Sooo…Hand3's my super-quick reviewer for last chapter, with Draccy a whole ten minutes later. Sorry, Draccy. You weren't super-quick reviewer this time 'round, but you're one of my super-loyal reviewers (along with Hand3, Lily, Hippiechick, Ruby, Joots, Jayne, Terrylove, Ed, Deus-ex-maria, and whoever I've forgotten) which is a lot more important to me. Especially considering how few reviews I'm getting on this story. Thanks for being so constant in your support!

Unfortunately I'm either posting really fast or no one's getting 'round to reading this story, cuz Hand3, Draccy, Lily, and Artemis MoonClaw were my only reviewers (funny how that doesn't make my AN's shorter, isn't it?). So an extra thank-you to you all.

I'd like to welcome Artemis MoonClaw. I'll take 'weird but neat' as a compliment (which is, I'm sure, how it was intended); thank you. I hope you continue to enjoy my special brand of crazy.

--Aimes

"Stop walking like a woman," Remus/Bellemorte hissed.

Hermione/Zilner straightened and began to swagger like a man. This is what you're trained for, babe. Remus grabbed her waist and held it still. "Don't swivel at the waist," he murmured in her ear.

Ack! Danger, danger! Hermione stiffened and then relaxed, imagining ZT's calm voice encouraging her. She began to walk like Zilner. Not like Zilner, as Zilner. I am Silas Zilner. Fuck the world.

"Perfect," he rumbled. She nodded imperiously. The pair was adjusting to their new bodies in an alley in Brussels before setting off for the Cayne Estate. They cast the invisibility charm and mounted the broom. I hate flying. Please, whoever watches over bushy-haired spies who hate flying, watch over me now.

Hermione tightened her grip imperceptibly and took deep calming breaths.

"Hermione, I need to breathe, dear." She did not budge and he sighed.

They breached the estate without incident and Remus set down next to a decrepit shed. The grounds were huge, bordered on all sides by dense forest and accessible only by air or apparition, it would seem. It was situated remotely: almost an hour's broom ride away from Brussels. Hermione judged the house itself to have at least nine or ten bedrooms and she would have taken bets that the basement doubled as a dungeon. The estate was otherwise fairly empty, mostly grassy lawns, and Hermione moved as close to where Lupin should have been as she dared and whispered, "He's probably got a dungeon. Most nutter wizards do."

"How do you know so much about nutter wizards?" came the sotto voce reply.

"They're not much different from nutter muggles."

They proceeded to the house. Well, Hermione assumed they did. She was anyways. So if I lose Lupin, I'll just wing it. It's not like we had a plan beyond getting past anyone who wasn't Cayne, getting Genes and getting out. And killing as many as we could, obviously. Hopefully the disguises will shock even the knowing for long enough that we can neutralize them.

The invisible pair entered the house and proceeded to the back staircase using a locator spell. They descended underground. Hermione felt something tugging at her invisibility spell and mentally shook her head in irritation. She pushed doggedly ahead, assuming Remus was doing likewise.

Two masked wizards waited at the end of the hall in front of a door. The place was eerily silent. Not good. Not good at all. Hermione raised her gun and felt the invisibility spell crumble against the stronger force pulling at it. Not waiting for the reactions of the men, she fired, thanking the heavens for silencers.

Two in the head should take care of it. Hermione pressed against the wall in tactical mode, moving quickly and attempting to keep some cover. She did not see Remus and began to react as though he were not there. Ignoring all doors save the one at the end of the hall, Hermione shot down the corridor stealthily.

When she reached the door, Hermione hesitated. She pulled up the limp body of one of the wizards and used his hand to turn the knob, gratified when she felt the woosh of a released spell.

Touch or essence keyed, perhaps? Odd, shouldn't have worked if he was dead.

Hermione ignored the buzz of warning at the edges of her consciousness and entered the room. She froze, shocked into complete helplessness.

Eugenia Granger, age eight, was laying on a cot, chained to the wall, and obviously dead. She looked peaceful and for a moment Hermione fooled herself into thinking he sister was asleep. She sprinted forward and cradled the cold body of her elfin sister. A cold numbness filled her, only to be instantly replaced by trepidation. Wait. If she's dead why were there guards on the door? Her revelation came too late as Cayne emerged from the corner, wand trained on her.

"Welcome, Smoke. Polyjuice; ingenious. I was unsure until you ran to her whether you were truly Zilner or not. I thought perhaps he'd survived and come looking for me."

"What did you do to her, you bastard?"

"She had no information on you, so I killed her. Gently, I assure you. She felt no pain, there was no torture. Those delights are saved for you. And after we have become…acquainted? Then you shall be my enforcer and the right hand of God himself," he proclaimed modestly. He advanced on her and Hermione began to assess the probability of survival. It was not as high as she would have liked.

"Crucio!" Hermione felt every nerve in her body light on fire and she transformed back into her own body. Well, who knew that the Cruciatus had that effect? She fell to the ground, dropping the body of her sister, and convulsing violently on the cold concrete floor. "Crucio!" The pain doubled; it was like fire and ice at the same time. Her brain was beginning to shut down from the pain and she nearly gasped. No. You will reveal no modicum of emotion. He's not good enough for your pain. "Cruc—"

He was cut off by a stunning spell thrown in his direction. He was thrust backward into the wall and he dropped his wand as he fell. The spells on Hermione released and she gasped for air. Remus! The universe DOES love me! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh God, Genes. Hermione shoved the thought away and sprung to her feet, ignoring her twitching fingers and side.

She pulled out her gun and trained it on him.

"Hermione, don't!" Lupin warned. She turned to glance at him and saw Cayne moving out of the corner of her eye. She fired at the same time that Remus cast the killing curse.

"Good reflexes."

"I was going to kill him anyways."

"So was I."

"Your sister?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he replied gently, placing a slowly transforming hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go," she sighed. The air suddenly seemed that much heavier to breathe.

"Would you like to take her body with us?" he asked kindly.

"No, I have a better idea."

He did not respond, but followed her from the room without comment. When they were outside on the grounds, she took his hand and pulled out her wand. Drawing energy from him she took a breath and murmured an incantation. The mansion began to spark, then light, finally becoming a blazing inferno. The pair watched it burn for several moments before Hermione turned away.

"I'm ready," she said firmly.

Remus put a hand in the small of her back and guided her to the broom. He said nothing to intrude on her grief, remaining silent even when she tightened her grip on him and rested against his back, exhaling tiredly.