She had been in the wizarding world for years now – ever since she was an
eleven-year-old at Hogwarts for her first time.
She had seen all the hate, anger, violence, and bigotry in the magical world – and up until now she had calmly stood by and watched scenes unfold before her – watched as wizards hating each other clashed every time they saw each other, yelling at each other, holding grudges, fueling each other's anger, leading to violence, someone's death, and just adding more stress.
The wizarding world was separated down the center. It was as if there was two different species; Gryffindors and Slytherins. Light and Dark. White and Black. Good guys and bad guys. The world was split between those on Dumbledore's side and those on Voldemort's side. A few trod in the gray areas on the borderline between the two sides, such as Wormtail or Snape, but they were the exception; few and far between.
She looked down on brushes between the two sides with scorn from Day One.
Harry and Voldemort. Weasleys and Malfoys. Black and Snape. Potters and Snape. Malfoys and herself. Fudge and Dumbledore. Dumbledore and Voldemort. And that was just the beginning. There were so many more hate- relationships present in the Wizarding world...
So much hate between the 'two sides.'
She recalled something someone had said to her long ago – "It takes just one person to make a difference." One person with a change of idea, a few start following them, and then it trickles down into the mainstream of the population – all from that one person. Like when a rock is dropped in a pond and the water radiates out in larger and larger ripples.
She would do anything to end it all – end the hate, and the war is over – not necessarily convert anyone to the Light, nor to the Dark, but to someplace in between.
Anything – she'd marry Voldemort, knowing full well she was putting not only her happiness, her innocence, but her own life at risk – anything was worth it, in her opinion to end the feud that had been going on in the wizarding world for centuries.
Hermione's Gryffindor bravery that had been absent for the past week, settled back in her – she was resolved to do whatever it took to break down the wall between the two sides, and form an alliance between the two sides.
She was at the perfect position to do so, as Harry Potter's best friend, and given the option to marry Lord Voldemort. She knew what she was in for, but there was a chance she could end all the hate – one thing she learned from the Time Turner is that your actions and the results of them are very complicated – and that you don't always have time to wait and let things take care of themselves. If she did that, Sirius Black would've been worse than dead as of third year, and Buckbeak would be dead.
It seemed impossible at first to accomplish such a task as resolving the hatred in the wizarding world between the Light and Dark sides without starting a war (which would still leave things the way they were and unfinished) – but now that she thought about it, it could be possible. Form a relationship with Voldemort – enough so he cares about her. A hard task, but simple enough in that he's human – not a monster. One thing she learned from her books was the biological nature of humans – humans are social animals, requiring others to survive, needing someone to be there for them...a human can't survive in isolation – humans are naturally programmed to need others to love, to be loved...even Voldemort, hard as the thought was to process, even he was human. So, once phase one was completed, have Harry come over occasionally – basically have him and Voldemort meet and over time become more civil and tolerant of each other – then, hopefully, an alliance can be formed between them. Then Good and Evil truly would be united, as the leaders would be on the same side – not Black or White, but Gray. Then it was just tying up loose ends – once an example is set with two radically different well-known people such as the Boy-Who-Lived and You- Know-Who, it was possible for people such as Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy to lay down their weapons in acceptance.
That was her theory at least.
There was a possibility it wouldn't work, but there was a possibility it would work.
In any case, she would never know until she tried. If all else failed, she could either kill herself, or hire Harry to kill Voldemort for her.
But she didn't want it to come to that. All she wanted to do was unite the Gryffindors and Slytherins, the Good and Evil in the world – make them come to terms and realize what their fighting for is pointless, their differences are small and unimportant, if any – that going around killing each other in a huge war resulting in a stalemate and unresolved conflict wouldn't do it.
Hermione sighed. There was so much to it, but if she were to start it, she would have to make her choice and marry the sadistic man – to drop the stone in the pond and help the ripples begin to grow...
Voldemort sat alone again, holding a hand to his head. Torturing and killing day after day. Throw in a few death eater meetings here and there. Few prisoners. Few attacks. An occasional meeting with Potter. All in all, it was monotonous in its entirety. What was the point? Same thing – plots to hopefully kill Potter but fail, plots to storm on Dumbledore's Order and the Ministry, plots to recruit more members, plots to terrify innocent muggles and mudbloods...for about fifty-five years and counting. What had it achieved him? A name that many wizards feared to speak, but they just came up with new names...many plots failed only to have new ones risen just like the old ones. Potter was still healthy, alive, and kicking. He still didn't have immortality. It was all the same...
He had been known to go through many sadistic, angry, and happy mood swings which put his death eaters on edge – few could decide which was worse. And now he felt angst.
Yet when he was alone, sometimes he wondered why. Why he was doing all this – why he felt the need to torture and kill continuously. Sure, it was fun, but after months, years, decades, half a century, of doing just that – planning to, doing it, or finishing it, well, it just became boring. He had tried new techniques, new people, new spells...but in the end it all came down to the same thing.
He didn't know what he wanted in life; being feared by everyone and making himself a public menace had its perks, but was it what he really wanted? Maybe the idea of settling down and having a family wasn't so bad, but it was probably too late for that anyway.
He laughed grimly – and summoned Wormtail. He needed a break from brooding on his depressing thoughts...Wormtail always gave him that satisfaction.
A fat, balding blonde man appeared immediately, looking around nervously as if he wanted to be anyplace but here...he bent forward, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes in respect before standing back, groveling about something or other incoherently. Voldemort sighed. He didn't know why he chose Wormtail in the first place – for information about the Potters, but now that information was worthless.
"Shut up!" Voldemort hissed in an angry whisper. Wormtail went quiet immediately.
"Do you have any news of importance?" Voldemort hissed dangerously.
"Ye-yes, m-my lord," Wormtail stuttered. "I have re –received information that Bella failed in killing Black..."
The pale man in the chair before him leaned forward slightly, and beckoned his servant to continue. Wormtail regained some of his strength, but still trembled slightly in front of his master.
"A -at the last meeting, I overheard her talking to Avery as she left...from what I heard, it sounded like she mispronounced the Killing Curse when killing her cousin, and merely put him in a coma – he has been kept in the Lestrange's basement bound in chains for quite some time..."
Voldemort leaned forward; it was so fun to terrify Wormtail into hysterics, although that happened nearly every time he saw the man.
"And why," Voldemort hissed, "Didn't you think of telling me this EARLIER?"
"I d-did-didn't think it wa-was of imp-importance," Wormtail stammered, sounding exactly like Quirrel, being that he knew what was to come.
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort muttered. He watched Wormtail crumple to the floor and twitch in a sort of fit before screaming.. he watched this go on for several seconds – it never ceased to amuse him – it was like a kind of game – see who can last the longest before screaming, like a sort of sick-minded race – see who could stay on their feet the longest before falling to the floor – sick as others may find it, Voldemort quickly found a passion for the Dark Arts. He released the curse on Wormtail. The Cruciatrius curse tended to get dull after awhile – its like even if you have a favorite song or a favorite food, after so long you just get – tired of it – it loses its glamour in your eyes.
"Bring Black to me. I'm sure once he wakes up, you and Snape will have a grand time breaking him down."
Wormtail nodded, looking at the floor. Sirius Black – it seemed so long ago...like another lifetime back at Hogwarts, lying on the grassy field by the lake or pulling pranks with the Marauders – Black and James had always been the ringleaders of the game, Lupin was the brains, and well he – he didn't know what he was. Ah yes – Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and he was Wormtail. Their enemy was Snivellus, a man who had turned to the Dark side just like himself. He dissapparated.
Voldemort smiled a toothy grin. He doubted his death eater knew, but Wormtail always found some way of cheering him up – or at least taking his mind off other matters. Like his thoughts before summoning Wormtail.
Ah – imprisoning Black. He could find an end to his boredom in that.
It would also be a great way to summon Potter to his side. The kid would do anything for his precious Godfather.
She had seen all the hate, anger, violence, and bigotry in the magical world – and up until now she had calmly stood by and watched scenes unfold before her – watched as wizards hating each other clashed every time they saw each other, yelling at each other, holding grudges, fueling each other's anger, leading to violence, someone's death, and just adding more stress.
The wizarding world was separated down the center. It was as if there was two different species; Gryffindors and Slytherins. Light and Dark. White and Black. Good guys and bad guys. The world was split between those on Dumbledore's side and those on Voldemort's side. A few trod in the gray areas on the borderline between the two sides, such as Wormtail or Snape, but they were the exception; few and far between.
She looked down on brushes between the two sides with scorn from Day One.
Harry and Voldemort. Weasleys and Malfoys. Black and Snape. Potters and Snape. Malfoys and herself. Fudge and Dumbledore. Dumbledore and Voldemort. And that was just the beginning. There were so many more hate- relationships present in the Wizarding world...
So much hate between the 'two sides.'
She recalled something someone had said to her long ago – "It takes just one person to make a difference." One person with a change of idea, a few start following them, and then it trickles down into the mainstream of the population – all from that one person. Like when a rock is dropped in a pond and the water radiates out in larger and larger ripples.
She would do anything to end it all – end the hate, and the war is over – not necessarily convert anyone to the Light, nor to the Dark, but to someplace in between.
Anything – she'd marry Voldemort, knowing full well she was putting not only her happiness, her innocence, but her own life at risk – anything was worth it, in her opinion to end the feud that had been going on in the wizarding world for centuries.
Hermione's Gryffindor bravery that had been absent for the past week, settled back in her – she was resolved to do whatever it took to break down the wall between the two sides, and form an alliance between the two sides.
She was at the perfect position to do so, as Harry Potter's best friend, and given the option to marry Lord Voldemort. She knew what she was in for, but there was a chance she could end all the hate – one thing she learned from the Time Turner is that your actions and the results of them are very complicated – and that you don't always have time to wait and let things take care of themselves. If she did that, Sirius Black would've been worse than dead as of third year, and Buckbeak would be dead.
It seemed impossible at first to accomplish such a task as resolving the hatred in the wizarding world between the Light and Dark sides without starting a war (which would still leave things the way they were and unfinished) – but now that she thought about it, it could be possible. Form a relationship with Voldemort – enough so he cares about her. A hard task, but simple enough in that he's human – not a monster. One thing she learned from her books was the biological nature of humans – humans are social animals, requiring others to survive, needing someone to be there for them...a human can't survive in isolation – humans are naturally programmed to need others to love, to be loved...even Voldemort, hard as the thought was to process, even he was human. So, once phase one was completed, have Harry come over occasionally – basically have him and Voldemort meet and over time become more civil and tolerant of each other – then, hopefully, an alliance can be formed between them. Then Good and Evil truly would be united, as the leaders would be on the same side – not Black or White, but Gray. Then it was just tying up loose ends – once an example is set with two radically different well-known people such as the Boy-Who-Lived and You- Know-Who, it was possible for people such as Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy to lay down their weapons in acceptance.
That was her theory at least.
There was a possibility it wouldn't work, but there was a possibility it would work.
In any case, she would never know until she tried. If all else failed, she could either kill herself, or hire Harry to kill Voldemort for her.
But she didn't want it to come to that. All she wanted to do was unite the Gryffindors and Slytherins, the Good and Evil in the world – make them come to terms and realize what their fighting for is pointless, their differences are small and unimportant, if any – that going around killing each other in a huge war resulting in a stalemate and unresolved conflict wouldn't do it.
Hermione sighed. There was so much to it, but if she were to start it, she would have to make her choice and marry the sadistic man – to drop the stone in the pond and help the ripples begin to grow...
Voldemort sat alone again, holding a hand to his head. Torturing and killing day after day. Throw in a few death eater meetings here and there. Few prisoners. Few attacks. An occasional meeting with Potter. All in all, it was monotonous in its entirety. What was the point? Same thing – plots to hopefully kill Potter but fail, plots to storm on Dumbledore's Order and the Ministry, plots to recruit more members, plots to terrify innocent muggles and mudbloods...for about fifty-five years and counting. What had it achieved him? A name that many wizards feared to speak, but they just came up with new names...many plots failed only to have new ones risen just like the old ones. Potter was still healthy, alive, and kicking. He still didn't have immortality. It was all the same...
He had been known to go through many sadistic, angry, and happy mood swings which put his death eaters on edge – few could decide which was worse. And now he felt angst.
Yet when he was alone, sometimes he wondered why. Why he was doing all this – why he felt the need to torture and kill continuously. Sure, it was fun, but after months, years, decades, half a century, of doing just that – planning to, doing it, or finishing it, well, it just became boring. He had tried new techniques, new people, new spells...but in the end it all came down to the same thing.
He didn't know what he wanted in life; being feared by everyone and making himself a public menace had its perks, but was it what he really wanted? Maybe the idea of settling down and having a family wasn't so bad, but it was probably too late for that anyway.
He laughed grimly – and summoned Wormtail. He needed a break from brooding on his depressing thoughts...Wormtail always gave him that satisfaction.
A fat, balding blonde man appeared immediately, looking around nervously as if he wanted to be anyplace but here...he bent forward, kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes in respect before standing back, groveling about something or other incoherently. Voldemort sighed. He didn't know why he chose Wormtail in the first place – for information about the Potters, but now that information was worthless.
"Shut up!" Voldemort hissed in an angry whisper. Wormtail went quiet immediately.
"Do you have any news of importance?" Voldemort hissed dangerously.
"Ye-yes, m-my lord," Wormtail stuttered. "I have re –received information that Bella failed in killing Black..."
The pale man in the chair before him leaned forward slightly, and beckoned his servant to continue. Wormtail regained some of his strength, but still trembled slightly in front of his master.
"A -at the last meeting, I overheard her talking to Avery as she left...from what I heard, it sounded like she mispronounced the Killing Curse when killing her cousin, and merely put him in a coma – he has been kept in the Lestrange's basement bound in chains for quite some time..."
Voldemort leaned forward; it was so fun to terrify Wormtail into hysterics, although that happened nearly every time he saw the man.
"And why," Voldemort hissed, "Didn't you think of telling me this EARLIER?"
"I d-did-didn't think it wa-was of imp-importance," Wormtail stammered, sounding exactly like Quirrel, being that he knew what was to come.
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort muttered. He watched Wormtail crumple to the floor and twitch in a sort of fit before screaming.. he watched this go on for several seconds – it never ceased to amuse him – it was like a kind of game – see who can last the longest before screaming, like a sort of sick-minded race – see who could stay on their feet the longest before falling to the floor – sick as others may find it, Voldemort quickly found a passion for the Dark Arts. He released the curse on Wormtail. The Cruciatrius curse tended to get dull after awhile – its like even if you have a favorite song or a favorite food, after so long you just get – tired of it – it loses its glamour in your eyes.
"Bring Black to me. I'm sure once he wakes up, you and Snape will have a grand time breaking him down."
Wormtail nodded, looking at the floor. Sirius Black – it seemed so long ago...like another lifetime back at Hogwarts, lying on the grassy field by the lake or pulling pranks with the Marauders – Black and James had always been the ringleaders of the game, Lupin was the brains, and well he – he didn't know what he was. Ah yes – Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and he was Wormtail. Their enemy was Snivellus, a man who had turned to the Dark side just like himself. He dissapparated.
Voldemort smiled a toothy grin. He doubted his death eater knew, but Wormtail always found some way of cheering him up – or at least taking his mind off other matters. Like his thoughts before summoning Wormtail.
Ah – imprisoning Black. He could find an end to his boredom in that.
It would also be a great way to summon Potter to his side. The kid would do anything for his precious Godfather.
