To my faithful reviewers thank you. Life has been crazy, crazy. After finals I finally got the chance to write these two chapters and we are half way through the story. Woo Hoo!
Miss-Be-Haven- Thanks for the review and sorry for the spelling error Avery-Rose-Rain-Slytherin-Forgot about that detail, left crookshanks at school Selena Kikkowa- Thank you and cool signature The evil potions mistress- I like your name and thanks Princess Leia Skywalker 10- yeah, I'm in the band too. Oh so busy. Care Bear Erin- Once again you make the sunshine on my day. I hope you like these new Chapters. Yeah the seclusion thing sort of worked and so did something a little extra.
"Now shall we continue?" He snaked his way behind her. Hermione sighed what was she going to do there was no way she could keep an eye on Cassandra and fight the maze at the same time.
"Will she follow me?"
Voldemort sniggered, "Yes and no."
Hermione merely glared at Voldermort. She was not impressed with the riddle.
"Let's continue," and with that he slipped out of the door and closed it on Hermione.
She looked around and found two other doors on her left and right. She took the door that lead to her left. What she found made her want to back up into another room. It was two death eaters who were about to pounce on her.
Her wand started flashing with every kind of spell she could think of. They dodged them but not as easily as Voldermort had. Her shields actually protected her. She got one out for the count finally and the other ran away through another door. She took the opposite door and ran into a room filled to the top with potions of every size and shape. She tried to light her wand but it wouldn't come on.
This is what she was anxious about. There were spells powerful enough to make all spell work stop. She was defenseless. This might be the chance to sit and think awhile though before journeying back out again though.
Cassandra was still nearby making herself comfortable as Hermione scratched her back.
The main question going through Hermione's head was if there was a way out of here. There had to be that was the whole point of a maze. Problem was that she didn't even understand the perimeter of this maze or for that matter where she actually was inside the maze.
She thought to back to where she had come from. Event hat didn't help though she had no idea where she was. What she needed was a map, but no such thing existed. So she was stuck inside this place until Voldermort decided that he had had enough fun for the day.
Well she needed to keep on going that much she knew because if she didn't keep moving eventually someone would find this room and destroy a neutrality zone that might help her in the future.
She got up and Cassandra followed her. She took a door to the left and opened it with her wand ready.
Inside the room it seemed there was nothing in it. She knew it wasn't an empty room. There had to be a trick and then she saw Voldermort standing on the other side of the room.
"Now let's see what pushes your limits. Legimens!"
She saw Transfiguration class, a troll standing over her, she saw Snape telling her off, books mounds and mounds of books in the library. She stuck with that memory and didn't let go. She stuck to books she knew, antidotes. She kept thinking about antidote theories from her memory.
She opened her eyes and forced herself up off the ground. Voldemort was looking at Hermione curiously. "So that's what your passion in life is to read."
Shakily she got up and said, "Yes."
"Why books?"
"Because I like knowing more then others when they try to shove me around."
"Hmm… the ones who shove you were muggle bullies?"
She couldn't let this peace of information slip, this could be considered as hate. Hermione knew better though it was merely for protection. She had to be able to defend herself or she would have disappeared. Books gave her that power to defend herself.
"Yes and no. It was also bullies at Hogwarts who kept calling me mudblood. Just knowing that I was better then them was enough I didn't have to prove it. "
"So that's how you became top of your class you read."
"Yes."
Voldemort looked very angry and frustrated. "I wish you would have learned through experience as well."
"I fought off your death eaters well enough."
"True but you are not quick enough time is always of the essence as is stealth. You need to get in and get out."
"Time is never of the essence when you are righteously defending."
"It is when you're out numbered."
Hermione looked around the room and I saw what was on the edges cloaked figures standing on the edges of the room. You couldn't see them unless you concentrated hard.
She saw one of them and sent a curse flying across the room. It was easily blocked and about ten full-grown wizards came out of the shadows sending curses in her direction.
Hermione concentrated and sent stunning spells in every direction. They were blocked and all sorts were being flung at me. I tried to shield and attack at the same time. Hermione's wand went flying with a well-placed expellearmus.
They were closing in on her and she was afraid of what might happen to her.
"You need to be aware of your surroundings and how to learn to do things quickly." Voldemort spat at her. He had no pity for her and she was in serious trouble.
Snarling on the edge of the circle made her look up it was Cassandra on top of one of the death eaters. Hermione ran towards the distraction and cracked through the circle.
Cassandra ran after her as Hermione fled for her life. She grabbed Cassandra and flung her into the room before her. The room was quite and dark she felt along the edges and didn't feel anything, she also didn't hear anything. She had to trust this room because she needed a room that might be safe to attack one of the death eaters. She cloaked herself and put up her head so that she disappeared into the darkness next to the door.
"The darkness is becoming your friend isn't it? It can be helpful." It was Voldemort she didn't even flinch she was getting so used to him. She ignored him she needed to survive first before she thought about ethics and morals. She heard him leave.
A minute passed and a death eater burst inside the room with a partner. Hermione was quite and tried to move with the fluidity of the room. The death eaters didn't see her and once they split up she quickly moved to choke one of them so she could have a wand. The choking was harder then it looked the death eaters neck was thick and he made noise. His partner started cursing every section of wall Hermione backed up into the wall. The death eater quickly weakened and Hermione grabbed his wand. She quickly stunned him and put up a shield for the attack that was soon going to be coming at her from the other death eater.
The curse hit her too fast and her shield only partially protected her. It cut her on the leg and she let out a gasp of pain. She stunned the death eater before he got within a foot of her.
She kept herself cloaked and threw both death eaters into a corner of the room so that they wouldn't be seen.
She ran to the opposite door with her wand at the ready. There was no death eater in this room. She needed to take the death eaters out or she would lose their confusion and they would be back in full force. She was sweating and was tired but if she got rid of the death eaters she could rest without pressure of threat. Her leg was aching and still bleeding. She performed a mending spell but it didn't really help with the pain it just stopped the bleeding. She had to keep going despite the pain.
She backtracked to the room where she had been cornered. There were two death eaters still there. They had their backs turned to her and she slipped along the wall so that they wouldn't see her. Another death eater came out from another door. "She's not there."
Another death eater sibilated, "Keep looking for her."
"There looking for you what are you going to do Hermione?" It was Voldemort taking a fake pity tone.
Hermione had to think should she take these leader death eaters first or the smaller ones?
She would take out the leaders while she had the element of surprise on her side and wait for the others to come to her.
This needed to be done quickly and with subtlety. She quickly stunned one and then the other before they could make any noise. She tossed them into the shadows of the room. She put up her cloak as far as it would go and waited for the others. Her wand was at the ready under her cloak. She tried to make the anxiety in her stomach subside.
A man with his hood off came towards Hermione saying, "I can't find her anywhere. "I've stunned each room…" He started to look at Hermione and before anything else happened she stunned him. He was out like a light and he was put near the edges of the wall.
Hermione didn't have to wait long before another tweedy looking man came through one of the doors. He took about a two-second glance at Hermione before brandishing his weapon.
She was quick enough to put up a shield so that she didn't get hit. She tried hitting him but he put up a shield just as easily. He about to attack again before she hit him with the leg locker curse and was able to stun him soon after.
Okay six down four to go. She waited for the others hoping that she hadn't blown her cover. When the next death eater came in she knew she had. The other three followed behind her. She backed into the original room hoping that they would either break up or all follow her.
The room was still dark and she quietly slipped inside and waited. This time though they all lit up their wands and she had absolutely no element of surprise. She had to get rid of them all quickly. She stunned one with his back to her. The other three advanced on her and she had no idea how to get out of this situation. She could dissaperated but she wouldn't trust herself with doing that under this type of pressure. Harry was the one who was good at this type of situation.
She cursed the second death eater in a rage that broke through his shield. She was angry with Harry for not being here. For Ron also not being here, she missed them so much and wished that they could cheer for her as she these fought these guys.
She only had two to fight against. She was willing to play chicken to get rid of these people and to have time just to think and cry a little bit. She put up a very strong shield and went directly between the two death eaters. She ducked and put down her shield at just the right moment. They hit each other and Hermione out of breath limped over to the door that held all the potions.
They were all lined alphabetically she found what she was looking for and she felt so much better when she had put some salve on her leg. It burned and stung, but it was a welcoming sensation.
Cassandra came into the room a little while later and sat near her. Hermione started crying she missed everyone and wanted to go back to the castle. She clung to Cassandra and felt her lick her face with her sand paper tongue.
"Anger, a powerful weapon Hermione as you saw why not use it? You're battling against yourself Hermione, why? Why fight it?" He whispered it to that it made the hairs on the end of ears stand up. Her skin tightened on the back of her neck and a shiver went through her torso. Why was he bothering her? She was doing what he wanted she was trying to complete his maze. Just ignore him just like at school. He left in a sweep of his cloak.
Once the wound had healed and she had stopped crying Hermione started thinking. She needed a master plan for getting out of here. The death eaters seemed to know where they were so her plan was to get some Versatrium Serium and use that to get some answers.
Hermione got up and went into the next room to find one of the head leaders she had taken out. Before she woke him up she made sure that a wand was completely out of his reach and that he was securely strapped to a wall. She put two drops on his mouth and woke him up.
Hermione tried a test question, "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." He was young with nutmeg colored hair and a very pale face.
"Oh. Good. You're inside Voldemort's lair. Where is the exit?"
"You're standing on it."
"Oh and how do I open the exit?"
"You have to dissaperate to wherever you want to go inside the dark manor from here."
"Okay thank you."
"You're welcome."
Hermione hesitated and wanted to ask another question that was way out of bounds but she had to know, "Why does Voldermort want me to be his heir?"
"Because you're his daughter."
"Yes I know but why not another death eater."
"The Dark Lord trusts no one. You're his blood and he loves you."
She sighed and said, "But I don't love him."
"You will learn to. I did. After my training I couldn't imagine a better leader."
"I wish I could believe that, but see my leader is already the best there is and he's Albus Dumbledore. Why do the death eaters fear him so?"
"Because our master hates him."
"So?"
"Our master hates no one, disappointed yes but not hate."
Hermione let this thread of conversation go. She didn't need to understand the death eaters all she needed to understand was that they were her enemy.
"Thank you."
She stunned him again. "Come on Cassandra lets get out of here."
She gripped tight to Cassandra and saw her big inviting room in her mind. She dissaperated straight onto her bed. She felt so lost she tried to call on the roots the unicorn had given her. They were gone; the roots she had been so hoping to keep. She cried while Cassandra tried to comfort her. She curled up and went to sleep.
