A/N: Hello guys, welcome to the 4th chapter of "Dark is all that's left!".
Please pardon me for sporadic updates, I'm basically preparing for interviews, and so it's really difficult to concentrate on the fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own the HP universe, if I did, there'd be no Weasels at the end, and we'd live happily ever after.
Chapter Warnings: Graphic Torture and strong language. Reader discretion advised. Although you really should expect this from now on.
Notes at the end of the chapter.
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31st July, 1997
Harry woke up from a dream of Voldemort searching for Gregorovich and realized that the trace is removed. He uses his wand to get his glasses,"Accio Glasses", he spoke the incantation. His mind went on to his surroundings, as he realized he was at Grimmauld Place. As he went down the stairs, he could hear Molly hustling about in the kitchen. As he reached the library, he saw a bunch of packed presents lying near the armchair he'd become quite accustomed to using. He opened every present, there was an old watch from Molly, a collection set of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes from the twins, an enchanted Razor from Bill and Fleur, chocolates from Delacours and a note from Ginny promising a surprise for later signed with a red lip mark. A childish grin formed across his face as he considered the possibilities of what his girlfriend might have planned. He was brought out of his musings when an ordinary post owl tapped at his windows. The owl dropped a parcel that looked suspiciously like a book, not heavy or leather bound like most wizarding books though. He cast a few diagnostic charms to see if it was cursed or worse, a portkey like the one he used unwittingly during the Triwizard tournament. Once he was satisfied of its safety, he removed the wrapping paper to uncover a muggle novel.
"Julius Ceaser? Why would anyone send me a muggle book" mused Harry, "I don't really have any muggle friends! Could it be.." His words hung in air as a generic birthday card fell out of it. He opened the card with trepidation as he saw a familiar elegant scrawl that was a bit shaky but recognizable all the same.
'Et tu, Brute?' was all that was written, unsigned. It was proof enough just who had wished him birthday. It brought back memories of disgust and utter loathing to his face, his earlier happy mood forgotten. He'd known of Hermione's escape, though he really wished she were kissed by dementors instead of the imprisonment. If anyone deserved it more than his Godfather, it was her. That's when he realized, she had risked her safety to save his Godfather once, wonder what changed her into the monster she became. Dumbledore had told him to be wary of his former friend as she had escaped Azkaban, and likely joined the Death Eaters if they helped her escape. It soured his mood even more to think of her as a potential Death Eater, the next time he meets her, she might not get any sympathy from him, only hexes and curses.
Same Day…
Today was his birthday, and she wasn't heartless enough to not send a gift. Vengeance and murder aside, somethings must be done for old time's sake. What better way to let him know, how she felt about Harry. His betrayal hurt the most, and she was sure to make him suffer bit-by-bit. She'll take away the family he so yearned one-by-one until he's alone like her. Then, only then, will she grace him with a death, albeit not a quick one. Afterall, didn't someone say, 'Death is not a punishment, it's an escape'. "Oh dear Harry! such promise, such talent! Pity, it won't last long. Or maybe it would... long enough to burn you... long enough to hurt... enough to end it all?" Hermione mused as she held the only photo she had with him hugging her, during the first task of the Triwizard from the Prophet. She ran her fingers over her unblemished image in the photo, as she looked away into the puddle next to her reflecting her marred face, her hollow eyes, tears welled up that brought something reminiscent of her sanity to her face. It was gone as soon as it came, the life she could have had will never be. There was simply no happily ever after. Her parents, she couldn't find their graves, Fudge didn't have any information of it, seems a visit is due, with a certain pink toad faced bitch... Umbridge!
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10th September, 1997
Dolores Jane Umbridge, former Senior Undersecretary to the ex-Minister of Magic, really thought her fall from grace couldn't be any lower than what it had become after Fudge lost office. Yet, here she finds herself shackled hands and legs, spread in an X, bound like animals in a non-descript rundown building of sorts. Acrid smell of rotting metal and bubbling liquid assaulting her senses. She stood out in her surroundings like a horrid blotch of pink. She tried to howl and scream, but no words left her, nothing but muffled noise from her gagged mouth. She could see a couple of runic circles from the edge of her eyesight, however, the circle was faded and burnt out.
"Hello, madam Undersecretary!" sarcastic sweetness dripped from her mouth as Hermione addressed the pink toad. For the first time Umbridge noticed the deranged witch in black dragon-hide robes. However, she couldn't identify her assailant, unkempt brunette hair, face with faded scars but one thing unnerved her were the glowing amethyst eyes. It was unnerving to see a feral look as if a predator eyes her prey.
"Oh! Pardon me my etiquettes, I've spent quite a while in Azkaban. Let me welcome you to my humble abode! " said Hermione as she burst in to a cackling laugh. "Still didn't recognize me? Hermione, and Granger! Do these names ring a bell?"
Realization dawned as Umbridge struggled against the shackles and her heart went cold with the imminent threat in front of her. There really was no way she could leave this hovel alive.
"Ah! so you do recognize me. Well it's not my fault, you really need to upgrade your prison facilities. The food is just awful, and the water doesn't work." replied in her usual saccharine voice. "I certainly don't look like it now, do I? Ever since my early release, I've been eating well and a few rituals here, a few blood sacrifices there, and you know, I'm as good as new. My eyes though, aah, I do miss the usual chocolate brown color, though I guess the new one is a side-effect of the rituals. You want to see a trick, here..." as she waved her palm towards an iron beam lying nearby, purple light hit the beam as corrosive liquid bubbled out of the iron beam melting it from the inside where the curse struck it. "Neat, isn't it? I don't need a wand anymore. Out of curiosity, do you still hold the broken pieces? Thought of giving it a proper burial. Which reminds me..." kicking her chair, she moved towards the bound witch and in a flash, she was inches from the toad's face. Her dark nails digging into her skin as she jerked her face towards her. "Tell me BITCH! What did you do to my parents?" spoke Hermione in an eerily cold voice, as she wandlessly removed the gag from Umbridge's mouth.
"You..you filthy MUDBLOOD, you'll get the dementors kiss for this. I'm a reputed employee of the Ministry of Magic. You'll never get away with it." babbled Umbridge as her face contorted with rage at being manhandled by a muggleborn filthy creature. "Beeeep! Wrong answer! You lose! Now, you get a penalty, and then we continue the game." She backed away from Umbridge with a manic grin as she conjured a bubblehead on her toes and then another, slightly bigger, over it. "Curious? Wait a sec.." as she wandlessly filled the space between the bubbles with the same purple acid.
"Now, for every wrong answer I'll burst your bubble" finished Hermione with a cackle, "and you're already due your first penalty. So here goes" With the snap of her finger, the inner bubble burst and the corrosive liquid met flesh and blood as the pink toad howled with pain, Hermione's eyes glowed brightly in the poorly lit factory. The acid burnt through her toe and spread around the floor, with the snap of her fingers the acid was vanished.
"One little toe gone, 9 more to go" replied Hermione in a sweet voice as if talking to a toddler. "Now, on to next question for two great toes, where are their bodies? Your time starts now"
"No.. NO please STOP it. I'm sorry.." sobbed Umbridge still hurting from the assault.
"Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! goes the clock! Time's running out Madam Umbridge" in a sing-song voice mocked Hermione. "Ilford! Ilford.. Animal Cemetery.. Please please stop it.. I beg of you.. It was Fudge, not me.." screamed Umbridge as two more bubbles burst and burnt her flesh and blood.
Hermione became eerily silent at her confession, as her body trembled with rage and magic, her hair began to crackle with sparks the color of her eyes. "You filthy waste of space. HOW DARE YOU! How dare you do this to my parents. Fudge is already dead, and dead don't lie UMBITCH! LEGILLIMENS.." She ripped her brain apart as she rummaged to find the location her parents' graves, and any useful information. By the time she was done, Umbridge was nothing but a drooling mess.
Around 1 am, Ilford (East of London)
A black wisp of smoke materialized in the graveyard, a witch with dark robes stepped around the graves towards the north ends of the cemetery followed by a levitated body bag. She reached a gravestone marked, 'D.E.G, Rabid dogs put down for the Greater good' Her eyes burned with rage as she re-read the marker. Unable to bear such insult to her mother and father's memory, she blasted the marker away with a reducto. She removed the soil and 6 feet under, she found the decomposing bodies of her parents wrapped together. Unshed tears fell from her eyes as she moved their bodies out and into another bodybag and placed a stasis charm on it. The other body bag was vanished, and its occupant dropped unceremoniously into the freshly emptied pit.
"Ennervate!" as the exhausted former Undersecretary opened her eyes to find herself in a pit. "Recognize this place, UMBITCH, it'll be your final resting place though, and don't worry I won't kill you! You know, YOU are a flea-bitten rabid mongrel, Dan and Emma Granger were innocent and upstanding human beings far more than you or your PUREBLOOD society can think of being. Farewell!" With a final word, she encompassed her body in a bubble and with another wave of her hand it started filling with flesh eating slugs, horrible screams and screeches could be heard as the grave was being refilled with soil. Finally, Hermione placed a marker stone and apparated out with her parents' last remains to give them a proper burial.
The caretaker of the cemetery found a new grave marked in place of the old one and shocked to find it's markings.
'Here lies
the filthy remains of
Dolores Jane Umbridge
Rabid Bitch, worthless toad and a worthless piece of shit'
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A/N: I know, I know. There's a lot of swearing, and lot of torture. One might think bubblehead is her favorite charm, with the way she's throwing it around. Although you must admit it does have a certain charm, as if watching a fish play around in a bowl, albeit, Hermione uses it for torture and personal viewing pleasure.
'Et Tu, Brute?'(You too, Brutus?) It's a reference notable in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar (and book of same name), where it is spoken by the Roman dictator Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Junius Brutus at the moment of Caesar's assassination. It's a reference to Hermione considering Harry as the backstabbing friend Brutus.
As per my timeline, Sirius still dies at the battle of Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore is alive and hunting horcruxes with Harry, hence, Harry will remain at Hogwarts for his final year and Rufus Scrimgeour and Amelia Bones are alive as well. The rituals Hermione performed gave her few extra abilities, and they were dark in nature as implied earlier. Knockturn Alley is a paradise for getting anything and everything illegal and dark. It would really be unlike Hermione if she didn't peruse the buffet of knowledge so to say with her having no qualms about morality.
PS: Please review if you liked it, or if you didn't. Also, I'd like for you to tell me what you would write on the Pink Toad's Grave marker.
I'll see you next time with a new chapter.
Cheers!