Ron closed the book that he had been flipping through. "Harry, wanna play a game of
chess?"

Harry looked up from his own book. "Sure. This reading is getting kind of boring."

"What about you?" Ron asked Hermione, "Wanna play the winner?"

"No thanks. I am not finished with my homework, and you two should be working
instead of playing those stupid games."

Ron snorted. "We have the whole weekend."

"So? You should still get the work done. Besides, the way that you two have been
working lately, it will take you the whole weekend to write the spell that Snape asked
for."

Harry shrugged and pulled Ron away towards the chessboard.

"You know, we thought that she was bad when she became a prefect, but ever since she
got head girl, she has been impossible to live with." Ron whispered while setting up his
chessmen.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But Percy acted the same way."

Ron snorted again. "I don't know. Sometimes I'd rather have him around."

Harry tried to stifle a giggle. "Do you remember when you put the itching powder in
Percy's robes?"

Ron burst out laughing. "Yes! I thought that he was going to kill me. But George and
Fred thought that it was hilarious."

"Well, of course. They were the ones who gave you the itching powder."

Ron burst out laughing again, but was shushed by Harry. "We wouldn't want to disturb
the head girl, would we?"

Ron shook his head and glanced over to where Hermione had been studying. He eyed the
pile of abandoned books. "Hey, where did she go?"

Harry glanced around the empty room. "I don't know. Maybe she went down to the
library to get some peace and quiet."

"But why didn't she take her books with her?"

Harry shrugged.

"It's actually kind of creepy in here without all the Griffindors."

"Yeah… Too bad we don't have that book of scary stories anymore." Harry leaned back
in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "Hey, do you feel that?"

An icy breeze swept over the table, knocking over the chessmen.

Ron jumped up. "Okay… what the heck was that?"

The bright orange fire burning in the large fireplace sputtered into a dark blue glow and
then died completely, leaving the room in shadows.

Harry expected the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead to start tingling, but it
never did.

Ron started to move towards the portrait hole. "Lets just get out of here and go find
Hermione. Maybe she'll know what's going on."

"Why go looking for me when I'm right here?" Hermione's voice was cold, and sounded
somewhat distant.

Harry whirled around to face the voice, but found only empty space.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get out of here." Ron turned to push the portrait hole open, but
when he touched it, large blue flames jumped out of the painting. Ron hopped backwards
to avoid getting burned. "Harry, I think that we have a problem."

"No! You are the problem!" Hermione appeared out of thin air between Harry and Ron.
She was wearing a long black robe and her reddish hair was ablaze around her head. Her
normally brown eyes were a glowing red.

"Hermione?" Ron took a step away from the portrait hole, trying to move towards Harry.

"Stop!" Hermione pointed her wand towards Ron. The sleeve of her right arm slid down
exposing an all too familiar tattoo. "I don't think so. You two cause too much trouble
when you are together."

"Hermione? You're a Death Eater?" Harry's dark eyes grew wide.

Hermione chuckled. "You could say that. You don't honestly think that a witch as
powerful as I am could have come from a muggle family, do you?" She turned to face
Harry. "You have made daddy very angry. And I get the honor of finally destroying
you."

Harry's eyes grew even wider. "You mean… you're…"

The wicked smile that grew played along her lips answered his question.

Ron lunged towards the table for his wand, but a green blast from Hermione's own wand
hit him full in the chest and he went flying backwards. Ron smashed into another table
on the other side of the room and lay still.

Hermione whirled around to face Harry once more.

Harry took a step backwards. "But, why? Why would you be my friend for so long and
then-"

"Because! It as all a part of daddy's plan." Hermione cut him off. "Did you honestly
think that a person as smart and gifted as I am would want to hang around with two screw
ups like you? You two have pulled me down ever since I met you!"

Another evil smirk spread across Hermione's face. "You are going to die, Harry. And
when your incompetent friend wakes up, he will be blamed for it."

Harry took another step backwards as Hermione raised her wand for a second time.

"Goodbye, Harry."

A bright blue blast flew through the air. Harry closed his eyes and tried to prepare
himself for the impact, but it never came.

Hermione screamed when the blast hit her. She was engulfed in blue flames for a
moment, and then she just disappeared.

Harry glanced quickly around the room, trying to spot where the second blast had come
from.

Ron groaned and pulled himself to his feet. His wand was broken in half, but still
clutched in his hand.

The portrait hole swung slowly open and more Griffindors began to pile in the room.

Harry rushed to Ron's side and helped him up. "Are you all right? What did you do to
her?"

"I don't know." Ron rubbed his head. "I just tried to disarm her, but my wand broke and
it… I don't know."

"Do you think that she's gone?"

"I don't know that either…"