Chapter Fifteen
**Hermione's POV**
Hermione woke to a frantic knocking on her cabin door, a piece of parchment slipping off her face back onto the desk with a small pool of drool left on the sheet.
She sat up quickly, looking around confused, her hair even more disheveled than usual from sleeping at her desk, her back cracking in relief from the awkward angle she slept in.
Empty potion bottles surrounded her workspace, the last or first rays of morning or evening sunlight streaming through the porthole illuminating the evidence of her all-night work, she was confused as to the time of day at the moment.
"Oh, I must have fallen asleep after I bottled the last one last night or was it this morning?" she thought to herself when the knocking returned even heavier, shaking her head to help clear the last of the cobwebs in her brain.
"Come in!" Hermione shouted, her voice still rough from sleep as she poured herself a small glass of water and downed it in a quick gulp.
A very pretty girl entered with beautiful olive skin and black hair almost as frizzy as Hermione's but styled in a way that made it look beautiful, intricate braids woven through the volume, taming it into something elegant.
Hermione was immediately feeling a bit self-conscious around this beautiful girl in such a revealing outfit.
The comparison was unavoidable, this girl managed to look put together while Hermione probably had ink drops or parchment creases on her face wearing Pj's.
"Hello, my name is, Missandei and I was sent by her Grace to come fetch you for her, now that the city has been taken, she said she is in need of you desperately."
The girl said this with an absolutely straight face, as if this was just an everyday occurrence *sacking a city*.
*Had she slept so long that she missed everything this morning? * she was thinking about which batch she left out on before she ran out of ingredients.
Just how late did she stay up? Hermione pondered to herself, not noticing as the other girl started organizing an outfit for her to wear, moving through Hermione's things with the practiced efficiency of a trained handmaid, but often shocked at some of the strange things she was seeing, but practiced enough not to let it show, to much.
Somehow, Missandei had bullied Hermione *yes Missandei Bullied me* into wearing a very low-cut dress, which in a way made her happy she'd gotten the Weasley secret family recipe for increasing her bust size.
She didn't wish to go overboard like all the Weasley women did, but she did want to go up a cup size, which she was happy with.
But she didn't feel displaying them for the world was all that appropriate, she was really starting to miss her trousers.
Still... if she thought about it in a certain light, she could think of it as dressing for the period, when in Rome, and all that at least this was far better than that outrageous dress they wanted her to wear in Qarth.
Apparently, many of the Dothraki didn't wish to leave until the Shierak (Star in Dothraki) left with them, apparently this name had been going around lately.
Hermione didn't know whether to be touched or not, but she took it in stride when she saw a dozen well, armed, burly men and women waiting to escort her and the other girl to see Dany and just decided not to argue with them as they all seemed on edge. Knowing a battle had taken place or was possible still taking place she just let them play bodyguard if it made them feel better.
The heat hit her the moment she stepped outside, the red brick buildings of Astapor radiating warmth even in the morning. The smell of the city had changed, less fear, more uncertainty and a bit of hope.
---
Dany had locked herself in a room she'd taken possession of and was crying refusing to see anyone but Hermione at the moment.
Hermione sent everyone away so they could have a talk and find out what was troubling the slightly younger girl.
She sat down next to Dany, who was sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, her silver hair falling forward like a curtain, her purplish-blue eyes red and puffy from shed tears.
The room was sparse, a former master's chamber, now emptied of its gaudy furnishings, leaving mostly only bare stone and a single window overlooking the city but the bed was large and comfortable enough.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked the silly question, knowing by sight she was not, but knowing it was expected.
Dany just rested her head on Hermione's shoulder and said, "I'm not afraid that I killed those horrible men, I'm afraid because I liked the feeling, for just a few moments, but I liked the fact i had them right where I wanted like they were nothing but prey to be snuffed out."
She sniffled and wiped her nose before continuing. "I feel like I might be going mad like my brother and father."
She began crying again, but softer her body shaking in her silent sobs.
Hermione placed her hand on Dany's trembling hands and said, "This might be partly my fault."
After saying this, Dany pulled her head away from Hermione's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
"I don't understand?" she stated questioningly.
"When you helped hatch the dragon eggs, you formed a bond with all three dragon infants. You see, as you were at the time the stronger and more powerful, your personality was the most dominant of the four, way struggle. As the dragons get older and their personalities all clash in that bond, Drogon has won the right to bond with you. But Viserion formed a bond with me, and it has been lessening on you, which allows you to feel the way you do now."
Hermione paused, letting Dany take this in.
The distant sounds of the city drifted through the window, shouts, confusion, the clank of weapons as Unsullied took up new positions.
"The problem lies in the fact I did not believe this would start to affect you so soon. You see, dragons do grow quickly, but not *this* quickly. I did not calculate just how much magic had been stifled in this world, and as soon as a new magical creature was born... well, magic is trying to find an anchor, and they are using your dragons as a kickstart, so to speak."
Hermione just sighed and held the girl's hand firmer.
"The problem is, I don't know of any human capable of partnering with two dragons, let alone three, and still maintaining any form of sanity for long."
Saying this, she saw the panic in Dany's eyes.
"I knew it. I'm going to become a monster, aren't I?" she asked in a shaky breath.
Hermione simply smiled and shook her head. "No. There are a few ways we can fix this mess before it becomes permanent and even buy us time if need be. I will give you the three options that I know will work. We will start with the one I will not do, which is to kill the little one that is not properly bonded yet."
Dany looked at Hermione with shock and disgust. "Absolutely not!" Dany said with a bit on anger in her voice.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "The next option is to sever your bond with him completely and allow him to be a wild dragon. Being as he is very young, it is the only time the bond can be severed. But doing so will leave him open to predators and people in the wilds, and a lone infant dragon out in the wild alone would not survive for long. If he becomes too old, the bond will never completely sever, and then we have more problems to make it through."
Dany nodded her head in contemplation, then looked Hermione in the eyes with hope.
"You said there was a third, correct?" she asked, clenching Hermione's hand like a lifeline.
"The third is we find your wayward relative and see if he truly is who I believe he is. If he can bond with Rhaegal, then you should go back to an equilibrium, where you do not have the hunting instinct of a dragon to solve all of your problems. But if we can't find him quickly, I might be able to share the load for a while, which might make me a bit cranky for a bit. But I believe I can handle the burden for a while until we can locate him, I have shared far worse pressure then an extra bonding whispering in my ear. I would not wish to hold off on it for long though, even I have my limit to my sanity."
After Hermione said this, Dany just started nodding, then threw her arms around Hermione's neck in a warm embrace.
Hermione just held her and talked softly. "I suppose this is what having a little sister is like, always having to solve their messes and comfort them."
Hermione finished with a poke to Dany's ribs, causing the girl to squeal with quick laughter.
The tension in the room broke like a snapped bowstring.
"Winky," Hermione called out into the air.
With a *POP*, Winky appeared in her newly fixed dress, looking far more rested and actually eager.
Dany looked at Hermione with confusion until she heard Hermione start to speak.
"Winky, I'm sorry to ask this of you, seeing how you have just rested up, but I'm afraid it is quite an emergency. Now, I don't know how long it may take you, but I need you to find Dany's wayward nephew, Jon Snow I believe is his name. I don't know where he is at the moment, but from the rumors I have heard, Robb Stark's army is marching somewhere. He might be among them seeing as he was raised as his brother or they might know where he is. So, if you cannot locate Jon with the army there, I need you to mark a place for me so that I can create a portkey so I may ask this King in the North myself where his brother is."
After hearing the explanation, Winky asked, "If I finds this Jon Snow, I should grab him and bring him here, right?"
Hermione just blinked a few times before responding. "No, Winky, we are not kidnapping a prince, unless you find him wounded or something, but that would not be kidnapping if they are hurt." Hermione stopped herself from rambling on and on.
She sighed in exasperation.
"Just come and get me or something, or if an emergency pops up, just let me handle it, okay?"
Thinking about it, she continued. "I'll take care of the garden for a while. It won't need any real maintenance till the second stage of blooms on the Whispering Wilting Willows, so we have some time. Please take the second tent and as many supplies as you need. You're the only one I can trust with this, Winky."
She said this feeling guilty because while it was true what she said, she hated giving her orders.
Winky, on the other hand, jumped for joy at finally being given a real order instead of Hermione doing her best to make them feel like equals.
Winky grinned from floppy ear to floppy ear, giving a crisp British infantryman salute before disappearing with a *POP* once again.
"Oh dear, I may have made a mistake sending Winky," Hermione said, sounding exasperated.
Dany was understandably confused.
"Well, house-elves tend to cause a bit of trouble when they are sent out alone into the world. I forgot about that part honestly, and if I call her back now, she will be devastated, thinking I don't believe she is capable."
Hermione just shook her head, unable to deal with a sobbing drunken Winky all over again.
Well, Winky was smart, and Hermione did teach her loads of new things, and she was going fully equipped, so she should be okay... Right?
The last thing Dany saw was a wide, eyed Hermione politely excusing herself *sort of* before running away.
"Pardon me, I believe I forgot something I need to check. Umm..."
She couldn't think of anything, so she just blurted out the first thing on her lips and rushed out the door.
"Sorry, left the cat on the burner!?" Hermione just shook her head and left.
She rushed out in a panic at what she'd just unleashed on poor Westeros.
The door slammed behind her, leaving Dany sitting alone in the stone room, utterly bewildered, as distant shouts from the city below filtered through the window.