"All for you..."
Those were the words that she had heard him say before he showed her the dark mark.
She had screamed and cried and begged him to find a way to remove the dreaded tatoo but that was before she knew...
Fires brewed and screams errupted from the battle field. Hermione stood next to her two best friends on the front, ready to attack. The fight had broken out quickly and her fellow friends and colleagues of the order fell to there knee's in defeat as they were slaughtered before her eyes. Tears ran down her face as she saw the blood and she watched numbly as Ronald, sweet, funny, never did his homework Ron was sent to the ground in a haze of electric green. She ran to his body looking for blood or wounds that she could fix or heal but even in her denial she knew that he was dead. "The killing curse leaves no mark Hermione..." She remembered Harry telling her days before this massacre began. She beat his chest and looked down to see the blood of the fallen seeping into her robes and staining her pale skin. A dizzy feeling came over her as she slammed her hands into the lifeless body of her best friend and in the distance she could hear the rest of the ransacked order calling for a retreat. She knew they had no chance when she saw Remus Lupin rush up to her. "Come we must leave Hermione. We will never win this fight..." She spluttered and held onto Ron that much more tightly. "He's dead Hermione come on we need you!" He pleaded looking into the dark orbs of her eyes threw the bloodsatains. "To much blood!" she cried putting her head into Ronald's shoulder. Hermione stayed on spot despite Lupin's relentless tugs and she saw red light arc over her hitting the beloved proffesor. Tears ran soft pale rivers threw her stained face and she looked up wanting to see the man who would kill her. To her surprise the man she saw was none other than the sharp edged and scowling Viktor Krum. His eyes narrowed when he saw her crimson soaked robes. "You are hurt?"He said quickly bending down to pick her up. "No...The blood...Ron." she ended lamely sobbing harshly. He picked her up and signed to the hooded men behind him. They had what they had came for. She saw Lupin being carried with the wands of two others before a heavy darkness took her.
When she awoke a bright light pierced her eyes like a knife. She squinted and looked up to the shadow that loomed near her. Viktor sat next to her bed rubbing the palm of her hand in a delicate caress. The memories of the battle came to her quickly and her head fell against the pillow feeling sick to her stomach. With that memorie she remembered why she hadn't seen Viktor in so long. Quick as lightning she was off the bed and looking fearfully at her former love. Yes she felt like a coward but he had the dark mark... "what is wrong hermione?" He asked aproaching her slowly. "No your one of them now Viktor you changed...Your weak, you killed them, all my friends." She stuttered trying desperatly to string her words together without trembling. "For you Hermione, everything I did was to protect you."he whispered "Then why did you join with a man who would rather see me dead Viktor why did you betray me?" "Never betray or hurt you. Now we can have a life. You saw how easily his army destroyed your stand, I couldn't let you die like that Hermione...I took this mark to protect you and now you can have everything. Not only safety but jewels the best clothing wizard money can buy, anything!" He emphazised looking aprehensive. "I don't need that Viktor."She said lamely "I know Hermione but when I said I loved you I meant it. Everything can be your's and we will reign the world with the dark lord, I can assure your safety. You know the order will fall, I saw you cry Hermione, you know it's over."Hermione shuddered and fell into his comforting arms.
Now she knew why the dark mark was a saviour. Now she knew that his love was true, she understood.
After all of these battles Harry Potter was captured and Hermione begged her lord to spare his life. Harry bowed at Voldemort's feet that day and that was the day that all hope had disapeared. The resistance tried to continue without Harry Potter and without the beloved Albus Dumbledore but the blow of Harry aiding the dark lord had weakened them. They lacked order and numbers and Hermione watched the tidings with french silk around her waist and a warm arm linked in hers.
Viktor had been right when he said she could have anything. He had been on Voldemort's right hand and advised him. the dark lord had let only Viktor call him Voldemort and He and Hermione were not as restricted in seeking there lord out when needed. She was respected greatly and feared when she unleashed her power, that and her intelligence had gained her much favor with the lord she had grown to understand.In a way she knew that she was being molded into the perfect dark lady but when she saw Narcissa Malfoy bow before her hiding her disgust of the mudblood she felt a great happiness.
Tonight another band of resistance fighters broke out and began to wreak havoc upon her lord's well mannered towns. She went to the edge of the fight with the permission of her lover and her master and watched in awe as the men and women were beat down and slaughtered. She saw Harry Potter killing the people he once deemed his closest friends and smiled a tired smile as she watched him kill without emotion. It was cruel to smile when you watched poor defensless people die but she had forgotten the hardships they faced and beleived that had they not only accepted the man like she had they would be safe in there sheets and not dying for a silly cause that would send them to heaven. She could not beleive how these small minded people could still beleive in God for that matter. What god would let you die she thought watching as a man was severed in two at the throat, crimson spurting from the peices. "I want to get closer." She said to the man inspecting the seen before him. "I would rather you don't get closer Hermione, I would not want you to get hurt in the fight dearling." Viktor whispered into the shell of her ear rubbing his hands along her arms. "Let's go home, you will freeze and there will no doubt be another fight soon enough that you can watch with your morbid fascination."He concluded nibbling her earlobe.
They apparated to the outside grounds of the large manner where they stayed now along with a couple selected few followers.
"So did they provide a show fit for a lady?" Lord Voldemort asked sitting in a high backed chair opposite of them. "No, they get smaller and weaker everyday that goes by my lord." Hermione said looking slightly put out. "You and your interest in fights..." He replied with a twist of his lips. "Yes and I will remember to never leave her near one alone in the future." Viktor grumbled grabbing her hand and giving a slight squeeze. "Oh and why is that, may I ask?" Voldemort asked cocking a brow. "Well she always wants to be closer, in one I suppose but she knows she is meant for more than petty fights with common people." Viktor said hoarsly playing with her fingers. "Indeed." Was Voldemorts reply looking at Hermione with appraise. "Perhaps if you and Viktor return in an hour or two we can find someone for you to play with my dear." Was his response.
True to his word there was a boy of about 18 chained to a metal slab when she entered the cement room. A couple of people where sitting in chairs around the boy and with a curt nod she was left to find what made the boy tick. When she did this her heart would fill with interest and pain but pain no longer hurt her anymore she thought as she put into play of one of her own curses using wandless magic. She barely heard the gasps and apreciative words that came from the room. They didn't understand why she did what she did. She killed to feel alive just like her lord and the only other things that made her feel alive was blood, books, her lord and Viktor Krum. She dug her sharp mails into the boy's flesh and threw wandless magic and her brute strengh she tore out his heart and threw it in his face but before he could die she looked him in the eye. "What god would let me do this? Do you still beleive in light and dark?" The sound that penetrated the room as his heart was ripped from his spasming body made her feel anger and guilt. Ahhhh she knew she was alive.
After the performance that had even left some long time followers sick to there stomachs, she led herself to the bathroom where she bathed in the boiling scented water. Viktor entered the room after a slow nock and began rubbing her back. "Do you regret following me hermione?"He asked sounding again like that 18 year old boy that had asked her to the ball and it made her break into an actual smile. She hadn't smiled truly in a while and Viktor felt comforted by it. "No viktor, I am here with you and that is all that matters."
She was the shell of what she once was but she felt comforted by his love. She spoke to Harry sometimes but though he was grateful to Hermione for sparing his life he seemed to almost pity her and cry whenever he saw her. Before his death several years later he said his final words and they hit her hard. "I know that what you and Viktor did was to save your life and I will love him forever for doing it, since it is now clear that I could not. I will save room for you and him up there with me if I go to heaven." He said tears leaking from his eyes. She kissed his cheek and for the first time since Viktor and her had married she felt like the Hermione she was before all this chaos had begun. She hugged the lifeless body of her beloved friend and fell into the arms of her husband. "What have I done?" She sobbed into his chest. "We survived and we will not be blamed, we survived." He said simply
"It was all for you..."