A/N: Just something I've started on. What do you guys think? Gets a little gory but not too bad.

"Hermione Granger."

Minerva read the name aloud on the list of muggleborns to be visited. Minerva and Albus had split the list between them since there were so many. They had been visiting families for the past three days and they weren't even halfway through.

"Hm. I'll take this one." She said to her long time friend as she walked into his office and picked up the next letter. He nodded and she left for the young girl's home.

Although it was a bright day with lovely weather, an ominous foreboding feeling overcame Minerva as she was walking up to the house. Listening to her instincts, she withdrew her wand and knocked on the door. To her dismay, it slowly slid opened, so she poked her head in and called out,

"Hello?"

No one answered back.

Worried for the residents, she silently slipped into the home and closed the door behind her. As she walked farther in, she gasped. The house was wrecked, the furniture torn, broken and tipped over with the occasional claw mark, and blood splattered the green walls, wood floors, and even the cracked windows. Minerva immediately sent a patronus off to Albus and examined the room.

She frowned in contemplation. It was highly unlikely that no one had heard the screaming that no doubt happened in the house. Unless it wasn't the doings of a muggle. She ran her fingers over the claw marks, definitely not a muggle. A werewolf perhaps? She shook her head. It was mid-afternoon, and the blood was still wet, dripping in places. Had she come a moment earlier, she likely would've witnessed it all. An animagus then. Or maybe a shapeshifter of some sort. Looking around she noticed the blood led up the stairs.

She steeled herself, prepared for the sight of a gruesome scene and more than likely a dead child. It wouldn't be the first time she had seen such a thing. Living through two wars meant that she had seen the darkest parts of human nature. She was pulled out of her thoughts by an eerie, repetitive thumping that came from upstairs.

Walking up the stairs, Minerva tried not to let the thumping rob her of her courage. She felt her heart speed as she continued up the stairs. Where the bloody hell was Albus? She looked at the wall, noticing the blood and pressed her lips in a thin line as she saw more hand prints and then streaks. Someone had been drug up the stairs and around the corner. Minerva gripped her wand tighter, prepared to do battle with whomever had created this terrible scene.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Minerva slowly advanced toward the sound, noticing that the blood led to the same room. Taking a deep breath, Minerva opened the door, and promptly gagged. Strewn about the room were bloody limbs, organs and intestines. The room reeked of blood and fear. Particularly disturbing were the heads whose faces were etched in silent screams, their final moments of terror. The pink walls were painted with streaks of blood and the occasional hole or clawmark.

Minerva tore her eyes away from the body parts and settled them on the young girl sitting on the ground against the wall opposite the door. She in herself was disturbing as she sat with one leg propped up. Her once pink clothes were soaked with blood, as was her hair turning it into a dark brown color. Her head was bent and her hair fell in front of her face, hiding her from Minerva's eyes. Minerva watched the girl throw a yellow ball at the floor. It bounced, hit the wall and rebounded back into the bloody hand she had raised near her head.

Minerva kept her wand up and softly called out, "Hermione?" The girl caught the ball and stilled. Minerva held her breath, as a shiver of fear ran down her spine and pooled in her stomach. The girl was terrifying. She waited silently for minutes and eventually the girl began to throw the ball again. Minerva released her breath, feeling as though she just escaped death and decided to wait for Albus.

Not a moment sooner than she had made the decision, Albus came slowly up the stairs. Minerva tilted her head towards the young girl. Albus watched her for a moment and looked back towards Minerva. Years of fighting and working side by side allowed them the ability to silently communicate. Using this ability, they agreed on a stunning spell and that the girl was just plain creepy. Silently, Minerva cast the spell and watched shocked as it bounced back and hit Albus, sending him flying into the wall behind them, unconscious. Minerva looked back at the girl and nearly screamed.

Hermione had again stopped throwing the ball and was staring at Minerva unblinkingly. Her blank, emotionless face had blood splattered over it and Minerva was fairly certain that none of it was hers. Minerva visibly shuddered.

Never before has she been so afraid of a child.

Minerva immediately rethought her strategy and slowly put her wand away, smiling at her.

"How did you do that?" She asked the young girl. She watched as Hermione blinked, looked at Albus, and then looked back at her before looking away, her curls hiding her face once again.

"You don't know do you?" Hermione's head lowered more and the hand holding the ball hit the ground, still holding the ball tightly. Minerva took a slow step towards her.

"It's magic, Hermione. You're a witch like me." she said softly.

Another step.

"That's why I'm here. I'd like to invite to a school where you can learn to control it and use it to do amazing things."

Another step.

This time, Hermione's head snapped towards Minerva's foot without raising, her bloody hair swaying with the movement. Minerva stilled. "It's alright, lass. Can you tell me what happened to your parents?" She asked softly and immediately, Hermione screamed,

"THEY'RE NOT MY PARENTS!"

Her shout was accompanied by a powerful burst of magic and Minerva was tossed back. Her back hit the closed door and she fell to the floor. Rubbing her head, she looked at Hermione who was standing. She looked prepared to attack anything that moved

The girl balled her fist and let loose a terrifying, ear shattering, inhuman scream. Minerva cried out and covered her ears. The scream sounded like a fusion of voices, male, female, and something primitive. Huffing and shaking slightly, the girl just stood there facing Minerva, her hair still covering her face. Eventually, she turned abruptly, sat back down pulling her knees to her chest, and began breathing deeply.

Pulling her hands away from her ears, Minerva watched the girl for a few moments. Out the corner of her eye, she spied the girl's ball sitting right beside her and grabbed it. Thinking quickly, she rolled the ball to the young girl. Hermione immediately grabbed it and began throwing. Minerva waited until the girl's shoulders relaxed and her own heart stopped stuttering with fear before speaking.

"Does that calm you?" Minerva tried. She received no answer. Just the repetitive thump of the ball.

"May I try?" she asked. Hermione stopped and, after several moments, slowly opened her hand, the ball resting there. Minerva moved across the room, avoiding the puddles of blood and dismembered body parts, and sat down beside the young girl.

"I've never done this before." She said as she took the ball and threw it far too gently on purpose. After retrieving it, she sat back down beside Hermione.

"Harder." The girl said, her voice hoarse, but normal. Minerva nodded and purposefully threw the ball too hard. However, she was unprepared when the ball headed straight for her head at a fast speed and she yelped. Hermione's hand shot out to catch the ball and the girl chuckled. Minerva smiled,

"I think I'll leave that to you. Would you like to see what calms me?" Minerva asked. Hermione nodded after a minute of deliberation. Minerva changed into her animagus and crawled into the girl's lap. Hermione tensed, her hands balled into fists at her sides. Minerva just curled up into a ball on her lap and relaxed, hoping Hermione would do the same. After a few moments, the girl's hand moved to lay on Minerva's back. Soon, she slowly began stroking the cat. Minerva purred encouragingly. After a while, she spoke haltingly,

"They aren't my parents. Parents don't...I didn't mean to..." She broke off, before starting again, more sure of herself, "They deserved it. I got so angry...I just...couldn't anymore...I don't..." She trailed off again, her hand stopping in its ministrations and her head sinking lower. Minerva could feel the girl shaking as she retreated to her mind, magic starting to make the air heavy. The hand she had been using to stroke Minerva was curled into a fist. Minerva mewled and it seemed to bring the young woman out of her mind.

Hermione gently sat Minerva down to the side of her and began throwing the ball again. Minerva changed back, "I understand, lass. Come with me. I'll take care of this, of you." Hermione continued throwing the ball and Minerva waited in silence. Soon, Hermione looked at Minerva, who took the time to examine the girl's eyes. There were a bright, golden yellow that reminded her of a wolf.

"I'll go...but...you should probably knock me out. I...I can't. I keep..." She shook her head and set the ball aside. She exhaled and swallowed. Minerva murmured a stunning spell.

This time, the spell hit home and Hermione slumped to the side. As soon as the girl was out, the door fell to the ground. Lying on top of it were Albus, Kingsley Shacklebolt and two aurors. "Minerva! Are you okay? We've been blasting at the door and yelling all day." Kingsley asked. Minerva stood and looked back at Hermione shocked. "I'm fine Albus. She must've held the door and silenced the room. All while having a conversation.