Chapter 16

Hermione stumbled and Draco managed to catch her elbow and prevent her from falling. A chill ran through her when his ethereal hand touched her flesh, and she shivered slightly, but kept running.

Then, the River Styx loomed from the darkness; it's gentle fiery waves lapping against the stony shore of the underworld.

"Look Draco," she said, pointing to the River. "It's made of fire we will surely die if we cross!"

"And we will surely die if we do not," he replied swiftly, grabbing her hand again. "Do we have a choice?"

"There's always a choice, Draco," Hermione argued, well aware that the Furies were almost upon them, eager to drag them to Voldemort, and who knows what.

"Not this time," Draco replied angrily, dragging her onto the beach. "Don't balk Hermione."

"But-"

"Just get in!" he said roughly, dragging her into the water.

At first she was alarmed at how cool it was, but as they began to swim, she began to feel a prickling sensation across her skin. Her shoes began to fill with water and she kicked them off so she could swim better. The prickling turned to burning and increased a ten fold.

"Draco," she screamed, "Can't you feel it?"

"I've felt the fires of hell, Hermione," Draco replied crossly. "This is nothing." She dunked her head underwater, and opened her eyes. The water was greener and murky, but at the bottom of the River blue and white flames gently waved, occasionally blocked by strands of seaweed. She gasped for breath, and turned over her shoulder. Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone were flapping on the other side of the River, cursing them soundly. The burning had stopped increasing, and was now a dull ache. Finally, she felt her feet touch ground, and she hauled herself out onto the beach.

"Hermione," Draco ordered, grabbing her under the arm. "Get up! The Furies are coming!"

"What?" she gasped, struggling to her feet. "I thought they couldn't cross the river!"

"I guess we were wrong," Draco said worriedly, pulling on her more. "Let's go, hurry!"

As they straggled quickly up the hill, panting as they went. The Furies were getting closer. Hermione swiftly pulled out her wand, and opened the book.

"Oh no!" she cried in horror. "The water ruined the book! The ink has run, and I can't read the incantation!"

"You can't?"

"It's completely obscured!"

"What do we do?" Draco asked, glancing around, noticing that the Furies had reached the shore, and would be upon them within moments. Hermione had realized this as well, and she shivered, wondering how the Dark Lord would deal with them.

"Nothing, there's nothing we can do," she whispered. "It's hopeless." He took her hands in his cold ones and stared down at her.

"Hermione," he said brokenly. "I love you."

"I love you too Draco," she replied, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and waited for Furies to come down upon them. She was ready for the pain that would surely accompany the winged demons.

But nothing happened. She ventured to open her eyes slowly. Queen Persephone was standing before them, a sorrowful smile on her beautiful face. She held a wand in her hand, and Hermione looked to see the Furies frozen in mid air.

"Your majesty," she gasped, releasing Draco and falling to her knees. "Thank you-"

"Thanks are not needed, Hermione," Persephone said kindly, motioning for her to stand. "We shall be seeing much of each other in the coming years."

"I didn't know you were a witch," Draco said, confused. He scratched his head. She smiled benevolently.

"I am the patron Goddess of dark magic," Persephone explained, sliding her wand into her pocket.

"Then, aren't you in league with You-Know-Who?" Draco asked.

Persephone shook her head. "Riddle has ventured beyond the Gate of Death and Misery, and I can no longer help him. He is beyond any God's control, and his fate is not in my hands. Hades must accept the monster he has created, and my husband cannot decide what will happen to the Mortal."

"So the Gods are powerless in this situation?" Hermione asked, fearing that her answer would be yes.

Persephone nodded. "All the Gods of every religion, the Christian God, the Goddess, Buddha, the Mohammed, we are all unable to stop this monstrosity that Hades has nurtured."

"But as Queen of Hell, aren't you supposed to support everything evil?" Draco asked impertinently.

"No," Persephone replied. "The Light and Dark must remain in balance, and Riddle has upset the balance. There is too much darkness, and he knew that his actions would destroy the gentle precipice upon which the balance rests. He chose his path with the help of Hades and his magic."

"So, in a way, your husband is to blame for all the death in our world?" Hermione asked quietly. "He did not seem reckless with life."

"There are two kinds of Dark in these worlds. There is the Dark of Riddle, which is destroying and evil. And there is the Dark of my husband and the moon. Which is not evil, it simply exists. It does no harm, and like the moon, lights the way for us when we are lost."

"You did not answer my question," Hermione prodded gently. Persephone smiled.

"Yes, my husband is to blame, but he knew not that Riddle would be such a dominant force. My husband is rather arrogant, and he thought he could control this Frankenstein's monster he had created."

"Frankenstein's monster?" Draco asked, clearly still befuddled.

"I'll tell you when we get back," Hermione said under her breath. He nodded, relieved that everything would be cleared up.

"But, you must leave," Persephone continued. "For my spell can only last so long on the Furies, and you must return to your lives. Hermione, I trust I shall be seeing you shortly."

Hermione nodded, and opened her mouth to ask a question.

"Oh," Persephone said, noticing the book with satisfaction. "You have found the book. I shall warn you, Hermione, the book is intertwined with the Furies, the moment they hear it's call; they shall come. And have faith, the next time you get it wet in the River Styx, the fire at the bottom of the River shall fix any problems." Before Hermione could ask her what she meant, the Queen of the Underworld had vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Look Hermione!" Draco said excitedly, pointing at the book in her hand. Hermione looked down to see that it had completely dried.

"So that's what she meant by the fire fixing any problems, and look at us, Draco!" she said excitedly. "We're dry as well!" And indeed they were, for the River Styx was made of fire and water, a most interesting combination.

"Let's go home," he said gently, flipping the book open. She skimmed the page and found the incantation.

"Redemus vita!" she said clearly, and they vanished in a flash.

A/N: Please review everyone! Oh, and if you notice any problems with the latin that is scattered throughout this story, please tell me, because I've only been studying it for a year, and I'd be happy to fix any mistakes. anglachel