Post-DH AU: Four months ago, all of Voldemort's horcruxes were destroyed, but Harry was seriously injured in the battle after his 'death' in the Forest. He escaped from the Battle of Hogwarts alive, but now Voldemort's control over Wizarding Britain goes largely unchallenged. The only exception is the Order of the Phoenix, who continue to rebel as best they can, while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny hide out in the English countryside, helping Harry recuperate and planning their next move.

Fem!Voldemort.


Chapter 1


The stormclouds continued to gather over Diagon Alley. As Voldemort walked, her slim, pale fingers wound around a bone-white wand. The street was silent. It was after dusk, and tonight, only a pair of muddy rats outside of Ollivander's dared to defy the curfew. Her wand flicked, and the wind blew the rodents upward and in front of her, until they were floating above her open palm. She eyed them curiously. There was always a chance with animals that they were Animagi, but her luck failed tonight. The Lady Voldemort exhaled, and the rats squeaked fearfully as their whiskers frosted over. She laughed soundlessly and closed her hand into a fist. The cracking of their spines was audible.

"Naga," she called softly.

The rats fell to the cobblestones, their noses still twitching. A young boa, its skin an unusual silver, slithered out from under her cloak. Its hiss of pleasure made Voldemort smile almost warmly. She continued to walk, leaving her pet to its feast.

The normally bright yellow shop windows were dark, the only light coming from the greenish flames of the streetlamps. The flats above the shops were equally darkened, curtains shut tight or windows charmed black. There was no sign of life, but the Dark witch prowling the road knew better.

She stopped before the steps of Gringotts and breathed in the cold city air. She raised her arms on either side of her and closed her eyes. Now was the witching hour, when her powers were strongest. It was time to test a new spell.

She breathed out, and a warm crackling of magic flickered out from her centre and along her arms, extending outward from her fingers in pale blue tendrils. Then they vanished from sight, and blasted outwards, flying through the air and brick walls, into bedrooms and crawl spaces, hungrily seeking out human heat. Voldemort grimaced in concentration as her magic flew further and further still, sneaking across every body in Diagon Alley. Perhaps they do not meet tonight, she thought doubtfully. Perhaps her spies had been wrong...

And then she felt it.

Warmth radiating from the basement of a flat on the outskirts of town, near the border of Muggle London. Two, four, ten bodies, leaching heat like a bright red target. She laughed, loudly this time, and the magic retreated instantly in her wand.

"Naga."

The boa returned to its hiding place, and she Disapparated.


Kingsley slammed his fist on the table, and the room fell silent. "Enough! Molly, the children are of age. If you wish to discourage them from this, you may do so outside these meetings. But here, we have no time to waste."

The remnants of the Order of the Phoenix were gathered in one of the last true safe houses, in the flat of John Dawlish. The Auror, like many others, had long been a quiet supporter of Dumbledore's, but the defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts had convinced him of his loyalties. Still hesitant to participate fully in the Order's activities, he stood watch upstairs while the group met in the hidden room below the kitchen. There were ten of them present tonight. Molly and Arthur, who stayed with Percy, Bill, and Fleur at Shell Cottage. Kingsley Shacklebolt, who prowled the streets of London in disguise, gauging Death Eater movement and potential rebels. Minerva McGonagall, who had moved to the Northern coast of France with her nephews' families, harbouring a dozen of the youngest Muggle-born students from Hogwarts; she had returned to find as many first-year Muggle-borns as she could, to take them back with her. Neville and Luna, who together had led a group of older Muggle-born students all the way to Germany, had come back like McGonagall to seek out any more that needed help. Since Neville had been deafened in the battle, Luna's hand were frequently signing words to him while the others spoke. Hermione and Ginny were the only ones of the group who were fully in hiding. Harry had nearly died at the Battle of Hogwarts, and had lost the use of one of his legs. Together with Ron, they worked to help Harry recuperate and planned their next move. Tonight, Harry had run a fever from another infection to his slowly healing wounds, so the boys had stayed in their hideout, with Ron watching over Harry. All of them were scarred, but all of them had managed extraordinarily well in the last few months.

So it was not without reason that no one had agreed with Molly's protests when Kingsley suggested a blitz attack on Voldemort's troops, and none of the youngest Order members hesitated to volunteer.

Molly fumed, but stayed quiet. Arthur squeezed her shoulder gently. "Perhaps it's best to move on to the second point of order," he said calmly.

"That would be us."

Ginny and Hermione stepped forward, looking grim. "This is an idea that we've discussed briefly with Kinglsey," said Hermione, nodding at the tall wizard next to them. "But it would be a plan we keep between those of us here tonight exclusively."

"Harry and Ron are the exception to this," said Ginny. "Their vote is split one in favour and one against."

"So what is this plan?" asked Angelina.

"Capture," Ginny answered. "One of us surrenders to get on the inside of You-Know-Who's circle."

Protests erupted all around them. Hermione inched closer to Ginny, and discreetly took her hand.

"We aren't asking any of you," continued Ginny bravely, raising her voice above the din. "I would do it."

George shook his head, worry in his eyes. "Gin, no."

Molly's cheeks were angry blotches of red. "ABSOLUTELY NOT -"

"Molly -"

"That is pure recklessness," McGonagall interjected.

"- OVER MY DEAD BODY -"

"Quiet!" Kingley called fiercely, and the room calmed. "There is much to discuss. Miss Weasley and Miss Granger have already detailed a few points of their plan to me, and I would like you all to hear it before we call a vote."

"It would happen in two weeks," said Hermione, looking around the room. "I'll be back with Harry and Ron, but as Ginny said earlier, she will be part of the blitz Kingsley's just told you about, on the Lestrange estate. It gives us enough time to iron out the details, but it's soon enough that Ginny won't have any knowledge of where Harry is, or of any future Order attacks. She'll be the most wanted rebel there, high priority enough that she can take the place of anyone who gets in trouble."

"Forgive me, Miss Granger," said McGonagall gently, "but that may not be enough to guarantee her life once she's captured."

"You-Know-Who knows the rumours about me and Harry," said Ginny quietly. "Draco - well, any of the Slytherins could have told him that much. I'd be a valuable playing piece."

"Because of her age," added Kingsley, "and because she'll be cooperative, she has a good chance -"

"Hush!" said Angelina suddenly.

Everyone froze. After several moments in silence, Kingsley frowned.

"It could just be Dawlish keeping guard," Arthur whispered.

The other man nodded. He drew a small mirror from his coat and tapped it with his wand. The glass grew foggy until his face was completely obscured. "Dawlish," he whispered urgently. "How's your end?"

For a painful minute, there was no sound. Then a loud snore startled them all, making a few people jump. Arthur laughed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "I can relate to that," he said, smiling. "We're far too tense down here. Let's make some tea and stretch our legs before we vote, shall we? Then we'll have time to get a few hours of shut-eye."

"I'm on board," said George brightly, but his face was just as drawn as the others' were. One by one, they filed up the stairs. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand before she followed.

"What do you think they'll decide?"

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Ginny, you'd have a better chance of convincing them to become Death Eaters."

"But you still think it's a good idea?"

"Gin, you know I never have -"

"But it's the best idea we've got!"

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "I know," she said quietly. "But I...I understand Molly, you know?"

Ginny bit her lip and breached the distance between them. Their foreheads rested gently against each other. "I know you won't let me go until you've figured out eighteen ways this can go wrong, and thirty-six back-up plans at least."

Hermione smiled. "You've got an awful lot of faith in me."

"Nah. Reckon I just know you too well."

A sudden crash upstairs interrupted them. Then the yelling began. Their eyes widened.

Ginny cursed under her breath and they ran up the steps.

A bolt of red flew past them as they emerged. Hermione ducked, stumbling directly into a Death Eater, who snarled and raised his wand.

"STUPEFY!" Arthur shouted, and the Death Eater toppled against the table.

There were eight of them clad in black and still standing, shadows from the candlelight flickering over their skull-like masks as they duelled. Kingsley was backed into a corner parrying the spells of two of them, while George and Angelina fought a tall man who jeered as he sent curses their way. McGonagall was surrounded by three Death Eaters, nimbly sparring them alone. Molly had freed Dawlish and they took on the Death Eaters who blocked the doorway.

"Ginny, Hermione, get out of here!" Arthur yelled, ducking a jet of green light that blasted into the fireplace, narrowly missing his head.

"The hell we will," said Ginny fiercely. She held on tightly to Hermione's hand. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Hermione quietly, drawing her wand.

They ran to McGonagall's side and aimed at the Death Eater on her left, sending him flying out the window with a pained cry.

They fought quickly, urgently, knowing they only had to dispatch enough to escape, but desperate to leave before any reinforcements arrived.

They weren't fast enough.

The reinforcements came swarming through the door; a half-dozen Death Eaters taking the places of those who had fallen.

"RETREAT!" Kingsley bellowed, now fighting back-to-back with McGonagall. "GO, NOW!"

Angelina grabbed ahold of George and Disapparated, as Dawlish managed to set his opponent on fire and Disapparated in turn. McGonagall wavered as a spell hit her chest, and Kingsley clasped her hand, vanishing with her.

A loud BANG rang against Hermione's ears as she ducked a curse and spotted Ginny and her parents. Duelling five Death Eaters at once, they were slowly being backed against the bare brick wall of the sitting room. Ginny defended against her attackers with fury and strength, but the gap between her and her parents was growing wider. Disarm, stun, curse if you need to, Hermione thought, gritting her teeth as she blocked another spell and hurried towards them. Not necessarily in that order.

Then one of Ginny's opponents stepped back, a nasty snarl on his face, and her fist tightened around her wand, fear and dread roiling in her chest.

He aimed at Ginny. "Avada -"

He never had the chance to complete his curse. A rage Hermione had never felt before propelled her forward, and with the trained focus of an efficient Charms student, she rounded her wrist and made a swift but powerful arc through the air. "REDUCTO!"

The ceiling above the Death Eaters fissured and collapsed. Wood, cement, and piping came crashing down onto them, showering the room in plaster and dust.

Hermione raced to Ginny's side. "All right?"

"Thanks," said Ginny breathlessly, shaking her head. "Christ, Hermione, could've warned me -"

"MOVE!" Arthur yelled suddenly.

"FIENDFERIO!" a Death Eater roared. The blast of fire erupted from his wand, illuminating the dust around it like sparks as it surged forward.

They only had a split second to glance at the jet of Fiendfyre headed directly at them. Ginny turned, but before she could react, Hermione had pulled her with stumbling legs. "MOLLY!" Hermione shouted. Then she shoved the youngest Weasley toward her mother with all her might.

Molly reached for Ginny's arm, and the next moment, Hermione's world went dark.