It was over. It was all over. Voldemort had won and the only surviving remnant to show that there had even been a resistance in the first place was one Gryffindor mudblood, limping down the corridor of the seventh floor, too proud to just give up and lie down.
No. No, she would NOT lie down. Not after what she had seen. She would not let the dark get to her. She would not go without a fight. Do you even have any fight left in you? a bitter voice in the corner of her mind sounded. You did everything for them. Risked your life. Obliviated your parents. Lost your innocence. And what do you get back? A dead Boy Who Lived and a broken leg. Maybe you should just give up. Surrender. They would kill you, sure, but it would be better than living in this hellhole.
She tried to ignore the voice though. Tried to ignore the familiar face of the second year's dead body she had just stumbled over. The second year who had smiled sheepishly at her and reassured her they would get through this. The blush of a naïve schoolboy crush lingering on his cheeks as he had hugged her. She tried to ignore the terrible memories. Tried to stop the vivid red of the dried blood between lifeless Ginny's thighs flashing through her mind. Tried to ignore Neville's whimpers and screams as they tortured him, cursing him with the same fate as his parents.
When she finally reached her destination, she almost started sobbing in relief. She checked to make sure nothing was near her but the many corpses riddled across the floor and the eerie silence of defeat, and then thought of what she wanted most.
Take me somewhere safe, somewhere they'll never find me.
She let out a shuddery breath and clenched her eyes tighter.
Take me somewhere safe, somewhere they'll never find me.
She bit her lip until she tasted blood.
Take me somewhere safe, somewhere they'll never find me.
She opened her eyes and felt the tears rushing down her cheeks at the sight of the door. Ignoring her obviously broken leg for a moment, she ran to the door, yanked it open, leaped inside, and slammed it close again. Making sure not only to lock it manually but to also use multiple spells that would ensure no one could get in. Only then did she take the time to look at what the room had given her.
On the far right wall was a delightful looking four poster bed. On the far left a large bookshelf covered in books. On the wall farthest from her was a miniature kitchen, complete with oven and refrigerator. This was too good to be true.
She didn't even care if the refrigerator was stocked or not. She limped to the bed, pulled the covers down, snuggled in, and pulled the covers back up. Then, snuggled into her new bed, she allowed the harsh, horrifying memories to overwhelm her.
LOLLY LOLLY LOLLY GET YOUR ADVERBS HERE
Something wasn't right. She struggled to come to terms with what exactly wasn't right, but something wasn't right. She had woken up the next day in the Room of Requirements, where she had gone to sleep the night before, but something was… off. When she had gone to sleep in that bed mourning the loss of all of her loved ones and herself, there had been a weight on the world. The air had felt heavy and dark. Now, that morning, she felt as though she had just woken up on any normal day at Hogwarts. There wasn't that recurring undertone of danger. For the first time in a very, very long time, she felt… she felt safe.
That all ended though when she opened her eyes and remembered all of the details of her situation. She would never be safe, of course. She could never leave this room. Not for a very long time. She got up and limped around the room, trying to see if there was anything that could she could use to set her leg before it started healing the wrong way. She could have just conjured something up, or done it the magical way, but all of her energy was drained and she highly doubted she would be able to cast a simple Confundus charm on someone.
She glanced around the room, gaze landing on the small kitchenette. She realized how hungry she was. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she ate. She limped her way over, wincing every once in a while. When she got there, she opened the refrigerator, taking in it's contents. She picked up an apple (it was the easiest to prepare. Just rinse and then put in mouth.), and gobbled it down.
By the time she was done. Her leg was throbbing with pain. She thought about risking going outside to scavenge for supplies. She figured she could peek outside and see what it looked like. If it was bad, she could slip back inside. Where's your Gryffindor courage? she thought to herself as she slowly advanced on the door. It was supposed to be encouraging to her, to pump her up. Instead it just sounded bitter, cold, and even somewhat mocking. She laughed dryly. She drew her wand, and pulled open the door silently. She peered out into the hallway, and was surprised to see that there was no damage on the walls and no dead bodies lying on the floor. What the…? She thought to herself. What the bloody hell was going on?
No one was around, so she figured she should try it. She stumbled out, and cursed when her injured leg hit against the door frame. "… Can I help you, miss?" Her eyes widened and she looked up. She had been caught. She ignored the fact that the death eater hadn't just cursed her on the spot. The only person it could be was a death eater.
But when she looked up, she saw someone entirely different… Well, not really, but different in the way that it shouldn't have been possible. As she gazed into the wide eyes of Tom Riddle, she fainted.
ROCKIN' AND A ROLLIN' SPLISHIN' AND A SPLASHIN' OVER THE HORIZAN WHAT CAN IT BE
She groaned. She wasn't sure where she was, but she was lying in a very stiff uncomfortable bed. "Is she awake?" She heard a voice, and peeked an eye open. And then closed her eyes again. It was official. She had gone crazy. She opened her eyes again, coming face to face with a very much alive Albus Dumbledore, except… He looked younger. Even worse was the man sitting next to him. She recognized him as Armando Dippet from the portrait in the Headmaster's office.
"Hello, miss. How are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Pr… Professor Dumbledore?" She asked, alarmed.
"…Yes, I am him." She looked around her. Surrounding her was a woman wearing what appeared to be the same outfit Madame Pomfrey wore, the man who looked exactly like Armando Dippet, a younger (alive) Albus Dumbledore, and… Tom Riddle. If she hadn't been killed the night before and this WASN'T some odd death induced stupor, then she most definitely needed to get away from ¾ of her company.
"Can I… can I speak to you alone? … I'm sure you remember the letter you received from… Miriam Dursley. I am the… niece she talked about in it. Hermione Dursley. I seem to have gotten lost on my way to your office." She struggled to come up with the lie, and then remember that when she had been found, she had been covered in blood, her clothes had been torn the point that she was barely decent, and she had had a broken leg. "I will explain the… condition I was in when I speak to you privately. It will all make sense then."
There was a brief moment in which Dumbledore looked very surprised, but he maintained control and said, "Oh, yes! Of course! I had completely forgotten about dear Miriam! She even said that you would be arriving today. How silly of me." He turned to Dippet and, at his confused look, said, "I told you about Miriam Dursley, yes?"
Dippet nodded and said, "Surely, you did. It must have just slipped my conscience." He turned to Riddle. "Right! Well, Tom, it appears we should leave miss Dursley and Albus alone so they can sort everything out!" Had Voldemort himself not been there with a suspicious look clouding his eyes, Hermione might have laughed at how gullible Dippet was. Well, she thought to herself. There really is no explanation as to how he would let the darkest wizard of all time go through seven years of schooling at Hogwarts.
Dippet and Riddle left (the mediwitch having wandered off some while earlier), leaving Dumbledore and Hermione to themselves. Dumbledore turned to her, the previous twinkle in his eyes long gone, and said, "Explain everything."
Hi! This is my first story! W00T!
Not the most original idea, but still... Please review! Fank joo!
Oh, and no, nothing here belongs to me but the plot and any OC's that might appear in the future. KTHXBAI.
