Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I make money out of my writings.

A/N: This is a part of a Gift Exchange Challenge at .com

For Shan84

The Nymph

"Great," Hermione said sarcastically, while trying to stand up after being pushed down on the snow by Harry minutes ago, "Just what I needed."

The Snatchers had discovered them when Harry had accidentally said Voldemort's name during another of his temper tantrums. As soon the Snatchers had appeared, Harry had pushed her and she had hit her head in the process, which resulted in a head ache.

She knew Harry was only trying to protect her, but it was hardly fair that he had to do this on his own. How many times had she not told him that they were going to go through this together? She was not some sort of weakling for crying out loud! She sighed in frustration. She had to find him. They only had each other now that Ron had left them that night in the tent. She could not let anything happen to him.

She straightened her back a bit and began to think of where the Snatchers must have taken Harry. She did not believe for a second that they may be at the Riddle Manor any more. That would have been too predictable. Perhaps they took him to the Lestranges? Or Malfoy Manor? Azkaban? These were the only places she could think of. Voldemort must surely be wherever Harry was transported, but how could she find him before they did anything to Harry?

She looked around to see where her wand was, when she remembered that she had given it to Harry when his own broke.

It felt strange, not to have her wand with her. Like she had lost a part of herself.

"All right then…" she mumbled while she walked towards a frozen lake, "I'll just have to find help then."

She could figure things out eventually. No problem. She was after all the brightest witch of her age… maybe if she just called out His name… she shook her head at the stupidity of the idea. As soon as they found out, what she was, they would either kill her or use her make Harry feel guilty. She was sure they would do anything to make Harry's life miserable before killing him. Or at least He would.

But if that was his only hope for survival, then why not? It was not like the great Dark Lord himself would ever be the one to come, which meant that she could just… steal their wands. No. stealing their wands would have needed lots of concentration and she was still not good at wandless magic.

For once she did not have a book to find out the answer and she was in a huge problem. She did not want to die not doing anything for the world.

"Voldemort…" she whispered and in that moment the ground began to shake. She did not understand what was happening. That did not happen when Harry had said it.

The wind began to scream and the snow was whipping around, growing bigger and bigger like a tornado. She began to freeze more and more until it… stopped. Just like that.

"What…?" she looked at the ground before her, but it was like nothing had happened. Where were all the Snatchers? Why had they not come? What was that storm? Was it just an illusion? If so then why would someone do that? Unless it was just short a distraction. She tightened her lips and turned around.

There before her stood the man who had terrified the whole Wizarding World to the point where his mere name became their fear. He was looking straight at her with his blood red eyes. He did not look like a man though. He looked… she could not put any word to that. Neither did she want to. He opened his mouth.

"Hermione Granger. The Muggle-born friend of Harry Potter."

Was he mocking her? It definitely sounded like mocking. She may not have stood a chance, but at that moment she really, really wished she had her wand. She just had to have had it so she could have hexed his living bones off him!

"That's me." Oh, very original, Granger, she thought sarcastically, just give him more reason to mock you.

He laughed.

"You are not a creature of many words, I take it?" He said while raising his eyebrow – or the place that the eyebrow should have been – mockingly. She balled her fists and exhaled the air she had not know she had inhaled. She wanted to slap him so bad.

"Where is Harry?" she asked, trying to sound as calm as she could, but her voice was shaking, more of anger than of fright.

"Oh, it can ask the right question!" he clapped, "I had hoped that would be your first words, you see…" He came closer to her, leaned towards her face and lowered his voice, "I am bored." Hermione was going to back away, but he straightened up and continued.

"I will offer you this: Duel with me. Then I can decide if you are going to die right now and here, or if you are going to be rewarded and put in a cellar with your dear Harry."

She furrowed her brows at this. Was he going to toy with her? That was not what she had expected. But she could play along.

"I don't have a wand. That would hardly be fair."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, where are my manners?" he said sarcastically and took out a dark wand. Her wand. She lunged forward to take it, but he made a move with his hand and was stuck still. She thought it was probably the Impediment Jinx.

"Not so fast. You do that again and I'll just kill you now." With that said he released her and she fell down on the snow again.

He backed away from her, onto the frozen lake and cast her wand to her. As soon as she had it she got up and got ready.

"1… 2… and 3"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" She yelled and she thought she had got him until a shield erupted. She saw what was coming and cast herself down to avoid it but found that she was underwater. She tried not to panic and held her breath but it was hard. The cold would kill her. She looked up to see that she had broken through the ice on the lake and cursed inwardly. This was hardly the best way to die. She tried to swim up and found that she could not. She was trapped! He had trapped her! Why would he… why was she so surprised any way? She should concentrate on herself now, she was lacking oxygen!

A splash and Voldemort had appeared inside of the water. He did not seem to have any problems. He just smirked.

"Scared, mudblood? I thought you were intelligent" he sneered.

Her eyes widened, watched him speak under water. She had not met anyone who could do that! Had he invented that? Then she remembered what was at stake and took his insult as an advice. She cast the Bubble-head charm over herself and breathed in and out in relief. Where had her head gone? She should be intelligent. Why did he even help her? Shouldn't he have just let her die? She looked up just in time to see him point his wand at her, before a pain shot through her whole body. It burned, it hurt, and she could not take it! She screamed so much, her throat would hurt, if it was not because it already did.

"KILL ME!" She screamed, her voice hoarse, "PLEASE, JUST KILL ME!"

Finally the curse was taken off her and she blinked at the blurred sight of the water.

"You are so… weak." He said. Did he sound disappointed?

She looked down at her hand. She still had her wand. There were many curses that would never work underwater. They would just kill her. She could die. Maybe that was why he let wanted her here. To trap her with the choice to either die by her own hand or his. There may be no way for her to reach Harry. That had to be the sacrifice then. She knew she could not kill him. He still had the Horcruxes, but she wanted to do this. She had to do this for Harry. She would not die a coward. When she saw him turn away she immediately pointed her wand at him.

"Confrigo"

She saw his red eyes widen before everything around her exploded. She guessed that it over the water would look like a tsunami. That was it. She was going to die now.

She opened her eyes and saw up into two red, blurred lights. No, wait… that was Voldemort's eyes. She hurriedly stood up and looked for her wand, but it was not there. She was not even underwater. Grey walls surrounded her. No doors, no windows. And Voldemort was just kneeling there. Where was she?

"You are in a cellar, mudblood," he said, his voice giving away nothing. "I might say, I am fairly disappointed in you. You are supposed to be brilliant, aren't you?" He looked at her in mock-hurt. "No matter, I am going to see that brilliance, and make you use it, only for my purpose."

It took some time for her to take in what he said, but when she had finally got it she stood straight.

"I would never join you. You are nothing. You just kill whatever displeases you, and think it's a reward that you make them live! You think that death is so terrifying you try to escape it. But you know what? You can't. 'Cause no matter what, you will be defeated. Whether it takes 6 months or 50 years, you will end up dead. And no one will care. You are pathetic. I'll not join you. Not now, not ever."

He smirked. It was a frightening one.

"A Gryffindor, indeed." He stood up from his kneeling position. "That water was supposed to kill you. Burn you alive, and yet you survived it. As if it was just ordinary water in an ordinary lake. The "water" in that part of the lake wasn't water, but poison from the venom of a Hydra. There was nothing but that in it. The rest was just an illusion. You would never have been able to survive it without the horn of the unicorn. They are so easy to kill, those creatures," he laughed as if he was telling a good story, "But you don't have any of that in that bag of yours, do you? Only books, clothes, an old portrait of a headmaster and other useful stuff for simple injuries and problems. I think you underestimated your great mission, mudblood. You will have your first lessons tomorrow."

He took a step back and disapparated, leaving her completely perplexed. She could not… she would not… why her? As she was pondering on this, the world outside grew darker, never to be lit again before a force much more powerful would defeat it. The time was not yet ready.