Sometime later, a mostly secure plan had been devised, and Merlin had figured a quicker path to take to not only catch up to the men, but surpass them and reach the sorceress first. Hermione had gone to her chambers to put on something more appropriate than a nice gown, opting for trousers and a tunic, with sturdy boots and her wand tucked away. As she shut the doors of her wardrobe her gaze landed on her hand, and Hermione stared momentarily at the ring. To think she had started off eight years ago as an unassuming little eleven-year-old, peering into the pages of books on magic, wondering what she would one day become. And now here she stood, on the path to becoming a Queen. It was strange- it felt a little wrong, even. She had once proclaimed she was hoping to do some good in the world when her future was brought into question. Would that change now that she wasn't perhaps on a career path towards a job that would allow her to make changes in the wizarding world?

She didn't think so. Change was possible in any environment, and usually always necessary in this same aspect. Perhaps Camelot would not need house-elf reformation, but considering Uther's tyranny and oppression of magic-folk, she knew that her role as Queen in the future could be very important in changing the laws of Camelot. People with abilities like her had no freedom under his reign- any who were left were in hiding, terrified of being put to death and going into extinction. She could change that.

But it felt as if a metal pole had suddenly struck as she realized creating this type of change meant revealing her true self to Arthur- she had decided to stay here with him, but she wasn't staying as herself. She was staying as an identity, one that held no magical ability. How would she tell him? What would he do?

No, there was plenty of time to worry about that later. Now, Arthur needed her, and she and Merlin would be discreet in solving matters. He didn't have to know her secret until she could ease him into it, perhaps when Uther was out of the picture for good.

Hermione shuffled out of the chambers with dread knotting up her stomach, trying to forget these new problems she would have to face at some point. She made her way back towards Gaius's chambers, trying to focus instead on strategy and how to defeat Bellatrix once and for all.

However, as she was at the end of the corridor that held the doors to the throne room, she heard a commotion that caused her to freeze in her tracks. Hermione's heart instantly fell to her stomach as a few battered knights limped into the throne room, escorted by guards who helped them walk. One of them was drenched in blood- though it didn't seem to be his own- and limping slightly. Leon was there, moving slowly as if in pain himself, and Hermione couldn't stop herself as she realized Arthur was not with them. She dashed towards the throne room, desperate to figure out what had happened in the time that had elapsed since their departure and their unusual return.

She bolted into the throne room, though the guards tried to warn her not to go in- Uther had risen and hardly seemed to notice her entrance, more focused on his battered men.

"What happened?" Uther asked in a slight panic, approaching Leon.

The knight looked up, shoulders slumped.

"My King... we were attacked deep in the Darkling Woods," he began, occasionally wincing from the pain of his wounds. "Many... many of our men died in the attack, we were the only ones who made it back, including those few that are about to be attended to by Gaius. The sorceress came out of nowhere- she actually appeared out of thin air, my Lord." Apparation... "She had on a black cloak and remained hooded, we could barely see her face. We didn't have much time to look anyway- we tried to get away before she could finish us all off."

"Arthur. Where's Arthur?" Hermione begged, finally catching the attention of all the men in the room. Tears clouded her vision, though she could see the figures turn to face her. Don't say it, don't say it...

Leon looked at her with guilty, hooded eyes. "The sorceress took Arthur, only Arthur. He fought valiantly.. tried to save as many of us as he could and told us to run. He's a brave warrior... but some sort of enchantment knocked him unconscious and the sorceress disappeared with the prince."

Hermione shook her head, her chest heaving as she spiraled into an anxious panic. Bellatrix was meant to be much farther away than the Darkling Woods- incorrect assumptions had been made or information shared... she and Merlin should have left sooner. "I- did she say anything? Anything at all?"

The knight's eyebrows seemed to spasm for a moment as he gazed at her curiously. "Yes. The sorceress hissed something, but I heard it. I thought it might be a spell, but..."

"What did they say?" Uther demanded, his eyes scanning the maimed knights before landing back on the main man.

"Well, she said.. she said: "This is what happens when you steal, Mudblood". I think that's the word, anyhow."

Hermione's nails dug into the soft flesh of her palm and in her arm she felt a ghost pang. Uther seemed utterly puzzled, unable to make sense of the words only Hermione could understand.

"What does that mean?" he asked himself.

"My Lord, they need to be attended to quickly," Hermione said in a dangerously steady voice.

Uther snapped back into the present and ordered the guards to take away the injured knights.

"I must send out more knights to find Arthur, this has gone far enough," he said darkly. "Do you see why magic must be extinguished at all costs, Princess? Because creatures like this sorceress would see my son killed, the people of this kingdom dead. They will stop at nothing."

"I.. I feel faint. I must go."

Hermione tried to keep her head up again and walk calmly out of the room, but once past Uther's watchful gaze, she came to a resolution. With a guilty glance down the corridor, Hermione hurried out out of the citadel towards the stables.

Hermione stopped to ask which way the knights had all come from from servants and other bystanders before she made it to the stables. Once Milly was led to her, she pet the horse's soft face, concern and fear on her own face.

"Arthur's in trouble, girl," Hermione murmured, lips trembling as she spoke. "We have to find him."

Milly whinnied softly and nudged the witch's hand with her muzzle. Hermione clambered onto the horse's back, wiped her wet eyes gently, and grasped the reins.

"Go!"

With a starting kick from Hermione, Milly galloped away at top speed where she was directed, though it was almost as if the horse knew where to go on her own. The trees and bushes went by in a blur and all Hermione could think was just how certain Bellatrix had been that Hermione would receive her little message. She was getting her revenge by taking who she now held dearest to her heart. But what Bellatrix didn't know was that taking Arthur only gave Hermione more determination to stop the dark witch once and for all.

When the guards stormed into Merlin knew something terrible had happened, and Hermione hadn't shown up. When they told Gaius what had happened, begging for him to come with haste to attend to the injured knights, he was certain she had left to take matters into her own hands. Hermione was determined, and he didn't blame her for taking off, but he could not let her do this on her own. It was his destiny, Kilgharrah had said, and he could not forsake his friends or his destiny. The young warlock helped Gaius prepare before other servants took over in assisting and he slipped away, knowing he had to follow Hermione.

He didn't know what to expect going into this situation they hadn't planned for. But he was prepared to do what he must to save both Hermione and Arthur both.

Hermione didn't know how long it would take to find Arthur, though she had pulled out her wand to use some tracking magic to ensure they didn't stray from the right path. All of that was hard to even try to focus on, however, when she saw Arthur being tortured like Bellatrix had tortured her. The thoughts terrified her beyond reason, and her magic would flicker in and out with her fleeting attention span. The sun was passing into afternoon positioning, though clouds would cover its shine intermittently, the weather as unstable as the situation. Hermione's hand muscles felt stuck as her remained strong on the reigns. Suddenly Milly halted and whinnied, this time almost as if she was scared. She went no further and Hermione knew they were exactly where Bellatrix wanted them- the horse could sense this dark, frightening aura. The witch hopped down with caution, scanning the initial area in silence. But a rustling sound caught her attention and Hermione whirled to the right. Llamrei came darting past some bushes, clearly unstable.

The witch immediately sprung into action, doing her best to calm Arthur's horse. She feared being taken advantage of in that distracted moment, but Llamrei was soon quieted and Hermione led him to Milly. She tied the horses up, though loosely so if they were to tug hard enough, they could get themselves free.

"Milly, be a good girl and wait here with Llamrei. If I don't make it back... if only Arthur makes it out, take him back home. Make sure he's safe." Tears leaked down her face as she laughed mockingly at herself. "Look at me, Hermione Granger talking to a horse. I've finally gone mad, haven't I?"

She wiped her face and petted Milly once more. "Bye, Old Girl."

Merlin rode along, eyes glowing as he used magic to attempt to track Hermione's path. He knew he could catch up to her in no time- but there was the whole matter of staying somewhat concealed as well. Arthur could not see him use any magic. If he was still alive to see it, anyhow...

Merlin shook his head, freeing his mind of that idea. Arthur was not dead, and Hermione would be fine so long as he caught up to her in time. He could fix everything, he knew he could.

Hermione warily stepped forward a few feet, past some thickly gathered trees into a small clearing. Tree tops shielded most light from entering the area, and many fallen trunks and mossy logs and other plants kept it from being entirely empty. Another cloaked and hooded figure stood feet away, the familiar figure of her betrothed tied tightly with rope to a tree beside her opponent. Hermione was too far to tell if he was still breathing, alive even, but she had to hope for the best to survive the impending showdown. She did see some blood on his face, however, to her dismay. His sword lay on the ground not too far away, probably from him having been disarmed by the witch. Hermione let her hood fall off her hair and stepped closer.

"I'm here," she announced loudly, the grey overcast hardly giving any light. A smoky white fog was in the air. "Isn't that what you wanted? What you did all this for?"

The cloaked figure was silent. Arthur looked up and his eyes widened visibly. "Hermione! Get out of here!" He struggled against the restraints keeping him from saving her. "It's the sorceress, go, save yourself!"

Merlin had seemingly followed the right path- Llamrei and Milly had been tied to a tree, both restlessly neighing in hushed tones. Merlin stopped his horse further away to jumped down and tie it up, cautiously approaching the cluster of trees that revealed some sort of small clearing beyond their thick trunks. Merlin stayed behind the trees, peeking into the clearing to see what was going on. Hermione had evidently just made it herself- he was ready to step in and do something, he had to. But Arthur had evidently roused from much further away and was pleading for Hermione to leave. Merlin could feel the frustration and disappointment settling on his chest. He could not reveal himself to Arthur, it was too dangerous. What could he do now but offer assistance from his hidden position?

Hermione ignored Arthur's fervent pleas, despite her body so desperately begging her with it's trembling and weakness to listen to him. She stared down the figure, waiting for an answer. Her features hardened as she continued to be met with silence. "Aren't you the last person to be passive aggressive, Bellatrix? Just say something already, you vile woman." The words helped somewhat, because Hermione knew if she thought about just what Bellatrix was capable of, she would lose control of her emotions.

Finally the arms reached up to pull the hood down. Bellatrix was under the cloak, just as Hermione had expected. But the one thing that struck Hermione odd was the lack of expression in her angular face. From what the witch could remember, Bellatrix was anything but inexpressive. The face was steady yet sinister. No retort reached Hermione's ears.

"Fine, no talking necessary," Hermione scoffed, hands trembling by her sides. "You said enough that day." She pulled out her wand swiftly, forcing herself to keep from looking at Arthur because she knew his reaction would make her lose all nerve.

"Stupefy!" came Hermione's forceful incantation. Bellatrix blocked the spell deftly. Frustrated, Hermione came a little closer.

"Petrificus totalus!" she then shouted, putting as much energy into it as she could muster. A Protego shield was raised silently. And then, out of nowhere, spells were shot at her faster than lightning cracks in the sky. Hermione dove to the side as a nasty hex flew her way, her body shaking in fear.

"Reducto!" she screamed from the ground, hoping to blow Bellatrix to dust. She kept throwing hexes and curses Hermione's way without saying a word, which was so unlike the dark witch. Hermione threw up a shield of protection and glanced over at Arthur, her teeth grit as she tried to keep herself protected. He was gazing at them in horror. Hermione was visibly stricken with guilt and pain- she had never meant for him to get involved in the mess she had brought with her to Camelot. And now her facade was broken. He knew just exactly who she was.

During her vulnerable moment Bellatrix attacked her with a well-performed Flagrate. Hermione cried out as fiery marks slashed at exposed skin. The brunette groaned and was about to retaliate another defensive spell when her opponent casted Obscuro. A blindfold covered Hermione's eyes and she inevitably tripped over fallen wood. The young witch groaned loudly as her hands dug into scratchy twigs and jagged rocks to catch herself. She tore at the blindfold until it came off, but the Incarcerous spell bound her by ropes, and as Bellatrix's wicked face came closer Hermione was terrified, but not too scared to notice the glazed look over the witch's dark eyes.

Merlin was struggling to stay hidden as Hermione avoided deadly spells, everything happening so fast. In a desperate attempt to help indirectly, Merlin glanced at Arthur and acted. His eyes seared the bright golden hue as he stared at the ropes binding the prince, willing them to loosen.

"No.." Hermione breathed, realizing what was happening to Bellatrix all too late. She struggled against the bonds holding her, which only caused them to further tighten, and Bellatrix aimed her want at her victim's chest. Hermione was struggling too much and realized the error as the bonds holding her back gave a tight tug and a sharp pain pulsated in her ribs. She cried out and glanced over at Arthur, desperate to see him one last time before Bellatrix finished her off... but he was gone! The ropes were on the ground, now loose, and his sword had disappeared. And then he reappeared out of nowhere, raising his sword and piercing it right through Bellatrix. The witch fell over, her eyes still open and not so much as even flinching. Arthur pulled the sword out, and blood dripped onto the pale grass. He slashed through the ropes constraining Hermione, Bellatrix's blood swiping onto her clothes. As her body was let free of the restraints she gave a whimper, the pain in her ribs returning with every breath.

"Arthur, you just... you saved me," she managed through her pain, rising to near him and wincing as she did so. She reached to hold onto him, desperate for his embrace-

But he backed away, as if disgusted. Perhaps he did not want to get blood all over himself. But Hermione didn't think that could be the reason why he didn't want her to touch him.

"Arthur?"

"You lied to me," he accused. "This whole time you-"

"She did lie to you. That's all she's been doing this whole time, young Prince."

A dark figure was walking through the fog towards them, speaking in a cold, echoing voice. Arthur held his sword, his stance ready for another fight despite his injuries. Hermione gripped her wand tightly, having to forget about the previous interactions for their safety. Then the fog broke and coming towards the pair was the unexpected true villain.

Lord Thomas.

Merlin was glad for the opponent to have been struck down- but the confrontation that followed broke his heart. He not only ached for Hermione, but for the idea that if it had been him in her place, Arthur would be looking at him with that much disgust and mistrust. It wasn't fair.

But the warlock didn't have much time to dwell on his despair as a new figure emerged to surprise the pair, and his eyes narrowed as he recognized the sorcerer who had come onto the scene.

"Lord Thomas?" Hermione asked in blatant disbelief, hand lightly covering her ribs as they pained her again. The mentioned smirked in satisfaction.

"I remember you," Arthur said, realization dawning upon him. "You were the one who hurt Hermione at my feast!"

"Yes, that was indeed me," Lord Thomas agreed, though without a trace of remorse. "Although, if you please, my real name is Cordelius."

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione forced out loudly, tired of the neverending battle. "You used the Imperius curse on her. Why?"

"Yes, yes, I did," he waved his hand impatiently. He seemed to be overall incredibly uninterested, which only angered her further.

"Why?" Hermione demanded once more. Cordelius's pale lips simple formed a close-lipped smile, though it was a smirk that, paired with remorseless pale eyes under heavy, dark brows, made him all the more villainous and intimidating.

"Bellatrix Lestrange came to me for help to capture you. So, I of course obliged. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get her out of the way, resume my position as the Dark Lord's most faithful follower, and at the same time collect my prize from you. Bellatrix Lestrange was filth, undeserving of the Dark Lord's attention. Her little games risked everything the Dark Lord has worked for- she wasn't even capable of keeping a Mudblood captive!"

Hermione's teeth clenched together tightly at the word, something she had reclaimed in her years growing up but still felt the harsh sting of when said by those who felt superior to her because of it. Cordelius's scarily tranquil features were now contorting with shadowy rage as he ranted.

"I deserved to hold her position in the movement! I, who served him faithfully much longer than her, and have always been so much more capable than that fool of a woman. But the perfect opportunity arose when she sought my help to find you. Once I could remove her from the story, I would be able to reclaim my rightful position beside the Dark Lord. And once I'm done with you and I go back and take the Potter boy, the Dark Lord will be ever so pleased with me. I will receive the highest of honours."

Everything began to click into place. But just one thing didn't fit in.

"I still don't understand what you mean by 'collecting your prize' from me!" Hermione argued. "What prize? What could I possibly have that you would want?"

"Hermione, what is he talking about? And who is he?" Arthur muttered, clenching his jaw.

"Not right now," she murmured quickly. Cordelius had that same smile playing on his pale, dry lips, his rage gone.

"Your soul, Miss Granger," he said in an almost sing-songy voice. "The very core of you."

Hermione stared at him, bewildered. "What? Why?" What use was her soul? And how was it even possible for him to claim it? She couldn't remember ever reading on this- although, perhaps that was not something to be found it the magical books she had obtained. It sounded like Dark Magic... She grimaced as she gave a movement and her ribs protested.

Cordelius clapped his hands together enthusiatically. "Oh yes, why? Most important, why your soul? Well, your soul is linked to the core of your magic. Miss Granger, you have an exceptionally, completely above-average magical core that contains the power any witch or wizard only dreams of possessing. Paired with my own magical core, I will be powerful enough to help the Dark Lord reclaim the world he deserves to rule."

Merlin himself was trembling at this dark man's words. He would not let Cordelius do this to Hermione. If he was exposed in the process... so be it. He was conjuring up all the power he could muster in himself, finding the balance in his magic...

"You're insane," Hermione accused, her voice trembling. Now she was frightened. She did not want to lose her soul, her core- whatever he might call it, he could not take it from her.

"Maybe," Cordelius agreed far too easily. "Before I get on with this, I thought you both might like to know we have a visitor. I didn't want to call him out before I could give you my little backstory, but I think it's time now."

Merlin's eyes widened at the words that echoed his way, but before he could even react his body was tugged, out of his control, into the clearing before he fell with a shove to the grass.

"Merlin?" both Arthur and Hermione said at once, both of their features contorting with terror as they realized they weren't just the only ones in danger now. The warlock was attempting to scramble up but before he could, Cordelius flicked his hand and Merlin shot back several feet. As he landed, his head made contact with a moss covered stone, and he rolled over, unconscious.

"Merlin!" Hermione gave a shriek and Arthur yelled. The witch gave a start when her own body suddenly became out of her own control.

"Now that that's taken care of..." To top it off, Cordelius forced Hermione on her knees. She struggled against invisible forces, panic bubbling in her throat and the feeling in her upper body threatening to spill over her pain threshold.

"Arthur, my wand!" she yelled in terror it was snatched out of her hand, tossed away into the dirt and leaves. Arthur charged at Cordelius, sword at the ready. With a flick of his hand, Cordelius sent Arthur's body flying towards a tree. The sound his body made as it hit the trunk made Hermione give a blood-curdling scream.

She was terrified out of her mind, not even sure how long either male had before they died, and stuck in this position without a wand in hand. Wandless magic she had attempted and successfully accomplished before, yes, but she was not trained enough to take Cordelius on.

"You're despicable!" Hermione shrieked, unable to get her frustration out any other way.

"Why not this, too?" Cordelius asked no one in particular, faking a frown. He aimed his hand at Arthur, who was groaning and hardly able to move. "Sectumsempra!"

The wounds burst open before Hermione's eyes and Arthur's armour began to stain deep red.

"No!" Hermione screamed hoarsely. She was in as much pain as she had felt in her torture session with Bellatrix. She was so helpless, watching her love die and not even knowing if her friend was alive feet away from her.

Cordelius hummed in satisfaction to himself.

"Let me go!" she growled. "You won't get away with all of this!"

Cordelius laughed shortly. "I certainly think I shall, Miss Granger."

He shut his eyes and put his hands together, palms pushed closed. Hermione struggled harder, flipping through book pages, playing real life scenes, all in her head in an attempt to latch onto a solution. She had never imagined it would end like this, and Harry and Ron were nowhere near to jump in and save her. All she had was her mind and this powerful core Cordelius had spoken of. Perhaps she could use this new information to her advantage- maybe there was untapped power within her that could somehow stop him. She just had to figure out how to tap into it...

"Dimitte spiritu tuo ad me,
Core et anima mea esse,
Potestatem meum replebo.."

Hermione visibly weakened and began to pale, as if a light inside of her was going out. Hermione's eyelids were too heavy- her eyes fluttered shut as she grew weaker. One singular image of Harry came to mind: the Chosen One warding off hundreds of Dementors with his Patronus on that fateful day in 1994. Harry had tapped into something so powerful he was able to save them all that day, something that allowed him to produce such a strong and effective Patronus. Maybe she had to think like Harry would- she had to focus on the things that made her feel strong and complete in order to outwardly express the power she held inside of her. Forget spells and textbooks- it had to come from deep within, from her heart. With what little energy Hermione had left, she thought of her mother and father and all of their best moments before she'd had to alter their memories. She recalled moments with Harry and Ron- their laughter in the common room, their many victories, their shared love for each other. Most importantly, she thought of the few but incredibly important moments with Merlin and Arthur.

The witch combined these potent memories with thoughts of self-capability. She told herself she could tap into this core, that it was her core and hers alone, and only she could do incredible things with it. She was going to stop Cordelius, he would not get away with hurting her or anyone else. A strange buzz had begun to fill her bones and blood, and Hermione could hardly even describe the feelings that multiplied as she focused on everything she whole-heartedly believed would save her. Then, she seemed to lose all ability to consciously think, the voice in her own head going silent. Now something from within was taking over her entire being.

Hermione's eyes shot open, not of her own accord, and suddenly a bright, aura-like light came from her very skin, surrounding her. It stretched to strike Cordelius in his close proximity and, as she haphazardly regained control over her own consciousness, all she saw was the look of shock on his face before he turned to powdery black dust that dropped to the ground in a heap. The protective white light was fading already to where she could barely even tell it had been real, soon no proof left that she had tapped into this very powerful core. Hermione fell over into the dirt and leaves, her muscles scarily loose and her breathing dangerously slow- it had taken a significant chunk of her energy. After a few moments of lying on the forest floor, staring through dizzy vision at the nature around her, she shakily lifted herself up to crawling position, barely able to hold her body up on weak arms. Every movement stirred hellfire in her ribs but she persisted, moving towards her wand until she was able to pick it up off the dirt.

Hermione began to look over her body as she propped herself up against a log temporarily, giving a soft, distressed sob at the pain that radiated through her upper body. Her tunic had a slash across her stomach, singed material surrounding the exposed burn injury that was inflamed every time the wind blew gently through the trees. She flipped her hands over to examine her palms, which were dirty and smeared with a some of her own blood. She was certain she had plenty of bruises all over her body to top it off.

It was in that moment of taking in her own injuried when Hermione remembered Arthur's limp body, much more damaged than her own, was just feet away. Terror running coldly through her veins, she pushed herself up and ran towards him, tripping as she did so before she ultimately collapsed right beside him. He was deathly pale and she wasn't even sure if he was breathing. The wounds and blood only served to frighten Hermione even further, wondering if he was seconds from death and that there was nothing she could do to save him.

"Arthur," she patted his cheek, not caring about getting blood on herself. "Arthur!" She clumsily unlatched the armor as best as she could to help and pressed her ear to his chest. She listened closely, her body trembling on top of his.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered, begging for a god to intervene. Then she heard the beating of his heart. It was faint, but still there. He hadn't given up.

"You're alive!" Hermione said joyfully, kissing his cheeks as tears once again poured down her face. "You're alive, Arthur. Keep holding on!"

She aimed her shaking hand at his wounds, willing whatever strength and magic she had left to do this one thing. Even if it killed her.

"Vulnera sanentur... vulnera sanentur."

They healed up almost completely, but Hermione's eyelids began to droop and she struggled against this tiredness. He was still badly injured regardless of her help, but anything that kept him breathing was all she needed.

"Merlin!" she called over hoarsely, waiting for the warlock to stir. She heard nothing, and even worse, it was getting more and more impossible for her to stay conscious. She was growing numb in parts of her body now, and she slumped against the tree trunk near her, lifting Arthur's head to rest it in her lap before she drifted into an unconscious state.