Without & Within
Alohomora!
The door did not open.
Her heart was slamming against her chest now; she could feel her blood pounding in her ears, the adrenalin in her blood.
She closed her eyes, concentrated and…
Crack.
The darkness of the room was like a veil, her wand was at the ready and those hazel eyes were flashing gold.
I'm finally here, Hermione thought, taking a deliberate but cautious step into the messy room, her senses tingling with anticipation. It was strange, being given the chance to exorcise all the anger building within since the death of Dumbledore. It was as though she had been mentally preparing herself for this since Ron… The thought of his bandaged head, unseeing left eye and wounds that opened up every time they were completely sealed… Her heart felt a sudden pang as she recalled his last words before she left.
"Have courage, Hermione. I… I love you."
Courage… Ron. Harry. The Order.
She was expecting a hex to jump out from nowhere— knowing Malfoy's typical cowardly behavior, it could hardly come as a surprise.
Now that she was standing in the middle of the darkened room, partially convinced that there was no other presence, she muttered a low but clear voice, "Lumos."
Even as the incantation left her lips, she knew it was a mistake. Bright light shone from the end of her wand, but a sudden rustle of cloth caught her offguard and a flash of ivory skin illuminated in the darkness before her wand got snatched out of her hand.
"Granger!" A hoarse voice hissed in a familiar, vindictive tone.
Before she could react, she felt his weight push her against the wall and an elbow up against her throat. Hermione choked, coughing back the horror that was only surpassed by the pain on her neck. If there was anything she'd learnt being in the company of Harry for the last five years of her life, it was that there was no better way to test yourself than in the face of imminent danger.
Closing her eyes, Hermione forced herself to calm down in that split second, focusing her mind completely.
Accio wand!
She felt an outburst of joy as the familiar smoothness of the wood eased onto her open palm. Giving it a well-practiced flick and the mental incantation – Expellariamus!— she sent Malfoy stumbling back and falling painfully on the table.
"Incarcerous!" Hermione hollered, not realizing that her quick succession of spells came on with the intensity of a hurricane possessing an appetite for destruction. Ropes appeared from nowhere, coiling tautly around Malfoy as he struggled against the knots that were now tightening mercilessly and ceasing his movements. She stepped forward, offhandedly flicking her wand again. The lamp burst into flame, shedding light on the darkest corners of the room.
As she'd expected, he was alone, an invisibility cloak inches from his feet. Hermione pointed her wand directly in front of his face, feeling all the frustrations and reason that she'd relied on so often evaporating at the sight of his pallid, scared visage.
"You-" she breathed, voice trembling with suppressed anger. "Stupid, cowardly, pathetic… I can't believe you did…"
Words, usually her favourite weapons, were failing her now. What good were they in expressing the boiling cauldron of emotions within?
"I did not!" Draco screamed back, and now that she was close enough to see his face; it was nearly skeletal, his bloodshot ice-blue eyes sunken in with eyebags. "I didn't kill him!"
"You almost killed Ron," she said, tears building up now, but forcing her wand to keep steady. "You know why I'm here."
"To capture me for your Phoenix Order, I suppose." His usual demeanour was returning. "But I know you'd rather kill me now, Granger. After all, what's a self-righteous Mudblood to do?"
Courage…
Tears were streaming down her face, and she let out a sob. The darkness was seeping in, draining her… I can't…
Holding up her wand, Hermione stared into those hollow blue eyes as she gritted her teeth so hard they felt like they would break.
Memories were flooding her mind, all the times in the Great Hall, the library, the Gryffindor common room, the lake. They'd been through everything, but now, at this watershed each of them was alone, fighting the battle between good and evil, without and within.
A deep breath.
"You have done nothing to justify your preconceived notions about pureblood superiority, Malfoy. Neither you nor your father have. Isn't it interesting…"
A fresh burst of tears, streaming down her cheeks.
"How Voldemort's half-blood himself? Just one of my FYIs, Draco. You should know this; you deserve worse than this."
A confident swing before a sharp jab –
"Avada Kedavra!"