It was a cold dark night. The crisp air rustled the leaves on the trees and bushes nearby. Streetlights were lit; giving a sense of security in the village that was located near a Southern town.
Three dark figures moved swiftly and silently through the night, barely feeling the cold. They wore jet-black robes that covered their skeleton like bodies. Pale white masks hid their faces and identity from the outside world.
They slowly reached their destination opening the front gate with care, not to arise their prey. They were predators, living of the pleasure of killing innocent witches; but in their eyes they weren't innocent, they were creatures with spoilt blood unworthy of the practise of magic.
They marched up to the front door, the flowers in the front garden withering as they walked past. One of the men took his wand out of his jet-black robes and murmured the incantation to unlock the door, 'Alohomora'. The door bolted open without hesitation as the men walked briskly inside.
They looked in every room, moving silently. They crept upstairs to find their prey waiting for them at the top of the stairs outside her room. It appeared that she had heard the disturbance downstairs and decided to investigate. She gasped when she saw three Death Eaters standing before her.
She ran as fast as she could to her bedroom and tried to shut the door, but the Death Eaters were too quick. One had his foot in between the door and the doorframe, preventing the door from closing. Preventing her from getting to safety.
The young witch paled as she stepped backwards in fear. She tried to apparate, but found that she was unable to. The Death Eaters were clever, they knew that their prey would try and escape, survival instinct always kicks in. She quickly realised that the Death Eaters must have placed an anti-apparation charm on her house before they entered.
Her hazel eyes pleaded for mercy, hoping that someone would come to her rescue, but alas she knew that no one would come. She knew she wouldn't live to see the sun rising tomorrow morning.
One of the men drew his wand and smirked as he pointed it at the girl before screaming "CRUCIO!" inflicting unbearable pain on the young woman. She collapsed to the floor screaming in pain, the men smiled in triumph, they enjoyed watching people suffer a slow and painful death.
He lifted the curse, which left the witch trying to catch her breath. Tears were running down her face in fear that each breath she makes, may be her last. The man grabs her hair forcefully and forces her eyes to meet with his. Light hazel met steel grey. She whimpered the tight grip caused sharp pains.
He forcefully pushed her away, kicking her in the stomach. She coughed as the wind was forced out of her.
"Filthy Mud-blood!" The Death Eater said with a vulgar tone.
The young witch looked up at all three of her attackers for the last time as a green light was fired in her direction. A brief scream was heard and then there was darkness.
"Ron?" Hermione asked as she came out of the bedroom with her dressing gown on. She had woken up from one of her nightmares of the final battle. She had regular nightmares of the battle, some were of what truly happened and some were of what she feared would have happened. This time her dream was of Ron being killed by Voldermort himself. She was scared when she woke up to find Ron gone. She needed to check to see if Ron was alive, so she went to go find him.
And there he was, sitting at the table with a glass of water beside him. He looked dazed and troubled. It seemed that he had restless sleep as well.
"Ron? Are you ok?" Hermione with concern as she took a seat next to him. She placed her hand on his and squeezed it for comfort.
Ron looked at Hermione; he saw the worried look in her eyes. Ever since he got back from the auror meeting and told her what had happened he seemed to be in a daze. He couldn't stop worrying about what might happen to Hermione, if for one second he wasn't there with her. He wanted to be by her side constantly, just to protect her from harms way. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
"Yeah, I'm just…" Ron stopped, he couldn't bring himself to say that he was worried, since the last time he had said it was just before their battle with Voldermort.
"Worried?" Hermione finished. Ron just nodded.
"I just can't stop thinking about those attacks, I mean the attacks are becoming more frequent and are getting closer. What if they attack near here? What if they attack…"
"They won't! Ron, the more you worry the harder it is to get on with it. I am worried to, but it doesn't stop me from going out in fear of being attacked" Said Hermione, Ron just looked at her with a worried look on his face.
"I know I shouldn't worry, you are capable of looking after yourself but, I fear that they would specifically come after you"
Hermione caressed Ron's cheek "That would be the obvious thing to do. I was one of the main components in the war, along side you and Harry" Hermione sighed "But what's the use in worrying? If you keep on worrying you will only make the fear worse, and what good are you to me like that?"
Ron looked at Hermione let out a sigh "I guess you're right"
Hermione gave a slight grin "I always am"
Ron couldn't help but laugh, but his laughs were soon stopped when an owl landed on the windowsill outside.
Ron looked at Hermione nervously and with a nod from Hermione he went to collect the sudden letter.
Ron recognised the handwriting immediately as Kingsley Shacklebots, and as he read the letter his mood changed from good to bad. Hermione noticed the sudden change and had a feeling what was in the letter.
"Ron?" Hermione said with a shaken voice, she waited for a response, but when she didn't receive one she began to worry "Ron, what was in that letter?" She asked with a worried tone.
Ron looked up from the parchment he held in his clammy hands at Hermione. He saw how worried she looked and he guessed that she knew what the letter was about. "Its…its…" Ron started, not wanting to finish.
"It's what? Tell me Ron" Hermione pleaded.
Ron let out a sigh "There has been another attack"
Hermione gasped "What? Where?"
"In a village somewhere in the south, I have to go, they need me in" Ron explained in a solemn voice.
"Ok, be careful" She said sadly as Ron kissed her on the lips.
"I will don't worry, and if anything happens just floo over to Ginny. I don't want you to get hurt," Ron said firmly.
"Ok" Hermione replied as she watched Ron head out the door.
"So I guess he called you in too" Harry said as he saw Ron approaching the meeting area
"Yeah, Hermione was pretty shocked when she heard about the attack, that's the third one this week" replied with a sad tone
"I know, Ginny was worried too" Harry responded, he saw Ron's worried expression and sighed "She is going to be fine Ron, stop worrying yourself too much" Harry reasoned.
"How can I not worry when she is a prime target!" Ron retorted.
"Worrying yourself over this won't make it go away, you have to face it strong willed. Besides, all your worrying is probably making Hermione feel worse" Harry reasoned.
"Haven't you not heard Harry? They are targeting female muggle-borns! I don't think that Hermione would be too pleased with me if I don't show any concern!" Ron spat "Besides, I love her too much to loose her" He added, sighing in the process.
Harry put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "We won't loose her Ron, I will make sure of that" Harry reassured.
Ron smiled "Thanks mate"
Harry gave a light-hearted chuckle "No problem"
"Harry! Ron!" A familiar voice called out, both men turned round as Remus and Tonks were heading towards them.
"Hey Remus, Hey Tonks" Harry greeted with a tired voice
"I would have thought that they would choose you two" Tonks stated almost matter-of-factly.
Harry and Ron looked at each other for a brief moment, and seeing the same confused look reflected on the other's face turned to face Tonks and Remus again.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously
"Well, as you are aware there has indeed been another attack on a female muggle-born. She was attacked and killed in her home in a small village located in the South of England. Nearby Aurors are investigating the scenes as we speak" Remus explained.
"So where do we come in?" Ron asked, the first time he spoke since Remus and Tonks joined them.
Tonks looked at Ron, then at Harry "Well, we need to do some work here. We need to look at all the cases so far so we can find links to help us track the Death Eaters that are doing this"
"We know Death Eaters are doing this! Why can't we just go out there and catch them?" Ron protested angrily.
"Well for one, going in now would be stupid and pointless. We do know Death Eaters are behind this, but because they have been in hiding for a long time we need to be extra careful. For all we know they could be waiting for one of you to do exactly as what is expected, jumping in without knowing how deep the water is" Remus explained sternly.
"Ok, but why do other Aurors get to go and investigate, and why do Harry and I have to stay here and do paper work!" Ron retorted angrily.
Tonks sighed "Because, those Aurors are a lot more experienced than you and Harry are. Besides, going in now and seeing what the Death Eaters have done may provoke you to do stupid things. We aren't saying that you will always be here, but we just want you to get your heads round the situation first. It will be extremely dangerous, not only for you but for fellow Aurors if you jump in with no idea of what your doing" Tonks explained the best she could to two stubborn young men.
"We know what we are getting ourselves into! We know how the Death Eaters work…"
"Correction Ron, you knew how the Death Eaters worked a few years ago, but they may have changed the way they work. Death Eaters aren't stupid, they know that if they use the same tactic as last time they wouldn't stand a chance, so they changed the way they work" Tonks stated.
"She has a point Ron," said Harry, who has kept silent during Ron's outburst.
"Yeah, I guess your right" Ron reluctantly agreed "I just don't see why we get stuck with the paper work"
"Maybe it is for the best, maybe we will be able to find something that can help the muggle-borns and Hermione" Harry calmly said.
At the mention of Hermione, Ron knew that whatever he was set to do was for the best, maybe not always for him, but maybe for others who were involved in this even more so than he was.
Harry and Ron immediately got to work, trying to find anything that would benefit the Aurors in their investigations. They searched through various files and statements from the attacks, but found nothing of any relevance to them.
"This is useless! We aren't finding anything!" Ron said in a tired tone as he dropped a stack of papers onto the desk in front of him.
"We have to be persistent Ron" Harry said as he searched through a box of various papers and files "We have to keep looking otherwise we might miss something important"
"I know that, it's just this task seems a bit…"
"Tedious?" Harry suggested
"Yeah, I mean we are perfectly capable of dealing with this kind of thing. I mean we were up front in the war for Merlin's sake!" Ron stated with an annoyed tone of voice.
Harry took off his glasses and massaged his eyes "I know where you are coming from Ron, and I understand, maybe even more so. But I think there may be alternative reasons for putting us here"
"Like what?" Ron asked
"Like your temper for one thing. You are jumping in too deep, I know you want to do all you can to protect Hermione, so do I but maybe you need to calm down. As I said before, if Hermione sees that you are too worried, she will start to panic herself. Panicking also affects your better judgement" Harry explained as he cleaned the lens of his glasses with his shirt before placing them back where they belonged.
"Yeah, I guess your right" Ron said before letting out a large yawn. Harry let out a light chuckle to lighten the mood, and Ron couldn't help but join in.
Silvia Browning was in the nearby office sorting out some files. She always liked the office late at night when hardly anyone was around. She liked the silence of the halls and corridors; it made concentration more effective. She preferred to work alone, with no one to worry about or slow her down she could get on with her allocated task with ease.
She picked up one of the files on the recent attacks and looked at the notes on the first page. She noticed how young the victim was, nineteen. She was disgusted that anyone could do such things as stated on the file. Several spells and curses were fired at the girl before they finally ended her ordeal.
Silvia took a deep breath and sighed. Murders like this reminded her of the war that took place a few years back when similar case files came through her office doors for her to inspect. The things she came across in her job only thought to have happened in the scariest nightmares, or in the most horrific films.
She walked down the empty corridors, with the file in her clutched arms. Her blonde hair falling loosely out of her hair band. She walked past one of the offices and noticed two men going through the files inside. She looked curiously at them for a moment, as if pondering whether or not to go inside. She was snapped out of her thoughts when on of them approached her.
Ron and Harry were looking through the files in detail, not wanting to miss a single word in case they miss some vital information. They were determined to put a stop to the destruction that was unveiling in the world around them.
Ron noticed that someone was standing in the doorway and went to investigate. He instantly recognised the figure from the meeting earlier on.
"Hey" He greeted, causing Harry to look up from what he was reading.
She gave a weak smile "Hey" She replied whilst looking round the room "What are you guys doing here this late?" She asked curiously.
"We got called in, they asked us to look through the files to see if there is anything that can help with the attacks" Ron explained.
"Ah, ok, well I have another file here for you to look through if you want it" She said softly, placing it in Ron's hand.
Ron looked at the file that he had just received. It was in the same brown folder as the rest of the files he had looked through. "Thanks" He said looking towards the girl "I'm Ron, by the way and this is Harry" Ron introduced.
She gave a light laugh "You don't need to tell me who Harry is. I already know, who doesn't know the man that saved us all!" She said with a smile directed at Harry. "I'm Silvia, by the way"
Harry shook her hand lightly "Nice to meet you, Silvia"
"Silvia, Silvia Browning?" Ron asked curiously.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
Ron shrugged "Just wondered"
Silvia laughed lightly, before turning towards the door "Well I will let you two get on with your investigation" She said as she opened the door.
When the door was closed and when she was out of earshot, Harry turned to Ron with a serious look on his face.
"What was that about?" He demanded.
Ron gave Harry a confused look "I don't know what you're talking about mate" Before turning round to look at a file.
Harry gave out a loud snort "Oh come on Ron, you two were obviously flirting with each other"
Ron turned around furiously "What do you mean I was flirting? I was just being friendly! Or is that a crime?"
Harry sighed "No, of course not. I'd just be careful around her Ron. You don't know what she's like and it was obvious that she was flirting"
Ron looked annoyed "I will be careful. Even if she were flirting, I wouldn't react upon it. I love Hermione, remember?" Ron said bitterly.
Harry put his hands up defensively "Okay, look I was just saying be careful around her that's all"
"I will be careful" Ron defended
"Good, that's what I like to hear" Harry said with a smile.
There was a brief silence between the two friends.
"How long do you think they will keep us here?" Ron asked suddenly.
Harry shrugged "However long it is necessary, I guess"
Ron let out a sigh "I really want to go out there and be in the action, I don't want to be sat at a desk all day, if I did I would have chosen a job like Hermione's"
"I know what you mean, but I also understand why we are being kept back. Until we find out about the Death Eater's tactics and the way they work then we would be jumping in the deep end. Like Remus and Tonks said we know too much about the way Death Eaters worked a few years ago, that we may not know what they are like now, we need to study like we study for an exam. Without going in knowing the material, we wont last long" Harry explained with a tired tone.
"It makes sense, but I feel like I'm not doing anything to help" Ron said with a guilty tone.
Harry looked at Ron sympathetically. He knew this must be hard on Ron, with Hermione as a potential target. He knew that Ron felt frustrated that he didn't feel that he was doing the best he can to ensure Hermione stays safe, but he didn't realise that every job he was assigned was to help in some way or another.
"Ron, you are helping. Just because you aren't in action doesn't mean that you're not doing anything to help" Harry comforted.
"I know, it's just I worry. What if we can't find anything? What if we can't find a way to stop the Death Eaters? What if they get to Hermione?" Ron blurted out; he was worried and scared. Worried and scared for Hermione.
"We will find a way I promise, and they won't get to Hermione. Not with us protecting her" Harry encouraged "We just have to continue searching until we find something"
"Yeah, I guess it's just been a long day and the lack of sleep catching up on me" Ron joked lightly as he went through another file.
Hermione was currently lying in bed, awake. Ever since Ron received the letter telling him that he had to come into the office she had been consumed with worry. She knew why he got called in. Another attack, another murder. She tried to get some sleep but her worry kept her up till the early hours of the morning.
She got up, and walked into the kitchen to make herself some coffee to wake herself up. She rubbed her eyes as she waited for the kettle to boil the water needed for her drink. Images flashed through her head of the victim that was attacked earlier. She could almost hear the crying pleads for the mercy that they would never get. What a horrible way to die, left at the hands of inhuman Death Eaters.
She poured the boiling water into a mug, which dissolved the coffee grains letting out an aroma that filled the kitchen. Hermione stirred the liquid, making sure the coffee grains had indeed disappeared.
She held the warm mug, letting the heat warm her hands at a high speed. She blew the liquid lightly to cool it down, making it the right temperature to take a sip.
She looked out into the dark hours of the morning, noticing a few raindrops splashing against the window. Hermione was reminded of the day of the battle, when Harry was victorious. It began to rain after all the fighting was over and done with. Hermione remembered feeling the cold rain on her face, as she lay on the ground, unable to move. Rain resembled purity, and the rain was washing away the rotten smell of corpses and blood.
Hermione smiled as she remembered the day when everything changed. She remembered how she and Ron came out in the open with their feelings for each other, luckily their feelings for each other were returned which saved an embarrassment.
Hermione took her last sip of coffee and placed the empty mug in the sink, waiting to be washed up. Since she couldn't sleep, and she had to get ready for work in a few hours anyway she decided to take a shower and get a head start with her day.