Disclaimer: Don't own any characters or things you recognize, besides the plot
A/N: Well...it's getting close...you can do a count down to when the Hermione and Draco meet again...But for some reasons...I can sense a murder in my future...or maybe tonnes of flame...well, we'll see then. And no, I'm talking about this chapter. I was talking about the next chapter(s). Enjoy but don't forget to review!
Raid
Azkaban was dark, cold and desolate. An isolated land in the middle of a vast ocean.
Just like how she'd imagined this horrid place to be. Reeking with sins.
Azkaban used to be a place unable to plot on a map. Only the highest ranking aurors and the head of the Magical Law and Enforcement Department knew where it was. And only during their years when they were involved in the department, for after their retirement, the memory was erased. Azkaban was a secret place…the exact opposite of Avalon. Though shrouded with mist too, Azkaban brought dread, not bliss.
A man was truly stranded here. No doors. No roads. No hope.
Abused by guilt.
Hermione shivered and felt Harry's hand patting her shoulder. He had always put others before himself. Comforting and providing: Harry had had to give up so much for them. But not tonight. She wouldn't let him. He would not have to give up anything tonight. Tonight, the choices were hers to make, not his. She was the judge. The final verdict.
"Remember, Harry." She looked at him. "Save Ginny. She's the priority. Tonight is about saving Ginny. Okay?"
Harry nodded and quickly slipped under his invisibility cloak. Disappearing from everyone's sight…except maybe Moody's.
It was all about plans. Plans over plans. Deceptions over deceptions. They were all pawns in their own right. Controlled. Manipulated by others.
Harry was supposed to go under the invisibility cloak. It was Moody's orders. They would try to create enough distraction that hopefully the Death Eaters would not notice his absence until he had rescued Ginny or the members came to back him up. Hopefully.
She knew it wouldn't work. They knew it too. Harry was the main target in every raid and battle. His absence would be noticed immediately by the Dark Lord and his elites.
They had no choice.
But Harry's attendance was not optional.
So she had to do something. That's where her plan came in. She would act as Harry's decoy. That was acting hero. That was doing what Moody told them not to do. That was breaking the orders and rules. But no one would notice. They'd be too busy fighting. Things would work out for the benefit of the Order.
…And of course, she would find him easier as Harry.
Voldemort, being the coward he was, would surely send him out to weaken Harry first; before attempting to finish Harry off.
She, knowing this, was manipulating Harry and Moody, just so she could confront him. Yes, tonight was not just about Ginny. It was about letting go. It was about drawing the final curtains to their fairytale. It was about fate.
It was all for the best.
The gate to Azkaban burst opened with a bang by the grenades that Mundungus provided. Moody ran headlong into the prison. Leading the rest of them.
She felt a wisp of wind beside her and a voice softly whisper, "Please be careful."
Harry left.
She turned to Ron. He had his wand out already and was looking expectantly at her.
"Don't get hurt, alright?" Ron said softly. Tenderness shone softly in his eyes. "Won't know what to do without you bossing me around."
With that he took off. Sprinting to the hellhole.
"You too." She whispered to the thin air. "Please be safe."
xxXxx
He was nowhere to be seen. She had tried to catch a flash of platinum in the midst of darker colors. He had the lightest hair of the people she knew. The fairest color. A contradiction of his deeds. His paradox.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Hermione breathed heavily in the damp cold air. It was musky with the smell of rot and blood.
She hid behind a niche or an unknown corridor after she took out another Death Eater. She was covered in sweat…and blood. After all, the killing curse was not the only curse to turn an opponent invalid. Her clothes were baggy as was intended. But the drenched fabric glued onto her body was a burden.
The fight had been going on for at least an hour. Harry had, hopefully, gone to search for Ginny. She had lost Ron and the others in the havoc. The Dementors had proofed to be an obstacle. Although, the potion prevented them from attacking them, the fear was still present. The crawling cold was still there. In their hearts.
She looked out of her corner discreetly and make sure that she would not be attacked in the next few minutes.
She turned back into her spot and dug her wand-less hand into her pocket. Hermione pulled the vial out. She skillfully uncapped it with one hand and drank the potion while keeping a close watch of the entrance to the on going battle beyond the darkened hall.
Hermione felt the changes almost immediately. She felt new strength growing in her body. She felt the stretch in her limbs. She felt the bones and cartilages in her face shift as her hair became short and messy. Finally, she felt her sight blurred.
She transfigured the vial in her hand into a pair of glasses and placed the accessory on her nose.
She took the image of Harry Potter.
A perfect distraction for Harry.
A more dangerous dueler.
She had less to lose.
She peered out of the corner and quickly took care of the Death Eater who came her way. A soft and definite 'Diffindo' to end the person. She had learnt long time ago that the killing curse brought enormous emotional strain as the green light fed on the strong passion of the caster. Not only hate, but love too.
A love for the enemy.
Tonight, she had a love strong enough to kill.
She took a deep breath to suppress the building emotions in her body and headed out of the niche. No one noticed her at first. They were too immersed in their own fight. She observed. And once again, searched.
Her golden demon.
She found him in the gap that chance gave her. And found a friend too. A bloodied friend, who was fighting with all he had. Her friend limped and heaved before dropping to the ground while he looked passively at the man. With no compassion. Like a puppet. Readied to strike again.
Remus!
She ran to Remus but was stopped by a spell aimed at her. She hastily dodged it and found a figure barring her way with a wand. Hermione glared at the body. She assumed that it was a woman from slim built.
"Potter." The familiar voice said.
"Parkinson." She acknowledged. Without further words exchanged, she flung a spell at the woman who blocked her way. "Expelliarmus."
Parkinson's wand left her hands as she was thrown backwards by the impact of Hermione's spell. She recovered quickly and made a quick dash after her wand, but before she could reach it to defend herself, Hermione sent another spell her way. The severing spell. She watched Parkinson evade the spell at the last moment to avoid the fatal hit but the spell managed to wound her side.
Seeing that moment of weakness, Hermione cast the body bind spell at Parkinson before casting the woman out of her way unceremoniously with the Reductor spell.
She returned immediately to her former goal. Remus was shuddering on wet and soiled floor. Trying to keep his dignity in that disparaged state. She watched in well disguised horror as his wrist flicked into the Homorphus Charm.
She quickly cast a banishing charm on Draco's wand and watched in satisfaction as his wand flew far away. She went over to Remus while, out of the corner of her eyes, keeping a close look on the blond who equally kept a close look at her as he headed for his wand.
Remus was close to delirious. His body convulsed. She quickly checked for his vital signs but was interrupted.
"Well, Potter." Draco drawled as he retrieved the wand the she had banished from his grip. "I see you're here to save the werewolf. Or is it your beloved slut?"
Hermione stiffened.
She had been expecting those words. Those taunts. But it still surprised her. She wanted to ask- 'Was this the same man she fell in love with?' 'Was this the Draco she knew?'
But before she could. She found herself answers.
No.
Draco was dead.
He had died.
A long, long time ago.
A/N: Well, I just had to stop there! Call me evil, or whatever you want...actually on second thought...don't. I'm a very fragile soul (cough cough), although I do have a huge ego. So what do you think? Review, Review, Review. (Feel the call of the blue/lavender button!)
Next Chapter's going to be Draco-centric!