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You-Know-Who has posted a new chapter of my favorite fic, so I decided to follow up with her and post some new artwork.

I can't decide which version I prefer, so I'll just post them all.

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No Glory chapter 59: Family Meeting

❤️

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 38 - Running Out Of Time

Her mind was so occupied with thoughts of Malfoy, that she nearly missed the transparent glimmer of a ghost gliding ahead, hovering near one of the doors.

Hermione nearly skidded to a stop when she finally saw the tall, translucent figure. Not believing her luck, she approached her slowly.

Twelve minutes gone; eighteen left. She could work with that.

“Excuse me, are you the Gray Lady?” Hermione asked, pitching her voice low and respectful.

The ghost inclined her head but didn’t speak or even look at Hermione. She slid past her solemnly.

“Helena Ravenclaw?” she tried again.

“Yes,” she said impatiently, the ghost finally turning to her, scrutinising her from head to toe.

“I’m terribly sorry to intrude,” Hermione said in a hushed rush. “But I’m desperate. I need your help, and I believe you’re the only one who can give it. May we step out of the corridor?”

Helena frowned, grey eyes lingering over her body. She nodded once, silently, turning around to a room beside her. Hermione followed, heart pounding in her ears.

Fourteen minutes.

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 37: Her Reflection

A body was sprawled in front of Hermione. A slit curved the man’s throat from ear to ear; it smiled up at her, blood bubbling black from the deliberate cut. The body convulsed, but his eyes stared blankly into the darkness above: motionless, lifeless.

Hermione dropped her eyes to her own hands.

Fuck.

Trembling, Hermione watched as crimson droplets dripped onto the tarmac. One hand balanced the dagger, blood glistening on its silver blade.

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a "chance" meeting

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New cover for The Darkened Hourglass

Don’t judge my canvas skills too badly… my first time using it 🤣😭

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Ok I posted it on my page. Ya I’m gonna have him kill you but all love from me. Can I have my snippet now LMAO

The next time he awoke, Harry was shocked. Voldemort was no longer there, cradling him. He sensed a different aura before him, not touching him; one that was vastly different yet nonetheless… familiar. 

Yellow. Soft, friendly.

This is the person that healed me before, 

The cup was pressed to his lips. Harry tried to open his eyes, to see who this enigmatic witch or wizard was, but he couldn’t.

The rim of the cup was pushed more urgently against his mouth. Harry drank because he knew he had to; the metallic taste of the elixir flooded through him.

But for all its wonder, for all its life-giving and life-saving power, it did nothing for his soul.

Who are you? Harry wondered. He tried and tried to look, but it wasn’t enough. 

He slipped back into a dark and peaceful sleep.

—

When Harry next drifted back to consciousness, he was alone.

No black and glinting gold aura of Lord Voldemort. No soft and welcoming yellow. 

He opened his eyes, slowly. All he had for company now was his own reflection looking blearily down at him: a disheveled Harry Potter half-covered in a blanket, his hair a mess, his red eyes still hazy with the remnants of sleep.

He sat up. He felt… okay.

Not great, he thought as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned theatrically. But not awful. 

He’d certainly had worse, at least.

He checked the time. It was a little after two. With no small amount of ire, he wondered how much time he’d missed. A day? Two? More?

Harry shook his head and focused. He’d been given the elixir… three times, he thought, while incapacitated. Twice by Voldemort himself, and once by that mysterious yellow person. Did that mean he’d missed three days? 

Unless Voldemort tried forcing more elixir into me than usual, he thought. Maybe he hoped it would make me recover faster…

He was bound to find that out soon enough. What he really wanted to know was who did Voldemort trust so implicitly, to allow them to be alone with Harry? To heal him, to see him at his most vulnerable—to pour the Elixir of Life down his throat when he was so weak he couldn’t even open his eyes?

Harry hadn’t a clue.

Forcing those thoughts aside, Harry looked around for… something. A note with the explanation that Voldemort had surely come up with this time, to explain why Harry was holed up in his room again. He didn't see anything. Harry frowned, disentangled himself from his blanket, and got up. 

He took about two steps before a pop startled him so badly he yelped. 

“Master Potter is awake,” said Binny, bowing low.

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 34 - Magic is Might

 “And what exactly has Hermione shared with you?” He asked bluntly, and Hermione could’ve sworn a flash of red entered his eyes. 

“She told me that you are hoping to rebuild the wizarding world in your own image,” Malfoy began smoothly. “Death Eaters – your loyal followers – are helping you in the process. I would like to join you as your ally.”

Riddle narrowed his eyes at Malfoy, almost like what he said was distasteful. Hermione wasn’t exactly sure what he said to cause such a reaction, she thought he was being quite respectful. 

Riddle’s eyes never left Malfoy’s. When he began speaking, an edge of condescension sharpened with each word.

“Ally… is such a fickle word. An alliance is a convenience, one where a partnership is expected. There must be trust between the two parties in order to have an alliance and most importantly both parties must have power. Now, unfortunately, Draco,” he certainly hissed his name this time, “I don’t believe you have either. You don’t have my trust and you certainly don’t have power. No, I don’t require an alliance from you. I want servitude.”

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writing is 10% storytelling and 90% rearranging three sentences for an hour like you're trying to solve an ancient curse

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Laughing through the tears…

thanks for the ride @obsidianpen

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 33 - Wielding Desire

She groaned aloud, heat prickling her skin from her anger that mixed with unwanted arousal. But as she fought to contain it, she was left with nothing but that raw, rising anger that began to overwhelm her.

She was angry at herself for being too swept up in her own emotions. She was angry at Riddle for making her want him, despite everything that he was and he would be. She was angry at Malfoy for adding to her turmoil, and his kindness. And most of all, she was angry at Dumbledore more than anyone else… angry at him for not believing in them; for not telling Harry how to actually destroy a horcrux and forcing them find out for themselves; for giving her that stupid time turner.

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Chapter 32 - Truth or Hex

The Darkened Hourglass

Without further hesitation, he whispered something under his breath, so Hermione couldn’t hear and her sight instantly vanished.

The shock of having her sight removed from her caused her to squeak in surprise. She attempted to blink the darkness that shrouded her eyes away, but it stuck to her like velcro that she struggled to rip off.

Riddle didn’t even give her a chance to adjust, as a whisper breathed into her ear, “Scared?”

Body jumping from her seat, a cold hand placed on the bare skin of her thigh pushed her back down; his touch forced her to rub her legs together in anticipation.

The space between them had completely disappeared. He was close – too close.

Her breathe shook; her senses heightened from the darkness that consumed her ability to see. Every touch, every breath shot straight to her core.

Her legs automatically slipped open, one leg bent on the sofa, whilst her other foot was planted on the floor. She could feel the skirt of her dress slip, and Riddle hissed in a breath.

“Oh, we aren’t so scared now,” he drawled into her ear, his hand sliding up her bare leg.

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Oml his hands…

“Our Little Secret 🤫”

Hi-res and transparent background versions available on Patreon for personal use.

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 29 — The Malfoy Ring

“You figured it out,” she stated this time, disbelief swimming in her features.

“Obv—”

She cut him off by lunging at him. Wrapping her arms round his neck, she tucked herself into his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her breath warm through the fabric of his shirt, her voice a fragile tremor against his ribs.

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 27 — Between Pleasure and Pain

“You infuriating witch” he growled into her ear, lips grazing her skin. “Anyone else would deserve to die for their insolence.”

A checklist for this chapter:

A Hermione vs Walburga face-off

Hermione and Tom duel (and it spirals out of control very quickly!)

Draco is internally not okay but playing it off well…

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 26 - A Web of Her Own

Her eyes snapped open, squinting against the sun. She pushed herself up and turned her head away, escaping the heat of the rays. Her eyes blinked rapidly, as they found a disheveled blonde man asleep on her living room floor.

Malfoy.

A shaky breath escaped her as she took him in, assessing their situation. He looked so peaceful — she had never seen Malfoy so placid. No creases around his eyes, no tension around his jaw and no sneer stretching his lips. His lashes cast faint shadows over his high cheekbones.

Her eyes drifted lower, watching as his chest rose at a steady rate. Falling lower, she realised their legs were intertwined. His large thigh had wedged snugly between hers, and a large hand curled over her hip, possessive, even in sleep.

Her heart stuttered. Heat rushed low in her belly.

She attempted to pull away, but Malfoy had other ideas. He grunted softly, tugging her closer and dragging her back into his chest. His leg slipped further between hers, applying just enough pressure to send her thoughts scattering.

Pulse thundering in her ears, she bit her lip, trying to stop herself from falling further into him.

With a small gasp, she pushed herself away.

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The Darkened Hourglass

Chapter 25 - Hollow

✨💗A Dramione interaction 💗✨

Hermione didn’t realise how close they had become until she felt the warmth of his breath on her lips. It was a soft, almost electric sensation that made her heart race, and her gaze inevitably dropped to his mouth, hovering there as though it were a trap. Her pulse quickened, her thoughts muddled as she wrestled with the surge of uncertainty and something more.