Chapter Text
Harry Potter and the Elemental Mage
Volume IV
CHAPTER 1: Of Matriarchs and Mingling
Molly bustled about frantically serving tea and scones to her returned children, utterly thrilled to have a busy household once again. Percy had moved to London with his girlfriend Audrey and now only Charlie lived at the Burrow regularly.
Arthur had gathered all the articles he could find about the Mage and the family wanted to hear absolutely everything. The extended Weasleys talked late into the night until Molly, Arthur, and Charlie’s questions were satisfied. Molly leapt to her feet several times in horror as they recounted their adventures, and Charlie teased Hermione frequently about the abundance of boys she now had to tolerate.
Finally, the topic of their living arrangement came up and Molly wasn’t surprised when Hermione shyly said she’d agreed to live with Draco. Molly did, however, hold back a sniffle when Harry and Ron admitted they were following her within the week, but the matriarch didn’t protest since she understood Hermione needed to have her Guardians nearby.
It was Arthur though, not Molly, who insisted they meet the Slytherins. Ron and Hermione exchanged a brief look, but Hermione trusted patient Theo and charming Blaise to waive any lingering hatred between the Malfoys and Weasleys.
She turned out to be correct when the whole group settled into the Burrow’s garden for dinner several days later. Molly adored Theo and told Ron several times that he needed to pay attention to Theo’s excellent table manners. Outdoorsy Charlie befriended Blaise quickly and after dinner the two dared each other to various challenges. Theo sharply reminded Blaise not to cheat when he noticed his friend engaging his elemental magic to further his stamina during the one-handed push-up contest. Blaise still won, but narrowly.
They’d all been concerned about Draco meeting the Weasleys due to the long-standing feud, but the way Molly welcomed Draco to the Burrow was reminiscent of Narcissa welcoming Ron to Malfoy Manor, so any need for worry was quickly abated. Draco attempted to maintain polite conversation with Arthur about his job at the Ministry but kept getting distracted by Ginny’s taunts, until finally the irritated Slytherin cast a Silencing Charm on her. Hermione scolded her boyfriend and Molly scolded Ginny, but Charlie had closely watched the nonverbal exchange between the blond interloper and his little sister. He announced with a grin that Draco was officially family because Ginny was treating him exactly like another big brother. Ginny went beet red and hexed Charlie in response. Draco didn’t try to hide his pleased smirk.
The Gryffindors settled easily into Malfoy Manor. Narcissa eagerly dove into the library to help Theo and Ron study more about the Mage legend, she chatted with Harry and fussed over Hermione, and she both scolded and teased Blaise and Draco alike to the point that only their contrasting skin tones suggested Blaise wasn’t also her son.
Her Guardians insisted that Hermione avoid the public eye – which she was quite happy to do – although she left the Manor regularly to visit the Burrow with one or more of her doting wizards. They’d collectively put so many enchantments around the property that the Burrow was the only place Blaise allowed Hermione to visit without him.
The first Friday after term ended, the Gryffindor graduates joined the usual Weasley dinner with Bill, Fleur, George, and Percy. Everyone was anxious to hear about the Mage and her Guardians, having only caught snippets of the true story.
Ginny and Hermione cooed over baby Victoire and entertained her with colourful puffs of smoke while the Weasley boys excitedly questioned Harry and Ron about their newfound powers.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us!” George whined. “We had to guess based on the bloody Prophet and you lot couldn’t even drop a line–”
“You know owls can be intercepted,” Harry argued with a laugh. “It was risky, even to confirm the theories were true.”
“And now Hermione’s moved into a big scary manor full of boys,” George clucked his tongue. “Good thing she’s powerful enough to protect herself.”
“They couldn’t hurt me if they tried,” Hermione laughed. “And I’m not the only girl, Narcissa is more than capable of controlling young men. Besides–” she redirected her sentence at a look from Ginny. “–I’m rather used to being outnumbered by boys. It’s hardly different from staying here, in fact,” she finished. The Weasleys still hadn’t been told that Ginny intended to move to the Manor as well. They weren’t sure how Molly would react when she found out her daughter would be officially living with Harry.
“There’s enough lion pride to balance out the evil snakes anyhow, with you two there,” George grinned at Harry and Ron.
“That will be enough evil Slytherin talk, young man,” Molly said firmly as she entered the kitchen. “They are very polite young wizards and as they’re now connected to Hermione like family, they WILL be treated as such. Now, three of you snap to it and get the table set.”
Ron, Harry, and Percy scrambled to their feet.
“You know I don’t mean it,” George murmured to Hermione as she passed a fussy Victoire back to her father. “I was there when Malfoy stepped back at the Battle. Was almost more surprising than Harry killing Voldie.”
Hermione smiled at George, knowing how hard it still was for him to discuss the Battle.
“Is it true that you can feel each other’s pain?” Bill asked quietly as he rocked his daughter. “The Prophet has been talking about nothing but the Mage for weeks and there’s no way the stories are all true, but …”
“Well, Draco can feel our emotions,” Hermione answered. “And Theo sees our souls, which allows him to figure out our strengths and I think he can tell when we react strongly to something. But I expect we all do feel each other’s pain to a point, because when Blaise almost died, the rest of us didn’t fully recover until Harry got him back on his feet.”
“Harry’s the healer?”
At Hermione’s nod, George whistled. “Too bad he didn’t have that power a year ago.”
Bill and Hermione immediately exchanged looks, but George managed to smile gruffly.
“S’alright. Never gonna be easy, y’know, but Lee’s been a great help, and I started seeing Angie a couple months ago.”
“Angelina Johnson?” Harry asked, leaning over George’s shoulder with his stack of plates. “How’s she?”
“She’s having fun. Playing reserve Chaser for the Falcons and co-authoring some books on broom design,” George answered with a grin.
Harry kept George busy with Quidditch talk while Bill leaned closer to Hermione.
“You saw something different in the Mirror of Erised, didn’t you?”
“I saw the bonding ritual,” Hermione answered softly. “It was terrifying because it seemed like I was torturing them, and I couldn’t believe the goblins thought I passed the test when what I wanted most was to hurt my friends–”
Bill shook his head. “That’s not how it was read by the Mirror. Bantok said your greatest desire was to share your soul. It’s hard to imagine a purer wish.”
“Sounds like she’s all kinds of pure,” Charlie teased as he set down cutlery. “’Course, now she’s living with all the boys, that might not last–”
Unfortunately, Charlie didn’t see his mother behind him, and she promptly smacked him with her spatula.
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The Weasleys’ dinner ended with a bang when the boys were dared to show off their elemental powers. Ron summoned a gust of wind to blow Bill’s long hair around his face, to his baby daughter’s amusement. Harry earned a very tight, grateful hug from George after healing the scarring around his missing ear. Naturally, more questions arose, and it grew quite late before the family started to clear off.
Arthur had recently acquired a Muggle mobile, and Harry was still busy teaching him to use it with Ron watching in fascination. As Hermione waited for them, she walked Victoire around the sitting room until the little witch fell asleep in her arms.
“She likes you,” Fleur whispered to Hermione from the sofa.
Hermione smiled down at the tiny pink cheeks.
“She’s so precious.”
“She looks like my little seester,” Fleur said softly. “I still remember when Gabrielle wuz born, she wuz so teeny and so perfect, like an angel. Zey grow up fast.”
“She’ll grow into a beautiful witch like her mother,” Bill said as he slipped into the room and kissed his wife on the forehead. Hermione smiled and stroked the baby’s soft hand.
“It eez all a muzzer wants,” Fleur answered. Hermione looked over in concern; Fleur sounded sad. “We want only for our children to grow up beautiful and good.”
“She will,” Bill said gently. He helped his wife to her feet and Fleur left the room to gather Victoire’s things.
“Is she alright?” Hermione asked Bill softly.
Bill shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Fleur’s family lost a friend a little while ago, and she took it pretty hard. He … he committed suicide.”
Hermione held the sleeping baby tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t imagine losing a friend like that.
“Pierre and his family grew up near the Delacours,” Bill said quietly. “He’d been arrested back in December for murder. Nobody believed Pierre would do something like that, but there were loads of witnesses. He’d failed a test and took out his anger on the professor. The professor died of his wounds, and Pierre was sentenced to life in prison. He was so ashamed of what he did that a few months later he hanged himself in his cell.”
Tears stung Hermione’s eyes. No wonder Fleur had been so distant from the family today; she’d mostly been sitting quietly by herself.
Bill retrieved his daughter from Hermione’s arms.
“Mum read me the Elemental Mage years ago, and I want to tell it to my little girl.” He smiled at the sleeping baby. “I remember the story helped me believe that good can defeat evil, and I want Fleur to hear it too. You can’t imagine how much hope you give us, Hermione, just by being who you are.”
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Harry and Ron were summoned to see the Minister not long after school ended to resolve concerns about the Mage and the Darkness. Stories ran wild from former students, speculators, and people with no idea what they were talking about. All the werewolves who attacked Hogwarts remained in custody and, unfortunately, they remembered nothing of the attack. The Aurors were flustered, and the Minister was confused at best.
Draco and Blaise didn’t want Hermione anywhere near the Ministry, so Theo agreed to accompany the Gryffindors in her place as “the reasonable one.” Meanwhile, Draco and Blaise occupied themselves with one-on-one Quidditch as Hermione buried herself in a large stack of curse-breaking books in the garden. After a while Narcissa joined her with a tea tray.
“I must thank you, Hermione dear. I haven’t seen my son like this in a long time.” She gave Hermione a gentle smile as they listened to the distant sounds from the angry-happy Quidditch players. “He had such a carefree childhood, but the past few years were so difficult … I wished for little but his happiness to be restored.”
“He deserves to be happy,” Hermione murmured back. “He wasn’t always the nicest boy, but he’s worked so hard to make up for it.”
“I recognise that you had little reason to forgive him for some of his past actions,” Narcissa said as she passed Hermione a teacup. “The values upon which many of us were raised were misguided, and I wish I’d learned sooner that severe consequences can arise from narrow-minded opinions.”
“I understand cultural differences can be difficult to accept,” Hermione answered. “In the Muggle world it’s no different; it takes different sorts of people a very long time to accept each other – or to accept change – and many people can’t do it at all.”
“Perhaps it just takes the right kind of voice to change their minds,”
Hermione thought of Harry and smiled.
“Yes, a strong voice can certainly be a valuable tool.”
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For the third time, Harry tried to get the reporters’ attention.
“I know the story has different interpretations, but there was only one that was considered the original–”
“But, Mr. Potter, did the prophecy of the Mage include ex-Death Eater involvement?”
“–can be SURE she’s not dangerous?”
“Why didn’t the Mage show herself sooner, to help defeat You-Know-Who–?!”
“–an attempt to further Albus Dumbledore’s agenda for unity?”
“If the Mage can heal werewolves, why is she in hiding? Why won’t she come forth and help the wizarding world?”
The questions wouldn’t stop. For twenty minutes, since Harry, Ron, and Theo were cornered by reporters and interested folk in the Atrium of the Ministry, they tried unsuccessfully to explain the situation.
Thankfully, their meeting with the Minister had gone well; Kingsley Shacklebolt was immensely supportive and only allowed Head Auror Robards into the meeting to question the Guardians. The Aurors were concerned about the spread of the Darkness and how the wizarding world could defend themselves. Ron shared the process for creating a Patronus Essence and agreed to host a tutoring session at Auror Headquarters so the Aurors could teach others. Though a regular Patronus couldn’t drive the Darkness out, Ron explained they would make the possessed person freeze up and potentially help contain them if they tried to run.
After a long discussion, Kingsley agreed to allow Aurors the use of Imperius Curses in possession-related situations, with the hopes of identifying anyone acting outside their own control. The Minister was reluctant to allow such a drastic change, but it would be more effective than having Aurors carry Veritaserum with them everywhere or constantly calling Harry for help.
Robards wanted to know if Harry could make rounds at St. Mungo’s to cure long-term patients. Harry wanted to jump on the idea, but Theo shook his head. He reminded them quietly that Harry alone probably wouldn’t be enough, and not all the Guardians’ attendance at the hospital would be well-received. The wizarding world’s prejudiced outlooks were improving slowly since the war, but Theo and Draco still weren’t as accepted in the public eye as they had been at Hogwarts thanks to their distasteful family connections. Even in their short walk through the Ministry, at least five different people sent glares or threats in Theo’s direction, and Kingsley admitted with an irritated sigh that many people would be reluctant to accept help from he or Draco.
The ambushing reporters seemed to agree, since several had shouted at Harry and Ron that they were being coerced and brainwashed by the Death Eater spawn in their midst.
Theo squeezed his eyes shut and tried to contain his anger.
“OI!”
Ron had enough of Harry’s attempts to tactfully handle the situation and quickly called attention with a Sonorus Charm. Difficult as it had been to manage the confused and angry crowd at Hogwarts, the adult witches and wizards were even more stubbornly attached to their prejudice.
“I wanna remind you all that every suspected Death Eater sat trial with the Wizengamot, and Theo Nott here was CLEARED!” Ron shouted. “His father might’ve been a Death Eater, but Theo’s done nothing dark, and he’s a trusted Guardian of the Mage–”
“Let him prove he’s not Marked!” called an unidentified voice through the crowd, which was followed by cries of approval.
Ron’s face turned red. Harry froze.
There was no Dark Mark, but they knew Theo had deep scars on both arms conveying his father’s disapproval. Harry’s offer to help heal them had been met with a gentle no – Theo wanted his scars for the same reason Harry wanted his, but he’d never display them publicly. Their friend was breathing heavily.
Unfortunately, his hesitation to respond set off another round of paranoid shouts.
“We won’t answer any more of your biased questions!” Harry yelled firmly, finally at his wit’s end. “I’ve spent years trying to convince reporters that I only tell the truth, and if you’re still not willing to believe me, I’ve got nothing left to say!”
He grabbed Theo’s hand and followed Ron through the crowd towards the Floo, ignoring the cries around them.
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“I can’t believe they won’t listen!” Ginny said furiously as she stomped around the drawing room.
Draco had his head in his hands and Blaise looked as angry as Ron had in front of the reporters.
Despite her history with the location, Hermione loved this room. Narcissa redesigned it with delicate ivy-green silk hangings, off-white furniture, and ebony tables. The cheerful fireplace was accented in gold leaf matching numerous sconces which lit the room; the result was a comfortable mix of the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms.
“Kingsley and Robards are doing the right thing at least,” Hermione tried to look on the bright side. “They don’t want to exploit us or abuse our power, they only asked for reasonable assistance. I can go with Ron and Harry to St. Mungo’s, maybe we could help some–”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Theo answered quietly. “If we start helping people, they’ll never let us stop. We can’t be everywhere at once … what if we clear St. Mungo’s of all patients and then we’re suddenly needed somewhere to stop the Darkness, or called to the other side of the country to cure someone else from a magical ailment? It could go on forever and we can’t help everyone. Our power isn’t limitless.”
“I can’t keep sitting here doing nothing,” Hermione grumbled as she fisted her hands in a pillow. “We could become Aurors and curse-breakers, but we have the ability to do so much more.”
“Maybe the way to fix public perception is to prove that you lot aren’t Death Eaters,” Ginny pointed out to the Slytherins. “People at Hogwarts got smart after you saved them–”
“Theo’s right,” Draco said quietly. “If we start, it’ll never stop. Today we help a few people, and they praise us for not being Death Eaters. By this time next month, they could accuse us of being Death Eaters again because there was someone we couldn’t help. Maybe someone dies and we weren’t there at the right time to save them. We can’t take responsibility for everything, and it’s what they’ll expect. All or nothing.”
Hermione buried her face in the pillow. Draco was right. Heroes were only as good as the public allowed them to be, no matter what they did. Harry had been painted as a nutter by the public before they believed him, and articles were already popping up about the Elemental Mage being dangerous, too.
Ginny frowned at the Slytherins. “Who cares what the public believes? If we’re helping people, isn’t that what’s important?”
“Spoken like a true Gryffindor,” Theo teased unsmilingly. “But we could unintentionally make things worse. Draco and I were cleared and allowed to return to Hogwarts, but there are still people who threaten us on a regular basis regardless. It took months for the hate mail to cease, and nearly all year for even the Hogwarts students to accept us. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if people assume Hermione’s dangerous because she associates with us.”
“If the wrong people want to stop us from getting somewhere, they’ll find a way,” Blaise added bitterly. “They could go so far as to ban all former Slytherins from St. Mungo’s, for instance, just to keep us away from people who’re scared.”
Ginny finally gave in and slumped down next to Ron in defeat.
“I know, it’s not fair,” Hermione said quietly. “People let their assumptions cloud everything, even common sense!”
“We’re all guilty of it,” Blaise answered. “Even if we don’t wanna admit it. Like, I always assumed Potter and Weasley were idiots.” The Gryffindors responded with lazy hand gestures and Draco almost smiled.
“I had assumptions too,” Harry said softly. “I always wanted to do the right thing, but I just believed what most people told me was the right thing. I believed all Slytherins were dark, I believed Sirius Black was a murderer, and I believed my father was perfect. The only thing that never changed is my belief in my family.” He squeezed Hermione’s hand.
“Even though she’s not your real sister,” Blaise teased.
“Family’s more than blood,” Draco said quietly.
Theo and Blaise glanced at him, then at each other timidly. Draco wasn’t known for saying such things unprecedented.
“Eh, blood’s important too,” Ron said gruffly as he poked Ginny’s arm. She responded by leaning her head against his arm.
“I’m afraid blood can disappoint you, though.” said Narcissa softly. They looked up in surprise; she’d entered the room noiselessly. Draco looked over at her.
“Not all blood,” he reminded her. She stood by his seat and stroked his cheek gingerly.
“No, not all blood,” she admitted.
“Do you think family deserves a second chance?” Draco asked her quietly. She looked at him with concern.
“Draco, why would you–?”
“Not me,” he replied. He paused for a breath. “Your sister.”
Narcissa’s face fell. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
Draco exchanged a glance with Harry, who felt his stomach drop in disappointment.
“Mother–”
“No,” she murmured. “I do not deserve a second chance.”
Draco blinked at her, then at Harry.
Harry spoke up slowly. “Madam Malfoy – Narcissa,” he corrected when she gave him a familiar look. “I’ve talked to your sister, at Draco’s request. Her grandson Teddy is my godson. She’s willing to meet with you if you’ll have her.”
Narcissa’s hand flew to her mouth, and she quickly sat down.
“I … I did nothing when my family cast her out … she should not forgive me. She owes me nothing–”
“True family knows how to forgive,” Hermione said gently. She reached over to squeeze Draco’s hand pointedly. “It may take time, but it’s worth the wait.”
“Harry inherited the Black estate,” Draco told his quivering mother. “They found the Mage Elementum there; the original one you told me. He’ll have Aunt Andromeda and her grandson to visit next weekend and he means to offer her the house.”
Ron looked at Harry in surprise, but Hermione smiled knowingly at her brother. Living in Grimmauld Place wasn’t what Harry wanted; it would be perfect for Andromeda to pass on to Teddy.
Narcissa took a deep breath and managed to compose herself. She gently touched her son’s pale cheek.
“Aunt Andie,” she said softly. “You must call her Aunt Andie.”
Draco looked confused. “Mother, you hate nicknames–”
“Because only my sisters used them,” she replied in a slightly shaking voice. “Bella, Andie, and Cissy. We never used our full names, never. Until Mother cast Andromeda from the family … I couldn’t bear to use nicknames anymore. It was too painful.”
Draco wondered aloud, “Is that why you didn’t like Bellatrix calling you Cissy?”
Narcissa nodded.
“Bellatrix was firm as Mother that Andromeda was no longer part of the family, so she had no qualms continuing to use my nickname. I tried to stop using hers, and she … well, it was better that I appeased her.”
Draco slowly traced patterns on the back of his mother’s hand.
“She used Occlumency well to hide her emotions, but I never knew why.”
“Survival,” was the quiet answer. “We married in the same year, and it wasn’t long before I became pregnant with you. But around the same time, Bella found out she couldn’t carry a child. To her it was the utmost shame to be unable to provide an heir, and it’s why she doted on you so much.”
“Yes, I felt quite special,” Draco muttered, thinking of his aunt’s favourite teaching methods and the subsequent demand for Snape’s Post-Torture Relief Potion.
Narcissa squeezed her son’s hand and almost smiled.
“She loved you, Draco, in her own way. It was the only way she knew.” Her voice changed slightly. “Rodolphus pressured her into following the Dark Lord, but I believe Bella also joined him because she believed that with his great power he might be able to do the impossible and find a way to provide her with a child. She slowly gave up hope, and she began relying on Elixir of Euphoria to be able to present herself to the rest of the family. In small doses the potion can help recover from depression, but she wouldn’t stop taking it. It … changed her.”
Draco closed his eyes. “But she couldn’t take the potion in Azkaban. She must’ve gone into withdrawal.”
Narcissa inclined her head. “It’s largely due to the potion that she became … the way she became. If it weren’t for her ability with Occlumency, to bury her emotions, she wouldn’t’ve survived those years in prison. We Blacks are lucky we come by the ability naturally.”
“I think it skipped Sirius,” Harry murmured. Hermione gave him a look and shook her head.
“No, Harry. Sirius was locked away for a long time too, and he kept his mind. He always said he didn’t understand how, only that he knew he was innocent, but I’ve no doubt he Occluded to keep himself sane.”
“I reckon she’s right,” Ron thumped his friend on the shoulder. “He only started having trouble with it after he met you, ‘cause you’re so bloody bad at it, it rubbed off on him.”
Ginny let out a snort and Hermione scolded Ron, but Harry laughed as he threw a pillow at his best mate.
On the other sofa Narcissa watched the Gryffindors for a moment, then carefully brushed a piece of hair out of her son’s eyes.
“The Malfoys and Blacks have always put family above all, but it was you, my brilliant boy, who first realised that family is not always the same as blood.”