Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not my property, but all the fun things that happen to them in this story are... Guess that'll have to do.

Chapter Nineteen: Within the Darkness

They were in Italy the second time, just before their seventh year, when Hermione first heard him whimper in his sleep. Benjamin had sent his daughter in to check on Harry who was still very tired from his stay at Privet Drive. She leaned against his bedpost, happy to have him accompany her for the second summer. She frowned when he began to move fretfully. Then she heard it. It was an obvious whimper that came from deep within and shook his body. Hermione lowered herself to the foot of his hotel bed, gently shaking his leg to wake him. "Harry?...Harry, wake up!" She gasped when Harry bolted awake, grabbing her wrist with a ferocious gleam in his eye. "Ow! Harry! It's me, Hermione!"

He blinked a few times before his grip relented. "Mione?" She was a blur in the dark room but he could see the shadow nod. Harry shook his head clear and pulled his glasses on. "God I'm sorry." Hermione was about to explain that his apologies were unnecessary when he burst into tears.

She did not hesitate. Her arms opened to him and Harry placed his head on her chest, arms wrapping around her waist in a desperate hug. Hermione gasped to herself when his hug and tears intensified. She smoothed his hair as he muttered the pains that plagued him at night or when his mind wandered. "Mum, Dad...Sirius."

Ophelia peered into the room when she heard his crying. She looked into the room to find her daughter softly rocking the young man as he broke for a moment under the weight of their world. It was so unfair; he is too young with so little left and there wasn't much that either her or her husband could do to help. Well, at least there was one thing that they had already done. Some would see it as a sacrifice, giving their only daughter to a tormented young man who may bring nothing but danger. Danger due to him from his birth and accepted before he even became a man. It wasn't even their world that he was saving but it was their daughter's and that was more than enough for them.

She smiled sadly at the wisp of a man that she knew would become her son one day. Hermione can work wonders simply by existing, and oh, how she existed for Harry. It was no sacrifice. He would protect her, go to the ends of the world for her because he loved her and no harm would come her way. Neither Hermione or Harry noticed the small sliver of light disappear as Ophelia closed the door.

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Hermione had reached the "ceremonial floor". She had only graced this room once, the first night that she was there. She was shown to the Deatheaters amongst jeers and hisses as the "key to Potter's downfall". It also held, according to Draco, an escape route that only those in Voldemort's closest circle were made aware of. This was Harry's final chance to save her. Hermione waited patiently against the wall so that Goyle could open the trapdoor hidden behind Voldemort's second throne. She smirked when the door would not give.

"Problems, dearest?"

Draco hissed and raised his hand to backslap her, then thought better of it. The young woman clicked her tongue as he lowered his hand. "Careful, love. He will not save you so you should mind your attitude...Fucker! why won't this ruddy thing open!"

"Because you do not have my permission." Came a chilling voice from behind Draco. Goyle Sr dropped to his knees, touching his nose to the floor.

Draco grabbed Hermione to him. "My Lord. Please, the spell to open the door. I must take Hermione out of here. Potter has come as you knew he would. She has fulfilled her role." Draco frowned at the laugh that erupted from the dark wizard. "May I inquire as to what the joke is?"

"That would probably be you, Malfoy." Hermione hissed over her shoulder. "Ow!" Draco pinched the underside of her arm.

"She is right, young dragon. I have given you the means to acquire what you desire. It is time for you to show me your gratitude." Voldemort extended a gray hand, grasped Hermione around her neck and pulled her towards his chest. Draco's eyes flared as he pulled his wand out to his master. Voldemort smirked when Goyle Sr grasped Draco around his waist, pinning his hands to his sides. "Careful, now. You can have your mudblood whore back and I shall open the door to our escape once you have disposed of Potter."

"Me!" Draco looked insulted. "I thought you-"

"I think. Not you. He should be arriving any moment. You should prepare yourself, Draco. Your father tells me that your dueling skills need polishing. Just remember, it's all for your love, here." His grip tightened around her throat. "If you escape with Potter still alive, he will never let you rest as long as you still have his dearest. Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Rather plain if you ask me." His cold scaly hand slid under her dress. "But I assume she has other qualities."

"Perhaps, you can watch next time. Then maybe you'll understand." Draco sneered as he was released to the ground. "I will kill Potter for you as you command. However when I do, I want the act to assure my position at your side, opposite my father, equal in power."

"Such spirit. I accept your terms. And thank you for the invitation. Perhaps I will give you and your wife an audience." Draco's chest swelled as he knelt to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes.

With a final bow, Draco turned back to the doors from where he entered just moments ago.

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The eldest Malfoy stared at the doorway, wand trained on his intruder. "Interesting. Well, boy, what brings you here?"

Fred glared at Lucius. "You dare! Expelliarmus!"

Angelina raced to break the wand that had bounced off of the wall opposite the door. She quickly pointed her wand to Lucius just as Fred entered the room.

"All right, love?"

She smiled, eyes brimming with tears. "With you, always. George?"

Fred shook his head turning his attention back to Lucius. "Well, fucker, anything you have to say for yourself?"

Malfoy smirked and sat on the bed. "Well, I suppose I could mention the obvious fact that if you kill me, your twin is dead."

Chills ran down Angelina's spine when she noticed Fred's smirk mirror her captor. "And I suppose I should let you know that I've been doing some reading." The lovers smiled as what little color Lucius has drained from his face. "Oh, you recognize it? You should, it's from your own library." A heavy, leather-bound book was thrown at Lucius.

Angelina gaped at Fred. "You?"

"Bill." Fred placed his wand at Lucius' throat. "Stand up," he hissed. The Deatheater paused just long enough to feign rebellion yet obeyed.

"You have no idea of what you would be attempting." Malfoy warned with an arrogant smile on his face. "You soul will join your brother's...You don't have it in you."

"That may have been true. There was time, not too long ago, when all I knew was joking and laughing... and loving. I didn't really want to get mixed up in a war. I wanted to get married, run a 'stupid joke shop', and live out my days with my family... with my brother, trying to talk each other's children into mischief." His wand was shaking now and for a moment, Angelina thought he would let it fall from his grasp.

"That time has gone. Long gone...You breed Draco, who hurts so many people that I love. You take my fiancee and you... and George. If you knew an ounce about me, you'd have realized you were dead the second your curse hit George. Lucius Malfoy... I'm afraid that, thanks to you, it is all I have left in me."

The curse flew from his mouth in a vicious growl, unintelligible to Angelina, and hit Lucius in the chest. The Great Lucius Malfoy fell to his knees, agony etched across every inch of his face. She stepped back with a gasp as the curse took effect. His cheeks hallowed and grayed as his body began to shrivel before their eyes. Alabaster hands clutched his chest tightly, causing his fingers to break then sink into the thinning flesh of his abdomen. There was no screaming, only a sharp gasp that had intensified into a thin wail.

"Don't look anymore, love." Fred muttered, his fiancee turning all too quickly to obey. The twin's eyes however never veered from its mark. "You're shit. Always have been. As your soul is drained from this world and any other, I want you to know that I wouldn't wish this on anyone. You left me no choice." Fred knelt to look into vacant eyes as they turned into colorless orbs, tears welling up into his own. "This curse will haunt me for the rest of my life...I need to see you as you die... I need to be haunted by this... That will keep me human."

He flinched when he felt two strong yet reassuring set of arms pull him to his feet. Angelina wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace as a man's hand swatted him on the back. Ron had caught up with his brother. "That's not true Fred...Well, the part about him being shit is. But nothing else. We will keep you human. Just like we are gonna walk out of here and never think about it again...He's not worth it." The youngest Weasley son kicked over the corpse of Lucius, who fell over with an eerily empty 'thunk'. "So that's it? George fixed?"

Fred pulled himself away from Angelina. "Yes. In exchange for returning George's soul to his body, the Giver's soul can no longer exist. Period. There's more. George was able to talk to us, right?" He waited for an answer but both shrugged. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure of it. If he did then he was keeping his soul's strength by attaching to you-know-who." Fred paused when he found himself staring at blank faces. "Dammit! Was it really always Hermione who figured shit out?" Ron nodded. "When George's soul was released back to his body, it could be a shock to the big bad...You know, leave him vulnerable, at least for awhile."

Angelina gasped. "That's perfect! We need to find Harry before Voldemort recovers! How much time does he have?"

Fred sighed. "I have no idea."

Ron smiled. "Then we better hurry. I'm tired of this great evil shit."

A/N: How many ways can I possibly apologize? My computer got fried out and I had to save up to buy a new one. Please forgive me. I am touched however that people kept bugging me about this fic. It means loads to me. A few more chappies and I'm done. They're handwritten so I need to type them out, but I SWEAR I am almost there.