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Chapter 37 – Apocalypse Part Two
Hermione woke with a start.
She took huge gulps of air, her chest was burning and she felt as though she was suffocating. She lifted her body up but fell back instantly and groaned painfully at the ache and numbness of her body. She took a moment to regain her breathing pattern before finally lifting herself up from the cold hard floor that she had apparently fallen asleep on.
She stood up and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, it when she straightened her clothes however that she felt it. The cold chill run up her spine and that seemed to seep into her body, into her bones. She stopped rubbing her eyes when she realized that the strange white swirling fog around her was not an after affect of a dream but rather the environment that she now found herself in.
Hermione's hand froze on her shirt that she was in the process of straightening, her heart raced as the eerie silence finally registered in her usually quick mind. Confusion crossed her face when she looked around to find that she was still inside Grimmauld Place, but something was – off about it.
Hermione titled her head to one side and surveyed her surroundings once more. The swirling mist and the complete deathly silence was enough to send warning sirens in her head screaming. She straightened herself and opened her mouth to call out for Remus or even Tonks, anyone actually so long as she knew she wasn't crazy. But something stopped her. Her ears heard a noise in the distance.
Hermione turned towards it and strained her ears to hear the faint sounds. She slowly moved out of the living area and made her way towards the front door, tripping over furniture and walking into walls, it seemed that the closer she walked towards the strange sound the thicker the fog became, it was so thick she felt as though she might as well have been blind.
Hermione took another shaky breath. She felt something, hard and cool. It was the front door. Every fibre of her being was telling to not open that tall menacing wooden door but another part of her, a primal part of her just as eagerly encouraged her forward. And for once in her life Hermione listened to the latter and grabbed the handle before turning it.
She was sure of it now, the sound had been someone crying, a child crying just behind the door. Hermione started when her feet touched not soft grass but a hard cold sandstone surface. Hermione eyes narrowed.
She knew this place. She had been her not too long ago. A part of her ached and pulled her back towards the door she had just left. Hermione spun around but there was no longer Grimmauld place behind her. She was alone. Panic crawled inside her as she began to regret her stupidity, why had she left the relative safety of the house? And then it stopped. Her fears disappeared when she heard the crying, louder now, more desperate even.
"Hi."
Hermione took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew that voice.
"Oh please! Please!" she whispered involuntarily to herself.
She finally willed herself to open her eyes and turn around.
Hermione stood frozen on the spot, not sure how she was supposed to react.
"Ron?" she whispered almost inaudibly to the face that now stared almost straight through her.
She wanted to hit him, curse and hex him and yet she wanted to run into his warm arms and hold him tight and kiss him, tell him she loved him and that she really would kill him if he ever left her again.
But Hermione didn't do any of those things, she just stood there as the mist around them faded away slightly into the distance.
She recognized this place. They were on top of the roof of Hogwarts. But the logic of that realization was the last thing on Hermione's mind as she looked into the face of the boy – no the man that she loved.
"Hey."
Hermione jumped when she heard a second voice from behind her. It was her voice. Hermione slowly turned on the spot to see – well herself. Her bushy hair whipping around her face, her robes billowing in the wind and her small arms encircling her body, even that small mole just below her jaw line was there.
"What – the – hell?" Hermione verbalized finally as she stared shocked at an exact duplicate of herself standing now beside her.
Hermione suddenly felt her stomach plummet. She looked once more at the surroundings, it's location and time of night finally registering with her
This was the horrible night that Ron had left her. It was now being viciously replayed to her somehow.
"I can't do this anymore," Ron continued.
Hermione heard both versions of herself take a deep shaky breath.
Hermione closed her eyes tightly to block out the memory. She didn't want to see this, she didn't want to relive this.
"What do you…" she heard the Hermione beside her say before she physically blocked her ears with her hands and scrunched her eyes tightly close.
Hermione stepped away, distancing herself as far away from this scene - this place as much as possible.
The next moment however she felt herself trip over something and fall backwards onto the cold, hard sandstone surface of the rooftop.
The sobbing sound was louder now, and it was neither her nor her duplicate. When she had righted herself Hermione saw something huddled near her feet.
"I don't want to be alone…"
Hermione eyes widened as she locked onto what it was that she had fallen over, crouching at Ron's feet was a little boy. Hermione reached out to caress his head but stopped instantly when the boy lifted his face and looked at her.
"Ron?" Hermione said disbelievingly.
It was Ron, but not Ron that she knew now, he was the Ron that she had met in their first year at Hogwarts, the Ron she met on the Hogwarts express. He rocked backwards and forwards a hand grabbing onto the older Ron's leg all the while repeating.
"I don't want to be alone…I don't like being alone…I want 'Mione…" the child cried now pulling at Ron's leg angrily, "Don't make her go…I…don't want to…face the darkness alone…"
The boys pleas went unheard as the 'other' Ron and Hermione continued their heartbreaking goodbye.
"NO!" the boy sobbed shaking Ron's leg now when he saw the other Hermione begin to cry.
"Shut-up!"
Hermione gasped and looked up from where she sat next to the boy. Ron was glaring down at the child in annoyance.
"Shut-up," He repeated his voice breaking this time before he shook the boy off his leg and continuing the conversion with the 'other' Hermione.
Hermione crawled over to the small child and reached out for him but her hands went right through him. So the boy simply remained lying on the ground sobbing and begging Ron not to let Hermione leave.
"Hermione?"
Hermione's tear filled eyes lifted to the person standing beside her.
"J-Jessica? Wh-What's going on?" Hermione stumbled back to her feet as she tried to re-focus her attention.
Hermione turned away from the Ron and looked at Jessica.
"Where are we? What's going on?" Hermione pleaded the woman.
"We are inside his mind," Jessica replied but it wasn't just Jessica that spoke.
Hermione recognized it immediately, it was exactly the same as that time Ron had shouted at the Amathia of Cumae. It was not one voice but hundreds of voices blended together and it only unsettled Hermione more.
Hermione took a cautious step back when she saw image of Jessica transform into hundreds of other unrecognizable people, but they all had the same lonely and desperate expression on their faces.
"Do not be afraid," the images stopped and Jessica now spoke to her, "We are here to help you."
'Jessica' stepped forward and looked at Ron arguing with the Hermione on the rooftop.
"So much suffering – sadness – grief and unspeakable horrors we have seen and we want to help you put a stop to it," The voices echoed around Hermione.
Rather than the words spoken so serenely comforting her they only put her more on her edge.
"You told me you wanted to be with Ron didn't you?" Jessica questioned.
Hermione nodded thankful that Jessica's image remained fixed in front of her rather than voiced from Seers of years past.
"Then you need to understand – everything."
Hermione didn't like the tone with which Jessica said those words and apprehension clamped around Hermione once more.
"Every battle in history, every story of ancient civilizations falling into ruin, blood soaked battles of honor – every time you recall a battle that have changed the world, at the heart of it is their love," Jessica spoke calmly, now dressed in an ethereal white gown, her hair blowing around her body despite the stillness of the air.
Jessica nodded to Ron and Hermione's figures now frozen in time on the rooftop, Ron's hands clenched at his sides and Hermione's face wet with tears.
Hermione looked at Jessica urging her to continue.
"Every love story you have ever heard, every fairytale or Grecian play, every time you hear Shakespeare's characters play out tragic love stories, at the heart of it all has been their love."
Hermione felt her heart race and beat almost angrily against her chest. She didn't like the way this was going and she gulped down nervously as Jessica continued.
"At the heart of it all…has been their love…the love between Eros and Psyche…the love between you and Ron….your love for each other has been the most pure, most beautiful incarnation of love…" Jessica paused and stepped towards Hermione.
"And it is that love – that is destined to destroy us all."
Jessica's hand slammed into Hermione's temple and she felt the world melt away.
Ron blinked a few times and focused his eyes on the blurry figure across from him.
"Professor? I'm sorry what did you just say?"
Dumbledore smiled warmly and indicated that he was not upset that Ron was not listening to him.
"There appears to be someone who wishes to find you," Dumbeldore said his eyes moving to the window beside them.
Ron followed the Headmaster's gaze before slowly standing from his seat. He walked across the small room and looked out the nearby window and across the small lake. He saw the white tulips sway slightly in the wind and just a few feet away stood Harry. Well he wasn't really standing, he was pacing. Back and forth every now and then Harry scratched his head and felt the air in front of him.
Ron smiled slightly at seeing his best friends confused expression as he tried to find the cottage that Ron was now living in. It was true that there was a barrier around the house to prevent others from seeing it but he supposed, as he saw his friend expression become more frustrated that he should change it to a simple glamour.
Ron looked back to the Headmaster who was now standing behind him.
The Headmaster chuckled as he watched Harry pace back and forth.
"Is that not your sister? Ginerva Weasley?"
Ron turned round again to see Ginny walk over to Harry. After a moment Ron laughed.
"May I enquire as to what you are laughing at?" Dumbledore questioned, "I always enjoy a good joke."
"Ginny just told Harry he was being idiotic, and he should have just asked Dobby to show him the way to my cottage," Ron laughed.
Ron and Dumbledore looked up to see Ginny point at Dobby who was now standing beside her, before she shook her head at Harry.
Harry laughed at whatever Ginny must have said before they both held onto Dobby's hands.
A loud crack was heard before the couple and the little elf appeared in the middle of the room.
"See, how much easier was that?" Ginny said to Harry as they straightened themselves.
"Yes, yes, I should just listen to you from now on," Harry remarked with a smirk.
"Good to see you catching on Potter," Ginny replied returning Harry's smirk.
Ron looked over to Dumbledore who raised his eyes at Ron.
"Remember that you always have a choice, it appears Harry has learnt that lesson already."
"Oh, Professor Dumbledore," Ginny greeted, "We didn't realize you were still here."
"No doubt, no doubt," Dumbledore noted cheerfully, "Sadly however I must take my leave."
With that Dumbledore nodded to each of them and walked towards the door.
"Professor, my mum said she would like to talk to you before you leave."
"Thank you for informing me Miss Weasley, I dare say I am in need of tea and some of your mother's excellent blueberry pie," He smiled at her before turning to leave, "I will be seeing you Monday."
Dumbledore directed the last statement at all of them before he closed the door behind him.
Ron watched the Headmaster walk away before he sighed. Ron felt Harry's thoughts hit him like a speeding train and turned around to look at his friend.
"A package, Harry?" Ron questioned before walking towards his friend and sister.
"What? Oh yeah, you're mum said that this came for you this morning. Express Owl from Charlie apparently."
Harry handed the large package to Ron and he and Ginny watched curiously as Ron stared at the brown-paper wrapped package in his hands. A smile spread across Ron's face and he looked at them excitedly.
"He found it!" Ron smiled genuinely putting the package on the coffee table before hastily pulling the wrapping aside to reveal the box beneath.
Harry saw a letter on top of the box and Ron lifted it up and read it quickly before handing it to Harry and Ginny to read.
To Ron,
I spent almost every galleon you sent me to get this. I finally tracked it to an underground black market in Asia and I had to ask a few friends who were studying Chinese native dragons there to negotiate and transfer it over to Romania. It was of course not an easy task to have it sent by Owl without running the risk of someone trying to steal it but after several weeks I was able to deliver it half-way myself before sending it with Bill who came to visit Fluers family. Anyway, long story short, I hope she likes it.
- Charlie.
Harry looked up from the letter to see the excited smile on Ron's face.
"What on earth could be worth so much trouble?" Harry questioned his friend.
Ron lifted the lid off the box and lifted a large, tattered leather covered book that smelled if possible worse than Snape's potions classroom.
"A book?" Harry gaped at his friend, "If it were Hermione I wouldn't say anything, but you?"
"It's for Hermione you prat," Ron laughed, "Here look at this."
Ron stood up next to Harry and flipped through the pages. They were completely blank and yellowed with age.
"Right, you spent how much on a blank, smelly book. Oh hang on," Harry said suddenly remembering something, "It's not another of those Seer books that no one other than you can read is it?"
"No," Ron shook his head before lifting the books up to his lips and closing his eyes, "Quidditch through the ages, in English."
Harry watched Ron's strange behavior for a moment before his eyes fell to the book now clutched in Ron's hands.
Ron opened the book and showed Harry. Harry eyes widened when the words appeared on the pages.
"What …?" Harry gaped at his friend.
But Ron only smiled before closing the book once more.
"Hogwarts, a history, in English," Ron said this time before opening and showing Harry again.
"Whoa! Hang on, that book can change into any book?"
"Yeah, pretty brilliant right. Not only English books either, anything that has ever been written down can be conjured in this book," Ron beamed at Harry.
Realisation finally dawned on Harry.
"No wonder it was so hard to track down and not to mention expensive."
"Oh," Ron waved off, "I don't care how much it costs. I just hope Her – "
"So does this mean you've realised what a prat you've been and decided to grovel at Hermione's feet until she takes you back?" Ginny commented not even trying to keep the harsh edge from her voice.
"Ron?" Harry asked in concern when Ron ignored even Ginny's comments.
Ron grabbed his chest suddenly in pain and Harry quickly caught the book before it fell to the ground. Ron meanwhile had collapsed into the chair breathing heavily.
"You alright?" Harry questioned, placing the book onto the coffee table.
Ron looked up at Harry desperately before saying through ragged breathes.
"He-ermione…get to Hermione!" Ron screamed.
Harry felt his legs move involuntarily before he even registered what Ron was saying.
"Wait, Ron!" But that was as far as Harry got before he saw the flames rushing around him, Ginny staring in horror as Harry disappeared.
The last thing Harry saw was Ron staring at him from the floor and screaming Hermione's name.
The next instant Harry had fallen painfully on the tiled floors of Grimmauld place. And Ginny promptly fell beside him.
Hermione groggily grabbed at her temple as she looked around her.
She almost jumped into the air when she opened her eyes. There was a boy standing in front of her, the same boy she had seen only moments before but he looked a slightly older and tired. He was dressed all in white and stood blinking innocently and blankly up at her. Hermione was rather un-nerved by this and didn't know where to begin to rationlise the situation.
"Er…Hi," Hermione said as she crouched down so that she was at eye-level with the boy.
He continued to stand silently blinking back at her.
Hermione laughed nervously and tried to remember whether she had her wand on her.
"Hello."
Hermione eyes widened and she took the response as a good sign. She had opened her mouth to speak but the boy continued talking.
"What are you doing here, Hermione?"
Hermione gawked at the boy and continued to stare at the image of Ron before her.
"Who are you exactly? What is this place?" Hermione countered warily standing up to her full height and checking her pockets for her wand.
Apparently seeing what Hermione was doing the boy spoke once more in the hauntingly serene voice.
"Magic doesn't work here. Not the kind that you're are thinking of using at least."
Hermione stopped what she was doing instantly and the warning bells immediately went of in her head.
"Who – are – you?" Hermione repeated hoping that a slower pace would result in an answer.
"How did you get in here?" The boy countered, "No one is allowed in here except for Ron."
"Where is Ron? Is he here? Where is 'here' exactly? What happened to Jessica?" Hermione blasted the questions quickly at the young boy.
"Jessica?" the boy repeated slowly looking at her intently before continuing, "Where do you think you are?" the boy asked her in reply.
"I have no idea! That's why I keep asking you!" Hermione cried in frustration.
The boy scrutinized Hermione for a moment before realization dawned on his face.
"That wasn't very nice of them. No one is allowed to see inside the True Seer's mind unless he see's fit to show them something."
Hermione could almost have fallen over from the weight of the words.
"Wh-what did you just -"
"Hmph, I suppose they think they've done something noble don't they? First that girl goes and gets herself killed and then destroys another part of her soul just to allow you to see into his mind," The boy spoke more to himself more than to Hermione, "I suppose she expects me to fix the mess she's made."
Hermione was still trying to register all the information when the boy turned and grabbed her hand.
"Well come on. We better get this over with."
It was like something cold was pressing against her skull and Hermione felt the chill run up her spine. She had the strangest feeling that she had forgotten something very important but she didn't know what it was. Hermione turned around on the spot but saw only a white mass of swirling fog.
Shaking the feeling off Hermione turned back round and followed the 11 year old version of Ron into the unknown.
"Hermione!" Ginny screamed when she fell out of the fireplace only to see her friend unconscious beside her.
"Remus, should we move her?" Tonks voice cut in close beside Ginny.
Hermione was lying on the floor, her skin turning a sickening shade of blue. Remus and Tonks were knelling beside her body their wands pointed at her body.
"What happened to her!" Ginny looked up at Tonks for an explaination but the Auror had none.
"NO!" Remus screamed at Ginny when she reached out her hand to touch Hermione.
He grabbed Ginny's hand and pushed her back slightly.
"No, don't touch her, we don't know if it can spread by physically touch or not."
Remus stood from the floor leaving an aghast looking Ginny to stare helplessly at Hermione.
"Remus! What's going on here!" Harry said as he stared at Hermione's body that reminded him eerily of Cedric Diggory dead body.
"What do you think?" Tonks questioned apprehensively ignoring Harry and looking straight at Remus.
"It's best to just get him here as quickly as possible."
Without another word Tonks threw some floo powder into the grate.
"The Three Broomsticks!" Tonks said before stepping into the fire and disappearing.
"Where the hell is she going? Dumbeldore's still at our house!" Ginny said desperately standing up from the floor as Remus levitated Hermione's body out of the room and up the stairs.
"She's gone to get assistance," Remus replied unhelpfully as he and Ginny ascended the stairs.
Harry stopped Ginny on the first step.
"I'm going to go back and see if Ron's okay," Harry whispered before walking hurriedly back into the living room.
Ginny watched him leave before hurrying up the steps after Remus.
"It's freezing in here," Remus said once Hermione was laid on the bed.
He turned around and cast Ginny an accusatory look.
Ginny held up her hands and stepped back from her former professor.
"I thought Tonks told you…"
But Ginny was cut off when someone behind her spoke.
"Where is she?"
Ginny's eyes widened at the desperation she heard in that voice that was always so cold and harsh.
There standing in the doorway was a disheleved Severus Snape. He was leaning against the door frame and looked like he had just physically run from Hogwarts to Grimmauld Place.
Tonks appeared next to him a momemt later holding a large wooden box of what Ginny could only assume was filled with potion vials, and she was soon followed by Harry and what appeared to be the rest of the Weasley family, all except one that is, Ginny realized bitterly.
Ginny watched suspiciously as Snape moved to Hermione side and scrutinized her entire body.
"Come on Hermione," Ginny begged as she stood at the foot of the bed.
Hermione was still being dragged along by the young boy who remained relatively quiet and reluctant to answer any of the thousands of questions that Hermione shot at him. She had hoped that the more she asked he'd finally crack and tell her what she wanted but after each question the hope of at least eliciting some semblance of a response began to disappear.
He stopped suddenly causing Hermione to literally fall forward and apparently collapse right on top of the boy. Surprisingly, though painfully, she found she had gone straight through him as though he was not even there and fell face first onto what she could only surmise was a solid concrete floor…although whether it was possible for such a thing to exist in a person's mind was beyond her reasoning at that moment. Hermione was in the process of dragging her tired body from the floor when the sound of people fighting and screaming off in the distance stilled her movements.
The boy looked at her thoughtfully.
"I suppose it's best if you see it all in order."
Then deciding that that was explanation enough he pulled her up with impossible strength and dragged her towards the battle beyond the dense fog. Within seconds however the fog disappeared and in a whirl of wind Hermione found herself staring at rumble.
It looked like a city that had literally collapsed in upon itself. Hermione hand instantly reached up to cover her nostrils as the smell hit her.
Her eyes darted around and confirmed what she has smelt. Dead bodies, scattered around the rubble. There wa so much blood - the city was drowning in blood.
"What is this?" Hermione whispered her eyes incapable of ripping itself away from the horrific scene.
"This," the boy replied, "Is Phyche's wrath."
Hermione was finally able to tear her eyes from the blood soaked landscape.
"This," He paused for a moment and looked up at her before continuing, "This is when she took her revenge."
"I don't understand," Hermione said in barely a whisper, but the boy beside her had heard her clearly.
"Does it disgust you?" He said in a horrifyingly serene voice, "Does it make you sick? Seeing the destruction that she brings."
"Why?" Hermione said more clearly this time as she felt her eyes well with tears, "I don't understand, she was just a witch, she didn't have his power."
"Just a witch?" the boy repeated humourlessly, "The one who calls himself 'Lord Voldermort' is he not just a wizard?"
Hermione gaped at the boy.
"It's not the same…" Hermione began but stopped when she heard a noise ahead of her.
She heard rubble crunching and bodies being thrown through the air.
"Surely a smart girl like you can see – can understand. You humans are so weak minded," the boy spoke as he stepped forward stepping on a severed arm as he did, "When pushed you are capable of great – yet terrifying things."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat when she saw the shadow in the distance finally form into a figure. Blood covered the woman's body, it soaked her white Greecian dress, her face, hair, arms – her entire body was covered in blood.
Hermione felt the bile rise from her stomach.
"Th-that's me! B-but..."
Hermione saw herself standing atop dead bodies and the rubble of what was once a great city. She was standing there with a smile of satisfaction on her face. Hermione's eyes spotted the head that dangled from her fingers and she finally fell to her knees and retched.
"Stop this! I don't want to see this!" Hermione cried.
"No?" the boy replied, "But don't you want to see what he sees? What you're beloved Ronald sees?"
Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at the boy who was now looking at her intensely as though she were an exhibit in a zoo.
"Oh, you didn't know?" he said finally, "Oh yes, this is what he sees now, every time he sees your face."
"No!" Hermione screamed shaking her head fiercely, "I wouldn't do that! I'm not a killer!"
The boy looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.
"And Ron? Is he a killer?" the boys questioned before his eyes turned away from Hermione.
Hermione followed his gaze and saw the rubble and the image of herself soaked in blood disappear.
'No!' Hermione told herself forcefully, 'That wasn't me, it was her – Psyche."
Hermione's eyes returned to the scene when she heard a deafening scream pierce the silence. She gasped when she saw herself being stabbed in the chest with a sword before falling into a pool of her own warm blood.Hermione stared breathless at her own lifeless face staring up at her. But then the scream became louder, someone was screaming – screaming as though there was no hope left for them. Their world destroyed before their eyes.
Hermione turned to the boy.
"No! Not this!" she begged but it was too late.
Hermione whimpered as she saw Ron collapse beside her dead body his face contorted in pain as he screamed out in horror, anger and heartbreaking sadness.
Hermione tore her eyes away and met the young boy's gaze.
"You're not going to help him if you lose it now," He stated before nodding his head back at the scene.
Hermione turned just in time to see Ron scream in anger before stabbing his sword into a centaur's chest. He pulled it out quickly and whipped it to the side causing blood to splatter across the ground. And to Hermione's horror she saw a glimmer of satisfaction and joy on his face, the same satisfaction that she had seen on her own – no – on Psyche's face moments before.
"No…" Hermione whispered her hands covering her mouth in horror.
Before Hermione could even attempt to move forward to touch Ron the image disappeared replaced with immense and endless fog once more.
"She told me that she made him kill his friend I just didn't…" Hermione stopped herself and gulped down the bile that was threatening to leave her stomach again.
"That was nothing," The boy replied pulling her along with him.
"That was hardly nothing!" Hermione screamed back angrily at his indifference, "How the hell could that be considered 'nothing'? Making someone kill just to…"
Hermione stopped abruptly when she heard someone sobbing in the distance. She didn't wait to be guided but ran headlong into the fog guided only by the sound of someone crying.
Again something inside her twisted. This was the same as before.
She slowed when she saw someone shrouded in darkness rocking back and forth on the ground clutching a lifeless and blooded body to their chest. No sooner had Hermione reached the image that it disappeared. Hermione stepped back when she heard someone approaching her while sparks of red light shot past her.
In her panic, Hermione tripped and fell on the ground. As she collected her bearings she looked down only to find to her absolute horror her own bloody body staring lifelessly back up at her.
"He sees this every night."
Hermione screamed and jumped when the voice of the young boy spoke from behind her.
The boy moved around to look at the body and knelt down beside it.
"I-is this the future…for me?" Hermione questioned hesitantly not entirely sure that she wanted to hear the answer.
The boy stood back up when the body disappeared into nothingness. He turned to her and finally a smile, the first sign of emotion appeared on his face.
"Yes." He answered with a broadening smile, "And - no, this isn't your future."
"Where's Ron?!" Ginny demanded in a whisper when everyone save Remus and Snape remained in the room and she had spotted her boyfriend running up to her breathlessly.
Apparently Tonks had also informed the Weasley's because except for Ron Ginny found herself standing amongst family in the cold dark hallway.
Rather than answer Ginny's question Harry inclined his head to the top of the staircase and away from where the rest of the family.
Ginny followed behind him and gave him a frustrated glare when he stopped and turned around to look at her.
"We can't let the others hear this because – well…because I don't know why but when I saw it I knew that I shouldn't tell anyone."
"What the hell are you rambling about?" Ginny hissed at him.
"Come on," He said before discreetly pulling her down the stairs and into the living area.
When Ginny saw him throw some Floo powder into the fire she pulled her arm out of his.
"I'm not leaving Hermione," She stated vehemently.
But without warning Harry grabbed her and pulled her into the fire with him.
"Weasley Cottage."
And then Ginny found herself thrown onto the floor of her brother's small cottage. Her horror when she stood up only to find that Ron was lying on the floor in a similar fashion Hermione had been and turning a deeper shade of blue than Hermione had been, was immeasurable.
Hermione watched the boy carefully. He had just smiled at her and told her that she was and was not destined to die a horrible death.
"Stop talking in riddles!" Hermione cried in frustration.
"Don't worry," he replied, "You are not going to die."
'Then', Hermione wondered, 'Why does he look so concerned at the moment.'
The boy's eyes widened suddenly and he spun around to look at her in an accusatory manner.
"You have to find your own way out," he stated before turning to leave.
Hermione panicked and grabbed the boy by the shoulder and spun him round to look at her.
"What do you mean? I can't even see my hands in front of my face in this fog let alone –"
"Fog?" he repeated in surprise looking up at her, "Do you mean you can't see it?"
He then turned and pointed off into the distance, when Hermione released her hands from his shoulders and stared at the direction he was pointing in confusion he began to look worried.
"This is problematic," He whispered, "You…ha…Ro…"
Hermione stared in horror as the boy began to look pale and slowly became transparent; he now looked more like a ghost and at times disappeared completely before re-appearing once more. Hermione knelt down and tried to grab the boy by the shoulders again.
"What! I can't understand you!" Hermione shouted her hands now grabbing at air.
"Fi…you…trus…"
Hermione screamed when the image disappeared completely. She bit back another horrified scream and stood up from the ground.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now!" Hermione screamed in frustration, hearing her own voice echo around her.
"Look!" Remus cried in triumph and slapped Snape on the back, "Look, she's regaining the color in her face!"
Serverus on the other hand was not as thrilled especially at Remus's overly friendly reaction.
"Only problem is, I haven't given her anything for her body to react that way," Severus explained seriously.
"What were all those potions you were giving her for then?" Remus accused pointing between the vial in Severus's hands and the table where the other potions were.
"Those were just to gauge her reaction since I have no idea what's wrong with her," he admitted begrudgingly, "The better question is how you could leave an unstable centuries-old witch unattended in a house that is filled with dark magic?!"
Remus narrowed his eyes at Snape.
"We have been taking perfectly good care of her and as you are well aware we could not take her along with us."
"What the hell is going on!" Ginny cried once Harry had levitated Ron into his bed.
"I don't know Gin, but it may help if you didn't scream in my ear," Harry replied in an exhausted tone, "I just found him like this when I came back from Grimmauld Place."
Ginny's eyes began to wonder around the room which until now she had not even noticed. Her expression suddenly changed to surprise and guilt when she looked around at the walls. Itmust have hurt Ron when she accused him of basically not even appreciating Hermione only an hour earlier. She moved over to one of the walls and reached her hand out to touch the hastily drawn image of Hermione staring back at her.
"What is this?" Ginny asked Harry while her eyes slowly moved to the other pictures on the wall, some of them like the first appeared to have been hastily drawn with pencil or charcoal while others were meticulously painted catching every detail of her friend.
"There's another room across the hall," Harry replied looking up from Ron to see his girlfriend gaping at the wall, "What's more, there appear to be more than a few of those dream-globe things Hermione created floating about in that room too."
Ginny turned from the wall to look at Harry.
"Did you see anything?" Ginny questioned in excitement at the prospect of being able to see the future and possibly changing any horrible outcomes occurring.
Harry slumped down onto the bed beside Ron and shook his head.
"Either he's hiding those or he hasn't had any new dreams 'cause when I went to look they were all of Hermione." Ginny arched a brow at her boyfriend.
"Surely, you can't be that thick Harry," Ginny scolded, "Anything Ron sees is important, and if it's Hermione, than don't you think that it means that she's key to everything."
"I don't know…" Harry trailed off clearly reluctant to discuss theories at the moment when his two best friends were lying unconscious and probably because of him in some way.
Ginny instantly realized what he was thinking and felt anger rising from within her.
"Don't you dare," she said clearly catching Harry by surprise when he visibly jumped back on the bed, "This is not your fault."
"Then whose fault is it?" Harry sighed.
A sound like cracking bones jolted the couple back to Ron. Harry instantly jumped up when he saw what was happening to Ron.
"Mother of Merlin!" Ginny gulped grabbing onto Harry for support.
Ron was still unconscious but his skin had turned almost completely dark blue that it almost seemed as though his skin was blackening. And then the sound once more, the cracking sound became louder as crystals began covering Ron's skin.
"What the hell?!" Harry said from beside Ginny as he reached out to touch the crystals.
Ginny tried to stop him doing something so foolish but it was too late, Harry's hand touched the crystals and he instantly jumped back towards her waving his hand in the air till the crystals fell away.
"Ice," Harry explained looking at her.
"Definitely not good," Ginny added as she hopelessly watched her brother become encased in ice.
Ginny's eyes momentarily left Ron's body and that's when she saw it. She grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him over to the window.
"Harry," she said slowly pointing outside.
There just outside the cottage stood the Amathea of Cumae staring up at them.
"They can't get through the barrier," Ginny realized when the group continued to stare at them but didn't make attempts to move forward.
"Do you think they know what's going on with Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked Harry.
"If they don't, then no one will," Harry replied before rushing out to the front door.
Fred was sitting in the kitchen silently preparing tea for his mother. No one had asked him to and normally he wouldn't have wanted to be away from where the action was but seeing Hermione, someone that he had actually thought of as a sister, just lying there on the bed, unconscious and looking worse than death was something he couldn't handle. He grabbed his wand and began to levitate the tea set out of the kitchen where he met his twin leaning against an armchair.
George looked up and shared a look with his brother before they turned to head up the stairs.
What they didn't expect just as they turned their backs was for their youngest sister to come falling out of the fireplace and without a glance or acknowledging them in the slightest charged up the stairs followed instantly by a group of cloaked figures that appeared out of thin air.
The twins didn't need anything more than that to set them off and they instantly ran up the stairs after their baby sister.
"Ginny! No!" they heard their mother cry in surprise when they reached the stop of the stairs.
But that was all that they heard because the next instant Ginny threw open the door to Hermione's room.
"Just like Ron," Hermione mumbled as she collapsed onto the ground, "Just dumps something on me and then disappears."
"I thought you were the brightest witch of your age? I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Hermione started when she heard an unfamilar voice echo around her.
"Jessica?" Hermione questioned the emptiness warily.
"You know the path Hermione. Just open your eyes!"
"Who is it?! Whose there! Jessica? Is that you?" Hermione screamed into the emptiness,
Hermione shuddered when she felt something cold grip her arm. She screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw a bloodied and disfigured hand on her arm.
"He-help!" she heard a voice say before the arm disappeared.
"Someone please…" a voice in the distance sobbed, "Someone help me…"
Hermione stood for a moment uncertainly before her gut told her to move her legs as fast as possible to get to that voice, to that person.
"H-help me…someone…please…" Hermione heard the voice becoming louder as she ran forward.
"I'm here, tell me where you are!" Hermione called out although part of her told her that it was the most idiotic thing she could do, she didn't even know if she could be physically hurt in this place.
"Please…I-I don't…I don't want to be alone."
That was it, that word 'alone'. Her mind went blank for a moment and she remembered the crying figure of Ron crying at her feet.
"Don't…leave me alone…"
Hermione felt herself tearing up at the words. The person whoever they were sounded so desolate so scared she just needed to find them.
And then, suddenly the fog lifted around her and she could now see more than ten metres ahead of her. She instantly speed up and she felt a sudden jolt of happiness when she saw just ahead of her a person on the ground clutching a someone closely to them.
But suddenly the joy was replaced with uncertainty and she slowed down until she was walking now one agonizing step at a time.
When she stood just behind the person her heart speed up rapidly and she felt like it would break her chest any moment. She reached a shaking hand forward and swallowed before resting it on the person's shoulder.
Hermione practically jumped backwards before collapsing on the ground.
She saw her own face staring back at her.
"Phyche?" she questioned warily her blood turning to ice.
"Don't leave me alone," Physche sobbed before turning around at the body in her arms.
Hermione breathed slowly and crawled towards where her. She resisted the temptation to scream like she had done so many times already when she saw Ron staring lifelessly up at the sky with blood pouring from a gaping wound in his body.
But was this Ron?
Hermione took a moment to realize that this man had large angelic wings that streached out on either side of him, but they were torn and as blood soaked as Phyche was.
"Eros," Hermione verbalized when she realized who this man was.
'No, this can't be,' Hermione told herself as she looked from the Eros to Phsyche.
"Eros, don't leave me!" Psyche sobbed loudly.
"Get the hell away from my girlfriend!"
Hermione jumped in surprise when she heard a voice echo in the distance.
Hermione turned in surprise to see Ron standing a few feet away from her.
"Run Hermione! Run!" Physche screamed, "It's not Ron, it's a trick!"
Hermione stared from Ron to Physche who was now standing beside her.
"Hermione!" she heard Ron scream before she was pushed backwards.
"Get away from her!" Remus screamed.
"Remus, calm down!" Tonks said from beside him.
The small bedroom was completely filled with people, the cloaked group and almost the entire Weasley family, who had rushed in when Ginny has stormed into the room. Snape and Remus had stood from their seats instantly and stared in shock as they were pushed aside.
"She is still a student and it is my responsibility to treat her!" Snape seethed at the cloaked figure who now leaned over Hermione.
"Ginny, who the hell are these people?" Remus questioned.
"The Amathea of Cumae," Ginny replied.
"What are you doing to her!" Fred questioned stepping forward, his twin beside him.
"Silence, you fool!" one of the other cloaked figures replied.
"Yeah, how about, NO!" George replied.
Snape narrowed his eyes when he saw the cloaked figure now sit down beside Hermione.
"You cannot just give her a potion brewed by some novice," Snape said in a cold low voice.
One of the cloaked figures laughed at him.
"Oh, she's no novice – "
"Silence!" the cloaked figure sitting beside Hermione said before turning to the other members of the Amathea of Cumae.
They seemed to silently communicate with each other the cloaked figures stepped back and out of the room.
"What the bloody hell was that about?" Fred questioned now looking at his sister.
But Ginny wasn't paying attention.
"Is she gonna' be okay?" Ginny questioned the cloaked figure that remained in the room.
"Yes, after she drinks this," the woman said before lifting Hermione up, "Can you hold her?"
Ginny did as instructed.
Almost every wand in the room instantly pointed at the stranger.
"Don't! She knows what she's doing!" Ginny pleaded.
"Now little sister, you know we can't do that," George replied.
"What will Ron do to us, all powerfull seer that he is, when he found out we let this broad poison his girl?" Fred added.
Ginny turned to Tonks, Remus and Snape but they too continued to point their wands at the woman.
"Mum? Dad?" Ginny pleaded desperately.
"I'm sure we can settle this in a calm – " Arthur began trying to diffuse the situation.
"Not one of those times, Dad," Fred cut his father off.
The woman sighed before standing from the bed. She turned to the group her head however remained shrouded in shadow.
"OUT!"
"H-hey!" Fred yelled.
"Wa-ahhh!" Tonks screamed as they were all pushed out into the hallway and the door slammed in their faces.
"Okay! Everyone needs to stop doing that!" Hermione yelled at the person beside her.
"Sorry," Psyche said after a moment's silence.
Hermione looked at the woman in front of her before stepping away, this time her wand gripped in her hand.
"I won't hurt you, I want to help you."
"Funny," Hermione remarked sarcastically, "There's seems to be a lot of that going around today, but not many people seem to be holding to their word."
"Hermione, surely you can trust me. I – am – you," Pysche replied before sitting down on a marble bench.
It was at that moment that Hermione quickly scanned the scenery. They were in a beautiful, expansive Grecian garden. Her eyes returned to Pysche who was watching her calmly.
"Do I even want to know where we are?" Hermione questioned her thoughts returning to the blood soaked city filled with dead bodies.
Psyche analysed Hermione for a moment before speaking.
"What you saw before was out of context."
"Really? Please - justify the killing of innocents, I'm sure it's be a whopper of a story," Hermione replied icily her fear of the goddess entirely melting away.
"It's not a very long story," Psyche began, "Those people descended on our home and demanded our child as a sacrifice to the Venus. What would you have done in our situation? Just handed your own flesh and blood over to a dim-witted group of thugs?"
Hermione continued to stare at Psyche, clearly not convinced.
"So how did you end up killing them all?"
"When we refused to hand our child over, the stupid fools began attacking our home with their primitive tools and weapons. My beloved Eros of course went outside to face them and to protect us but they," Psyche paused and her face contorted in rage, "They had a powerful allay."
Psyche looked up at Hermione as she spoke her next words.
"His mother, Venus, his own mother, handed them a weapon that could kill him."
Psyche began to sob and Hermione face softened.
"What was the weapon?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't know – but whatever it was it…it killed him," Psyche continued to sob into her hands.
"But still, how could you kill an entire city? There were women and children surely they were not involved in the riot?" Hermione questioned her skepticism remaining.
"They all worshiped Venus, they would not stop until they had killed me and my child as well. What would you have done?"
"Well," Hermione said slowly after a long pause, "let's say I believe you when you say you want to help me, how exactly would be able to help me?"
"Easily," Psyche said as she wiped the tears from her face and stood from her seat on the marble bench, "Give me the necklace."
Hermione blinked at Psyche for a moment.
"Excuse me?" she questioned the woman.
"The necklace. The one er – Ronald Weasley gave you," Psyche explained pointing at the lump under Hermione's shirt.
'Don't ever take it off, okay?'
Hermione heard Ron's voice whisper in the distance and she stepped away from Psyche.
Hermione reached up and grabbed the necklace protectively.
"Just give me the necklace and I can fix everything," Psyche said calmly her hand reaching towards Hermione as she stepped forward, "You can be with Ronald again."
"Don't call him that," Hermione said in response, "I am the only one who calls him that."
Psyche smiled at her and Hermione felt a chill run up her spine.
"Trust me Hermione," Psyche urged, "I have the power to fix everything but only if you give me that necklace."
"What's so important about it?" Hermione questioned taking another step back although she knew there was no escape from this garden without Psyche's co-operation.
"That," Psyche explained, "Will give me – give us enough power to save everyone, to save your beloved's life."
Hermione sensed there was something more to that answer and she continued to clutch the necklace protectively.
"GIVE ME THE NECKLACE!" Psyche screamed suddenly grabbing Hermione suddenly.
Hermione screamed in pain when Psyche touched her. It was as though she had been dumped into a pool of ice. Hermione looked up and saw Psyche's face, her eyes were glowing red and a deathly cold wrapped around Hermione's entire body.
"YOU STUPID GIRL! GIVE IT TO ME!" Psyche shook Hermione as she screamed at her.
And then Hermione saw it. In the distance, there was a sliver of light. The light became brighter with each second and then in the light appeared a figure.
"Ron!" Hermione cried trying to reach her hands out to touch him.
But he only looked at her before turning and walking back into the light.
The next instant Hermione felt as though she was being incased in ice as Psyche's grip tightened.
"LET – GO – OF – ME!" Hermione demanded, and she felt an immense power take over her as she pushed Psyche back.
Psyche laughed as she picked herself up from the ground.
"Are you sure you want to fight me, little girl?" Psyche mocked as she waved her hands in the air and gripped a golden Bow and arrow.
Psyche aimed the arrow at Hermione before speaking once more.
"Last chance, give me the necklace and you won't die a horrific death."
"You don't scare me," Hermione replied as she pointed her wand at Psyche.
"Magic?," Psyche laughed looking at Hermione's wand, "Who do you think created and practiced magic in the first place?"
"Are you just going to keep babbling or get on with it?" Hermione replied, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw the light still shining in the distance, and Ron's back disappearing into its light.
When Hermione's focus returned to Psyche she saw a thousand arrows fly straight at her.
A/N: Muahahahahha…..I am evil I know but you guys should be used to it by now. I am quite happy at the length of this and am more than relieved that the many strings are now being tightened around this little story of mine.
Sonshinelolly: Wow! Thanks so much! Actually, I love long reviews cause then I can read how others perceive my fanfic. I'm so glad you're enjoying reading my story hehe :) I hope you liked this chapter as well, please tell me your thoughts.