Hermione proceeded down the stairs, back to the ball. Her eyes found Professor Snape's from across the room, and he gave her a swift nod, as if to tell her everything was going according to plan. She shifted her attention to the Dark Lord and noticed he'd been looking at her, as well. There was pressure in her gut, but Hermione continued onward. She moved towards the throne, feeling Nagini trail behind her.

"My lord," the young woman greeted, bowing her head with respect.

Voldemort stretched his neck a moment, before waving her closer. "It is nearly midnight," he started, nodding to the enormous clock propped above the double doors. "You haven't much time to complete your task."

She swallowed hard, glancing around the room. "I – erm – I don't know what to do. I haven't been told."

"Oh, I'm sure you do know." The Dark Lord casually raised his hand to the far side of the ballroom, several feet from the outdoor entrance, where a familiar young man stood, sipping away at his drink. "Kill him."

Hermione's eyes widened. It was William, the only person in the room she loathed half as much as Voldemort. "Right – Right now?" she asked, staring between them.

"He was invited for the sole purpose of dying tonight. Do not make my efforts go to waste, my dear."

She nodded, pushing back the fear and apprehension. "As – As you wish." The brunette gathered the skirts to her dress and quietly strolled towards William. Her heart was beating a mile and a minute, and it took every bit of self-restraint she had, not to sprint out of the ballroom and out of sight. She wasn't a killer. She hadn't a single murderous bone in her body. But there was too much resting on her initiation to panic. Hermione turned back, finding Severus not too far away. He gave her an encouraging look, and gestured to the outdoor area, practically planning the next few minutes for her.

She fixed her attention to William and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. The young man turned around, regarding her with a smile. "Hermione. I was looking for you."

"Sorry, I was exploring the area," she explained, trying her best not to look too shaken. "I – erm – I found a nice little spot just outside these doors. Care to join me?"

William arched an eyebrow. "You were ready to stab me through the heart a moment ago, and now you wish to show me around?"

"A girl can have a change of heart," Hermione shrugged, feeling worse by the second. "Besides, I figure we should try to bury the hatchet…now that we're on the same side and everything. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course," he nodded, holding out his arm, before pushing through the glass doors. "Bit chilly, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled. "It – It is quite nippy."

The pair of them continued around the corner, out of view from the ballroom. Hermione kept her eyes on the ground, feeling an onset of horror as she realized this was the same place Pansy Parkinson had been murdered, at the hands of Lestrange. She refocused her attention, and glanced up at William to find his eyes staring off into the distance.

"This must be torture for you," he suddenly said. "Being around me."

"It's not," she lied. "I mean, it's not particularly easy given the fact that you tried to hurt me in that warehouse, but…I wouldn't classify it as torture." She thought distantly of the past week. "I've experienced true torture. This isn't it."

William gave her a look, as if to ask what she meant, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he unclasped his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. "Better?"

Hermione avoided his eyes. "You don't have to be nice to me."

"I know," he acknowledged. "Severus told me our plan is resting squarely on your shoulders. The least I can do is make sure you're warm."

"He gives me too much credit," she murmured, tucking some hair behind her ears. "I don't know if – if I can –" Hermione's words cut short. Her gaze brushed over the area before them.

It was wooded, host to thousands upon thousands of trees, where nobody could see a thing or hear even the loudest screams. She looked at William, noticing the wand in his pocket. It was in plain sight. All she had to do was reach over and do the deed. It was that simple, but it wasn't easy – not by a long shot.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Hermione's eyes darted away, and she could feel heat build up around her cheeks and neck, accompanied with the vibrations traveling up and down her spine. "N – Nothing. Just cold."

A sharp gasp escaped her lips, as William wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder to keep her warm. "You'll do fine. You're a tiny thing, but that can work to advantage," he voiced. "Take our previous meeting, for example. I underestimated you, and you ended up clawing my eyes out." There was a touch of amusement in his voice. "There's no reason to be nervous."

She blinked – just once. "I can't do this." Hermione moved away from him, backing up until she hit a tree. "I can't. I just can't."

William raised both of his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. I just thought you looked cold in that dress, and figured I could –"

"Not that," Hermione interjected, feeling her eyes collect moisture. "You don't understand, do you?"

"What is it?" William asked, dumbfounded. "What did I do?"

"I've been tasked with killing you," she blurted, watching as the confusion in his expression transformed into pure shock. "That's why you were invited here. That's why I brought you outside. That's why – That's why –"

"Do it," he ordered, reaching for his wand and tossing it to the ground, where she could reach. "Do it quickly and without any tears. Just do it."

Hermione's mouth gaped wide open. "You can't be serious –"

"I am," William said, solid in his conviction. "I don't want to die, make no mistake of that. I just – I know that if you don't kill me right now, I'll just die by the hands of someone else. I know how the Dark Lord operates." It was the truest thing he had ever told her. "So, please, spare me the formalities and just do it. It'll be easy. Just one flick."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I refuse to kill you," Hermione uttered. "I don't care if it puts our entire plan in jeopardy. I won't kill you, or anyone else who's innocent."

"Don't you see?" William asked, reaching for his wand and shoving it into her hands. His face was inches from hers. "I'm not innocent," he told her, combing his fingers through her hair and breathing along her neck. "I would have done more than tie you to a chair that night, and you know it." His breaths turned into kisses. "Don't eulogize me out of guilt. Think of it as karma."

Hermione gripped the wand loosely between her fingers, feeling the heat from William's mouth sear through her skin and into her bloodstream. She closed her eyes, trying to center herself. "Karma," she repeated, hearing the word reverberate in the inner walls of her subconscious mind. William held her by the waist, close and blindingly desperate. She could feel him shake, and for a moment Hermione wondered what would happen if she simply disappeared and never looked back, but her fantasies drew to a screeching, abrupt end.

"Sectumsempra!"

Her eyes shot open. She gasped and felt William's shivers turn into full body convulsions. He lost balance and fell onto her, pressing her hard against the tree. Hermione cried out, trying to hoist him onto his feet, but the stripes of crimson that appeared all over his dress robes told her it was too late. She brushed the hair from his face and felt her lips tremble with horror.

"Wh – What's happening to you?"

His eyes fought to stay open. He choked out more blood, leaving a trail of it down his chin and onto Hermione's dress. His face went pale, as did the rest of him. Hermione panicked, glancing down to see if she could find his wand, from where it had fallen from her grip, but it was gone.

"Leave him be," Severus announced, pocketing that wand with his own and approaching them, only to lay William down on the grass. "Close your eyes, Mr. Forbes. It will be over soon."

There was blood everywhere, on every surface. Hermione knelt down beside him and placed his head on her lap. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, feeling tears stream down her cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to hurt anyone."

William's eyes blinked open, half-lidded, and his lips parted for a moment, as though he meant to say something, but no words came out. It was like watching the flame burn out from the wick of a candle. His harsh breathing and violent shakes subsided. His chest went shallow, and the last thing he did before fading away was gasp for his last breath of air.

Hermione watched in terror.

"Come on. Get up, Miss Granger. You have to go," Professor Snape told her, helping her to her feet. "I'll handle the mess. The only thing I want you to worry about is –"

"Get your fucking hands off me," she demanded, inching away from him with anger pulsing through her veins. "How could you let this happen? He trusted you! He was one of us!"

Severus motioned for her to stay quiet. "It was either he die or all of us die. I thought you understood that."

"I did," Hermione nodded, maddened with rage and guilt. "But so far we've lost two people, whilst the Dark Lord is sitting pretty on his throne, with the bloody Elder Wand in his possession." She tugged at the ends of her hair, frustrated beyond belief. "What is this plan of yours? Please, tell me. I thought we were fighting against Voldemort to prevent these sick, twisted killings – but look!" The brunette gestured to William's corpse. "We did that. You did that."

"Listen," Snape started. "I understand you're in shock. I understand you don't want to hurt anyone, but this isn't the same war you were fighting a year ago."

Hermione huffed, unable to look him in the eyes. "I just don't see the difference between what he's doing and what we've done."

"There is a difference," Severus told her, carefully. "There is a large difference, but all I need from you right now is trust. This is the last sacrifice we're going to make. You have my word."

She breathed deeply, praying the hurt would just disappear. "Why did you have to bleed him out like that? He wanted a quick death."

"You need enough evidence to convince the Dark Lord that William died by your hands," the wizard answered, motioning to her bloodstained dress. "If he finds out I did it, our entire cover is blown."

"I understand," Hermione nodded, exhaling. She had no choice but to understand. She may have been the face of the operation, but she was making none of the decisions. It was different from the last war, so completely different. "What should I do?"

"Go inside. Find the Dark Lord. He'll take care of the rest." The instructions were clear. Professor Snape placed a light hand on her shoulder and urged her forward. "Go on, Miss Granger. Please don't let your anger towards me hinder our chances at destroying him. It's almost over."

Hermione threw one look at her former Potions Master, and spoke. "You better hope it's almost over, or the next sacrifice our side is going to make will be you."