It's the darkest magic Hermione has ever seen. Of course it is, it's necromancy. What was she expecting, sunshine and daisies? But by all the gods, she's been around for this long and it's a resurrection that almost makes her balk at how dark it is? It's pathetic. She's been on the side of light for too long. D'Hoffryn would be disappointed in her, if he cared enough to check on one of his girls who'd failed him. She isn't Anyanka. He doesn't care anymore.

She doesn't have an Urn of Osiris, they're impossible to come by. This magic is easier anyway. A life for a life. No begging at the feet of a god who's as likely to smite her as to obey. She's better than that, vengeance demon or not. The life is easy. One Stunner and she's killed two birds with one wand. She has the life she needs, and Lucius Malfoy disappears. Keeping him alive after the Battle was good for something after all.

Lucius dies quietly. It's almost disappointing that he doesn't rant about being ended by a muggleborn with a knife. His blood turns to shadows as it hits the ground, a sign that she's done the spell correctly. The shadows gather and form into the semblance of a figure standing an arm's length away from her. She speaks the last words of the spell in a language so old that the wizarding world has forgotten it except as a footnote in an Ancient Runes book, or they would if wizarding books had footnotes.

The shadows fall away, revealing a tall, red-headed man, quite naked, with his eyes closed as if he's sleeping. Hermione holds her breath.

The man's eyes open. After a second, they light up with recognition.

"Hermione."

Hermione smiles. "Fred."

She's covered in blood, Lucius died quietly not neatly, but that doesn't stop Fred from sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her until they have to break apart for want of air.

"Did we win?" Fred asks.

"For a certain definition," Hermione says. "Let's get you some clothes, and I'll tell you all about it."

Doing Fred first was selfish. She doesn't regret it, not now and certainly not later when they've decided that getting clothes for Fred is too much work at the moment and Hermione may as well join him. She does wonder though, who next?

A/N: I wrote this in less than thirty minutes at ten last night after a very long day. It is what it is.

-Cynder2013