Chapter 1

Hermione woke up to find the bed next to her empty. She squinted her eyes and looked over to see what time it was. The room was still quite dark, but she could faintly make out that it was three-thirty AM.

Where did that wanker bugger off to? Hermione thought grumpily, as she sat up in bed, blearily blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She stretched and slid out of bed, the ground was chilly even though she was settled in the Weasley's Burrow, the final days of preparation for her wedding with Ron underway.

Hermione cringed and stepped into some cozy slippers with thick soles, and stepped out of bed in her pajama pants and an old tee-shirt. Now awake and nosy as to where her fiancé had gone in the middle of the night, Hermione set out of bed to go grab a glass of water in the Weasley's kitchen.

No one else had arrived yet for the wedding, so the house was only filled with herself, Ron, his parents, and Ginny who had arrived before Harry. Fleur and Bill were expected later that day, with the other Weasleys and Harry arriving later that week. The Wedding was set for a week from that day – and Hermione found herself feeling nervous and antsy just thinking of it.

Hermione had always wanted a smaller more quaint affair, but Molly had gone and invited several guests, and many had RSVPed promptly, eager to witness the joyous occasion. Hermione didn't like the thought of having a large audience as Ron and she exchanged their vows, however knowing the day would finally come after years of their rocky relationship had Hermione feeling high on bliss. Ron was the love of her life – regardless of their problems. With him, she just could never turn away.

Surprised at the October chill seeping in through the walls of the usually warm Weasley home, Hermione grabbed a sweater of Ron's off of where it had been discarded on the end of his bed. It said 'Gryffindor" in big gold and red lettering across the front. Though it was snug on him, it fit Hermione loosely, and snuggled into is relishing in his smell. A hint of his aftershave mixed with the vanilla scent Molly usually had in the house. On an afterthought, knowing a witch or wizard should never be parted from their wand, grabbed her hers and placed it in the large pocket of the hooded sweatshirt.

She padded into the hallways which were unusually dark, the Weasley home even in the dead of night always showing signs of life. Hermione frowned and crossed the hall, turning on the lights in the bathroom. She hit the switch but no light appeared. Hermione glanced around the small space confused, not sure how the power could go out in a magically charmed wizard home.

Feeling uneasy, she headed down the hall towards the stairs. The floor boards creaked loudly under her feet, the house seeming to tilt under her feet. Unbalanced, Hermione braced herself against the wall and placed her hand in her pocket and gripped her want. She pulled it out, not comfortable in the darkness, even though she knew her mind was likely playing a trick on her.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered, the cautious part of her brain warning her that something wasn't right. Her want lit up with a dull light, lighting the area around her in its blueish glow. Hermione's heart started to beat quicker in her chest and a heavy weight in her stomach left her feeling on edge.

Quietly Hermione passed Ginny's open door and she peered inside, her room too was empty. Hermione frowned, wondering what had all the Weasley's abandoning their beds in the middle of the night. She continued on, reaching the top of the staircase. Hermione looked down it dubiously, again getting the sensation that she was tilting. The Burrow creaked and groaned as if its lopsided architecture was catching up with it.

Hermione took slow steps down the stairs, a tingle running up her spine. The shadows in the darkened wizarding home seemed the gather at the edges as if moving as she walked by, reaching for her with their dark tendril-like fingers.

You are just being paranoid, Hermione told herself silently as she descended the staircase. Her steps were soft and silent as she went, the soft cushioning of her slippers quieting her steps as she lowered herself down the stairs. Feeling a bit silly, Hermione stood tall once she reached the bottom, looking around at the lifeless house.

A clatter sounded in the kitchen, and Hermione felt relief as she walked towards it. The lights weren't one, but since for some strange glitch in wizarding magic none of the lights were, Hermione didn't think much of it as she walked through the lifeless house.

Entering the large and cozy Weasley Kitchen, Hermione was again struck with a chill and rubbed her arms over herself. She looked around, not spotting anyone at first, and thinking the sound had just been a figment of her imagination. She turned to go eager to find Ron, but as she spun around she spotted a flash of tell-tale Weasley red hair in the corner of her eye. She turned again and saw that behind the table through the door of the kitchen, she could see what looked to be Molly's curly red locks spread out on the floor.

Feeling alarmed, Hermione put out the light in her wand, cloaking the space around her in darkness. She crept forward carefully, a stupefy spell at the ready as she crept through the kitchen, listening carefully as she heard Molly's quiet moans coming from the room before her.

A mixture of terror and anger jolted through Hermione, as she was afraid she was too late to stop Molly's attacker and angry that whoever it was would target her soon to be mother-in-law and her family. Even though the Second Wizarding War was over, Harry, Hermione, and Ron and their families still had a revenue of dangerous enemies.

Unable to listen to Molly in pain, Hermione burst around the corner in an uncharacteristic show of impulsivity as the desire to protect those that she loves overpowered her logic. She froze, horror filling her at the macabre sight in front of her.

Molly was splayed out on the ground in a puddle of her fresh gushing blood as Ron leaned over her, pulling large chunks of flesh with his teeth. He was slurping and gurgling as the blood pulsed from the wound at her shoulder. Molly's skin was grey-tinged as she lay they, her eyes rolling helplessly towards Hermione where she stood, unable to comprehend the sight in front of her.

"Run," whispered Molly, her voice low and weak as she took her final breaths. As Hermione stood there -- still motionless, she watched the light leave Molly's eyes and her body slump, lifeless as her son feasted on her still-warm body.

Hermione stumbled back, her eyes glued to the spectacle before her.

This is a dream, a horrific and terrifying night terror, Hermione told herself as she watched Ron's eyes lift from his mother's neck, strings of tendons and gore hanging from his lips and running along his freckled face. His eyes looked at her, unseeing, the iris's grey and murky and absent of their usual color.

He stood, and Hermione saw the large wound in his stomach, the material of his white shirt ripped and covered in blood, parts of his innards exposed.

"Ron?" Hermione croaked, moving backward as he started towards her, taking slow shuffling steps as he stumbled over his mother's body where it was on the floor. Hermione barely held back a scream at seeing her soon to be husband, a mess of gore and blood advancing towards her, the character of a muggle horror.

She heard a gurgle and a clang behind her, and just in time she skittered away as Ginny stumbled out of the kitchen towards her, her chocolate colored eyes were dead and lifeless just like her brothers. Hermione was trembling uncontrollably as she looked at two of some of the dearest people in her life walking towards her with lifeless eyes, blood soaking their skin and chest.

"No, this is a dream. A very bad and horrible dream," Hermione mumbled as she backed away from the two approaching figures. Part of Ginny's head was caved in, her red hair matted with blood as it soaked the side of her, her bare skull cracked and exposed. Hermione was shaking violently, her usually sharp mind unable to process what was happening.

Hermione was a smart girl – top of her year at Hogwarts. She had gotten her best friend Harry, and her now fiancé Ron out of several sticky situations. However, Hermione couldn't think of one thing to help her deal with the situation she faced now. She couldn't think of anything at all.

Tears started to run down Hermione's cheeks as Ron – or the creature that looked like her beloved got closer and closer. Realized her wand was still in her hand, Hermione shook her head to try to clear it, and pulled the first spell out of her mind she could think of. She didn't want to hurt them fatally – whatever possessed them surely could be corrected.

"Stupefy," she whispered, the power in her voice lost to her torrent of tears. The spell, red and weak shot from her wand, hitting him in the chest. He fell on the ground, however having heard Hermione speak, Ginny's macabre doppelganger lunged for her, her teeth snapping in an effort to tear into Hermione's outstretched arm. Hermione gave out a startled cry and backed away some more, her back hitting the wall behind her.

"Stupefy!" Hermione shouted, her fear overtaking her as Ginny made to attack her again. The spell hit Ginny and she fell. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the room.

Ron was one his feet again and far too close to her.

"Stupefy!" Hermione cried out hysterically. The spell hit him again, stronger than the one she had shot him with before, but this time he just absorbed it, the only indication it hit him was that he staggered backward. Horrified Hermione watched as he advanced towards her again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ginny rise again from where she had fallen, and start moving towards her as well.

Magic wasn't working, desperately Hermione tried to rack her overfilled mind for another spell that might work and stop Ginny and Ron's horrific twins from attacking her like Ron had attacked his mother.

Her heart racing in her chest, Hermione managed to pull another spell from her arsenal of combative magic.

"Petrificus Totalus," yelled Hermione, with Ginny and Ron just feet away from her. She aimed it Ron, who was closer to her. Again it hit him, and he staggered but was otherwise unaffected by her charm.

Tears filled her eyes as she realized she would have to use a more offensive charm. She didn't want to hurt Ron or Ginny, but whatever these two creatures were before her – they were not the same people that she loved. Not anymore.

With a whisper, Hermione uttered those forbidden words.

"Avada Kedavra."

The spell hit Ron, her beautiful and handsome fiancé. The man she had planned to spend the rest of her life with. The spell shot readily from her wand as if it had been anticipating her decision. He fell to the ground motionless.

Tears running down her face, Hermione turned to Ginny who was just a foot away from her now, he hands reaching out to her with blood crusted fingertips, her eyes misty and grey, gore hanging in chunks from her bashed in skull.

"Avada Kedavra."

Hermione wanted to collapse and cry, but whatever had done this – whoever had caused this terrible incident that Hermione knew she would never forget, could still be around. Hermione turned to leave, reaching the door of the dining area, passing Ron's lifeless body.

She took a moment to stare at him, tears running in a torrent down her face, her heart beating rapidly, and heart swelling with grief and horror. For a moment she considered placing a kiss on his forehead, and she took a step towards him.

With a deep rattling gurgle, his head turned towards her, his foggy eyes meeting hers. His arm reached out, and grabbed her leg, his grip hard and bruising through the leg of her thin pajama pants. Horrified, Hermione kicked and screamed as his head moved down snapping at her leg. Her hand reached to her side searching for something, anything. Her fingers brushed the chair of the table beside them and she grabbed it and with all the power she could with one arm the threw it towards Ron's undead form, the chair smacking its arms into his head moments before his teeth dug into her leg.

Kicking frantically, Hermione got her leg free and whirled around. Ginny was slowly standing up behind her. Breathing heavily, Hermione ran towards the door that led to the hall and the entrance to the Burrow. She could hear Ron's and Ginny's rattling breath behind her as she stumbled and bumped into the cluttered furniture of the Weasley residence.

She reached the door and flung it open, bursting out into the cool night air of mid-fall. She slammed the door behind her just as Ron and Ginny reached it their fingers getting stuck between the door and the frame. Crying frantically, Hermione was forced to smash it shut with all her might, severing the fingers to the knuckle. They fell down at her feet.

Out in the open night, Hermione took deep steady breaths, staring at the door, shock over everything that had just happened flooding her system. A crash hit the door, startling Hermione out of her daze and she backed away. With great heaves, the figures inside beat at the door, desperately trying to get to Hermione and do what had already been done to Molly.

Breathing heavily, Hermione turned to leave and raced for the endless fields that surrounded the Burrow, no idea where she would go or what she would do.

As she ran, she saw Arthur walking the fields with a lurching and shuffling gait, his head turning slowly in her direction as she passed.

However, Hermione was a smart woman and she had seen enough that night to know better. She kept going, quickening her pace and left Arthur and the Burrow far behind.