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A/N ~ Check out One Chance by Super-Fan-Wallpapers and Welsharcher's To Touch The Stars manips on DeviantArt!

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"It's a spell called 'Contra Noctem, Voco Lucem." Bones explained with a bright smile, "It will do exactly what we need it to!"

"Against Night, I summon Light." Spock translated the Latin with ease, peering over Bones' shoulder to gaze at the page, "Dr. McCoy, I believe you have found the solution to our problem."

I gingerly took the pad from his hand, hurrying to read over the spell, "Bones, this…this is a very complexed spell." I cut my eyes to his, "Do you know what sort of magic this is?"

Bones rubbed his forehead, which creased in exasperation, "Yes, yes, it's bordering a Dark Art. But, what other option do we have?" His brown eyes looked up to mine, showing the desperation.

"A Dark Art?" Spock rose a brow, turning to me for an explanation.

I sighed, setting the pad on the table and falling into my usual rhetoric, "The spell isn't inherently a Dark Art, but it does involve one since we are working with a Horcrux. This spell is a balancing act of sorts between Light and Dark, Good and Evil. It will separate the different parts of the soul so that we can, hopefully, kill the Horcrux but keep Khan alive." My feet began to pace on their own accord as my thoughts turned, "The catch, however, is that the caster needs to be of the purest soul. They even mentioned that the only successful attempts at the spell have been with a wand core of unicorn hair, and even that was over a thousand years ago."

Spock pulled back, studying me like I was speaking a foreign language.

"It's a wizard thing." I waved his unspoken question away with my hand, having more pressing matters at hand as I turned to Bones, "I don't think I can perform this spell. My wand is a dragon heartstring and I don't think I have much innocence left."

"Of course you do! You are the Brightest Witch of any Age!" Bones held his hand out at the big revelation. I lightly rolled my eyes, feeling trapped within the title and unable to escape.

I let my eyes lock with Bones', trying to get him to back down. When he refused to budge, I huffed, "Even if I could…it would take months to master this spell."

"Don't worry; Khan is on ice like a nice Scotch until further notice." Bones fell back into his chair with ease, folding his hands behind his head. I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips; Bones was actually starting to act like Bones again.

I sat down in the chair next to his, flipping through the electronic pages, "He would have to be awake to perform the spell. And it would be very tricky, you would need two very capable wizards: one to cast the separation spell and one to kill the right soul essence. There are so many variables to consider."

"Hermione," Spock stepped up, standing tall, "I do not think it would be wise to chance such a dangerous spell." His voice was that of a mentor, which wavered with the worry of a bridegroom.

"Do you doubt Hermione?" Bones challenged, standing up from his chair.

"I do not doubt Hermione's ability as a witch, namely because I am not fully aware of her skill set, but if this is indeed medaling with the Dark Arts of Magic, as you say, than I do not think she should be the one performing the spell. Considering the investment her human emotion has in the situation at hand and her own hesitation in her ability, they could greatly hinder her capability to perform the spell properly. If anything were to happen—"

"Spock," Bones' hand met with the metal table, creating a resonating sound that cut off the Vulcan, "What other choice do we have? None. We can't kill him outright; we can't even get him to bleed with that damn thing in him. We have to do this!"

"Fighting fire with fire has never been an effective plan of attack. Thousands of years of Earth history have proven that point." Spock countered, using his extra few inches to his advantage as he towered of Bones.

"We don't have a choice!" The frustration poured forth into each syllable Bones spoke.

Spock's eyes darkened as they narrowed to slits, the only touch of emotion on his face, "And you, Doctor, are not considering that it is too high of a risk for such a minute chance of success. You are an intelligent man, for an emotional human, Dr. McCoy, yet you refuse to use Reason to consider all of the possible outcomes. If something were to go wrong and Hermione were to get hurt, the blame would lie solely on your shoulders. Could you live with that guilt, Doctor?"

Bones opened his mouth to retort but I beat him to it, "Enough!" I called, a hand on each of their chests to separate them.

With as strong of a push as I could manage, I moved them back to their respected corners, "I will be the one with the final say, am I understood? This is not the Medieval Age; I need no one else to take up my defense for me, understood?"

My narrowed eyes looked to Bones, who gave a nod, before turning to Spock, who followed suite.

"Good, now that we are to an understanding…" I took a steadying breath, knowing my mind was made up, "I have decided that I will take a month to practice, after that allotted time I will chose whether I am ready to attempt the spell or not. If I am not, we will try and find a different solution."

"Very well." Bones gave in. Spock gave a curt nod, Reason dictating that he would not win this fight.

"Bones, maybe you and Spock should go meet up with the rest of the crew." I said dismissively as I gathered the pad and some of my notes, my thought concerned with different ways to learn the spell.

"Hermione," Spock began, "I do not—"

"Please." I tensed, trying to not give into my anger and closing my eyes to settle myself, "I just…I just want some time to myself. Please?" I slowly open my eyes to meet my husband's.

Spock inclined his head respectfully, "Very well."

"Good, I—I will see you at home." I gave a forced smile before turning and rushing out without a proper goodbye, ready to be alone.

To say the walk back to the Embassy was less than pleasant was an understatement as my thoughts assaulted me. Every possible outcome I could think of with the spell ended in disaster, no positive ending could be found to my depressed thinking.

By the time I got back to the large house and snuck into the library, being careful not to bother the sleeping occupants, I felt even more exhausted than before we had found a solution.

I fell back on the couch with a huff. A reflection of light from the single source in the room caught my attention. A small smile slipped on my lips, Amanda must have known we would be out late and, like a typical mum, had left a light on for us to find our way home.

Without much thought, I retrieved the wand from my sleeve and sat up, "Nox!" I commanded and the light instantly did my bidding, "Lumos!" Again, it rushed to do what I ordered and relit.

Taking a settling breathe, I closed my eyes so that I could only sense the magic twisting about within me. My wand ebbed and flowed with warmth, like that of a continuous flame. It had chosen me and would remain loyal for as long as I live, that thought alone gave me the courage I needed.

I could sense the unyielding heartstring, the Gryffindor strength welling up from my very being. Bones' words ran through my thoughts, pushing me forward.

My eyes shot open daringly and my wrist moved up, flawlessly remembering the motions which I had so easily taken to memory on the first read of the spell.

"Contra Noctem, Voco Lucem!" I felt the swell of power burst forth. Very few times in my life had I felt as powerful as I did now, or as stupid. The instant the spell collided with the light, creating a cloud of smoke which separated the two entities before my eyes, I regretted my actions. I winced as the spell backtracked, waiting for it to come back and take hold of me, the foolish wielder, to deliver my consequences. It didn't waste any time as it threw me to the ground, my magic drained.

My last thought before the unconsciousness claimed me was that that was the reason 'Gryffindor' and 'foolish' were synonymous. A small smile fluttered across my lips before my heavy head fell to the side.

"…Hermione…"

My nose twitched, sensing the presence before I felt it's touch.

"…Hermione…"

Every part of my body ached, reminding me of my foolish actions. Even my untamable curls, which had no muscles within them, seemed to throb in pain. If anyone knew better, it should have been me. One never tried out a spell for the first time in an unstable environment without a partner to oversee the events and help in case of backfire.

"Hermione…can you hear me?…"

Finally, pushing through the pain, my eyes forced themselves open ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of a very focused Spock loomed over me.

"Dr. McCoy is on his way." Spock said to himself, trying to separate his Reason and Emotions as he made sure I was alright, "He had to finish something up at the hospital after we parted ways with Jim and the rest of the crew, but I called him and he is on his way." He repeated.

"Spock?" My dry voice cracked. I tried to sit up but he gingerly held me down.

"Lay still. I am not sure how long you have been unconscious and I would like to take every precaution until Dr. McCoy has thoroughly examined you."

"What time is it?" I asked, looking away from his face and getting caught off by how blurry the rest of the world was. I closed my eyes with a groan. That was the last time I would ever try a new spell on my own.

"A little after eleven." Spock replied, doing a check of my vitals on his own, "Your eyes do not appear dilated, I can locate no bumps on your head and your ankles are not swollen or broken. Do you remember what happened?"

My eyes cut to the lamp, which was clearly burnt out, "I—I was trying the spell on the light." I admitted like a caught child.

Spock followed my line of sight and slowly nodded, "I am assuming, based on the results, that it was not successful?"

"No." I gently pushed aside his arm and sat up, "It was not, but it will be. Like Bones said, what other choice do we have?" I looked at his face, trying to understand what he was thinking. His attention was on the floor as his brain turned, calculating something unknown.

Finally, he spoke, "If anyone can find a way to make the impossible possible, it will be you, Hermione." His eyes wandered slowly up to meet mine, the flecks deep within his eyes were alive and true, "In all of my travels, I have never met a more selfless being than yourself."

I gazed at his face, feeling his words warm my heart, "Thank you Spock."

"I have also done the calculations, taking into consideration both Dr. McCoy's knowledge of magic and your personal ability, and I estimate that you have less than a 2% chance of failing." He finished, clearly hopeful that his Reason would comfort me.

"Thanks." I replied, a bit less enthusiastic this time as I brushed back my mess of hair.

"Taluhk," Spock gently took hold of my chin, bidding for my attention, "I know you will figure the spell out."

"Why, Mr. Spock, do you have faith in me?" I replied cheekily, tilting my head and leaning into his touch.

He pulled back, caught off guard by the abstract concept. His mouth bobbed, searching for the words before he met my eye, "Yes, I do."

And that was all I ever needed to hear.

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It took a total of two months to even get close to figuring the spell out. Thousands of lightbulbs, of all sorts of sizes and powers, later and I felt relatively confident that I could complete the spell, leaving my own personal soul intact in the process.

I was to the point that I had just enough confidence to balance the nerves when the announcement came that the Academy had set a date for Khan's trial. Jim had exhausted all possible routes of putting it off any longer and my nerves returned in full force, even as I told Spock that I was ready to go through with the plan.

"You don't have to do this." Spock replied as we walked down the street, "We can find an alternative solution."

I lifted my chin, refusing to back down, "You know, as well as I do, that there is no other option. I can do this." My eyes flitted to his, "I need you to trust me."

With a single, resounding nod, Spock turned forward and we continued to the Academy. I took a rugged breath, feeling guilty for not telling him all the possible outcomes of the spell. Specifically that my soul might be torn apart in the process and everyone in the room would die if I failed; the thought made me shutter.

Jim and a few others from the Enterprise were waiting for us in the entry when we arrived, trying to show support without having the right words.

"They set up a secure room in the basement, away from all personal." Jim explained, rubbing his neck. Bones nodded, hinting that he would show me the way. I met his eye, knowing only those who had experience in the magic field knew the possible outcomes if the spell went wrong. He took hold of my shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze before we continued on.

I stopped when I felt a particular presence following us and cautiously turned around, "Spock, I—" Taking a rugged breath, I pressed on, "I think I need to go on my own. I'll be alright." I reached out and gave a loving squeeze to his hand as I reached up and kissed his cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied, his eyes never faltering from mine. My guilt grew; he knew.

I forced myself to let him go and continue on with Bones, choosing to focus on the mission at hand.

"So, you will perform the spell and Scottie will cast the venom into the Horcrux once it is separated from Khan." Bones explained, "You will need to put on a biohazard suit, though I am not sure how much help that will be. The venom is diluted enough that it will absorb through your skin the instant it touches you and get into your blood stream if you are not careful."

"Do you have any Phoenix tears?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

"Only enough for one person. Scottie told me to give it to you in the worst case scenario." He whispered, his words still echoing in the deathly quiet hall.

"Do I even need to say it?" I gave a small smile, my eyes lingering on the ominous door that loomed ahead.

Bones huffed, "No, that is why I am telling you to be very, very careful."

I gave a nod as we stopped outside the door. Bones pulled down a shimmering jumpsuit off one of the hooks, handing it to me to put on. Once I was ready with my hair tied back, I retrieved my wand and turned to him for final instructions.

"Scottie is already in there standing guard. Khan is locked in a chair directly to your left. Now," Bones took hold of my shoulders, meeting my eye level, "Don't let him get in your head. Do exactly what you need to do and nothing more."

I rolled my eye, "I'm not going to kill him Bones, the bloody prick will stand trial."

"It's just a word to the wise; don't stoop to his level. Spock is worried that we are fighting fire with fire; prove the green-blooded hobgoblin wrong." He winked.

"I'm not sure I can, Bones. We are already there." I sighed, looking to the door and remembering ever spell I cast that had hurt another.

"No, you did what had to be done for a better world. You sacrificed yourself so that others, no matter who they were or where they came from, could live in true peace, unafraid of what tomorrow might hold. Remember that." Bones smiled, brushing back a loose curl, "I will be right out here and we will celebrate with some Butterbeer after."

"Promise?" I looked up to him, knowing he couldn't.

"Promise. Now get going." Bones moved to the door and typed in the code, "Our Butterbeer is getting cold."

With wand at the ready, I gave one last smile and strode into the bright room.

"My, my, what do we have here? Another visitor?"

Instantly, my eyes narrowed. I kept myself focused as the door slammed shut behind me, locking us in with the devil himself. Scottie caught my eye and gave a confirming nod.

"My Little Hermione." Khan sneered, "How are you doing?"

Inside I cringed, knowing that his names for me would always be much worse than any Mudblood comment, but outside I kept the defense of a Gryffindor.

"I do not belong to you." I approached the chair, showing his lack of any control in this situation. My body grew confident as I walked forward and my eyes hardened, unyielding, as I made sure that he caught sight of my wand. A touch of fear met his eyes when I refused to look away.

I smirked, Checkmate.

"And how is your Vulcan?" He tried a last ditch attempt to sway me, trying to find my Achilles' heel.

I held my head even higher, "Quite well, he is planning for your trail as we speak."

"It makes sense, a half-breed, such as yourself, paired with another half-breed. Diluting your unworthy blood even further." He tsked, refusing to meet my eye, "What is this world coming too?"

"The world is coming to what it is meant to be." I pressed on, raising my wand. My strength grew as I saw the breaking of his walls, his final realization that he had truly lost. The magic sprung to life within me, keeping me focused and pressing me on to complete my mission, "In the end, Good will always win."

Khan started to reply but I was done with his games. He held no control over me; all of his power was an illusion and only carried weight if I allowed it to. I had overcome the evils of this life before, time and time again, and this was no different.

"Contra Noctem, Voco Lucem!" I threw the spell without a hesitation, my leg bracing for the impact of any throwback.

If the chair hadn't been braced against the wall, he would have been tossed as the spell collided with his body, making him limp. I could feel the power coursing within me, the very seams of my soul being pulled and tested. Just as it had with the lamp, smoke spilled from Khan's inner being, separating him into what was once Endymion Nott and what had become Khan.

"Scottie, now! Aim toward the dark cloud! The one on the right!" I called, trying to focus my thoughts on the spell and protecting myself from the tie I had with Khan at the moment, "Do not hit the white smoke!"

Scottie nodded and levitated the venom, taking aim at the essence of Khan's soul. I moved back, trying to separate the two pieces further. The green stream jetted with speed towards the black essence, which cried out in agonizing defeat as the venom mixed with it.

"Watch your back! Cast a defense!" I called over the deafening shriek, feeling the venom destroying the Horcrux through my spell. White light began to erupt as the darkness dissipated. A wave crashed out from the spell as it broke, throwing us both off our feet. And, just as quickly as it had happened, it was over.

"Is it finished, aye?" Scottie panted, sitting up from the floor and whipping the sweat from his brow.

I slowly sat up, my eyes nervously darting to Khan, who lay unconscious in the chair, "I…I think it is." I looked hesitantly to Scottie, not sure if I even believed the words I had just spoken.

The next half hour was a blur; Bones burst in with a security and med team, Khan was taken away while Scottie and I were led out, our ears ringing. Our magic had been completely drained and our energy was shot, I drew in and out of consciousness as Bones carried me away from the room.

Spock was let into the small, examination room I had somehow ended up in and the world continued to spin without my acknowledgement.

"She seems almost catatonic." I heard him whisper to Bones.

"The spell took a lot out of her. She is just winding down from the emotional and physical exhaustion; she should be alright in a few hours."

My eyes caught sight of my reflection; the word grew still and silent around me as I studied myself. I was not the girl I once was; I knew the War had changed me, as had my time aboard the Enterprise, but this new found piece of myself, having been revealed with the desolation of the final Horcrux, seemed to take me even further away from the Hermione Granger I had once know. And, for the first time, I could accept that.

I was becoming who I was meant to be.

I wrinkled my nose though, wishing my appearance reflected the new found hope and change I felt inside. The last piece of the War was gone; I should look different than I did.

A reflection of light caught my attention and I looked to see the pair of medical scissors resting on the shelf of the cabinet. I tilted my head, my heart racing and pounding in my ears as my adrenaline took over and my hand reached out. It was reminiscent of the first time I tried the spell, but I pushed the thought away.

My eye cut to Bones, who was chatting with Spock, Scottie and Jim just outside the door, while my hand hovered above the steel handle.

I snatched them up without a further thought and pulled my loose hair to the side. For half of a second, Reason took over and questioned my rashness. But it was gone the next half and the scissor were open, their sharp mouth capturing the thick bundle I held taut.

The relief I felt as I saw the curls separate from my head and flutter gracefully to the floor was unbelievable. I fell back against the wall with a relaxing sigh, feeling freed.

My eyes chanced a look at the mirror, seeing the shocking act I had undertaken. Part of me knew I should be panicking, but the other part relished the new me. I ran my hand back through the uneven curls, a childish smile on my face.

The sound of something clattering to the floor filled the room and caused me to jump, "Hermione?" A voice full of shock called.

I smiled sheepishly, feeling just how short I had cut my hair, as I looked up to the surprised Captain, "I'm guessing you don't like it?" Jim just continued to star at me like a dying fish.

Bones stood with empty hands before himself, the pad at his feet taking credit for getting me to jump, "That is the last time I leave you alone in a medical room."

My eyes mulled over the different expression on each face, finally coming to rest on the only one that mattered.

"Spock?" I looked at him, curious what he had to stay.

Spock moved to stand before me as he studied the change, his head tilting to the side as he came to a conclusion. Once he was satisfied that he had uncovered all the variables, he nodded, "It suites you."

I ruffled the short curls, worrying my lower lip, "A new beginning to a new life." My eyes fluttered to my husband's. My smile grew a he took my hand, unashamed to share in this moment with me even though we had an audience.

"So!" Jim clapped his hand together, a wicked smile on his face, "When's the wedding?"

"Life's not a race, Jim, you want to stop and enjoy the moments it gives you." I squeezed Spock's hand, liking the feel of having him close by, "Besides, we have all the time in the world."

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