"Tell me where he is," the young witch stood over him, holding her wand against his neck as he struggled against his bonds. "Tell me, and I will let you live... Ronald." Ron Weasley whimpered and continued twisting, the magical ropes only tightening at his useless attempts.

"Merlin, 'Mione, leave me alone, leave Harry alone, you killed You-Know-Who already, what more could you possibly want?! Just let me go, we'll do whatever you want. What happened to you?" He flinched as she threw her head back and laughed, not the warm, rich laugh she once had, but instead a malicious, threatening, sharp laughter.

"Oh, Wonniekins, you know better than most what happened, you, and Harry, and the whole accursed Order of the Phoenix." She snarled as she spat the last bit out, a venomous glare crossing her face. "If you won't tell me, Ronald, I will get the information. You know I am only asking nicely now, so you won't be in the same vegetative state as Frank and Alice Longbottom at St. Mungo's. Now, you will tell me Ron, or you will be forced to show me." Ron gulped weakly and stopped struggling, but finally looked up at her, a defiant tilt to his head.

"Do your wor-"

"My pleasure." Ron began screaming and thrashing violently, though Hermione had not moved an inch from where she stood, looking down at him, her wand in a relaxed position where one might be fooled into believing they could physically disarm her if they tried. It lasted a long time, and Hermione never broke a sweat, merely arched her eyebrow. Ron, however, twitched and thrashed and screamed, until the blood vessels in his eyes had popped, until his bonds dug into him so that he bled, until he began gurgling blood as he screamed, his throat raw and his vocal chords spent. He finally slumped forward, and Hermione straightened and took a deep breath.

"My... my lady, should I...?" Hermione turned quickly and had her wand at Draco's throat before he could gasp. She blinked, then smiled and dug her wand in a little before turning away.

"Sorry, forgot my surroundings for a moment there. Yes, dump him at St. Mungo's with the usual brand. Don't -"

"-Be seen, yes, I know." He gulped as she spun back to him, her eyes narrowed.

"Also don't forget your place, and the extent of my mercy." He nodded quickly and bowed his head, and she waved her hand, motioning his dismissal. He stepped forward to Ron's limp body, rolled the back of his shirt up and carved into his back a large red perpendicular cross, then pulled him free of his bonds and apparated away with a soft pop. Hermione smiled slowly, the new knowledge running through her mind.

"I've got you now, Harry. You can't keep running from me forever. I will have my revenge. Even if I have to spread like the Black Death from township to township until I find you." She spoke aloud, and twitched the shades in the room to look out the window. She laughed softly under her breath as she saw the clouds of smoke billowing from London, the city ablaze as people fled, the anti-apparation wards preventing even the most powerful witches and wizards from using any but muggle methods. Her laugh was scornful, watching them stream out like an infestation of roaches from a crumbling building. "I'll stomp you all out."

"Harry, we have to do something. She... she got to Ron, Harry. We- we found him in front of St. Mungo's with the mark." Everyone around gasped, some cried out, and Hannah Abbott whimpered out loud, turning and burying her face in Neville's chest. Harry looked up from his glass of firewhiskey, bootlegged from Fred, George, and Lee, but all the same to burn away his pain and guilt. Ginny's eyes burned with a golden brown fire as she looked at him, his clothes in tatters, as all of theirs were. They had been on the run for months now, about eleven, to be precise, since the Battle of Hogwarts, since she... since Hermione went dark.

Harry looked around to all the faces surrounding the small, cramped room in the remote run down muggle motel they had taken shelter at. He had thought they would never see Ron alive again, and now dreaded finding the state he would surely be in, after that mad woman had had a go round with him. She was brilliant, and ruthless, and didn't give up. Qualities which were amazing when she was helping them hunt down Voldemort. Qualities which had caused their downfall when she discovered she was little more than the Order's cute muggleborn poster monkey, propaganda for their posterity and acceptance. She had exploded, literally, her magic bursting free from any constraints and boundaries, and it washed over Voldemort and Harry both, killing the horcrux inside Harry, and also Voldemort himself, in one go. He supposed, he thought bitterly, he at least had her to thank for that. Following that, she had hunted down and killed, in increasingly gruesome ways, every member of the Order without a shred of mercy.

"Is he...?" Neville asked in a hushed voice as Ginny crossed the room, looking battle weary and a little sick. Ginny just nodded her head sadly, and everyone looked down in silence. Harry stood suddenly, setting his glass, now empty, down with a sharp clunk, and he walked out of the room. He turned down the road and began walking, but soon was surrounded by his friends, all talking at the same time.

"Harry, you can't, you mustn't!" Shouted Ginny.

"Look, mate, she'll kill you, don't-"

"-do it, it isn't worth your neck." The twins finished each other's sentences, both throwing their arms around him, which he shrugged off.

"Harry." He stopped dead in his tracks. The one voice who might reason with him, ironically enough. "Harry, I know what you're feeling right now. You should sit down and think this through, make a plan. We don't want to see you die, or worse. I know you need to talk to her, Harry. But not like this." Luna's dreamy voice floated towards him, as if carried on the wind to his ears, and he slowly turned. She had tears running down her face, but otherwise, had her usual look of calm indifference and secret wisdom. Her blonde hair fell in her eyes some, filthy and tangled, but the look in her eyes, it gave him strength, gave him hope, and damn her, she was right. He needed to think this through. He blinked, then nodded slowly, and everyone sighed in relief and turned back to the motel. Luna approached him, and he pretended to not notice the sad look in Ginny's eyes as she walked into the room with her brothers. He wrapped Luna up in his arms, carefully, as though she were made of china.

"You silly man, what did you think you would do, get yourself killed for all of us?" She chuckled as she nuzzled his neck.

"Well, it did seem to work when we were younger." He smiled, against his will, and kissed the top of her head, his eyes scanning the horizon for signs of smoke, signs of Hermione's approaching reign of terror.

"That was when we faced a different kind of evil. This kind, I'm sad to say, is almost justified." Harry looked down sharply at Luna, and she blinked owlishly at him. "Don't tell me you don't think so, Mr. Potter. She was used, and humiliated. She was a laughingstock on both sides. Who can fault her for how she turned out?"

"You could use similar arguments for Tom Riddle, you know. Just because they're a sympathetic evil, doesn't make them any better."

"No," she sighed heavily, "I suppose not. I just want her back. I want our Hermione back." Harry nodded, and pulled Luna close to him again, hugging her tighter.

"I know, love. I know." He stiffened as he smelled burning grass. "We have to move. She's on her way-"

"Here? Yes, I am." Hermione used wandless magic to force Harry and Luna apart and bind them up. "What a quaint little muggle motel Harry. This must have been your idea, I can't see how most of them would be able to stomach it otherwise. Clever, I admit. Unfortunately for you, Ronald was such an easy egg to... crack." Harry struggled furiously to get to Luna, who laid limp on the ground, calmly observing Hermione.

"My lady, we have all the insubordinates restrained. To the Manor with them?" Draco Malfoy stepped out of the motel, leading Harry's friends at wandpoint, all bound and gagged. Hermione smiled cruelly.

"Yes, to the Manor. I will take these two lovebirds myself." She gathered Harry and Luna to her side.

"The Manor? Where you were tortured for being muggleborn?" Harry sneered. "By his insane aunt, and now he's working for you?" He tossed his head at Draco.

"Yes, funny how that works, wouldn't you say? Conspiracy makes for strange bedfellows. But then, given how you turned on little Ginevra after discovering her hand in my uprising... well. I shan't say more than pot, meet kettle." Harry turned blood red as Ginny was tugged out of the house, kicking and biting at Theodore Nott. Ginny turned and looked miserably at Harry, and he cast his eyes downward in guilt.

"Don't hurt them, Hermione. You're only here for me, and you already got Ron. The rest of the Order is dead, just let them go." Hermione's eyes flashed, and she gave a mock tilt of her head, as if pausing to consider. He noted, as she did this, her eyes had transitioned from the honey brown they once were to a malicious, sparkling black, her frizzy hair had smoothed into bouncy curls, and her appearance overall was almost unnatural.

"Well, you see Harry, dear, normally I would agree with you, and it really isn't up to mortals to pass judgement. But as we know, I have transcended that, thanks to our old headmaster and his cute little storybook."

"No..." he gasped out. "You found them all... the Hallows. You shouldn't, 'Mione, they're dangero-"

"I know Harry, believe me. Oh how well do I know. Why do you think the esteemed Misters Crabbe and Goyle aren't in attendance for this brute force task? They gave their lives in service in order to help me ascend from my previous... tainted... status. Oh, and Miss Parkinson too, although that was obviously not voluntary, oh Harry, if you could have heard all the horrid words and phrases she'd said." She smiled, a small evil smirk, leaning in to him conspiratorily, as though they were two old school friends having a catch up on gossip. His eyes widened as he took in Hermione up close. Her skin glowed, a literal glow, and she even was drifting a few inches above the ground.

"Hermione... what did you do?" He whispered, horrified.

"She's made herself a fallen, Harry. I like your glow, by the way." Hermione glanced over at Luna, and her small smirk grew into a wide, relaxed smile.

"Luna, of course you would understand. Everybody thinks you're barmy, but we know better." She tapped her nose and grinned at Luna, who smiled back. Hermione narrowed her eyes and turned away from Luna, sending a silent stunner spell back at her. "Harry, you, my friend, are in for a long day tomorrow. Let's get you home." She snickered at his horrified look, tugged them both up and turned on the spot, apparating them into Malfoy Manor. Harry knew, as he was led away to a room crackling with wards and magic, that he very well might not survive the next day. He dropped to his knees in the room, tears rolling down his face, and shrieked. He wanted his friend back. He wanted Luna. He wanted things to be the way they were before all of this happened. He wanted out, out of this room, this prison, this reality. He had never wanted something so badly before in his life.

Outside his window, a breeze stirred, causing ashes to drift across the ground. A small ember fought for its life on the ground, a faint glow, but persistent. Nothing special to it, just an ember that refused to die out. At Harry's shrieks and sobs, the ember glowed brighter, almost imperceptibly, then winked out of existence, as though it had never been there at all. Another dying light, adding to the growing darkness.

***AN: This might be a OS, depending on how many people like it or not, and depending on how busy I am versus how lazy I am. :3 None of the OC's belong to me, nor the Harry Potter franchise, I am not making money off this, and bless J.K. Rowling for her creation of the Potterverse. Amen. ;D