It is said there is only so much the human soul can take. Only so much damage before something breaks. It is said that if a soul if pushed to breaking point, it can unleash phenomenal power. But surely that which gives can also take?

There are many ways to destroy a soul; killing maims the soul, specifically the killing of innocents. Too many deaths, too much blood on one's hands, will destroy any human being eventually. Which leads to an interesting question, how does one know if one's soul is breaking? Can one ever expect their soul to shatter? Could one whose soul is damaged by murder reap the benefits of a broken soul before the downfall? The answer is embodied by the 'Dark Lord Voldemort', a being who has purposefully mangled and destroyed his soul with unspeakable acts of evil to further his own existence. So yes, one can take the good from a broken soul. But with the good always comes bad, there's always another side to the story. And that, the bad, when it comes into play, will be what destroys the Dark Lord.

Of course murder and death is not the only way to damage a soul but undeniably the most destructive and most dangerous. No, the soul can be broken in other ways. Human beings have inbuilt resilience to tragedy and pain, but when pain becomes too much, when one's burden becomes too much to take, what then? The soul breaks and something changes. Every reaction is different, just like every soul can take differing amounts. Some explode while others implode.
Hermione Granger's soul was one that exploded.

The attack was unexpected. Well, that's an understatement; I was totally unprepared for any sort of offense on my home, my family. Even less for a direct attack by the Dark Lord himself. We all thought Voldemort would remain quiet for a while, what with the failed assassination attempt of Albus and the recapture of the death eaters who'd been at the castle.

Despite the shock, I had my wand with me and with vigilance imposed from extended exposure to Mad-Eye Moody, I quickly threw myself into the fight. The why or how mattered not, not in the moment when my lives and my parents lives hung in the balance.

My heart plummeted when I saw just who had attacked my home however. No matter how skilled I was, a single seventeen year old girl was no match for Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort. I doubted any single person could stand up to the three, without the power of Merlin, anyway.

Wand out and facing the three who'd broken into my home, I steered my parents out of the lounge and into the kitchen.

"Hermione, love" mum's voice shook dreadfully, "Wh...who are they?"

Voldemort gave a twisted, hideous smile, "So sorry, Mrs Granger, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Dark Lord Voldemort, no doubt you've heard of me" the cold, mocking tone made the hair on my arms stand up and my mother shy away

"Now hold on a second!" Dad protested loudly, "Just what are you doing here? We've got nothing to do with your war!"

Bellatrix cackled, "Ickle bitty baby Hermione has" she taunted, "Say Hermione, who shall we kill first? Mummy or Daddy?"

"Fuck off, Bella" I spat, glaring at her

I shifted my wand to more equally cover the three of them and moved back further into the kitchen.

"I think that's about enough, don't you?" Voldemort sneered in a would-be polite voice

At his words, Lucius and Bellatrix shot off a stream of curses. With my mother screaming, I pushed my parents to the floor, just inside the kitchen and set up the strongest shield I could muster before darting away from the door, drawing the fire.

All manner of curses streamed my way but the lack of AK's gave the game away. Bellatrix's comment about which of my parents would die first was accurate. They would make me watch my parents die unless I could hold them off long enough for the Order to figure out the attack was happening.

Returning any and every curse and spell I knew, I engaged both Bellatrix and Lucius in a duel that was fast, ferocious and furious. Magic was thick in the air and power scorched the carpet with its heat. Curses connected when one of us couldn't duck or shield fast enough and sure enough one of Lucius' spells hit my wand arm, snapping the bone as if it were a twig and forcing me to switch my wand to my other hand. Bellatrix's cruciatus smashed into my chest while I was distracted and I flew backwards, crumpling when I hit the wall and sliding to the floor, writhing as fire raced through my body. I had felt the curse before but it was nothing to the enduring, all consuming agony Bellatrix inflicted all the while laughing hysterically. I clenched my teeth, biting down on my lip with the effort not to scream till blood filled my mouth and trickled down my chin. She let up and I lay panting, tears streaking my face, blurring my vision.

"Come on Mudblood" she hissed, "Get up! Get up or I will end your pathetic little life now!"

I dragged myself to my feet with an effort and clenched my wand tightly, facing them again but it wasn't long till I was so badly injured only sheer strength of will keeping me going. I took strength from the sight of the damage I'd inflicted on the death eaters but broken bones and superficial cuts were not going to save my life. It was time to forget all morals and go for the kill.

A sectusempra startled Lucius and cut into his neck, deep enough to all but decapitate him. I shot Bellatrix a triumphant, mad grin and focused my efforts on her, blocking out my mother's screams and Bellatrix's insults.

"Stop" Voldemort's command was whispered but the pulse of energy he sent with it ensured Bellatrix and I stopped dead.

Before my eyes and with the air of someone humouring a small child, he swept aside the shield protecting my parents and levitated them both into the centre of the lounge. I fought the spell he bound me with and struggled but to no avail, no sound would leave my lips, no amount of focus would produce a spell. He had bound my magic as well as my body.

An 'avada kedavra', muttered almost reverently ended the life of my mother in a rush of green light and ghostly smirk. I broke the bound on my voice and screamed then. Screamed with every fibre of my being and brought forth enough power to crush the rest of the spell. Wand flashing through the air, I hurled magic at Voldemort, long past any sort of restraint, wanting only to kill. For the first time mere injury was not enough, only Voldemort's death at the end of my wand would suffice.

Voldemort erected a shimmering silver shield that repelled my every attack though his eyes narrowed slightly at the effort and proceeded to use the cruciatus on my father. Without wondering at the ability to sustain two complex spells at once, I froze. Transfixed on the sight of my father writhing on the floor and yelling till his voice cracked, something splintered, the control on my core began to wane.

"Avada Kedavra" another whisper, soft, horribly loving, ended my father's pain

His murder, as it turned out, was catalyst to destroy what left of the restrictions on my magic. With a snap that jarred my whole body, my soul crashed down around my core and a wonderful wave of magic coursed through my body, filling every inch.

With a manic laugh, I flicked my wand at Bellatrix and banished her against the far wall with enough force to smash her skull before returning my attention to Voldemort. A brutal, if short, exchange of curses followed, the two of us testing the other before we both stopped as if on an unspoken cue.

"Well, well, the mudblood knows a few tricks" he taunted

I sneered, "More than a few, Tom"

With a inhuman shout, Voldemort fired a killing curse at me. Skirting around the table and kicking it up in the air was simple and allowed me to return a curse of my own while the table took the AK, bursting into flames.

"How do you think it will feel to be hit with the killing curse again, Tom?" I shrieked over the crashing of spells, "I hear being torn from your body the first time was excruciating"

Voldemort gave a high, cold laugh, "You have no hope, Granger. You're little Order are nowhere to be seen and you'll be dead long before I. How do you think Potter will feel when I send him your head?"

With a growl, I hurled a petrification curse at him, followed up by a stream of killing curses all that made the Dark Lord revaluate his opinion of the 'defenceless little mudblood' I was supposed to be.

"That's dark magic indeed" Voldemort purred, "Perhaps I have a place for you with my death eaters?"

I snarled, "You'll have to kill me first, Tom"

Unseen by either of us, a so called response team from the Order were stood in the doorway, staring in an odd mixture of awe and horror at the raging battle. Mad-Eye, Remus, Tonks and Kingsley all had their wands in their hands but didn't raise them once.

Voldemort cackled, "Oh look, back up!"

He fired a string of curses toward them which I blocked with an old cabinet, sending the splintered debris back toward Voldemort. Wood peppered his arms and face, some even cutting through the heavy robes he wore and he hissed in frustration.

"This isn't over, Granger. You'd make a valuable ally" he bowed formally before grabbing the form of a still breathing Bellatrix and disapparating with a pop

With a deep, shuddering breath, I tore my gaze away from the spot Voldemort had vacated and looked toward the Order.

"Shame you didn't turn up an hour ago"

Mad-Eye frowned, "Looked like you were doing all right on your own"

Remus took me to Grimmauld Place while the other three ironed out the mess I'd left, feeding the muggles a cover story until the Ministry arrived. I was taken to HQ then bundled up the stairs and into a bedroom. I'd not been there two minutes before Poppy Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse arrived, followed by Albus and Minerva.

The four of them discussed the attack and my injuries as if I weren't in the room and I took the opportunity to switch off. Distancing myself from the situation was strangely easy and Occlumency shields settled naturally in the forefront of my mind. I didn't have to think, didn't have to explain. I just followed instructions robotically.

"Oh the poor dear's in shock" Poppy announced, "See her eyes are glazed"

Remus stared at me for a moment, "Her eyes weren't black before, were they?"

I kept my face impassive though I did wonder about my eyes being black. Focusing on Albus, I watched emotion race across his face and his eyes widen. It would appear he knew what had happened. He knew my soul had shattered.

"Could you leave us a moment, Poppy?" Albus asked lightly

The healer glared, "Albus! The poor girl has fought death eaters and you-know-who, she's exhausted and in shock! I will not leave and you will not question her about it until I am satisfied she's well enough"

Even Albus knew to leave well enough alone when Poppy got that look in her eyes. The usually calm healer was not opposed to using some of the more unusual hexes to clear a room.

"Of course, Poppy" Albus placated her

Thankfully, he, Remus and Minerva left soon afterwards without asking any questions and I sat back against the pillows, allowing Poppy to fuss around me.

Thoughts drifting, I examined the shield that had settled in front of my mind and found it to be a world away from the relatively weak Occlumency shield I had. The magic had made my mind a fortress locked from the inside. There were no weak points, no breaks or joins to exploit. Anyone trying to attack would get a particularly nasty surprise.

Inside the shield was different still, my core seemed to be at the centre, a rolling, swirling mass of dark, blue-black magic. Two tendrils snaked away from the main, one that connected my wand to my magic and one a trace, not the Ministry's but one with the specific taint of Hogwarts magic. I snapped both ruthlessly, I didn't need my wand and I didn't want anyone keeping tabs on me.

Aside from my core, my mind and memories were meticulously ordered, laid out in order of importance. My magical knowledge and spell repertoire was first, followed by the lessons I'd taken in the muggle world and my childhood came after that. Everything I knew was framed in a black chasm, a void so wide and so deep it could encompass the world without pause. The chasm, I knew inherently, was the space left by my soul. Like a black hole, it had removed the feeling from my mind, the emotions, anger, love, hatred and happiness. I just was, I thought but didn't feel.
And that was the price I paid for the ultimate magical ability. Oddly enough, the thought didn't trouble me in the slightest. I had my goal set. Destroying the Dark Lord and his followers were all that mattered now.

Poppy had healed me completely and there was no reason she could keep Albus from questioning me. She left, returning to Hogwarts to prepare for the start of the next year and Albus, Mad-Eye and Remus entered the room. Albus and Remus gave me reassuring smiles while Mad-Eye had a completely straight face, only a hint of suspicion flickering in his eyes.

"Hermione, how are you feeling?" Albus asked gently

I watched him impassively, "A badly worded question, don't you think, Albus?"

He sighed, "You know what I meant, Hermione"

I shrugged, "In that case I have never been stronger"

I avoided starting any conversation about my feelings, or lack of. I didn't want to go through the whole rigmarole when Albus already knew my soul was destroyed and I was positive, from the looks of Remus and Mad-Eye, that he had told the others.

Remus perched on the bed beside me and took my hand gently. We were close after years of fighting and working together and I was sure that it had been decided if anyone were to get through to me, it would be the werewolf.

"Mione, what happened?" he asked softly

I forced my face into a smile though there was nothing behind it and my eyes, which had turned black when my soul broke, were blank.

"Voldemort, Lucius and Bellatrix attacked my home" I said, giving a harsh bark of laughter, "There was no way I could hold up against them. It was just a question of how long I stayed alive. I fought Lucius and Bella while Voldemort watched. They quickly overpowered me so long as I tended to light spells so I gave up. I became a little more ruthless. I used Sectusempra to kill Lucius but Voldemort stopped me going after Bellatrix again. He killed my parents in front of me and my soul shattered entirely. I think it had started to crack from the moment they started the attack" I told them all this without emotion in my voice, "I took Bella out then duelled Voldemort. The Order appeared halfway through our fight"

Remus sighed, still holding my hand and brushed a strand of hair back from my face, "I'm sorry, Mione. We should have been quicker"

I snorted, "Don't be, Remus. As far as I'm concerned Voldemort did me a favour. I can now fight him from an equal standpoint and I'm sure that with a little extra training I could beat him. He made a mistake and I'm going to make sure he knows it"

Remus shuddered, "But, Mione, you're willing to lose your friends, family..."

"They're just words to me, Remus. I've already lost it all"

I could see the pain in his eyes and I knew it should make me feel awful but I was empty, "Do you care about me at all?" he asked softly

I sighed, "I remember caring about you. I remember loving you, Remus. But now I don't feel anything. No pain, no fear, no anger, love, happiness, sadness. They're all just words now. Applicable to other people but not to me"

"Going after Voldemort is a suicide mission!" Remus protested though his heart wasn't in it. I knew my stating I no longer cared about him had hurt deeply

I shrugged, "I don't care if I live or die. So long as I take as many death eaters with me as I can and Voldemort too if possible"

"But what about fighting Voldemort?" Albus asked and I knew this was his trump card, "Surely emotion is a motivator for that? Surely if your death doesn't bother you there is no point fighting?"

My gaze flickered to him, "I do not feel but I know right from wrong. Voldemort is an abomination against Magic and I have the ability to play an integral part in his destruction. That is why I will fight him to my dying breath, not because of emotion. I have none"

Remus released my hand and stood suddenly, leaving the room in a hurry to be quickly followed by Mad-Eye. Albus sighed and looked disappointed.

"I won't help you go after death eaters, Hermione, not only is it far too dangerous but I will not endorse you killing any death eater you cross" he sighed, "I can't have you in the Order anymore"

I returned his piercing gaze, "Then I know where I am not wanted, Albus. I will be out of here by the morning"

He went to protest, to say that wasn't what he meant but I was already up and out of the door past him. If I were to leave by the morning there were things I needed to do. Like steal every dark artefact that remained in the house

Harry and Ron caught me as I left the room and pulled me into crushing hugs. I quickly extricated myself from their arms.

"No" I said before either of them could speak, "I am not the girl you knew and I am not your friend. I have no feelings so I only remember what the word actually means. The girl you knew died along with her parents"

Ron gaped, "Then who are you?"

I smiled slightly, "The body without the soul. I am the raw, unfettered power without restrictions, a deadly force to those who would cross me. I am whatever I want to be without the restriction of emotions or morals"

Harry looked at me sadly, "But I need you, Mione, the prophecy..."

"Has already been fulfilled" I cut in, "You defeated Voldemort aged one. That's it over and done with"

"It says neither can live while the other survives, Mione, I have to kill him"

I snorted, "Of course you don't. Neither can live while the other survives, well, you and the whole of Britain, Harry! No one can live peacefully while Voldemort survives. That means nothing and as you already defeated him the thing is null and void" I shrugged, "My advice is to stay out of the line of fire and let someone else deal with it. Someone with more experience and a better chance of survival"

His mouth worked wordlessly and I brushed past him, "Goodbye, Harry, Ron"

My goodbye to my former friends had been the last words I spoke to anyone before I left Grimmauld Place for good, my trunk shrunken in my pocket and ready to take on the world and anything it threw at me.

I spent exactly a month training. I learnt the dark arts inside out and backwards and mastered it all. I honed the Unforgivables to a fine art. I researched Horcruxes, methods of their destruction and potential containers for the pieces of Voldemorts soul.

Several times during the first month I received letters from Harry, Ron, Ginny, Remus and a few from Albus. Every single one was returned unopened. I didn't and couldn't care about them anymore and they needed to accept that. They wouldn't all the time they were in contact with me.

The letters stopped after I'd been missing a month. They had finally given up and I threw myself into fighting, tracking down death eaters and ruthlessly killing. I followed leads on the Horcruxes, manipulated goblins into tell me where the goblin-made items were being kept with a tracker installed in every one and destroyed it. Every time I destroyed a Horcrux I sent it to Grimmauld Place but that was the only form of contact I had with my old friends.

I fought violently and viciously almost every day and healed myself only when my injuries became an encumbrance. I slept and ate infrequently, again only when it became a disadvantage in duelling. I had the ultimate benefit over my opponents in that. I felt no pain and no fear. I could fight so long as I could move whereas they often succumbed to the pain long before similar injuries would even bother me. I lived on potions and used them to heal me and keep me going. If not for my lack of a soul, I would have died a hundred times over but I persisted.

My crusade against the death eaters and search for the horcruxes ended when I mailed the Order the decapitated head of Voldemorts snake, Nagini. And then it was down to the final battle.

I arrived late to the final battle, having been alerted to the fact it was at Hogwarts only after the fight had started. I arrived to see Harry and Voldemort both on the ground, apparently unconscious then wake simultaneously. I knew from the mutterings of 'light' and 'dark' sides alike that Voldemort must have just inadvertently killed his last Horcrux, locked within Harry himself.

Getting over the shock of Harry having come back to life, Voldemort motioned to his death eaters and they formed a tight circle around the pair, blocking the Order members and Aurors out. The death eaters cast strong shields that repelled all attempts to break through the circle.

I smirked and strode forward, finding the weak spot in the circle and breaking through just as Voldemort taunted Harry.

"No more chances, Potter" Voldemort spat, "No one to hide behind this time"

"Actually that's wrong" I said conversationally, "I'm still here Tom, and I'm responsible for destroying your Horcruxes. This time your mortal and this time you won't get away alive"

He hissed tauntingly, "Come to avenge your parents, Granger? By all means fire away"

I snorted, "You did me a favour in killing them, Tom. You allowed me to reach my full potential and enabled me to do this" I swept a hand around us and he tore his attention from Harry and I to see what I had done.

Every death eater who had formed the human barrier had been murdered silently and efficiently, using nothing more than a short dagger. I lifted the bloody blade to inspect before wiping it on my robes.

"It is a shame they thought only to repel magical attacks. There was nothing to prevent physical attacks. I made rather quick work of them really"

Voldemort hissed again and hurled curse after curse at me. I returned a few but mostly blocked, dancing closer and closer to him. Five minutes in and there were only a few feet separating us, ten and we were within touching distance, fifteen and we were toe to toe. I lashed out with my knife, driving it deep into the thin chest and smirking triumphantly.

"You are an abomination, Tom Marvolo Riddle" I said loudly, loud enough that my voice rang across the grounds, "You are an abomination and are killed in the name of Magic"

I watched him die, watched the life and light leave his eyes then gave a sweeping bow to my audience before disappearing.

Six months after the war had ended and the wizarding world was back on its feet. The ministry had been cleansed of death eaters and restructured, the places damaged in the war rebuilt and Hogwarts open once again as a high profile school.

Since the end of the war I had laid low, avoiding attention that I attracted in spades for killing Voldemort and leaving the safety of a small cottage I owned only in disguise. I worked periodically as a hit-witch for the goblins. I was an expert in dispatching those on their blacklist whilst ensuring it could never be traced back to them.

For six months, then, I had spoken to no one but the goblins and occasionally myself. I had kept a low profile in which my only contact with humans was with the ones I killed. But I cared not. My soul was still shattered and I had little reason to mix with anyone. Other than working for the goblins in order to earn a wage to live on, I had no need for interaction.

For six months I had lived a peaceful, quite life and been undisturbed. Until, that is, an owl found me. I opened the letter it bore, thinking it to be from Gringotts with the details of another assignment and was surprised to see a letter from Harry. I cannot to this day tell you what made me read it instead of sending it back as I had every other communiqué.

Hermione,
How are you? Are you still alive? I don't even know that anymore. I pray to god you are because I need you. I don't know if you're ever going to read this and I know that if you do you won't care but I have to try. I know my 'I need you' thing didn't work before so I hope this goes down better.
It's Remus, Hermione. The man had been quiet and withdrawn ever since you left Grimmauld. That was ten months ago, now. But he had never been as bad as he has been since the final battle. Before then he at least knew you were alive and fighting. Now he has nothing. He hasn't seen you in ten months, every letter he sends is returned unopened and he doesn't even know if you're dead or alive. None of us do but it is much worse for him...
Remus loves you, Hermione. I mean he's in love with you. Before the attack on your parents he had been trying to work up the courage to tell you as much but then you turned up and declared your soul had shattered and you felt nothing for him. It damn near killed him, Hermione. Sometimes I think I'm the only thing keeping him here and I don't know if that's always going to be enough.
What I'm asking, really, is if you'll come and see him. Just to let him know you're ok if nothing else. I don't expect miracles, I don't expect it to draw him out of depression and I don't expect you to care. But I'm desperate, Hermione. He spends all his time shut up in the library and I've tried to get him to forget you, I've tried everything bar outright obliviating him. He won't forget though. The wolf wants you as his just as much as Remus does and from how I understand it that's a powerful thing.
Damn it, Hermione! I hate you for this! I bloody hate you for what you've reduced Remus to and I promise you that I am only contacting you out of sheer desperation. I refuse to lose Remus because of you and if your presence helps him then by god I will drag you out of whatever hellhole you've ended up in to see him.
Please, Hermione. I need your help.
Harry

I read the letter slowly, once then twice. I had never heard Harry so confused, angry and upset all at once and I knew I should try to help. I honestly didn't see what good it was going to do for me to appear then leave again but if Harry thought it might help... Well I owed him and Remus that much from the time when we had been friends.

A week after receiving the letter, I was on the top step of Grimmauld Place. I knocked and the door was opened by Ginny. She looked older than she had done the last time I saw her but maturity suited her well. She was a beautiful woman, well, but for the glare she fixed on me as soon as she realised who I was.

"I suppose you'd better come in" she said grudgingly

I followed her into the hall then, while she headed for the lounge, I climbed the stairs. I was here to see Remus and that was all I would do.

I headed straight for the library and pushed open the door, winding my way between the bookshelves to a small alcove in the far wall where a squashy sofa sat. Remus was curled up on one end of it, flicking through a book and I spent a moment drinking in his features.

While the werewolf had always been prematurely grey, he had never looked as old as he did now. His hair was still mostly brown but it was greyer than I remembered. His lips were pursed and there were huge dark circles under his eyes.

"Hello, Remus" I said softly

His head shot up and he dropped the book in shock. I sighed as his eyes roamed over my form, noting the fresh bruises I'd sustained in my last hit, the multitude of scars that crossed every inch of exposed skin, including my face and expressionless, black eyes.

"Hermione" he muttered, "You're alive?"

I smiled weakly, forcing it and sat beside him on the sofa, "I've been working for Gringotts" I explained, "I haven't spoken to another human being since the final battle"

He turned fully to face me, raising a hand to trace a new scar that wound across my cheek, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Harry wrote to you, didn't he?" Remus sighed wearily, "He worries about me too much"

"He said you've been shut up here ever since I left" I prompted

Remus shrugged, "What was I meant to do, Hermione? I love you and you turn round and say you have no feelings for me at all. It destroyed me"

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment, "I can't even say I'm sorry, Remus. There was nothing I could do. My soul shattered and with it any emotions I used to have. If it helps I remember loving you. Being in love with you"

He leant forward, slowly, giving me every chance to move away before brushing his lips gently against mine.

"For what we could have had" he murmured

His words were lost though because my lips were tingling where he had kissed me. For the first time in almost a year I was actually feeling something. And god it felt good!

"Remus, kiss me again" I said urgently, daring to think that it was more than a coincidence

He raised an eyebrow but complied, his lips pressing against mine a little harder this time, lingering for longer. I felt a definite spark then. A shock of butterflies fluttered in my stomach and a rush of warmth filled me after months of being so cold.

My eyes closed and I shifted closer to Remus, kissing him back for a moment before breaking the contact.

"Hermione?" He frowned

But I was far, far away then. I was floating in the abyss where my soul belonged and I was not alone. A beautiful, ethereal woman was waiting for me.

"Magic" I greeted

"I am sorry Hermione" She smiled, "I chose you as my champion to defeat Voldemort and I had to let you reach your full power in order for you to win"

I stared at her, "So you did all this. My soul isn't really broken?"

She beamed, "It was. Like I said, you had to hit your full potential. But love, true love, has remarkable restorative properties"

"My soul is back?"

Magic nodded, "It's well on its way and I shall give it a helping hand. I bid you farewell, champion. May your life be long and happy"

With that I came back to myself amid a rush of emotion, the primary being love for Remus and for my friends.

"Hermione?" Remus repeated

"Magic restored my soul" I muttered softly, "I love you, Rem"

He drew me into his arms and pressed a searing kiss to my lips, "I love you too, Mione"