Beep beep beep beep

Hermione groaned as she reached over her head trying to smack the snooze button to no avail rolling into the spot where Ron should be laying.

She sat up, tossing of the comforter, slaming her hand down on the alarm to shut it off, and snatching the asprin of the bed side table. Her head was pounding from her little drinking and crying escapade last night. She quickly made the bed, wincing when she moved a little to fast, and stripped off her clothes, tossing them into the hamper as she walked into the bathroom.

She turned on the water in the shower, adding a healthy dose of cold, telling herself it was time to wake up. She stepped under the spray letting it hit her back, massaging tense muscles. She watched as the dirt and grime from the cemetary slowly swirled down the drain.

After half an hour, she stepped out of the shower, snatched a towel of the rack and drying off as she walked toward the mirror. She looked into the glass, the image greeting her was one she was quickly becoming used to seeing.

Her eyes were still a little red and puffy but that wasn't really the problem. The problem was how pale, and hollow looking she'd become. The spark that used to reside in her carmal eyes was gone, replaced by dark circles and a haunted look that came from seeing so many horrific deaths. Her flawless skin had become faded, ashy even, she rarely smiled and when she did her heart usually wasn't in it.

She cast a glamor on her eyes, not bothering to try and hide the paleness of her face and "accio"-ed some clothing. Jeans and a plain tshirt were her common appearance. She sighed and placed her wand in her pocket, grabbing a jacket and a book. No way was she being stuck on guard duty with nothing to do, not again. Some things never change, Hermione's thirst for knowlege an always constant presence.

As she was walking out the door, she grabbed the warm piece of toast sticking out of toaster.

Lovely thing, enchanted toasters. She thought as she took a bite. Slightly illeagal but, hey, they butter the toast and everything.

Hermione walked into the dinning room of number 12 Grimmauld Place to find everyone already there and awaiting her arrival.

"How nice of you to grace us with your pressence, Ms. Granger." Drawled Snape from his place at the table. She had reverted to her maiden name after Ron's death, finding it to painful to be called Mrs. Weasley, not she actually enjoyed in to begin with. She wasn't Mrs. Weasley. Molly was; it just didn't sit right in Hermione's head.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Snape, checking her watch.

"Shove off. I'm only five minutes late."

"Yes. Well," McGonagall said from the her place at the table, "I remember when being late was your idea of original sin."

"Alot of things have changed since then, Minerva." Dumbledore said.

"Agreed." Answered Lupin.

Hermione looked around the room at all the people. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Molly, Arthur, Minerva, Snape, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Tonks, Mad-eye, Lupin, and a few more Aurors.

Brought out all the troops for this one haven't you, Albus? Hermione thought. Wonder whats up?

"I have brought you all here today because I have more bad news."

The whole room's stomach tightened at those words, fearing who was killed, or worse.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Malfoy has struck again, this time his victim being, Luna Lovegood."

The room visably winced.

Loony Luna Lovegood. Hermione tooka deep breath, trying to steady herself.

"Is the body at least recognizable thing time?" Perfect. Cold, calm, collected... and painful as hell.

Harry looked across the table at her, sneering at what had become of his long time friend. She had been like this for months and he couldn't understand why she was so cold. How she could say such things of someone who had been their friend.

"No, blood tests had to be run." Snape said. Then as an after thought adding, "Again."

Again.

Hermione's toast threatened to make a reappearance at what the word reminded her of. Ron had been the first, the first in a series of murders acted out by Lucius Malfoy. Starting nearly 5 months ago. He left the bodies of his victims so mangled, so distorted that they had to have blood identification run on them.

Five months, Hermione thought. Has it really been that long since I found him?

Hermione had stumbled across Ron's mutilated body on May 4th 1998. She'd never forget that image. His skin was peeled from his body, several fingers missing as well. His red hair was so stained with blood that you couldn't tell that it had been red to begin with. Stab wounds covered his body, in nonvital places. Proof that his life was prolonged, that he was tortured before Lucius had slit his throat.

His eyes were ripped out, his tounge, cut out, his ears, gouged with some type of spike. Its said by many people that by cutting out the tounge, eyes, and ears it sends a soul to the after life, deaf, dumb, and blind. Causing them to be forever stuck in a limbo like state, unable to move on.

When Hermione saw him, she threw up on the ground next to him. Then after hearing that it was in fact Ron's body, she went completely comatose, her mind replaying the scene of discovering him, adding carious horrific deatils, only this time she knew it was Ron. It took Dumbledore three and a half hours to bring her out of her blank state. After that, terror filled her nights, the most frequent nightmare being stuck there watching his death unfold, powerless to stop it.

Hermione had also found the next two mangled forms. Pavarati Patil being second and Hannah Abbott being third. They seemed to all be in places she frequented. She often wondered if it was a personal attack on her seeing as how she always found the bodies, and wondered when it would be Ginny next, or Harry, perhaps even Dumbledore himself. And now poor Luna.

She took another steadying breath.

"Where'd they find the body?"

"Flourish and Blotts." Snape answered.

Another place I've been frequenting lately. Another deep breath.

"Who found the body?"

"I did." Ginny said from her place behind Harry, tears in her eyes.

Hermione's heart went out the girl, it really did. She knew how it felt, three times over, but she refused to show it. If she let anything she was feeling out, then all of it would come bursting forth. She'd let the dam burst when she was alone, or with Ron.

The trick is to keep breathing. Hermione took another breath.

"Is that all?"

"Yes. That is all."

She looked over at Ginny wrapped in Harry's arms, the poor girl had burst into sobs, and caught Harry's look. It was pure repulsion. A look that had once been reserved for Draco Malfoy. She turned away getting ready to walk out the door. It made her heart ache to know that that look was directed at her, but she refused to let it show. Thinking maybe if it didn't show, it might go away.

A/N-- Hmm It seems I like starting this fix with sounds huh? Thanks for the review... NOT. Sigh. I hate not being reviewed... I mean I tried to bribe you guys and everything and you pain in the asses still won't review. Sigh. Such is life. Losers.

Audrey