She was hunched over the bed. Her hair was longer; cascading over her shoulder and brushing the side of her face; softer. She had one hand spread against the bed, supporting her weight, while the other clutched her side.
There was the sound of fire cracking everywhere, each new explosion bringing more. The sounds of screaming rang in my ears, the whirring of spells echoing in my head barely giving me time to react to the next one. I looked over my shoulder to catch Ron and Hermione in the middle of the crowd. I turned to find Voldemort grinning at me with those poisonous lips.
"I'm tired of trying to kill you, Little Harry, I want to watch you suffer."
He motioned for two of his cloaked followers to come forward, restraining a struggling Ron and Hermione.
"Let them go." I hissed.
"Well, Well, I'm not sure I want to do that just yet. Let's watch them for a little while. Crucio!"
With a flick of his wand Ron sank to his knees screaming.
"No!" Hermione and I both shouted at the same time.
Voldemort grinned, "Fine." He relinquished his hold on Ron, who collapsed and lay on the ground not moving. Hermione rushed to his side, brushing aside his hair, checking for a pulse. She stood up shakily, eyes defiant, wand gripped tightly at her side.
"Oh how beautiful. Let us see how much longer our little Juliet can hold on. Crucio!" With another flick of his wand Hermione collapsed to her knees but held her head high. I saw the tears streaming down her face. It filled my heart with the heaviest sorrow.
"What do we have here?" Voldemort licked his lips; intrigued.
"Stop it!" I screamed, my voice cracking, but this just spurred him on.
With another flick of his wand Hermione sank onto all fours, shaking, gasping for breath.
"She's quite a fighter," That's right I thought smiling. But then I caught sight of her writhing on the ground. Kicking up clouds of dirt and fighting for breath.
"Leave her alone!"
Voldemort finally turned to look back at me, relinquishing his control on Hermione, she lay there not moving, the clouds of dust finally settling around her.
"Have you had enough yet, Little Harry?" Voldemort sneered. I wanted to kill him; hate surged through my veins causing my blood to boil.
"Enough!" I shouted. I saw Hermione's hand move, still clutching her wand.
"Wise choice, Potter." He licked his lips with desire, his eyes reflecting it.
"It's not going to be that easy," I probed, watching Hermione hunched over to make it look like she was sick.
"Oh but it is, Imperio!"
I had not been expecting that. His voice hissed in my ear, "Raise your wand."
I shook my head, No I mouthed.
"Raise your wand and point it at your chest!" he hissed shrilly, I wanted to block my ears.
I raised my eyes to his red ones just inches from my own.
"No," I grunted. I saw his eyes flash and just as he opened his mouth,
"Avada Kadavera!" It rang in my ears.
I saw many cloaked figures head at her all at once. They grabbed her hair and pulled her to get up, but when she didn't budge they clamped her arms and dragged her into their crowd. Her head bobbed like she was gasping for her few final breaths before she disappeared into the sea of black forever.
"Hermione!" I ran but it was too late; she was gone. I tripped over Ron, he didn't move. I rushed to his side and felt for a pulse. It was too late; he was gone.
"NO!" I hugged him to me and cried and screamed such a guttural animal sound; grief for them both.
I cleared my throat, announcing my presence; she looked up at me with narrowed eyes and a firm line where her mouth should have been.
"Who are you?" she asked with ice in her voice, it sent shivers down my back.
"It's me," I said, slightly surprised she didn't recognize me, "Harry…"
Her expression softened slightly and her eyes grew wide; shock.
She stood up straight. I recognized the Hogwarts uniform, but it was too small; her button down shirt stretched almost to its limit across her chest and her skirt was too short, coming to a stop right below her panty line.
"Harry…" It came out choked. She held one hand outstretched, taking a step forward, but then dropped it by her side and stopped. I closed the distance between us.
A flicker of a smile; a ghost. Replaced with that tightrope mouth.
"You have to leave," it was deliberate with slow pronunciation for each curt word.
"No," my voice wasn't shaky; a surprise considering how much my knees wanted to betray me. I had come this far and instead of broken relief I had to fight harder. This was not how I had planned it, but none of this could compare with what I'd had in mind. This meeting gave me such sadness that I felt like I was the only one alive anymore, because seeing her like this was like seeing a piece of her die.
"This isn't a negotiation, Harry." I recognized the faint hint of desperation in her words.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" I waved my arm to encompass all of our "surroundings."
"How did you find me?" She crossed her arms across her chest; tight, secure. She refused to look me in the eye. Staring downward; staring far away; beyond us.
"Fred and George. Ginny too. They've been assisting me in my search." I don't know why it came out sounding so formal; like a stranger.
She nodded but absently; her mind was on something else. Her eyes darting between the dirty clock on the wall and the doorknob.
"Harry, I've got to get you out of here." She was calmer, but not softer. Still commanding with the clenched fist and the straight brow.
"I'm not leaving you." My voice was still firm but this time I was the one that pronounced each word independently.
"Harry, you don't get it! Look where you are! You are in Knockturn Alley; the play place of Death Eaters! They come here…of course." The last bit came out with a touch of a harsh bitter laugh.
"Hermione, what do they come here for? What exactly?"
"Harry," she chuckled. It started out small but it grew like a brushfire; starting with a seemingly insignificant spark and growing into an unrecognizable beautiful but scary and monstrous thing.
"The fact that I knew you; was close to you, makes it bad for me, very bad. If you they saw you it would be even worse…"
"I can help…"
"Are you really that stupid?! You can't be the hero this time, Potter! You can't save me! It's too late!"
"You've gotten cruel, Hermione."
"Oh, Harry, really, I'm not Hermione anymore…I'm 'Granger,' or 'Prefect Brat,' or the most popular one 'Mudblood whore!"
"You'll always be Hermione, to me." I muttered; I was lost. I was losing her; what she'd been in what she'd do.
"That's not true. I'm already changing to you; I can see it in your eyes," she took one steady finger and raised it my level. She looked me right in the eye. Her eyes were the same light brown I'd known all of my life, sharper, darker around the edge; on the surface.
"Hermione, why are you doing this?" My voice was shaky but my question hit her by surprise.
Her finger lowered but her eyes didn't look away.
"They control me and I'm so sick of fighting, they like it. Harry, I meant what I said. You cannot save me. I'm drowning and I've already lost too much air to ever recover. I'm so close to breaking. This close." She didn't show how much, I could see it. She was toeing the edge of the cliff and it was crumbling at the base.
That's when the wood of the door screamed its warning; someone was here.