Prompt : model

Word count : 226.

All her life, Hermione had been used to being made an example of. She was a model student, a model daughter, heck, she was even a model friend. "Look at Hermione, she managed to do the essay and brew an extra vial of the potion," they'd say. She liked it, loved it, in fact. It was her guilty little pleasure; bettering everyone else. It made her who she was.

Hermione Granger was perfect; the model person.

But she'd known from the moment he had told her his intentions that she would not, could not, be a model citizen. Voldemort talked to her personally, told her how she would make the perfect wife for one of his most loyal Death Eaters, how she may even be allowed small privileges if she were well-behaved enough - the supervised use of her wand for a half hour, perhaps.

Hermione refused to be an example of how "mudbloods" could be "purified" by an arranged marriage of obedience and deference, of how even those most loyal to Harry could be cowed by Voldemort in this new world.

So, on her wedding night, she beat her sleeping husband to death with a book-end.

Hermione Granger had not been a model wife and, she thought as she aimed another kick at her cell bars, she would most certainly not be a model prisoner.

A/N: Feel free to check out the poll on my profile, and the one-shot/drabble challenge (closes 1st September) I've set up on there!

Nominations are now open at Lady Arianne of Ambers Valley's Harry Potter Awards forum, too - there is a whole load of brilliant stories there. The link is: .net/forum/Harry_Potter_Awards/64689/