DISCLAIMER--- not my characters, nor plot.
If there are any Buffy fans out there you might recognize this, I love to write the HP fanfics were Harry is evil, so this is a take on the Buffy episode 'The Wish' in which a vengeance demon, Anya, grants Cordiellia's wish to have Buffy never come to Sunnydale, so this is kinda like that, but alittle different!
ENJOY
The Wish
'Stupid Potter!' Malfoy spat to himself in the deserted dungeon corridor, 'Everyone loves ickle Harry, the saviour of the world!' he said in a mock adoring voice. He continued through the hall and reached a large shield on the wall.
'Yellow banana,' he announced into the darkness, and the shield swung forward revealing a hole leading to another dimly lit room filled with luxurious leather couches. Malfoy took a seat and sprawled out onto the largest chair in the room.
'Sometimes I wish ...'
'Hello, a sweet voice whispered from behind him, he whirled around swiftly only to meet the face of a smiling Slytherin girl. She had a very bizarre square emerald around her neck.
'Oh – ' he said somewhat shocked, 'who are you?' he said very rudely, the girl didn't notice but rather sat opposite him.
'I'm Anya, third year,' he said waving a little. The shear sight of this girl made Malfoy want to throw up, she definitely didn't look like a Slytherin.
'Oh ... Malfoy,' he said jabbing a thumb towards his chest, 'So why aren't you celebrating with Saint Potter?'
'Didn't feel like it I s'pose,' she said, 'What were you saying before I interrupted?' her eyes went wide and she rested her head in her palms. Malfoy was repulsed.
'None of your business, I'd say,' he said lying back on the couch.
'Oh, come on, I'm a great listener,' she said her eyebrows rising with excitement.
'It's just ... Potter always gets so much attention cause he's special, anyones bloody parents can go get themselves blown up, doesn't make them great!' he said slamming his fist into the fine leather, 'I'm better than him at lots of things, alright so he beat me at quidditch a few times, but I still win all the time!' he said starting to sound like he was pleading.
'That's horrible,' the girl said without blinking or removing her stare.
'See? Thank-you ... You know how it is. It's just, sometimes ...' he sighed hard into the air staring at the ceiling, 'I wish that people didn't think he was so damn great! I just wish people hated him as much as I do!' The Girl smirked.
'That can be arranged,'
*
CRASH! Hermione woke to the booming thunder and the flashes of lightening. However, she'd been waking up like this every night for a year, she always thought, could this be the night? She turned onto her side to see Ron, snoring in the bed beside her, in the hall she could hear Dumbledore talking with Lupin who was on guard duty. She got to her feet grabbed her wand and made her way out the door.
'I think I'll help for a bit,' Hermione said sleepily as she drifted into a straight backed chair she conjured.
'Hermione, you need to sleep, we have to leave tomorrow,' Lupin said sympathetically.
'Already?' she asked, dumbfounded.
'Yes, only three days at each house, you know the rules, besides we think they might be catching on to Moody, Kingsley and Tonks in France.' Lupin said frowning.
'Will we be flying, or port-key?' Hermione asked yawning.
'I will be making a port-key,' Dumbledore finally piped up, 'When you arrive, you must un-enchant it! If it's left for too long they may notice it.'
Hermione's heart sank, it had only been 2 years ago when they had fought side by side, now she ran from him, like a helpless ant from a mean kid with a magnifying glass.
'Hermione, why're you up?' Ron yawned now also exiting from the room.
'Couldn't sleep.' Hermione said dully gazing at a stone tile that had a crack in it. But wait, that wasn't there a second ago, and sure enough now the crack spread into the next tile, 'Umm, does anyone else see that?' Hermione asked gesturing towards the crack which now extended across 5 tiles.
'Get Back!' Dumbledore yelled pulling Hermione and Lupin from the tiles. They stood on the spot, very tense for a moment, everything was quiet. Then the lights went out leaving everything unnaturally dim. Crack, some of the tiles snapped. Creeaaak, the floor sunk slightly lower, and finally collapsed with a deafening bang! Everything went quiet and the dust rised casually. Then an arm was flung over the great hole. Hermione noticed it belonged to a female.
'Bellatrix,' Hermione whispered. She readied her wand but then a face joined the arm, with loud panting, but not the sunken guant face of Bellatrix Lestrange, the round small face of Nymphadora Tonks. Hermione dropped her wand and ran towards her. When she was three feet from Tonks she noticed blood oozing from her hairline. A second head now raised beside Tonks', first came the jet-black matted hair, followed by the thin red scar, then his big round glasses, it was Harry Potter.
'You should've seen your face!' Harry exclaimed pointing at Hermione and laughing while hovering over the hole. It was evident he was the one making the panting, 'Tonks, oh Tonks! Seriously, though, that bitch is heavy!' Harry faked cried among his laughing.
'You sicken me,' Hermione spat now seriously regretting throwing her wand.
'And I love it,' Harry said his feet now touching down upon tile, inches from Hermione, 'Dumbledore, found your friends down in France, had to say, for a bunch of Aurors you'd think they'd be quicker, but no. Honestly though, Moody was the toughest to bring down, have to put his head right beside McGonagall's in the throne room.' Dumbledore looked saddened for a second but came back to his senses.
'And where is Tom?' Dumbledore said strongly.
'Decided not to come, he still has a little bit of fear for you, I think.' Hermione was glad when Harry walked past her. 'Remus, how are you?' Lupin scowled.
'Very well, Harry.' He said in a voice of forced calm. Harry put his hands on Lupin's shoulders.
'You know, you always were my favourite defence against the dark arts teacher.' Harry put a finger to his lips, 'but look at me now,' in a flash, Harry snapped Lupin's neck and he dropped to the floor, Hermione gave a little shriek, 'So you must'nt have been too good, eh?' Harry said smiling brightly.
'Harry,' Hermione whispered in a trembling voice, 'Your horrible, you know that, your hor-' Harry slapped her across the face.
'Is this the part where you give me the "there's still time to come back" speech, and that "You're my friends"?' Harry asked maliciously. Ron walked up to Harry.
'No, it's not, it's way to late to come back, and I wouldn't say I was your friend to a rat for 1000 galleons,' He said his face set towards Harry. Harry's smile dropped.
'Tell me, Ron, How are your parents?' Ron looked at his feet, 'Oh right, they're dead!' Harry spat. Ron's face reddened.
'Harry, get out of here!' Dumbledore called.
'Or what?' Harry asked smiling and turning to Dumbledore.
'Or I'll have to –'
'Valcantium!' A voice somewhere near the rafters shouted. A long, sleek dagger stabbed Harry in his stomach. He fell to the floor.
A person fell from the roof and landed casually in front of Hermione. He had long blonde hair that was messy and unkempt, his robes and the skin that was showing was dirty and cut.
'Draco?' Hermione asked, puzzled.
'No time,' He muttered, he grabbed a small piece of tile and placed it on a chair. Harry was stirring, 'Portos,' he muttered under his breath. Hermione grabbed her wand and headed with the others to gather around the chair.
'One – two – three,' Draco said and they all touched the piece of tile. Hermione felt the familiar hook behind her belly button and then she was speeding away bumping into Draco and Ron along the way. They all hit the round with a thud and Draco deactivated the port-key. Hermione looked around and saw a dank stone room.
'Where are we?' Hermione asked gazing around intently as Draco fastened some gauntlets to his forearms.
'Hogwart's,' Draco said without looking up, 'Or what's left of it, anyway.' Dumbledore and Ron got to their feet and stared around. Hermione remembered the battle that had resulted on the grounds just two years ago, where Harry decided where his allegiance lay.
'Hang on,' Ron said looking quizzically at Draco, 'I thought, well I thought you were killed in the battle?' Ron asked Draco. Everyone turned to face him.
'Nope, sorry to burst your bubble, Weasley, I woke up a few days later, found my wand and have been fighting ever since.' He said staring down at his cut shoulder, 'They never knew it was me, I attacked stealthily, I wasn't seen, but I think Potter might have realised by now. I'm thinking you got about 400 willing death eaters tailing you, about 50 being forced, I've taken out about 100 over the last two years, only a few of the big players though.'
'Is anyone fighting with you?' Dumbledore asked looking concerned.
'Hagrid was with me for about six months, they took him on a raid of the castle, though, don't reckon he's killed, they probably try to get information. Kingsley and Moody stopped by before, but I kept to the shadows, they didn't know I was here.'
'They're dead now,' Hermione said bitterly, thinking of Tonks' face in the hole. 'How did you know we where at that house?'
'Something I heard Kingsley say, then I overheard a planned attack on it, from a group of death eaters.' He said as though this was all rather dull, however Hermione's heart was pounding.
'You've taken out 100 hundred death eaters?' Hermione asked incredulously, 'Alone?'
'Yeah,' he said shortly, 's'bin rough, trying not to be seen. I've rounded up some beds for tonight, we'll leave tomorrow.' He said gesturing out the hallway.
'Leaving? Where?' Ron asked his face dropping from exhaustion.
'For the Ministry, of course,' There was a deep intake of breath from Ron and Hermione but Dumbledore looked mildly amused and intrigued.
'The Ministry?' Hermione asked her jaw dropped, 'You do know what's there don't you?'
'Course,' He said grabbing a sword with Godric Gryffindor spelled down to the hilt and peering over a broken, deeping wall, 'Voldemort's stronghold. I haven't been completely in the dark.'
'Oh – Er – Dumbledore?' Ron asked pleadingly looking to the tall thin man.
'I love it!' He said simply raising his arms.
'Then it's settled,' Hermione said, almost happy but dreading the next days events, 'But, we're down so many people, we can't walk into the Ministry, four against over seven-hundred!'
'Well, we'll have to,' Darco said coldly, 'Now go to bed,' He said to them all, still peering over the wall.
*
Hermione lay awake again, staring towards the dark ceiling, going over the events of the last few hours, the deaths of the last order members beside herself, Ron and Dumbledore. Not to mention the sudden return of Draco Malfoy, and a fight against Voldemort, Harry and dozens of death eaters. Hermione heard a door open, footsteps towards her and the creak of bed springs.
'Draco?' she asked doubting that it was Dumbledore, who she had never seen sleep.
'What?' Came Malfoy's voice through the darkness.
'Hmm,' Hermione's voice was filled with laughter, 'Remember when we were at school?'
'Yeah,' Draco sounded distant.
'Did you always mean when you called me a mudblood?'
'Yes,' Hermione thought there would be a different answer, 'But, you're a pretty good witch, and after seeing what some of those death eaters can do ... I don't want to be like that.'
'Oh,' Hermione said, 'Draco, did you kill your father?' It had been rumoured that before Draco had disappeared he delivered a final blow to his father at the battle at Hogwart's.
'No,'
'I was just won –'
'I killed Lucius Malfoy,' he said coldly his voice cracking slightly, 'I have no father.'
'Hermione turned onto her side and made out the figure of Draco lying on his back in the next bed. She said nothing, the minutes passed.
'Hermoine,' he asked, he never heard him use her first name, like a friend, 'could I – could I tell you something?'
'Sure,'
'And you wouldn't tell Dumbledore or Ron?'
'Not if you don't want me too,'
'What if I said, this was all my fault, this world, with Harry and everything?'
'What?' Hermione shot up but then lay back down, 'But you fought for Dumbledore, it was Ha –'
'Listen, Hermione, the Hogwart's battle happened twice,' at this Hermione didn't know what to say, 'Harry killed Voldemort the first time, everyone celebrated, but I was jealous. I wanted so bad to have had everyone to think Harry horrible, like I had, and then, it just happened.' He sounded tired and exhausted, 'Do you think I did it?'
No, I think your out of your bloody mind! It took Hermione a second to realize this was not what he wanted to hear, 'You could have, if you felt strong enough, but changing the Universe, not even the most powerful wizard could accomplish that.'
'Well, I was angry, I left the feast, when I arrived at the common room I spoke to some girl, when I went to bed that night everything was fine, but when I woke up I was under Grawp,'
'Well, you could have – Wait, there was a feast?' Hermione could make out the look on Draco's face even through the dark.
'Uh, yeah,' he said somewhat sarcastically.
'With the whole school?'
'Yeah,'
'But this girl, she wasn't there?'
'No,'
'Do you know who she was?'
'No, I had never seen her before, she said her name was Anya, though,' Hermione sat upright and bolted towards the door.
'Is any of the library left?' she asked intently.
'Well, some books, there in the first room of the left, but I don –' but Hermione had dashed out the door, leaving it swinging behind.
*
Hermione had fallen asleep at the table beside Dumbledore and awoke at the sound of the creaking door, she looked up to see Ron and Draco.
'Draco come here,' She said waving her hand frantically. Dumbledore was smiling brightly. Draco took a seat beside Hermione and conjured a coffee. "Was the girl wearing this?' she pointed to a picture of a square emerald necklace in a book.
'Yeah,' Draco recalled.
'Aha!' Hermione screamed triumphantly, 'I know what happened, it wasn't you, it was the girl. She's a vengeance demon!'
'She didn't look like a demon,'
'Well she wouldn't have, vengeance demons are kind of like, Half- breeds, demon power but human form. They're very tricky, you can break the spell by breaking her necklace, oh but I don't reckon you'll see her again,'
'I see her al the time, I always see her on the grounds but when I look back, she's gone,'
'Teleporting!' Hermione smacked herself in the forehead.
'Teleporting?' Ron chimed in, who had been listening to the conversation intently.
'It's kind of like apparating, except – demony,' she said happily, 'So we can still get back to the world where Harry won!'
'We will continue to the Ministry, however,' Dumbledore said commandingly, 'That is first for our plans,'
'Your right, Dumbledore,' Draco said, he picked up Godric Gryffindor's sword, 'Portus,' He muttered, and the sword glowed blue for a brief second. 'Grab hold,' he said, 'One – Two – three!' they each grabbed the sword and felt there feet removed from the ground and then they slammed to the ground outside a grubbing looking alleyway in London. No muggles inhabited this area anymore, so there was no need to be inconspicuous. Hermione and the others made their way to a gaping hole in the street while Draco disenchanted the sword and lowered it to his side.
'Who's going first then?' Ron said looking apprehensively down the square dark hole. But before anyone could answer, with the swish of a cloak Draco dropped down the hole. A minute later his voice echoed up.
'It's OK,' so with that Hermione then Ron and finally Dumbledore dropped down the hole.
They found themselves in a dim atrium, which was destroyed and desserted, and bones lay around the rubble. There was a flash of light and flame and Fawkes the Phoenix had appeared on Dumbledore' shoulder illuminating the room. Hermione hurried across the atrium towards the lifts.
'How do you know where they are?' Ron asked quietly.
'Where else are they going to be ... come on,' she waved them onto the lift and stabbed the number nine button. The lift shifted noisily downwards and clanged to a stop at the bottom. They hurried down the hall to the plain black door that was ajar. When they passed it there was a circular black room with at least 14 doors, but one was fully open.
'Figures,' Hermione whispered.
'What?' Ron asked completely at a loss for what Hermione meant.
'Don't you see?' She asked gesturing towards the door, 'It's the death room!' Ron looked utterly bewildered. 'Where Sirius died!' Comprehension dawned on his face, Draco tightened his grip on the sword and Dumbledore stroked Fawkes who closed his eyes in delight.
They slowly made their way around the door and stood at the very top of bench like seats descending into a pit, where a single arch stood with a tattered black veil. There stood Voldemort and Harry each leaning on the arch.
'Dumbledore you came!' Harry said smiling wide!
'Tom, Harry,' Dumbledore nodded slightly but with a repressed look of disgust. Hermione thought she saw movement across the room, and assumed there were death eaters positioned around them.
'Let's go then,' Draco snarled to Dumbledore who both descended slowly. Hermione and Ron made their way around the room in opposite directions.
'Draco, how are you?' Harry saked beaming, 'Have sorely missed your dad's help.'
'Valcantium!' Draco shouted, a long sleek blade shot from his wand tip and at Harry who moved and the blade shot through the arch which did not appear on the opposite sides. Now both Draco and Dumbledore ran down and Voldemort and Harry tensed raising their wands. Spells and wands flashed like swords. A silver streak of light flew up and narrowly missed Hermione's foot.
A heavy thud issued from across the room, Hermione turned to see Ron on the floor and the swish of a cloak vanishing into the shadows. He's not dead! She told herself as she rushed around the room, spells hitting everywhere around her, occasionally hearing "Avada Kedavra' or "Protego' from below. She was feet from Ron and held her wand tight. In a second, she was hit very hard in the head, and saw the hem of a robe swish behind another pillar.
She looked into the sunken pit, Harry had just hit Draco with a hard spell and he flew to the second row of benches. The sword he had been carrying clanged to the ground. Harry approached, slowly with a smile on his face. Behind her someone left the shadows, she saw the flash of a particularly large emerald necklace and the sinister face of a young girl look back. Harry raised his wand and smiled. Hermione had one chance.
'Valcantium!' She screamed, at the same time she heard, 'Wingardium leviosa!' then there was brief silence and the sound of a blade being driven into skin. She looked at the girl, she had a dagger sticking through her necklace and into her chest, and then she looked to the pit. Harry had Godric Gryffindor's sword sticking from his chest. He backed onto the dais, and Dumbledore and Voldemort stopped. Harry backed in front of the veil, while the girl collapsed onto her stomach.
Harry's eyes rolled very swiftly, he looked thoughtfully around the dim room, 'Sirius?' he asked the air, and with a swish of his robes he tumbled through the tattered veil, never to be seen again.
*
Draco woke from the couch in a cold sweat, he had fallen asleep, was it a dream then? He got to his feet and made his way out of the empty common room and into the dark dungeon corridor. He ran now and reached the great hall where he heard loud talking and the clang of cutlery on plates. He sneaked through the great doors and made his way, not to the Slytherin table, but the Gryffindor's. Ron stopped talking as he saw him approach.
'Hey Hermione,' he said waving slightly.
'What, no mudblood?' Hermione asked with her face I a frown, 'Is this a joke, then?'
'No –I –'
'Malfoy, we've had our fair share of git today, thanks!' Ron said nastily. Draco turned and headed to the Slytherin table, as he did he glanced back, he could have sworn he had seen Hermione watching him and turn away hastily when she had realized.
If there are any Buffy fans out there you might recognize this, I love to write the HP fanfics were Harry is evil, so this is a take on the Buffy episode 'The Wish' in which a vengeance demon, Anya, grants Cordiellia's wish to have Buffy never come to Sunnydale, so this is kinda like that, but alittle different!
ENJOY
The Wish
'Stupid Potter!' Malfoy spat to himself in the deserted dungeon corridor, 'Everyone loves ickle Harry, the saviour of the world!' he said in a mock adoring voice. He continued through the hall and reached a large shield on the wall.
'Yellow banana,' he announced into the darkness, and the shield swung forward revealing a hole leading to another dimly lit room filled with luxurious leather couches. Malfoy took a seat and sprawled out onto the largest chair in the room.
'Sometimes I wish ...'
'Hello, a sweet voice whispered from behind him, he whirled around swiftly only to meet the face of a smiling Slytherin girl. She had a very bizarre square emerald around her neck.
'Oh – ' he said somewhat shocked, 'who are you?' he said very rudely, the girl didn't notice but rather sat opposite him.
'I'm Anya, third year,' he said waving a little. The shear sight of this girl made Malfoy want to throw up, she definitely didn't look like a Slytherin.
'Oh ... Malfoy,' he said jabbing a thumb towards his chest, 'So why aren't you celebrating with Saint Potter?'
'Didn't feel like it I s'pose,' she said, 'What were you saying before I interrupted?' her eyes went wide and she rested her head in her palms. Malfoy was repulsed.
'None of your business, I'd say,' he said lying back on the couch.
'Oh, come on, I'm a great listener,' she said her eyebrows rising with excitement.
'It's just ... Potter always gets so much attention cause he's special, anyones bloody parents can go get themselves blown up, doesn't make them great!' he said slamming his fist into the fine leather, 'I'm better than him at lots of things, alright so he beat me at quidditch a few times, but I still win all the time!' he said starting to sound like he was pleading.
'That's horrible,' the girl said without blinking or removing her stare.
'See? Thank-you ... You know how it is. It's just, sometimes ...' he sighed hard into the air staring at the ceiling, 'I wish that people didn't think he was so damn great! I just wish people hated him as much as I do!' The Girl smirked.
'That can be arranged,'
*
CRASH! Hermione woke to the booming thunder and the flashes of lightening. However, she'd been waking up like this every night for a year, she always thought, could this be the night? She turned onto her side to see Ron, snoring in the bed beside her, in the hall she could hear Dumbledore talking with Lupin who was on guard duty. She got to her feet grabbed her wand and made her way out the door.
'I think I'll help for a bit,' Hermione said sleepily as she drifted into a straight backed chair she conjured.
'Hermione, you need to sleep, we have to leave tomorrow,' Lupin said sympathetically.
'Already?' she asked, dumbfounded.
'Yes, only three days at each house, you know the rules, besides we think they might be catching on to Moody, Kingsley and Tonks in France.' Lupin said frowning.
'Will we be flying, or port-key?' Hermione asked yawning.
'I will be making a port-key,' Dumbledore finally piped up, 'When you arrive, you must un-enchant it! If it's left for too long they may notice it.'
Hermione's heart sank, it had only been 2 years ago when they had fought side by side, now she ran from him, like a helpless ant from a mean kid with a magnifying glass.
'Hermione, why're you up?' Ron yawned now also exiting from the room.
'Couldn't sleep.' Hermione said dully gazing at a stone tile that had a crack in it. But wait, that wasn't there a second ago, and sure enough now the crack spread into the next tile, 'Umm, does anyone else see that?' Hermione asked gesturing towards the crack which now extended across 5 tiles.
'Get Back!' Dumbledore yelled pulling Hermione and Lupin from the tiles. They stood on the spot, very tense for a moment, everything was quiet. Then the lights went out leaving everything unnaturally dim. Crack, some of the tiles snapped. Creeaaak, the floor sunk slightly lower, and finally collapsed with a deafening bang! Everything went quiet and the dust rised casually. Then an arm was flung over the great hole. Hermione noticed it belonged to a female.
'Bellatrix,' Hermione whispered. She readied her wand but then a face joined the arm, with loud panting, but not the sunken guant face of Bellatrix Lestrange, the round small face of Nymphadora Tonks. Hermione dropped her wand and ran towards her. When she was three feet from Tonks she noticed blood oozing from her hairline. A second head now raised beside Tonks', first came the jet-black matted hair, followed by the thin red scar, then his big round glasses, it was Harry Potter.
'You should've seen your face!' Harry exclaimed pointing at Hermione and laughing while hovering over the hole. It was evident he was the one making the panting, 'Tonks, oh Tonks! Seriously, though, that bitch is heavy!' Harry faked cried among his laughing.
'You sicken me,' Hermione spat now seriously regretting throwing her wand.
'And I love it,' Harry said his feet now touching down upon tile, inches from Hermione, 'Dumbledore, found your friends down in France, had to say, for a bunch of Aurors you'd think they'd be quicker, but no. Honestly though, Moody was the toughest to bring down, have to put his head right beside McGonagall's in the throne room.' Dumbledore looked saddened for a second but came back to his senses.
'And where is Tom?' Dumbledore said strongly.
'Decided not to come, he still has a little bit of fear for you, I think.' Hermione was glad when Harry walked past her. 'Remus, how are you?' Lupin scowled.
'Very well, Harry.' He said in a voice of forced calm. Harry put his hands on Lupin's shoulders.
'You know, you always were my favourite defence against the dark arts teacher.' Harry put a finger to his lips, 'but look at me now,' in a flash, Harry snapped Lupin's neck and he dropped to the floor, Hermione gave a little shriek, 'So you must'nt have been too good, eh?' Harry said smiling brightly.
'Harry,' Hermione whispered in a trembling voice, 'Your horrible, you know that, your hor-' Harry slapped her across the face.
'Is this the part where you give me the "there's still time to come back" speech, and that "You're my friends"?' Harry asked maliciously. Ron walked up to Harry.
'No, it's not, it's way to late to come back, and I wouldn't say I was your friend to a rat for 1000 galleons,' He said his face set towards Harry. Harry's smile dropped.
'Tell me, Ron, How are your parents?' Ron looked at his feet, 'Oh right, they're dead!' Harry spat. Ron's face reddened.
'Harry, get out of here!' Dumbledore called.
'Or what?' Harry asked smiling and turning to Dumbledore.
'Or I'll have to –'
'Valcantium!' A voice somewhere near the rafters shouted. A long, sleek dagger stabbed Harry in his stomach. He fell to the floor.
A person fell from the roof and landed casually in front of Hermione. He had long blonde hair that was messy and unkempt, his robes and the skin that was showing was dirty and cut.
'Draco?' Hermione asked, puzzled.
'No time,' He muttered, he grabbed a small piece of tile and placed it on a chair. Harry was stirring, 'Portos,' he muttered under his breath. Hermione grabbed her wand and headed with the others to gather around the chair.
'One – two – three,' Draco said and they all touched the piece of tile. Hermione felt the familiar hook behind her belly button and then she was speeding away bumping into Draco and Ron along the way. They all hit the round with a thud and Draco deactivated the port-key. Hermione looked around and saw a dank stone room.
'Where are we?' Hermione asked gazing around intently as Draco fastened some gauntlets to his forearms.
'Hogwart's,' Draco said without looking up, 'Or what's left of it, anyway.' Dumbledore and Ron got to their feet and stared around. Hermione remembered the battle that had resulted on the grounds just two years ago, where Harry decided where his allegiance lay.
'Hang on,' Ron said looking quizzically at Draco, 'I thought, well I thought you were killed in the battle?' Ron asked Draco. Everyone turned to face him.
'Nope, sorry to burst your bubble, Weasley, I woke up a few days later, found my wand and have been fighting ever since.' He said staring down at his cut shoulder, 'They never knew it was me, I attacked stealthily, I wasn't seen, but I think Potter might have realised by now. I'm thinking you got about 400 willing death eaters tailing you, about 50 being forced, I've taken out about 100 over the last two years, only a few of the big players though.'
'Is anyone fighting with you?' Dumbledore asked looking concerned.
'Hagrid was with me for about six months, they took him on a raid of the castle, though, don't reckon he's killed, they probably try to get information. Kingsley and Moody stopped by before, but I kept to the shadows, they didn't know I was here.'
'They're dead now,' Hermione said bitterly, thinking of Tonks' face in the hole. 'How did you know we where at that house?'
'Something I heard Kingsley say, then I overheard a planned attack on it, from a group of death eaters.' He said as though this was all rather dull, however Hermione's heart was pounding.
'You've taken out 100 hundred death eaters?' Hermione asked incredulously, 'Alone?'
'Yeah,' he said shortly, 's'bin rough, trying not to be seen. I've rounded up some beds for tonight, we'll leave tomorrow.' He said gesturing out the hallway.
'Leaving? Where?' Ron asked his face dropping from exhaustion.
'For the Ministry, of course,' There was a deep intake of breath from Ron and Hermione but Dumbledore looked mildly amused and intrigued.
'The Ministry?' Hermione asked her jaw dropped, 'You do know what's there don't you?'
'Course,' He said grabbing a sword with Godric Gryffindor spelled down to the hilt and peering over a broken, deeping wall, 'Voldemort's stronghold. I haven't been completely in the dark.'
'Oh – Er – Dumbledore?' Ron asked pleadingly looking to the tall thin man.
'I love it!' He said simply raising his arms.
'Then it's settled,' Hermione said, almost happy but dreading the next days events, 'But, we're down so many people, we can't walk into the Ministry, four against over seven-hundred!'
'Well, we'll have to,' Darco said coldly, 'Now go to bed,' He said to them all, still peering over the wall.
*
Hermione lay awake again, staring towards the dark ceiling, going over the events of the last few hours, the deaths of the last order members beside herself, Ron and Dumbledore. Not to mention the sudden return of Draco Malfoy, and a fight against Voldemort, Harry and dozens of death eaters. Hermione heard a door open, footsteps towards her and the creak of bed springs.
'Draco?' she asked doubting that it was Dumbledore, who she had never seen sleep.
'What?' Came Malfoy's voice through the darkness.
'Hmm,' Hermione's voice was filled with laughter, 'Remember when we were at school?'
'Yeah,' Draco sounded distant.
'Did you always mean when you called me a mudblood?'
'Yes,' Hermione thought there would be a different answer, 'But, you're a pretty good witch, and after seeing what some of those death eaters can do ... I don't want to be like that.'
'Oh,' Hermione said, 'Draco, did you kill your father?' It had been rumoured that before Draco had disappeared he delivered a final blow to his father at the battle at Hogwart's.
'No,'
'I was just won –'
'I killed Lucius Malfoy,' he said coldly his voice cracking slightly, 'I have no father.'
'Hermione turned onto her side and made out the figure of Draco lying on his back in the next bed. She said nothing, the minutes passed.
'Hermoine,' he asked, he never heard him use her first name, like a friend, 'could I – could I tell you something?'
'Sure,'
'And you wouldn't tell Dumbledore or Ron?'
'Not if you don't want me too,'
'What if I said, this was all my fault, this world, with Harry and everything?'
'What?' Hermione shot up but then lay back down, 'But you fought for Dumbledore, it was Ha –'
'Listen, Hermione, the Hogwart's battle happened twice,' at this Hermione didn't know what to say, 'Harry killed Voldemort the first time, everyone celebrated, but I was jealous. I wanted so bad to have had everyone to think Harry horrible, like I had, and then, it just happened.' He sounded tired and exhausted, 'Do you think I did it?'
No, I think your out of your bloody mind! It took Hermione a second to realize this was not what he wanted to hear, 'You could have, if you felt strong enough, but changing the Universe, not even the most powerful wizard could accomplish that.'
'Well, I was angry, I left the feast, when I arrived at the common room I spoke to some girl, when I went to bed that night everything was fine, but when I woke up I was under Grawp,'
'Well, you could have – Wait, there was a feast?' Hermione could make out the look on Draco's face even through the dark.
'Uh, yeah,' he said somewhat sarcastically.
'With the whole school?'
'Yeah,'
'But this girl, she wasn't there?'
'No,'
'Do you know who she was?'
'No, I had never seen her before, she said her name was Anya, though,' Hermione sat upright and bolted towards the door.
'Is any of the library left?' she asked intently.
'Well, some books, there in the first room of the left, but I don –' but Hermione had dashed out the door, leaving it swinging behind.
*
Hermione had fallen asleep at the table beside Dumbledore and awoke at the sound of the creaking door, she looked up to see Ron and Draco.
'Draco come here,' She said waving her hand frantically. Dumbledore was smiling brightly. Draco took a seat beside Hermione and conjured a coffee. "Was the girl wearing this?' she pointed to a picture of a square emerald necklace in a book.
'Yeah,' Draco recalled.
'Aha!' Hermione screamed triumphantly, 'I know what happened, it wasn't you, it was the girl. She's a vengeance demon!'
'She didn't look like a demon,'
'Well she wouldn't have, vengeance demons are kind of like, Half- breeds, demon power but human form. They're very tricky, you can break the spell by breaking her necklace, oh but I don't reckon you'll see her again,'
'I see her al the time, I always see her on the grounds but when I look back, she's gone,'
'Teleporting!' Hermione smacked herself in the forehead.
'Teleporting?' Ron chimed in, who had been listening to the conversation intently.
'It's kind of like apparating, except – demony,' she said happily, 'So we can still get back to the world where Harry won!'
'We will continue to the Ministry, however,' Dumbledore said commandingly, 'That is first for our plans,'
'Your right, Dumbledore,' Draco said, he picked up Godric Gryffindor's sword, 'Portus,' He muttered, and the sword glowed blue for a brief second. 'Grab hold,' he said, 'One – Two – three!' they each grabbed the sword and felt there feet removed from the ground and then they slammed to the ground outside a grubbing looking alleyway in London. No muggles inhabited this area anymore, so there was no need to be inconspicuous. Hermione and the others made their way to a gaping hole in the street while Draco disenchanted the sword and lowered it to his side.
'Who's going first then?' Ron said looking apprehensively down the square dark hole. But before anyone could answer, with the swish of a cloak Draco dropped down the hole. A minute later his voice echoed up.
'It's OK,' so with that Hermione then Ron and finally Dumbledore dropped down the hole.
They found themselves in a dim atrium, which was destroyed and desserted, and bones lay around the rubble. There was a flash of light and flame and Fawkes the Phoenix had appeared on Dumbledore' shoulder illuminating the room. Hermione hurried across the atrium towards the lifts.
'How do you know where they are?' Ron asked quietly.
'Where else are they going to be ... come on,' she waved them onto the lift and stabbed the number nine button. The lift shifted noisily downwards and clanged to a stop at the bottom. They hurried down the hall to the plain black door that was ajar. When they passed it there was a circular black room with at least 14 doors, but one was fully open.
'Figures,' Hermione whispered.
'What?' Ron asked completely at a loss for what Hermione meant.
'Don't you see?' She asked gesturing towards the door, 'It's the death room!' Ron looked utterly bewildered. 'Where Sirius died!' Comprehension dawned on his face, Draco tightened his grip on the sword and Dumbledore stroked Fawkes who closed his eyes in delight.
They slowly made their way around the door and stood at the very top of bench like seats descending into a pit, where a single arch stood with a tattered black veil. There stood Voldemort and Harry each leaning on the arch.
'Dumbledore you came!' Harry said smiling wide!
'Tom, Harry,' Dumbledore nodded slightly but with a repressed look of disgust. Hermione thought she saw movement across the room, and assumed there were death eaters positioned around them.
'Let's go then,' Draco snarled to Dumbledore who both descended slowly. Hermione and Ron made their way around the room in opposite directions.
'Draco, how are you?' Harry saked beaming, 'Have sorely missed your dad's help.'
'Valcantium!' Draco shouted, a long sleek blade shot from his wand tip and at Harry who moved and the blade shot through the arch which did not appear on the opposite sides. Now both Draco and Dumbledore ran down and Voldemort and Harry tensed raising their wands. Spells and wands flashed like swords. A silver streak of light flew up and narrowly missed Hermione's foot.
A heavy thud issued from across the room, Hermione turned to see Ron on the floor and the swish of a cloak vanishing into the shadows. He's not dead! She told herself as she rushed around the room, spells hitting everywhere around her, occasionally hearing "Avada Kedavra' or "Protego' from below. She was feet from Ron and held her wand tight. In a second, she was hit very hard in the head, and saw the hem of a robe swish behind another pillar.
She looked into the sunken pit, Harry had just hit Draco with a hard spell and he flew to the second row of benches. The sword he had been carrying clanged to the ground. Harry approached, slowly with a smile on his face. Behind her someone left the shadows, she saw the flash of a particularly large emerald necklace and the sinister face of a young girl look back. Harry raised his wand and smiled. Hermione had one chance.
'Valcantium!' She screamed, at the same time she heard, 'Wingardium leviosa!' then there was brief silence and the sound of a blade being driven into skin. She looked at the girl, she had a dagger sticking through her necklace and into her chest, and then she looked to the pit. Harry had Godric Gryffindor's sword sticking from his chest. He backed onto the dais, and Dumbledore and Voldemort stopped. Harry backed in front of the veil, while the girl collapsed onto her stomach.
Harry's eyes rolled very swiftly, he looked thoughtfully around the dim room, 'Sirius?' he asked the air, and with a swish of his robes he tumbled through the tattered veil, never to be seen again.
*
Draco woke from the couch in a cold sweat, he had fallen asleep, was it a dream then? He got to his feet and made his way out of the empty common room and into the dark dungeon corridor. He ran now and reached the great hall where he heard loud talking and the clang of cutlery on plates. He sneaked through the great doors and made his way, not to the Slytherin table, but the Gryffindor's. Ron stopped talking as he saw him approach.
'Hey Hermione,' he said waving slightly.
'What, no mudblood?' Hermione asked with her face I a frown, 'Is this a joke, then?'
'No –I –'
'Malfoy, we've had our fair share of git today, thanks!' Ron said nastily. Draco turned and headed to the Slytherin table, as he did he glanced back, he could have sworn he had seen Hermione watching him and turn away hastily when she had realized.