Where had she gone wrong? Their eyes blazed with hatred. Her vision blurred. Green intertwined with brown and blue…
"I haven't done anything wrong!" Distantly, she heard herself defend her actions. "I lied because I wanted friends, Harry! Is that so bad?" She knew it was bad. That lying would eventually lead to the truth.
A tall red head boy moved towards her. "How could you not tell us?" he shouted, betrayal etched in every word. "How could you let us believe your lies? How could you?" Yes, how could she. She should never have let this happen…
A somewhat shorter boy with brilliant green eyes laid his hand on his best friend's shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was quieter but extremely cold. "Hermione," he said, "I want you to leave. And when you do, you must promise that you will never cross that threshold again."
She stared at all of their faces. Hoping for what? A little voice said. That they would forgive you? She knew the answer. She turned and walked out.
"So you've come back." A tall, forbidding woman stared at her. Her expression and countenance was stony.
"I'm sorry," I said, knowing how inadequate the words were.
Something in the woman's expression seemed to crumble and she held out her arms. Hesitating for a moment, I rush into her arms. Then I start crying. My mother starts crying also, holding me tightly.
We stood there for a long time, saying nothing, only crying.
"I've missed you, my niña,"my mother whispers into my hair. She pulled away suddenly. Confused, I stare at her.
"It's not safe here," she said, a wary look creeping into her eyes. "Come inside and I'll explain."
I step inside quickly. Behind me, my mother locked the door and quided me towards the kitchen. The house is dark, small and very cold.
Five minutes later, my mother and I are sitting in a cheerless kitchen. The air was thick with words that both of us had to say—needed to say.
She broke the silence first. "Where've you been, my niña?" she asks.
I was about to say At the Burrow when I realized that, under the circumstances, that would be highly inappropriate. "Nowhere," I said, after a moment. She seemed to know the answer I was about to give.
"They told you to leave, right?" she said softly. "Once they find out who you are. You should never have left us, niña."
I look at my hands curled up in my lap. "They would never accept me," I said. "Not now. Not after all I've done." Sadness choked me.
My mother's silent for a moment. "The Dark Lord punishes those who deserts," she said finally. "But I can gurantee that he won't punish you."
I looked up, surprised. "How can you gurantee such a thing?" I demanded.
"The Dark Lord favors those who has the brains to carry out special operations," she said. "Now, since his ranks have been decimated so, he is in dire need of people like you. He won't torture you."
I stare at my hands again, thinking hard. Everything I'd stood for—love, courage, loyalty, love—now hung in balance as I considered which path I should take. The faces of the people who had once loved me, had been my friends, floated in my mind's eye. Then I heard Harry's voice saying that I had to leave…I saw myself walking in the frozen icy streets...I knew what I had to do. I made the decision I knew would change my life forever. I'd turned my back on everything I ever knew, everybody I ever cared about and looked directly into my mother's eyes.
"I will do it," I said.
She knew already of what path I decided to take. "Come with me," she said, holding out her hand, "and we'll go to see him together."
Mentally summoning some courage, I took her hand, and just like that sealed my fate and whatever lay in store for me.