The Rights and Wrong Series

"Satisfied, Granger? That makes one of us." Draco is a little riled up after one of Hermione's "practice sessions." A companion piece to The Auction Collaboration with NikitaJobson  Cover art by Abrilas

Chapter 7: Wedding Day, Part Two It was unreasonably sunny. The perfect number of clouds swam under a radiant sun. The light glinted off the pond, and the fucking peacocks were preening. But of course it would be a perfect day for Draco Malfoy's wedding, Theo grumbled to himself. He stood alone near the veranda, watching as the guests filed in. Pansy was inside getting Granger and the Weasley girl ready. Blaise was best-manning. And Greg wasn't invited. Theo was still trying to figure out how he had gotten an invite. When the cream envelope had arrived by owl to his flat in the city, he'd almost crumpled it into the fire. A sick joke — that's what Draco was playing. He hadn't seen any of them for a year. After the Battle, and after his father had been sent to Azkaban and his inheritance frozen, Theo had spent some time traveling with the money he did have left. He'd met up with Pansy in France for a few months, and after a disastrous attempt to remain heterosexual, he'd gone to Amsterdam. When Draco was released from Azkaban and started at the Ministry, Theo had read about it, but didn't reach out. Blaise wrote him once on his birthday, but he only kept up with rest of them through the papers. He'd watched from the Netherlands as Rita Skeeter spun a ridiculous story about Draco and Hermione Granger, and it wasn't until the Prophet printed an actual picture of a date that ended with a kiss that truly believed it. He'd thought about sending a note of congratulations at the engagement. He'd thought about letting Blaise know he was back in London, if he ever wanted to grab a drink. He'd thought about sending an owl to Pansy in support of the Parkinson line on the cover of all the major magazines. But he could never get the nerve up. So when the invitation arrived, his immediate thought was that Lucius must have made him do it. Nothing else made sense. So here he was, waiting for the appropriate moment to grab a seat as far away from Ron Weasley as possible. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" said a Scottish voice to his left. Theo turned and looked up a few inches to find Oliver Wood standing with a halo of sunlight breaking him into silhouette. He swallowed thickly. "Right." Theo's voice croaked over the single word, and he cleared his throat. "Wood." "What have you been up to since… well, the end of the world." When he grinned down at him, Theo felt that same pull. The same desperate wish that had whispered across his skin in third year during a Slytherin and Gryffindor match as he watched the Quaffle slide into Oliver's grip. "Traveling. Not much." Theo tore his gaze away. "You?" "A bit here and there. Coaching a few amateur leagues in Quidditch. Bent up me knee well and good about a year ago, so I can't play professionally." "Right. Er, sorry about that." "Ah, it's nothing." Oliver buttoned his robes and said, "You'll be sitting on Malfoy's side, I take it?" "I… I don't know. I suppose. I don't know anyone here anymore." Theo sniffed and glanced around, trying to look more detached than he felt. "Me neither," Oliver said. "Let's grab a few chairs in the back then, yeah?" Theo's eyes snapped up to him. The sun seemed to play tricks through Oliver's hair, across his stubble, and he couldn't look anywhere else. He was nodding before his mind could catch up.

Chapter 6: Godfather Over the heads of the cooing females surrounding my wife, past the neutral yellows, greens, and beiges, just beyond the pile of discarded gift bows that Pansy says we have to keep to make a "cradle" out of, Blaise looks like he's falling asleep. In fact. He is asleep. I can recognize Oculus Dolus anywhere. His eyes are trained on Ginny Potter as she collects the guesses for gender, birthdate, weight, and all that rot, but they don't blink. And his head is lolled against his palm. I lean into Pansy's side and whisper, "I'm going to take Blaise for a walk. Or a stiff drink." When I slap Blaise's shoulder, he jumps, jerking the non-alcoholic pumpkin juice in his hand. "Good nap?" "Draco, it's ten in the morning. On my weekend." He rubs his face. "Who planned this thing?" "Ginny Potter. And Pansy. Who still hasn't forgiven you." "I know, I know," he says as I lead him from the sitting room and down to my father's old study where the expensive stuff is kept. I pour him a glass. "You enjoying the last of your freedom?" "Trying not to see it that way, but I suppose." I take a sip from my tumbler. "Well, you certainly won't be able to sneak away for a drink with me in London anymore. But" — Blaise sits in my father's old chair and kicks his feet up on the desk — "you and me can take the brat to the park. Maybe they can spend a day with their godfather in Honeydukes so I can buy their love. That sort of thing." My eyes flicker up to him. "Been wanting to talk to you about that." I set my glass down on a shelf. "Is that something you'd be interested in?" "Godfather?" His lips quirk. "I thought that was a given." "Well, Granger wants Potter, of course—" "Oh, bugger off. You don't want Potter influencing your spawn, do you? They'll all be in Gryffindor like that." He snaps. "I want it. Give it to me. I want it. I'll take the brat to the park and push it in a swing and teach it how to ride a broom..." I eye him. "Do you know what a godfather is?" "Like, the extra amazing uncle." He swivels in the chair. "Er, no," I say, running a hand through my hair. "There is a bit of mentorship, maybe. But a godfather takes responsibility for the child if anything happens to Granger and me." "Right." He swivels again. "As in… legally." "Right." He sips his drink. "As in… adoption." The chair comes to an abrupt halt. "Ah." Blaise stares into his glass. "But Weasley will be the godmother, yeah? So the kid can go live with her." I frown at him. "What if the Potters die with us? Horrible accident." "Right. Well your mother—" "She's dead too." "...Pansy could—" "Pansy isn't their godparent." I watch the fun of it all leave Blaise's eyes. He takes a deep breath. "Look, sure. If you're all dead, I can take over." He waves his hand, then lifts a brow at me. "But don't you worry, Draco. If you're dead, I'll take good care of her." I grin. "Her? You think the baby is a girl?" "No, no," he says, batting the air, as if trying to clear the word "baby" from the conversation. "Granger." He smirks. "As godfather, it would be my solemn vow to you, that I'd look after your widow." He winks. "Take care of all her needs." My eye twitches. "That's not the role of the godfather—" "I'll make it my role." I turn on my heel and sweep from the room. "We're going with Potter." "Better me than anyone else, Draco!" he calls after me.

Chapter 5: Special Occasion The restaurant was far too nice. Hermione felt underdressed just standing on the sidewalk. Draco's hand on her back guided her inside, and she shifted from foot to foot as he spoke lowly with the maître d'. Within moments they were being led to a table near a window, and she felt every eye on them on the long walk. She'd suggested going to a Muggle restaurant, but he insisted. He already had a place in mind. The menu was decadent. The wine list extensive. But she and Draco hadn't spoken a word to each other since they left her flat. And maybe they were no good at this. Maybe they should stick to sex. Maybe the only meals they should share were lunch in his office as they redressed— "Are we celebrating anything tonight? Any champagne?" the server asked. Draco looked at her from over the top of the menu. His eyes were a pale grey, flickering over her anxiously. She turned her face up to the server to decline, and Draco replied, "Yes, thank you." He met her eyes. "First date." She felt her cheeks heat as the server offered his congratulations and well wishes. Biting her lip, she looked back to the menu, focusing on how the phrase "first date" made her feel. Like a promise of many more to come.

Chapter 4: Pygmy Puffs "LUCY!" The nine-year-old wobbled down the stairs into the entry hall and looked at her father. "Yes?" "Did you do this?" Draco asked. He didn't even bother gesturing toward the mess. Lucy looked over the entry hall at the six dozen Pygmy Puffs littering the floor, tumbling around each other and squeaking wildly. She turned back to her father over the pink and purple sea of fluff, and said, "No." Draco lifted a brow. "No?" She shook her head, lifting a brow right back. "How intriguing," Draco said, pacing through the Puffs. "Because I only just got home, and your mother would never allow such a disgusting display of fluff in her home." He stopped and looked at her. "So I would assume that the person who has been pestering me for a Puff to bring to Hogwarts would have conjured them." "What an interesting conclusion," Lucy said flatly. "Well, since they're already here, I might as well keep them."

Chapter 3: Ambition "And then, once I'm Head Girl, I will graduate at the very top, and they'll let me give a speech at the end of the school year, and I will go to a Muggle university for four years to make sure I didn't miss anything," Lucy babbled, balancing on the edge of her chair. "And then, once I'm done, I will come back and take over Malfoy Consulting Group because Daddy will be old and Mummy will be Minister of Magic by then. And then, when I'm older, I'll be Minister for Magic. And then all of my friends will come to my parties and I won't have to go to any of theirs because theirs aren't as nice as mine and they will bring me all the presents I want and I can tell Oliver Burns he can't come because he said he didn't like my pink dress last week and I don't need a stupid pure-blood boy at my parties anyway — I'll be Minister for Magic!" The seven-year-old took a deep breath and continued. Hermione and Draco looked at each other across the dinner table, and simultaneously said, "She gets this from you."

Chapter 2: My Brilliant Wife When people say she's the brightest witch of her age, they don't even know the half of it. She has discipline. She has drive. She is stubborn and correct until proven wrong. She catalogs small details — colored light bouncing across walls with each turn of a crystal glass, the folds in parchment that indicate how long a letter has been pressed in a pocket, the song of a bird on your windowsill as it mimics the tune on the radio — but she would never bore you with these discoveries in the moment. No, she holds onto them until weeks later when the bird finally coos back an entire Celestina Warbeck verse, and when you mention how extraordinary it is, she just shrugs and says, "Yes, he's been doing that. Clever, isn't he?" When she puts two and two together to make four, it's a stunning thing to witness. From losing a wristwatch to finding a loophole in a law, her mind can separate the necessary and the mundane, sifting through details that feel completely out of place until they click like a puzzle in her mind. She is sharp. She is thoughtful. She is vigilant. She need only have a piece of the whole in order to craft a hypothesis. So when she gets the flu and spends a full week with stomach cramps and exhaustion… When she's upending her breakfast into the toilet for several weeks after… I don't even bother asking the question. Because she's the brightest witch of her age. I watch her excuse herself from morning meetings, returning grey-faced and glassy-eyed, and I know I must be imagining things because… there's just no possible way she wouldn't know. I sit with her in the bath, letting my hands wander along her sides as she reads to me, and my hands slip to her belly, searching for a sign. She turns over her shoulder and smiles at me — and I think, this is it. This is the moment she tells me that it's true. But instead she winks, dropping the book and twisting around in my arms, sliding her soapy body over mind, mistaking my wandering wands for arousal instead of research. But who am I to stop her as she straddles my legs in the water. Her hands glide over my shoulders as mine slot our hips together. And when she's rising and falling over me, sloshing water over the sides, the suds drip down her breasts. And I know they're larger. I know it as if they were my own — because they are mine. I've mapped them and pleasured them and fucked them and come on them and they are swollen. Her head falls back, breath panting harshly, and I say, "Are you pregnant?" She laughs, her face tilting back to mine, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright, ready to poke fun. But her hips pause. And her face freezes. And I watch her click the pieces into place. The details she was too clever to notice. My stupid, brilliant wife.

Chapter 1: Wedding Day, Part One "Pansy." Pansy turned over in her sleep, dreaming of Cedric Diggory's hard muscles. "Pansy." Since dying, Cedric Diggory had become quite skilled with his tongue, and she wondered if all angels were given vast amounts of sexual knowledge upon death. It seemed only fair. "Pans!" She blinked awake, and turned over to see Draco standing next to her bed. Well, this dream had taken an unexpected turn, but she'd take it. Coming fully to consciousness, Pansy looked at the clock. "Draco," she mumbled. "It's 4 a.m." "Is it? Oh…" He dropped down into her armchair. Pansy sat up, and took a good look at him. He was half-dressed in his formal robes. He would need a good rumple charm if he insisted on sitting in those. "What's wrong? Where are your trousers?" He looked down at his trunks, as if just now realizing. "Oh. I must have forgotten them." He hadn't slept, that was clear. He ran his hand through his hair. She was about to ask him again when he suddenly said, "Why did we break up?" She blinked at him. Oh wow. "Draco, this is perfectly natural the night before. You are allowed to have pre-wedding jitters—" "But I've only had one other relationship in my life. And I didn't do a good job with it," he sighed. "What if I fuck this up too?" Pansy rolled her eyes. Why didn't he bother Blaise with this bullshit. "Draco Malfoy. We broke up because you were in love with Hermione Granger. I don't think that will be the cause of your next breakup."

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Blaise Zabini's trial began on 26 July, a rainy and humid Monday. Hermione spent an hour Occluding in the tub before she dressed and Apparated to Edinburgh. A crowd of reporters stood around the entrance to Parliament Hall, pacing like starving wolves. A sharp click cut through the quiet of her mind, and then she was flooded with flashing lights and harsh sounds.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 On Sunday, Mippy picked up an order for her at the newly-reopened Madam Malkins. Despite having a full wardrobe full of Pansy's clothes, there was nothing fitting for her new role. So Narcissa had helped her place her order by owl that Friday, enclosing a clipping of an article from the Prophet that morning.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Stepping through the Manor doors and into the entryway was like slipping into a familiar dream. The chandelier glittered, reflecting light onto the pale marble and high arches. The stairs beckoned her up, where she could crawl beneath the covers and wait for the nightmare to end.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Ginny, I know there's a lot still unsaid between us. There's so much I want to know, and even more I want to tell you. But for now, the most important thing is that I need to speak with you about my year at Malfoy Manor.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 The curtains fluttered. Sound disappeared in a vacuum. Behind Hermione's eyelids was an imprint of Draco's silhouette — his eyes on hers and his hand reaching out. "NO!" Hermione blinked, and it was gone.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 The sun was high over the Manor. A May wind danced in trees near the gazebo, and the peacocks were sunbathing on the bank of the pond. And Draco still wasn't home. Hermione stood on his balcony, watching the grounds with a sickness in her chest. Narcissa had left the room hours ago, yet she still felt the weight of the tremor in her voice — the tears in her eyes. The three of us won't survive it.

CONTENT WARNING: Horror, violence. ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 The Portkey spun them like a top, pressing in on them tighter and tighter before flinging them to the ground. Hermione stumbled to her knees, and when her eyes focused, she found Draco's hand outstretched in front of her. She took it, and let him help her to her feet. The air was brisk, sending chills down her bare legs. Hermione rubbed her arms as she glanced around. They were at the edge of a small town — the streets made of cobblestone, the buildings narrow and closely set. Several Muggle cars were parked to their right, and a pub's lights were on just down the road. Its sign was etched in Romanian. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath. They'd made it. The International Portkey had worked.

CONTENT WARNING for this chapter: Torture and murder of an underage minor character. ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 A wind danced across her skin. A line of carriages waited, led by dead horses. The pale-haired boy lifted her up the step and guided her into a seat. Two other companions followed. An older couple. They murmured to each other, their eyes darting towards her and away. Her dress was a thick weight on her shoulders.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 "Basilisk venom, Fiendfyre, the Sword of Gryffindor." Draco pushed off his father's desk and crossed the room, staring at the opposite wall. "You're sure there's nothing else that can destroy a Horcrux?" Hermione's fingers slid from her lips. "As far as we know, yes. The book your father confiscated only listed Fiendfyre and basilisk venom. The Sword is a special case." "But it's missing.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Lucius Malfoy prowled through a thick wooded area, following a small sphere of light that did little in the way of illumination. Hermione dropped into the memory next to a gnarled tree, Draco joining her a second after. She rushed to follow Lucius as he cut through an untraveled path, slicing branches and thickets away with his wand. Draco's footsteps were light but close behind her. "Did you watch all of his memories?" Her heart beat quicker in her ribs as she turned to look at him.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Draco blinked at her, his jaw tightening. "Test it on you." "Yes." She peered inside the cauldron. "I think there's just enough left over for one more dose." Spinning around, she grabbed a spare vial off a nearby shelf before returning to the table. "Once we know that it works, we'll get the directions to Charlotte with her memories—" "Granger, wait."

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 A sharp gasp jarred her awake. Her eyes popped open into a pitch-black room. Her bed felt unfamiliar, and there was a person next to her — moving. Hermione jerked upright, twisting to find Draco's pale skin in the moonlight. He jumped out of bed, dragging his trousers back on. "Go back to sleep, Granger." Draco. Draco getting dressed.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Yellow light burst in front of her eyes, blinding her. A spell zipped by her ear like a bullet, and the floor rattled below her feet. She ducked, her arms coming up over her ears, and then she was being dragged by an arm around her waist — slipping in her heels. She jerked her head to where she'd just seen George, but there was no flash of orange hair. "Granger!"

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 Someone was knocking her elbow. Jarring her, helping her lift a glass. Champagne flooded her closed lips. The girl in the white dress swallowed, her throat moving delicately as the champagne poured into her mouth. Fireworks crackled and boomed, and the girl's skin glowed blue and red and green — a white canvas to paint on. Warm breath whispered against her ear — "Granger, close your mouth or you'll catch lacewing flies." The stretched elastic of her mind snapped, and her vision seemed to shiver before refocusing. Ginny Weasley was within twenty feet of her.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8 The days grew shorter and colder. There was a chill about the Manor whenever Hermione was left alone in it — her fireplace never quite working to its full potential, the water from the taps never quite warming her bones. She hadn't felt this ill at ease in the Manor since she first arrived. Narcissa had returned only hours after the three of them left. She'd arrived at Hermione's door with Mippy, the tea and coffee, and a forced smile. "He's settled in Zürich. The French took Geneva with the help of the Swiss rebels, so for now, he is safe." But her teacup had rattled on the last word. And she had quickly changed the topic.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. "Viktor!" Minister Grubov grabbed him by the shoulder. He was just as tall as she remembered, outfitted in smart, blood-red robes. He kept the beard he'd grown when she'd seen him last. Adrenaline swept through her veins as she took him in, her heart pumping so fast she was lightheaded. "Have you met Lucius Malfoy?"

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. The flames licked her legs as they passed through the fire into Draco's bedroom. Hermione looked down at the journal — the leather cover scraped and worn, the parchment soft with age. Her fingers gripped it tightly, and she blinked. She flipped to the pages she'd never seen before, checking to make sure they were real.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Draco's lips dropped kisses against her neck, his hand tracing circles on her knee as her eyes read the same sentence for the sixth time. Something about Jeremiah Jones and his brother.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Every step on the stairs down to the laboratory echoed against the stones, making it sound like a dozen people were at Hermione's heels as she rushed down the twisting staircase. Instead, there was just one. He moved slowly, but every time she paused to look back at him, he was three paces behind her, as if tied to a string. His hand slid across the wall as he moved, his gaze always fixed at a point over her head.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. All of us. Hermione heard her heartbeat drum in her ears. Bellatrix. She was going to see Bellatrix again. "Father." She heard Draco's voice from far away. "You can't possibly be suggesting—" "Am I in the habit of making 'suggestions,' Draco?"

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. She woke up exhausted, limbs leaden, head groaning in protest. Watching the golden morning light creep up the walls, she lay in bed, grogginess fading as her mind began cataloging the last twenty-four hours. He'd kissed her. He'd kissed her, then ran, like he couldn't escape her fast enough. Hermione took a shuddering breath and slapped both palms to her forehead, pressing her eyes together and banishing the images. Directing her attention to where it should be.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Silence hung in the room, thick and heavy like a cloak. Draco's eyes flickered between Hermione's eyes and her lips, as though he couldn't believe the words that had emerged from them over the past hour. He'd been quiet as she spilled her secrets, one after another. The note from the strawberry-blonde. Charlotte. The grape between Cho's painted lips, and what it meant.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Waking on Saturday morning was like pulling herself from a thick bramble that had settled over her in the night. Fighting her way back to consciousness, she struggled against aching muscles and a pounding behind her left eye. She turned on her side and willed her body out of bed. But she couldn't move.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Ginny. Hermione stared down at the piece of paper between her fingertips. Her bookshelves shuddered as a heavy tome pushed forward, opening to flashes of scarlet hair and mischievous eyes. Ginny was alive, and waiting for her help… How do I kill him? — GW

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Hermione woke up the next morning with her blood still boiling. She rescheduled breakfast with Narcissa and locked herself away, researching and reading in angry solitude. Every time she'd let her mind wander, it would conjure images of Draco with Hermione's doppelgänger in his lap, moving as Pansy Parkinson moves and kissing like Pansy Parkinson kisses

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. There was a ringing in her ears as Draco stood from the armchair, taking her elbow and muttering his goodbyes. The boys were heavily distracted by now, and let them go without too much of a fuss. Hermione popped the grape into her mouth as Draco turned her around, suddenly terrified that someone might see and discover her secret.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Edinburgh Castle loomed over them as they approached on the cobblestones, devoid of the usual tourists or families. Devoid of the Muggle military guards at the gates. Instead they passed cloaked Death Eaters and seedy Dark object dealers begging for Draco Malfoy's gold like paupers.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. She slept for three days. Mippy kept the room dark for her, mindful of her pounding head. The elf woke her once every morning to pour a potion down her throat, and to ask if "miss wants to walk." Miss did not want to walk.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. His hips rolled against her, pressing her into the wall. Her breath hitched, waking her brain. She pushed back again, struggling against his chest, twisting her body away from the wall.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Waiting for Draco to recover from his injuries was somehow even more agonizing when they were only separated by a wall. She suspected his condition was serious, but not critical. Narcissa and Mippy kept a near-constant vigil in his room, but Lucius was nowhere to be found, apparently traveling again. Hermione left the door to her suite cracked so she could hear the comings and goings in their shared hallways.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. It had been almost a week since Hermione had been left alone in the Manor, and she thought she'd explored every inch of it by now. She kept her mind occupied by cataloging each room, searching for clues or possible weapons. As the days passed, she realized she couldn't hold out hope that the Malfoys would be the next faces she saw.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. The poison worked its way through her system overnight, leaving a lethargic hum in her veins the next morning. Once the adrenalin of the initial shock had seeped from her, her body felt the aftermath like a lead weight for the next few days.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. So, George was on the run. It must have been during the Auction itself. He was onstage with Ludo when the girls began to fight. At least they'd won something during that moment.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Breakfast appeared the next morning along with Narcissa Malfoy. She escorted Hermione out to the balcony while Remmy set up the breakfast tray and the tea service. She eyed the grounds, looking for weaknesses as Narcissa talked.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. She woke slowly, her body trying to drag her mind back into sleep for a few minutes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept in a real bed. The cots in the tent weren't as comfortable as this, and Harry snored so loud she was afraid he'd rupture the Protection Spells—

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. The guards dragged her through the hallways of the Palace Theatre, taking stairs and turning corners that she couldn't possibly memorize even if she was trying.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. When they spun into their destination, Hermione had two seconds to let her eyes adjust to the dark before she was forced onto a chair, arms behind her.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. On a day she assumed was Thursday, they showered them again. She was taken first, alone. Dolohov watched her undress again, watched her under the spray. He scourgified her clothing and handed each item back to her, one at a time. Starting with her knickers.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. So far, she was quite pleased with Professor Slughorn. All in all, he was a much friendlier presence than their previous Potions instructor.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. Hermione woke to the sound of crying. Her eyes snapped open, and it was like her heart turned on, fluttering viciously in her chest. Her lungs grabbed for the stale air, tasting fear on the back of her tongue.

ETL Echo presents The Auction by Lovesbitcas8. In the wake of the Dark Lord's triumph over Harry Potter, the defeated must learn their new place. Hermione Granger, former Golden Girl, has been captured and reduced to human chattel. Sold to the highest bidder as the top prize at an auction of Order members and sympathizers, she is thrust into the rabid, waiting hands of the Death Eaters. But despite the horrors of Voldemort's new world, help—and hope—seem to arise from the most unlikely of places.

*ETL Echo will continue daily posting after a brief hiatus* ETL Echo presents All the Wrongs Things by Lovesbitcas8 Chapter 24 Thursday, March 2, 2000 - later

ETL Echo presents All the Wrongs Things by Lovesbitcas8 Chapter 23 Monday, March 30, 1998