She stood in the cold as the wind blew up her skirt. While she waited in the shadows a dark hooded figure walked towards her. The hood was lowered to reveal Snape.
"You know what you have to do?" he asked.
The girl nodded.
"You can't be found out," he continued.
She nodded again.
"Hermione, this isn't a game," he said but was cut off.
"I know," Hermione finally said, irritated. She took her hood off to look up at the dark mark she had created. She didn't kill anyone, but she knew it would attract the Death Eaters to the spot.
Snape pulled his hood back up, "Hermione you're on your own from here. I can't help you in anyway."
"Yes Snape, I understand," Hermione replied waiting some more. The wind blew ice cold air up her skirt. "You could have told me to dress warm," Hermione snapped as she wrapped her robes around her tighter.
"Miss Granger you should have 're trying to infiltrate the the Dark Lord's army, not go to a tea party," Snape snarled back. "I told the Order you were not ready. I said we should use Tonks."
"Oh shut up! I can do this! I have not gone through two months of training and learning just to quit here." Hermione watched as a dark figure entered the alley. The rest of what Hermione was about to say died on her tongue. More Death Eaters appeared in the alley.
As the Death Eater's circled Hermione she felt like a small animal surrounded by lions. She knew that she had to speak confidently and be sure of herself. One wrong move, one mistake was all it took, then she was toast.
"So Snape, who did it? Who killed this muggle?" one of the hooded figures asked, smirking behind his hood.
Hermione spoke up, "it was me, I killed him," her voice was sharp. She held her wand tightly, though not to tight as that would give them the wrong impression.
"So ickle little Hermione Granger has killed a muggle," Pansy voice was high pitched and annoying. Hermione wouldn't have forgotten it.
"She's a Mudblood. There is no way she did it," Blaise sneered, placing his hand on Pansy's arm.
"But she conjured the dark mark, and..."
"Shut up Pansy," Draco's voice was cold and harsh.
Hermione looked at him but his hood was pulled down and only his mouth showed.
He continued, "you didn't kill anyone Granger, you're lying."
"I killed that bastard!" Hermione shouted and stepped forward to give the body a hard kick.
"You were here with her! Did she kill him?" Draco asked as he glared from Hermione to Snape.
"Yes Draco, she killed the muggle. And, I saw it all," Snape smirked as his eyes shifted from Hermione to Draco.
"Look Malfoy, if you don't belive that I killed the muggle, maybe I should just kill you!" Hermione said as she glared at Draco and stepped forward over the muggle's body. She watched as Draco too took a step towards her.
"You couldn't cast an unforgivable. You don't have it in you to use those curses." Draco sneered.
Hermione felt her blood boil as she snapped. She pushed Draco to the ground and pointed her wand at his chest.
"CRUCIO!" she shouted. It didn't seem real as Draco writhed and squirmed on the ground, his tortured screams made the other Death Eaters take a couple steps back.
Hermione lifted the curse and looked at Snape. Draco rushed to his feet.
"Now do you want to question me any more?" Hermione asked as she looked at each one of the Death Eaters that were present. When they all shook their heads in the negative she added, "Good, now how do I get in?"
Blaise stepped forward cautiously, "You need to be seen by Barty first."
"But he is dead. He was sent to Azkaban and got the Dementors Kiss..." Hermione trailed off looking puzzled.
Pansy let out a high pitched giggle, "No he is not. He is alive as you and I. He got away thanks to Snape."
Hermione glanced at Snape and then focused on Pansy again.
"So when...?"
"He is in Italy right now but he will be back tomorrow night. I'll arrange a meeting for you." Draco spat.
"Just send me an owl with the time and place. I'll be there." Hermione told him.
The Death Eaters all looked at her in shock. One spoke up, "And just how do you think we can trust you, Mudblood?"
Hermione turned to the Death Eater who had asked and raised her wand, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The Death Eater fell to the ground. Hermione looked around at the rest, "Any one else want to call me that?"
Draco gasped, staring at his fallen comrade. He was lying on the ground with his face up and eyes wide open. "I'll get you that meeting and owl you."
"Good I will see you later." Hermione said and turned on her heel and walked away while taking deep calming breaths.
It was only a Death Eater, I killed a Death Eater, it doesn't matter. This was her repeated thoughts. At least she had passed the first test.
