Disclaimer, HP= not mine
The Dark King
Chapter 1; The Trap
Leave a light, for the solider in the night,
Spare a light, for the child lost to fright,
Keep a light, for the lives gone to the fight,
Save a light for, for those whom serpents bite,
Spark a light, for those who fight for what's right,
Place a light, for the voices lost to the blight.
The torches flickered against the black stone, casting dark shadows on the walls that took on the grotesque forms of the night-mare creatures that had haunted both her sleeping and waking hours in the time since she had been caught in the Dark King's library, a mere two days ago that seemed like an eternity. Her friends and order mates had warned her that she would be caught, that the risk wasn't worth it, that the Dark king would not spare her for the sake of their old friendship. She knew all of this, knew that she would probably be caught but, she couldn't resist, couldn't help the draw, especially since the rumor had been confirmed that He had acquired a rare first edition of Merlin's Study of Magic, in it's original format.
In the mere months since He had conquered their world and ascended to the throne He had amassed a formidable library, muggle and magical, full of literary treasures and first editions and with every hour that had passed her desire grew until she could no longer resist.
When the temptation, the mouth watering hunger, for the knowledge contained within His library had become too much to bear she began to plan. She could not, would not, enter the castle while He was still in residence, because His magic was so very powerful and so very familiar with hers that he would sense her in moments of her setting foot in the castle. So she waited patiently for his absence, in this case a diplomatic trip to Australia, to ensure that is Asiatic conquests were safe, and then she had struck.
Getting into the castle had involved complicated cloaking wards and all of her skills and knowledge, which were admittedly extensive. The library was enchanting, so much that she failed to notice that her cloaking wards had disappeared, and she simply stood there and stared for a moment, until, that was, she heard a shout in the hallway and the sound of running footsteps echoed in her ears.
She cursed and began to run just as she felt the emergency wards slam down, blanketing her, smothering her magic, making it difficult to breathe.
Next she knew she was locked in this room, no wand, magic suppressed by layer upon layer of wards, each a thin sheet inhibiting her breathing. Meals appeared as she slept and the dishes vanished when she finished them.
She was dozing by in a chair by the fire when the door swung open with a bang, a tall man in a black cape strode into the room, boots clicking against the stones. Her head shot up taking in the man from top to bottom, and she was stunned as she recognized the strong, confident man as Neville, Neville Longbottom, wearing the Regalia of the Capitan of the Kings guard. She smiled sadly then spoke "You've grown since I last saw you, Neville. I'm sorry I was not there to see it."
He knelt to the ground in front of her, and took her hands in his, smiling gently. When he spoke it was a rough rasp of a sound "And you've grown into a Lady while you were away, a sight I would have been honored to see. I am sorry you have not been visited before now. When word came of your arrival My Lord could not leave, and it took some time for me to get through the customs, I trust you have been treated well?"
"Better than I expected to be treated upon trespassing in the King's home, though you were apparently waiting for me, because the enchantments used to clear personal cloaking wards have to be tuned to one person. Can it be assumed that the library was a planned trap set specifically for me?" she responded wryly.
He grinned, mirthful and nodded his head to one side. "We knew you would show up sooner or later, there was no way you would have been able to resist that much knowledge in one place, as for whether or not the whole library was created just for you, some things aren't for me to tell Hermione. I'm actually mildly disappointed, three more days would have won me fifty Galleons! You couldn't have lasted three more days?"
Her brows drew together in confusion as she absentmindedly replied "I didn't know how long Harry would be gone, and I knew if I got within ten miles of this place while he was here he would know exactly where I was. But…" she trailed off, continuing when Neville made a carry on gesture "You said we, and I know that Harry wouldn't ever gamble, not like that, so who else is there?"
Neville blinked in surprise "You mean you don't know?" he questioned, shocked.
Hermione shrugged "We've lost track of who's who and what's where, the Order has been more concerned with keeping off the grid, keeping track of where Harry was."
Neville looked at her seriously, before his growly rasp came out stronger than ever before "That's one thing I don't understand, Hermione, why are you opposing him? Under his reign crime has become non-existent, prejudice is the worst offense, the Death Eaters are gone, all magical creatures are equal, and most of the Magical world is united under His Majesty's banner. Why would you oppose that?"
She looked at him incredulously "Because, Neville, he does all of that at the expense of freedom, at the expense of liberty, and he intends to expand over the entire world." Neville made a noise of protest, and Hermione held up a hand. "I know Harry, Neville, he doesn't do things by half, and he certainly wouldn't take over only half the world when he thinks he can save the whole of it by doing so." Neville was about to respond when a little red light lit up on his wrist, and a small alarm went off.
He stood, bent over her hand politely, and apologized, saying "I'm sorry but that is something I must attend to, I will see you in a few hours and we will talk, catch up, if you will, but until then, Goodbye." And with that he swept out of her room, the door closing firmly behind him, and with it, the last window of opportunity she had to escape this castle.
A/N- So my first Harry Potter fanfic, what do y'all think? Um also I need a Beta, so if
