Chapter two – Out of the Blue
"Ron's nose was barely two inches from hers.
'I love you.' Hermione whispered.
Ron's lips moved towards-"
KNOCK – KNOCK
The loud tapping noise of someone knocking on the door woke her up.
She found herself holding her pillow in the way she had been holding Ron's face a few seconds before.
"This better be important." She thought while putting on her dressing grow, and walking drowsily towards the door.
She opened the door.
'What the fuck do-' she fell silent, closed her eyes, and opened them once more.
He was still standing there.
What in the name of Merlin was Potter doing here?
'Can I come in, Hermione?' He seemed not to be really certain about wanting to come in, though.
'Sure,' Hermione said, quite astonished by the fact he was standing on her doorstep: it was the first time in months she'd said anything to him.
Harry walked in, and looked around. He had never been here before.
Hermione noticed something moving when she closed her apartment door, obviously Harry hadn't been allowed to come in here alone, so one or more Order members accompanied him under an Invisibility Cloak so the "evil" Hermione couldn't kill Harry while he was drinking thee.
Hermione showed Harry the sofa, and he sat down.
One of Hermione's bras was hanging over the back rest, but she didn't bother to put it aside.
Harry looked at her, clearly he didn't know what to say. This plainly annoyed Hermione.
'Why, Hermione?' Was the only thing he finally managed to say.
Hermione kept her face on a look of polite puzzlement.
She could not understand how he dared to even look at her after what he'd done last year.
'Oh for God's sake, Hermione, you know damn well where I am talking about!' He shouted, the look on Hermione's face had visibly made him angry. 'Why the hell did you need to become one of them? One of those bloody Death Eaters?'
Hermione saw the desperate look in his eyes, and smirked.
She hated Potter, really, she did. She hated everything about him: from his tangled black hair, until his robes which were several inches too short.
'Why I needed to become a Death Eater?' She repeated slowly.
She intentionally rubbed her right underarm. She saw Harry flinch.
'Well, Harry. I became a Death Eater because I'm sick of being on the "right" side, because all you get if you are is death and destruction.'
A vicious light glittered in her eyes; if she'd only had had the chance she would have cursed Potter into a thousand pieces.
'But now you're the one who sows the destruction!'
Hermione acted as though she was offended.
'Oh that hurts, you know.' She said sarcastically.
And just then a pain rushed trough Hermione's Mark, it felt as though her arm was ripped into two.
She gasped, and clutched her Dark Mark.
'Kick off, Potter.' She called, 'I've got other things to do!'
Harry obviously got the point, because he left her apartment in disgust.
In the mean time, Hermione took her wand, put on some robes, and dissaparated.
***
If you thought finding Potter on your doorstep was the worst thing that could possibly happen on a Monday morning, you were wrong.
No sooner Hermione had apparated to the Dark Lord; she noticed something was definitely erroneous.
Voldemort was standing on the opposite side of her, and next to him stood Draco; there was no sign of any of the other Death Eaters.
Hermione kneeled and kissed the Dark Lord's robes.
The Dark Lord's ice cold hand hit her on the face. The blow hit hard home.
She looked up, and saw the Lord's eyes were more frightening than ever.
Tears were burning in the corners of her eyes, but she suppressed them.
'So this you way of thanking Me?' said His menacing voice.
Hermione didn't have a clue what was going on, but thought better of it than to ask.
Malfoy was holding the Daily Prophet is his hands, there was a huge headline but she could not read it from this perspective.
The Dark Lord took his wand and pointed it at her chest.
'Crucio.'
Hermione screamed. It was as though every single fibre in her body was on fire. She gasped for breath.
The pain stopped when Voldemort lowered his wand.
'Why?' was all he said.
Hermione's view was foggy, her body ached.
It was the second time in about an hour she had been asked to answer that simple question, but now she didn't have a clue what to answer.
'I don't know where you are talking about, my Lord.' She stuttered.
Voldemort took his wand once more, ready to kill.
Hermione looked at his wand, petrified.
'Don't!' Malfoy suddenly screamed.
Voldemort turned to face Draco, astonished about his exclamation.
'I don't understand, Draco. You are the one who said she was behind this mess.'
'I know.' Malfoy said, obviously he, too, was surprised by his exclamation. 'But I think we need to use Occlumency first to look neither she's lying or not.'
"Yes, please. Let them just tear open my mind so they can see I've nothing to hide." She thought frantically.
'Oh, well then, as you wish.' Voldemort said.
Draco took his wand; an unpleasant smile was playing on his lips.
'Occlumens!'
Pictures of all sorts of events flashed in her view: she, struggling with Devil's Snare; she, seeing the Basilisk in the reflection of her mirror; she, facing about one hundred Dementors in her third year; she, hiding under a desk in the Ministry of Magic; she, touching the dead face of Ron; she, shouting at her mother and father at the beginning of the Summer Holiday's...
It seemed to take ages before Draco was satisfied.
By the time he had stopped, Hermione was crying; she's seen things she had put in the back of her mind, and never had wanted to relive again.
Had Malfoy seen al those things too? He seemed to be off his stroke, though.
'And?' The Dark Lord said impatiently.
'Nothing, sir.' He said.
'What do you mean "nothing"?' Voldemort said coldly.
'I didn't saw anything that may point in the direction of her being the sneak.'
Voldemort turned to face Hermione once more.
'So you aren't behind those attacks?' The Lord said suspiciously.
'What attacks?' She answered, while wiping away her tears.
'Don't you even know about the attack?' Draco said in disbelief.
'No, I don't.' Hermione said. She still didn't have a clue where they were talking about.
'Give her the paper.' Voldemort commanded.
Draco gave her the paper, Hermione gasped when she saw the headline:
MASS CAPTURE – MINISTRY CAUGHT THIRTEEN DEATH EATERS
'I... I didn't... know.' She stammered.
Her head was swimming, this had really been too much for one day... first that Potter boy, now this imprisoning. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen next.
Hermione read the whole article in disgust. No wonder the Dark Lord was pissed off: thirteen of his best Death Eaters in Azkaban.
'Snape...' she stuttered.
'What did you say?' Malfoy asked curiously.
'Snape... Severus Snape... He's the spy; he's been a spy for the Order for ages.' She answered.
'The Order of the Phoenix?' Malfoy was staring at Hermione with an eager look in his face.
'Yes.'
'What- ' Draco began, but the Dark Lord silenced Malfoy by only looking at him.
'Well, well, Miss Granger. Why do you think Snape's the one who's behind these attacks?' The Lord said calmly.
'I've seen him. The night of my Marking, he said he was going to tell the Order about me...' It had been stupid of her not to tell the Lord straight away.
A triumphant light shone in her master's red eyes.
'What are you going to do about this, my Lord?' she asked cautiously.
Voldemort laughed in a cruel, joyless way.
'Oh, my dear Angel. You'll find out soon enough...'
"Ron's nose was barely two inches from hers.
'I love you.' Hermione whispered.
Ron's lips moved towards-"
KNOCK – KNOCK
The loud tapping noise of someone knocking on the door woke her up.
She found herself holding her pillow in the way she had been holding Ron's face a few seconds before.
"This better be important." She thought while putting on her dressing grow, and walking drowsily towards the door.
She opened the door.
'What the fuck do-' she fell silent, closed her eyes, and opened them once more.
He was still standing there.
What in the name of Merlin was Potter doing here?
'Can I come in, Hermione?' He seemed not to be really certain about wanting to come in, though.
'Sure,' Hermione said, quite astonished by the fact he was standing on her doorstep: it was the first time in months she'd said anything to him.
Harry walked in, and looked around. He had never been here before.
Hermione noticed something moving when she closed her apartment door, obviously Harry hadn't been allowed to come in here alone, so one or more Order members accompanied him under an Invisibility Cloak so the "evil" Hermione couldn't kill Harry while he was drinking thee.
Hermione showed Harry the sofa, and he sat down.
One of Hermione's bras was hanging over the back rest, but she didn't bother to put it aside.
Harry looked at her, clearly he didn't know what to say. This plainly annoyed Hermione.
'Why, Hermione?' Was the only thing he finally managed to say.
Hermione kept her face on a look of polite puzzlement.
She could not understand how he dared to even look at her after what he'd done last year.
'Oh for God's sake, Hermione, you know damn well where I am talking about!' He shouted, the look on Hermione's face had visibly made him angry. 'Why the hell did you need to become one of them? One of those bloody Death Eaters?'
Hermione saw the desperate look in his eyes, and smirked.
She hated Potter, really, she did. She hated everything about him: from his tangled black hair, until his robes which were several inches too short.
'Why I needed to become a Death Eater?' She repeated slowly.
She intentionally rubbed her right underarm. She saw Harry flinch.
'Well, Harry. I became a Death Eater because I'm sick of being on the "right" side, because all you get if you are is death and destruction.'
A vicious light glittered in her eyes; if she'd only had had the chance she would have cursed Potter into a thousand pieces.
'But now you're the one who sows the destruction!'
Hermione acted as though she was offended.
'Oh that hurts, you know.' She said sarcastically.
And just then a pain rushed trough Hermione's Mark, it felt as though her arm was ripped into two.
She gasped, and clutched her Dark Mark.
'Kick off, Potter.' She called, 'I've got other things to do!'
Harry obviously got the point, because he left her apartment in disgust.
In the mean time, Hermione took her wand, put on some robes, and dissaparated.
***
If you thought finding Potter on your doorstep was the worst thing that could possibly happen on a Monday morning, you were wrong.
No sooner Hermione had apparated to the Dark Lord; she noticed something was definitely erroneous.
Voldemort was standing on the opposite side of her, and next to him stood Draco; there was no sign of any of the other Death Eaters.
Hermione kneeled and kissed the Dark Lord's robes.
The Dark Lord's ice cold hand hit her on the face. The blow hit hard home.
She looked up, and saw the Lord's eyes were more frightening than ever.
Tears were burning in the corners of her eyes, but she suppressed them.
'So this you way of thanking Me?' said His menacing voice.
Hermione didn't have a clue what was going on, but thought better of it than to ask.
Malfoy was holding the Daily Prophet is his hands, there was a huge headline but she could not read it from this perspective.
The Dark Lord took his wand and pointed it at her chest.
'Crucio.'
Hermione screamed. It was as though every single fibre in her body was on fire. She gasped for breath.
The pain stopped when Voldemort lowered his wand.
'Why?' was all he said.
Hermione's view was foggy, her body ached.
It was the second time in about an hour she had been asked to answer that simple question, but now she didn't have a clue what to answer.
'I don't know where you are talking about, my Lord.' She stuttered.
Voldemort took his wand once more, ready to kill.
Hermione looked at his wand, petrified.
'Don't!' Malfoy suddenly screamed.
Voldemort turned to face Draco, astonished about his exclamation.
'I don't understand, Draco. You are the one who said she was behind this mess.'
'I know.' Malfoy said, obviously he, too, was surprised by his exclamation. 'But I think we need to use Occlumency first to look neither she's lying or not.'
"Yes, please. Let them just tear open my mind so they can see I've nothing to hide." She thought frantically.
'Oh, well then, as you wish.' Voldemort said.
Draco took his wand; an unpleasant smile was playing on his lips.
'Occlumens!'
Pictures of all sorts of events flashed in her view: she, struggling with Devil's Snare; she, seeing the Basilisk in the reflection of her mirror; she, facing about one hundred Dementors in her third year; she, hiding under a desk in the Ministry of Magic; she, touching the dead face of Ron; she, shouting at her mother and father at the beginning of the Summer Holiday's...
It seemed to take ages before Draco was satisfied.
By the time he had stopped, Hermione was crying; she's seen things she had put in the back of her mind, and never had wanted to relive again.
Had Malfoy seen al those things too? He seemed to be off his stroke, though.
'And?' The Dark Lord said impatiently.
'Nothing, sir.' He said.
'What do you mean "nothing"?' Voldemort said coldly.
'I didn't saw anything that may point in the direction of her being the sneak.'
Voldemort turned to face Hermione once more.
'So you aren't behind those attacks?' The Lord said suspiciously.
'What attacks?' She answered, while wiping away her tears.
'Don't you even know about the attack?' Draco said in disbelief.
'No, I don't.' Hermione said. She still didn't have a clue where they were talking about.
'Give her the paper.' Voldemort commanded.
Draco gave her the paper, Hermione gasped when she saw the headline:
MASS CAPTURE – MINISTRY CAUGHT THIRTEEN DEATH EATERS
'I... I didn't... know.' She stammered.
Her head was swimming, this had really been too much for one day... first that Potter boy, now this imprisoning. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen next.
Hermione read the whole article in disgust. No wonder the Dark Lord was pissed off: thirteen of his best Death Eaters in Azkaban.
'Snape...' she stuttered.
'What did you say?' Malfoy asked curiously.
'Snape... Severus Snape... He's the spy; he's been a spy for the Order for ages.' She answered.
'The Order of the Phoenix?' Malfoy was staring at Hermione with an eager look in his face.
'Yes.'
'What- ' Draco began, but the Dark Lord silenced Malfoy by only looking at him.
'Well, well, Miss Granger. Why do you think Snape's the one who's behind these attacks?' The Lord said calmly.
'I've seen him. The night of my Marking, he said he was going to tell the Order about me...' It had been stupid of her not to tell the Lord straight away.
A triumphant light shone in her master's red eyes.
'What are you going to do about this, my Lord?' she asked cautiously.
Voldemort laughed in a cruel, joyless way.
'Oh, my dear Angel. You'll find out soon enough...'