster. And he'd escaped from Azkaban.

It was like my whole world had just grinded to a halt. Mouth open, heart pounding, I just stared at Ron in horror. I think he kept speaking, I couldn't tell. My chest was heaving, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. My stomach twisted up and I grabbed at my chest, my nails digging into the skin over my heart with enough pressure to bruise.

My heart was racing and I couldn't feel my face, couldn't feel my fingers, or my toes. Someone, I think it was Alice, guided me to the loveseat, where I curled up and waited for the panic attack to pass.

And then I coped the way I always did when I got too overwhelmed. My brain stopped processing emotions, like they were too frivolous to even think about, and instead concentrated on cold hard

facts and cool calculations. When I lifted my head up to face Ron, my eyes were dry. "What happened?"

"Bribery, of course." Ron's voice was bitter, and I noted he was now sprawled out across the couch opposite me. Alice was perched on the arm of the loveseat, her cool, slender fingers running through my hair in a repetitive, soothing motion. "He paid off his guard."

"Casualties?"
"Three dead, five injured."

My lips pressed together into a thin, tight line. "Any leads?" This time Ron hesitated, but upon seeing the sharp look I gave him, he sighed and relented.

"Yeah, sort of. He left a... message." He said, reluctantly.
"Yes? Well? What is it?" I demand, not understanding his hesitation.
"Hermione..." Ron spoke slowly, his eyes suddenly everywhere but me. "He's after you."

The next ten minutes passed in a dream-like state. Ron was talking, explaining about different safety measures and how the Aurors were tracking Lucius down, that he wouldn't be able to do anything, that he wouldn't even know where I was.

And then he had to go, had to leave, go back to tracking down the slimy bastard.

As soon as he left, Alice wrapped her arms around me in a fierce, fierce hug and I clutched onto her, burying my face in the crook of her neck. "Oh Alice." I whisper, "Oh my Alice." Alice pulls back slightly, so her concerned eyes meet mine, her hands curling around my own.

"Tell me." Her voice is soft and gentle. Tender and caring.

"Yes," I agree, squeezing her hands tight. "Yes. But only once." Confusion flitters across her beautiful, perfect face, and then comprehension dawns in those green, green eyes.

"I'm ready to go." She says, and I give her a weak smile, before twisting on the spot, apparating us to the mansion.

-

I sat down heavily on one of the couches, while Alice flitted about, gathering everyone. I only wanted to say this once, so I waited until all the Cullens were present, along with Leah, Seth and Jacob before starting.

"As you've all probably noticed, I don't talk about my past much," I begin, "I know none of the Cullen's in particular have an especially nice history, so you can probably imagine more then most my... unwillingness to talk about... before. I just never imagined our worlds could collide like they're just about to, and I'm sorry. So sorry." My voice cracks on the last word.

"Hermione, dear, none of us will blame you for whatever's about to happen," Esme says, gently. I give a bitter laugh.

"Better wait until you've heard the full story before you make any promises," I tell her, then I take a deep breath. "Everything started after I received my letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I start basic, covering the simpler points of the school, and the formation of my friendship with Harry and Ron, before moving onto the harder bits.

"The first time my life was in danger I was twelve and, along with Harry, Ron and Neville, I managed to find myself face to face with a Cerberus, a gigantic three-headed dog with a hankering for human flesh. The first time I had to fight for my life I was also twelve." I looked straight ahead as I spoke, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone else in the room.

"I was trapped in a girl's bathroom with a twelve foot mountain troll fully intent on crushing me to death." I ignored the gasps coming from everyone but Bella and Alice, who had both heard this story before, "I had only known about being a witch for a month and the most impressive magic I knew was levitation and conjuring water-proof flames. Harry and Ron saved me. Harry distracted the troll while Ron levitated the club it was carrying over its head, knocking the vile creature out." Bella snorted, quietly, from the couch, where she was curled up.

"You left out the part where Harry stuck his wand up the troll's nose." She smiled, softly. I shuddered.

"I try to forget that part. It's gross and not all that dramatic." I tell her, trying to make a joke, before continuing my story. "The second time I had to fight for my life, again at age twelve, was when Harry, Ron and I were forced to race against a dark wizard to recover a magical object protected by several powerful enchantments called the Philosopher's Stone. If the dark wizard got the stone, he'd have been able to bring Voldemort back to life."

"Who is Voldemort?" Edward asked, frowning. I couldn't help shuddering, as I pictured the gaunt, skull-like face, lipless mouth and gleaming red eyes.

"Who was not isVoldemort." I correct, firmly stressing the past tense. "He wasthe Magical World's equivalent to Hitler, only maybe worse. Even now, most of the population is too scared to even say his name. People refer to him as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Voldemort's original reign of terror was interrupted when a prophecy was brought to his attention. I would have been around two at the time. This prophecy was one foretelling his downfall." I clear my throat, ready to recite, "'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ...'" Taking a deep breath, I reach out and grab Alice's hand, needing her support to finish this. "The prophecy was about Harry. And Voldemort killed Harry's parents then tried to kill him when he was two years old."

"How did he survive?" Esme basically whispered, breaking the shocked, uneasy silence that had settled over the room in the wake of my words.

"The curse backfired. And Voldemort should have died. Except he had found a way to cheat death, through an incredibly complex piece of Dark magic. He intentionally ripped his soul into six pieces, embedding each into a different object, creating what is known as a Horcrux. If you have a Horcrux, you can have your head chopped off but you won't die. You become a spirit, of sorts, trapped in the ether until you are brought back. Part of the ritual for creating a Horcrux, the main part, is murder. Killing someone rips apart the soul. And when Voldemort tried to kill Harry and the curse rebounded, a piece of his soul ripped loose and embedded itself into Harry."

I can see the confusion on their faces, and I sigh, and decide to skip ahead to Voldemort's resurrection in the hope of keeping it simple in order to not confuse them even further.

"Voldemort was resurrected at the end of my fourth year. By the end of my fifth year I had fought in my first real battle. I had suffered my first real loss, the death of man who was like family to me. I had suffered an injury that should have been fatal, and left me hospitalized for weeks. My sixth year was filled with terror as Voldemort and his followers, known as Death Eaters, actively rose, killing, pillaging, torturing and generally creating terror and chaos. The only man Voldemort was ever scared

of was Albus Dumbledore, the pillar of the Light. My Headmaster. My mentor. And at the end of my sixth year, Dumbledore was murdered during a battle. A battle in the halls of the one place that should have been safe. Hogwarts. Not long after that, the Ministry fell and Harry, Ron and I were forced to go into hiding. This was shortly after Bella moved here, to Forks. I wiped my parents memories and told Bella I couldn't contact her, and that there was a high chance I was going to die."

Bella let out a choked laugh, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've never been more terrified in all my life."

"I know. And I'll never stop apologizing for having to do that to you. But I needed you to be prepared. Because I never actually thought I'd make it through the War alive." I told her, guilt weighing heavily on me.

"What happened next?" This is Emmett, the overgrown child looking unusually somber.

"What happened next was Harry, Ron and I spent a year on the run, hunting down Voldemort's Horcruxes. The Horcruxes... they weren't common knowledge. Still aren't- only a very select few know about them. It was... an incredibly difficult task. We not only had to figure out what the Horcruxes were, but where they were, how to get to them and how to destroy them, all the while staying hidden, seeing as we were the top three most wanted, with hundreds of thousands of galleons worth of prize money on our heads." I look down at my forearm and pull up my sleeve, showing them the scars that they had all seen, but only Alice really knew where they came from.

"At one point we were captured and taken to the house of one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. The Malfoys, or to be more specific, the patriarch of the family. Lucius Malfoy." I say, quietly, "Lucius was about to summon Voldemort to turn us over, when She noticed the sword we'd had with us. The sword was our weapon for destroying the Horcruxes. The sword was also supposed to be in Her vault. Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange. She was the sister in law of Lucius' wife." I shut my eyes, knowing it would be easier to tell this part of my story without having to look at anyone. Beside me Alice shifted, scooting her chair over so she could wrap her arms around me. She knew, more then anyone, how hard this part was for me to speak about.

"Bellatrix was a witch second only to Voldemort in power, cruelty, sadism and evil. And she was terrified of the fact we might have been in her vault." I basically whispered, "We figured out later it was because she had been tasked with storing one of Voldemort's Horcruxes in there, although she didn't know that it was a Horcrux, just that it was a treasured possession he'd asked her to keep safe. She tortured me trying to find out if we had been in her vault. I told her we hadn't, that the sword was a fake. The truth was, the sword in her vault was the fake, the copy." I open my eyes and look down at my hands, still refusing to meet anyone's eye.

"I was tortured for what felt like forever, before I was rescued. And a touch over a month later, the

Final Battle was held. Most call it the Battle of Hogwarts. A lot of people died before Harry managed to kill Voldemort. The worst part was when Harry had to sacrifice himself, had to let Voldemort kill him. But he didn't stay dead, because in killing Harry, Voldemort only managed to destroy his last remaining Horcrux- the one inside Harry. But we didn't know this. We thought Harry was dead. And then, when Voldemort was taunting us all, Harry revealed he was alive and killed him." I take another deep, shuddering breath, before continuing.

"The weeks following the battle were spent rounding up the remaining Death Eaters, a process I was heavily involved in. Anything to distract myself from the grief. During the Battle I witnessed my friends, my classmates, people I liked and disliked, hated and loved, respected and loathed, being killed. Slaughtered. Slaughtered by people who laughed as they murdered." I shuddered, "one of those monsters was Lucius Malfoy. The wizard whose house I had been tortured in whilst he watched, the wizard who was eager to hand Harry, Ron and I over to Voldemort for the chances to get back in his good graces.

"But we made the mistake of not imprisoning him immediately. We moved him, along with his wife and son, to a secure ward at St Mungos to be kept until we had time to evaluate what charges we were going to place on them, him in particular. I was pushing for him to be charged for all his crimes at the full extent of the law."

"Why?" Carlisle questioned.

"Because he deserved to go to prison for the rest of his life! He murdered, tortured, kidnapped, maimed and fought beside Voldemort in countless battles, then used his money to bribe his way out of all his charges!" I hissed, my hands curling into fists, "he's one of the most prejudiced, sadistic, sycophantic sons of bitches that I've ever had the displeasure of meeting." Alice rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Deep breaths." She murmured, and I realized I was trembling. I closed my eyes and focused on inhaling and exhaling, until the trembling stopped.

"There was no getting out of it this time. He was going to be in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable life. I told him that myself. A day later he complained of terrible pains, and then killed the Healer attending to him, stole her wand, changed his appearance enough that he wouldn't be recognized and walked right out of there.

"I was the one who found him, hiding out in his villa in the Alps. We had a... confrontation that I came out on top of. I arrested him and was one of the main witnesses in his trial. But during the process, I made a mistake. I let it become... personal."

"Personal?" This was Rosalie, perfect and poised as usual. "As in... intimate?" I cringe in disgust at the thought and Alice let out a loud, fierce growl.

"How dare you!" she snarled at her 'sister'. I grabbed Alice's hand and squeezed it, giving her a weak smile.

"It's okay, love. I worded that wrong," I tell her, gently, before turning back to Rosalie, "no, nothing like that. The reason I'm telling you all this is because... Ron informed me that Lucius escaped from prison seven hours ago and... and he's after me."

Silence. Seven statues stared at me with wide, unblinking gold eyes, the seven beautiful faces lined with stress. Except Alice, Alice whose face I couldn't see, because she was hugging me, rubbing my back, humming something softly, something soothing.

Bella ran a hand through her hair, looking pale and stressed. "God, Hermione... I thought you finally got to live out your life in peace, away from all that." She said, a tear rolling down her face. "And now this..."

"Bella, love, don't be daft. I will be living out my life in peace." I told her, standing up and hurrying over so I could kneel in front of her. I clasped her icy cold hands, almost as cold as a vampire's, in mine, and looked her earnestly in the eye, "I'm not worried about him escaping for myself, I'm worried about the people he'll hurt. Bells, I only told you about him escaping because I'm a firm believer in 'you're better safe then sorry'. But nobody from the Wizarding world apart from the precious few people I trust with my life, know I live here in America. And every single Auror in the Ministry is currently hunting Lucius down like the dog he is." I reassure her.

"Okay." She whispers, and I reach up, wiping the tears off her cheeks. She sniffs, and dashes at her eyes angrily with the back of her sleeve. "Damn pregnancy hormones are making me emotional." She mumbles.

"Of course it's the hormones." I tease her, gently, running a hand through her hair, "nothing to do with the fact you love me and you're an emotional sap."

"Hate you." Bella muttered. "Love you too." I reply.

They have questions, I can tell, but I just want to get out of here, even if it's just for a short amount of time. Alice seems to sense my desperation, and tells them that we'll be back in an hour or two, that we need some more alone time. She purposefully ignores Emmett's snicker at that remark, and then we're apparating back to our house.

I make my way over to the couch, and sit down on it, heavily. And as my beautiful, sweet, loving, kind, gentle wife curls up beside me and tucks her head under my chin, I make a split-second decision that I know I'll probably regret later: I tell her the truth.

"I lied."
"What?" Alice looks up at me, surprised.

"I lied." I repeat, "I am worried. Terrified, actually. Lucius... he's dangerous. Very dangerous. And we are all in very real danger. If it wasn't for Bella's... condition, I'd leave, get as far away from all of you as possible." I say, honestly. Alice let out a growl, her eyes flashing. "Except for you," I quickly assure her, turning my head to press a light kiss against her cheek. "I'd never leave you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

"You really think Lucius might find you?" Alice asked, softly, relaxing slightly.

"He's renewed the bounty put on my head during the War, the bounty for Undesirable No. 2." I answer her, staring across the room, "all the Death Eaters we didn't catch, all the Dark side's sympathizers, hell- even some witches and wizards just plain old down on their luck will try to find me so they can claim the reward. Sooner or later, one of them will."

"Then the solution's clear," Alice said, wrapping her arm around my waist and squeezing softly. "We find that son of a bitch before he finds you."

The roaring sound of the Floo from the living room has me leaping to my feet, wand drawn. "Stay here!" I order, but Alice gently grasps my arm.

"Calm down, sweetie, it's Harry and Ginny." I relax, letting my hand fall back to my side. "In here, guys!" Alice called out, and I slumped back down as two of my best friends walked in.

Harry's face looked strained, and Ginny looked pale, her usually fiery hair hanging in limp strands.

Instead of glowing like she should be with her pregnancy, stress and worry was basically oozing from her.

"What is it?" I demanded, feeling the blood drain from my own face.

"Draco and Narcissa Malfoy's bodies were just found. It looks like Lucius got to them a few hours ago." Harry says, his face hard, grim.

"Oh god." I whispered, letting my face fall forwards onto my palms. Alice wrapped her arms around me, rocking me gently, humming softly.

"Draco's wife Astoria managed to get away- she went straight to the Ministry. Apparently Draco got her out safely. By the time Aurors arrived at their home, Draco and Narcissa were gone, and there were signs of a fight. Their bodies were found an hour ago."

"This was left at the crime scene." This was Ginny, her voice hoarse. And she hands me a piece of parchment, splattered with blood. I unfold it, moving robotically, and instantly recognized the flowing, elegant script.

To my favorite Mudblood,

By now I assume you have received my message. Your panic is delicious, even when I can't see it, but not to worry, I'll be seeing you soon enough. We'll spend some time catching up, and you can even introduce me to your filthy muggle sister.

Until then,

Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

I stood there, staring vacantly at the parchment, trying to compose myself. Images of Lucius' previous victims flashed across my mind, except the victim's faces had been replaced with Bella's. Letting the parchment fall to the ground, I turned around and basically ran, flinging the front door open, scrambling out of the house, half collapsing on the cold concrete of the driveway.

This second panic attack in under an hour was just as bad as the first. A sharp pain bit into my chest and I struggled to suck in even a mouthful of air. Silent sobs escaped my lips, and soon there were

more tears running down my cheeks. My face was hot and flushed, and my vision was starting to cloud as my lungs still stubbornly refused to take in any air.

Cold arms cradled me and soft lips pressed against my cheek, my forehead, my lips, my ear. "Breathe, dear heart, breathe." Soothed Alice, rocking me gently. I leaned into her, gasping and choking. "Breathe," she urged, "it's okay, darling one, I'm here. I'm always here."

I concentrated on the sound of her voice, on the melodious, bell-like chimes, not allowing any other thoughts in. My body calmed down, and I finally managed to take in a deep breath.

"Good girl, good girl," Alice murmured, kissing my cheek. I slumped against her, letting her cradle me.

This wasn't good. I turn to Harry.

"Show me." I whisper. Harry looked hesitant.

"Hermione... I don't know...

"Show me!" this time I yelled, my tone verging on hysterical, and my magic flared out violently around me. He sighed and nodded.

"Okay."