Love and Betrayal
Voldemort took a seat on his throne and the deatheaters rose to their feet. Hermione's eyes surveyed the people in the room, trying without luck to decipher someone within the masks and cloaks.
Hermione continued to scan the room as Ebony leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You will need to distract Voldemort for 5 to 10 minutes as I go to talk with my uncle."
Hermione did the barest of nods and whispered back, hardly moving her lips, "I take it that I will have to be seductive."
"Well, yes and that dress you are wearing will definitely help and well, he did marry you," Ebony replied.
Hermione sighed as a two people came forward, the first kneeling and the other standing off to the side. Hermione saw Voldemort and the deatheater exchange a few words before the other person started to make their way to Hermione.
Hermione noticed from the physique of the person, they were definitely female. Hermione regarded the deatheater suspiciously before they pulled off their mask and Hermione almost stopped breathing at the face that was looking back at her.
Ginny was looking back at her. Hermione studied her, she looked so different, seemed the only word for her. Her lively brown eyes were blank, as if unseeing. Her red lips were in what seemed to be a forced smile. And the lively and happy nature of Ginny didn't seem there either, her aura felt dead. How strange, Hermione thought.
Hermione's mouth felt dry, no this couldn't be, and no Ginny really didn't betray them, did she? Why? Hermione wanted to know yet her mouth seemed incapable of moving. She swallowed hard and breathed out.
"You're a deatheater?" Hermione asked a rhetorical question but she had to start somewhere, it was quite obvious that she was unless they paraded around in black robes and a mask.
"Yes of course, I wasn't always going to worship Potty or follow around that muggle loving riffraff that call themselves my family," Ginny said with the still, blank expression on her face.
Potty, only Malfoy called Harry that. She remembered it well from her years at Hogwarts, ever since fifth year.
But calling the Weasley's, Ginny's own family such a thing, they had always loved her and showered her with attention, what was up with Ginny?
"The Weasley's are not riffraff but people who loved you with their hearts yet this is how you repay them, by betraying them," Hermione replied evenly.
Ginny's expression did not change. "I didn't do anything but leave them behind where they belong once Draco, my fiancé showed me the true path," Ginny replied.
"Draco, yes I helped you tell your brother about him, believing he was for the Order, that he had changed, but in truth you had changed, you betrayed your family and the Order to be the whore of Draco Malfoy," Hermione said, her anger coming out. How could Ginny say such things of the people that had loved and protected her?
Ginny's eyes became angry, the only expression she had expressed thus far. She started towards Hermione for saying such things of Draco.
Hermione stood up to face Ginny but a voice said, "Crucio."
Ginny fell to the floor in agony, pain beyond imagining filled her body and Hermione backed away as she raised her head to see Voldemort with his wand pointed at Ginny.
He lifted his wand and said, "You will learn your place Ginevra, for I will not tolerate such acts, Hermione is the Dark Queen and you will treat her as such."
Ginny was still on the floor, her eyes unfocused and her brain trying to come from its foggy dreams of late. She could hear so indistinctly the voice of Draco saying, "Yes, my lord,"
She opened her mouth as if an invisible hand had pulled it open but nothing came out before she saw a hand in front of her and took it, allowing the person to pull her to her feet. Ginny saw purple eyes looking into hers and felt the fog begin to clear from them as things came into focus.
The woman held her arm still and pulled Ginny with her behind her curtain which held a door. The woman pulled her inside and told her to wait for her to come back.
Ginny was scared and only nodded blankly, her brain trying to grasp still what was happening. She was disoriented.
Ebony closed the door and pulled the curtain in front of it before she resumed her seat beside Hermione. Hermione shot her a questioning gaze but she said nothing.
Now was not the time. Another deatheater came forward and took off their mask. It was Draco Malfoy. He grinned evilly at Hermione before he bowed and kissed Voldemort's robes.
"What is it Malfoy?" he asked.
"My Lord I have a wedding gift for you," he answered.
Hermione felt her stomach twist in knots. A wedding gift from Malfoy would definitely not be something good, though it was Voldemort, so maybe he wanted to impress him.
Draco smiled that evil grin as the doors opened and the deatheaters parted. Hermione could see the three bodies floating and knew that whoever the people were, that they were probably dead.
Hermione saw Ebony stiffen beside her and stand. The bodies of the three people were dumped before them.
"My Lord, the third is but a causality that interfered with the others," Draco said.
Hermione looked around Ebony and saw a man and a woman battered, tortured, and dead. The other woman was dead and that was it, killed by Avada Kedarva. She felt horrible for them, whoever they were.
A glint of gold caught her eye and she leaned closer. Later, she would always wish she hadn't. A golden necklace, splattered with dried blood hung at the woman's neck. But at the end of it hung a golden J, it was the necklace that Hermione had given her mum for Christmas.
Hermione heard someone screaming before she realized that she was the one screaming. She could see Draco's mouth twisted in an evil smile. She wanted to kill him, to do what he did to her parents.
"This meeting is over," Voldemort called out.
The deatheaters bowed before they began to leave. Draco stood still in his spot. "My Lord, do you like my present?" he asked.
"I said that the meeting was over, that means that you get out of my sight!" Voldemort yelled.
Draco bowed before he rushed off.
"Hermione," Ebony said.
"Go, go talk to Snape, please leave me," Hermione said.
Ebony nodded and rushed off to speak with her uncle. Hermione could hear the sound of Voldemort's footsteps as he neared her but she didn't even look up.
They couldn't really be dead? No, this wasn't really happening; it was all just a dark nightmare.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and pinched herself hard. She slowly opened her eyes to see it wasn't a nightmare that this was truly happening.
She felt the cool touch of Voldemort's hand as he laid it on her shoulder. She realized then that she hadn't known what war was. She hadn't known the true dangers, the true loss of war until now.
She was married to the enemy and her parents were dead, killed by a boy that had hated her in school for her blood.
Hermione's eyes shifted to the third body, she hadn't really looked at it. She put her hand to her mouth as she saw the dead body of Tonks. Tonks had been young and carefree and now she was dead, it made Hermione glad to think that Tonks tried to save her parents.
Hermione looked up as she saw Ebony come back. She saw Ebony look to Voldemort.
"Yes, she is," was all Ebony said.
"Who is what?" Hermione asked confused.
Ebony looked up at Voldemort before looking to Hermione. She felt Voldemort take her hand in his and lead her to her chair.
"It is about Ginevra; the truth is that Ginevra isn't one of my deatheaters. She's under imperius by Malfoy. I wouldn't allow her to be a deatheater because she is a strong girl and it would be dangerous for her to know our secrets, though the imperius was lifted from her when I tortured her for that brief moment," Voldemort said.
"She didn't really betray the Order or her family?" Hermione asked.
"No," Ebony spoke up.
"I recruit followers but I wouldn't allow Ginevra to become a deatheater because of the fact that I know she is very much behind Dumbledore. If she were joining me willingly, yes perhaps. I'm not taking chances this time," Voldemort said.
"And as Ginny is under imperius, she can't tell us anything of the Order, though Malfoy doesn't know that. But she is now my charge," Ebony said.
Hermione was completely stunned, that would be the only word for it. She saw Voldemort stand. "I'm going to deal with Malfoy, as I know he is still here."
Hermione knew he was probably going to torture Malfoy but Hermione didn't have the strength to think of anything. And at least Voldemort was acting normal again or at least in her eyes…
12 Grimmuald Place, The Order of the Phoenix
Serveus Snape walked into the kitchen at 12 Grimmuald Place to find the entire Order and Potter and Weasley waiting
Dumbledore stood, "Good you are here Serveus, we just inducted Harry and Ron into the Order, now you can tell us what happened at the meeting."
Dumbledore took a seat as Serveus cleared his throat. "Well, the meeting was interesting to say the least. The Dark Lord brought his new wife, Hermione to the meeting along with his daughter, Ebony. Then Miss Weasley was revealed as a deatheater," Snape was cut off by cries of protest at such a thing.
Harry spoke up. "Everyone be quiet, there is more to the story," he said.
"Well, the Dark Queen and Miss Weasley exchanged a few words before Miss Weasley went to strike the Dark Queen. The Dark Lord then used Crucio on her. Ebony took her away before returning and then it went to worse. Draco Malfoy brought a present for the new married couple but instead it was Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Tonks," Snape said.
"Wait, did you say that Hermione is married to You-Know-Who?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yes, but you were right, Albus, she was drugged with the potion," Snape said.
Dumbledore turned to him. "Did you speak with her?" he asked.
"No, I spoke to Ebony. She told me to say several important things, first, Albus, the prophesy is in motion and will not be stopped until completion," Snape said.
Dumbledore breathed out a long breath. "But she has to love him and to bear his child," Dumbledore said.
Snape nodded. "And she will, it doesn't matter how long it takes, it will happen."
Everyone in the room looked confused but Snape continued, "Also, it appears that Miss Weasley was under the Imperius curse courtesy of Draco Malfoy. And she isn't a true deatheater."
"Wait, hold up, what who will fall in love with who and bear whose child?" Ron asked.
Dumbledore sighed. "There was a prophesy made several years ago by a girl named Ebony Riddle. It was very surprising to say the least when she did it. But, it involved her father and she didn't want him to get a hold of it but he did. She asked me if it would ever come true and I replied that it would but only if it were set in motion and it is in motion," Dumbledore said.
"What is the prophesy?" Harry asked quietly, thinking of his own.
Dumbledore brought the Pensive they kept in the kitchen out and put it onto the table. He drew a memory from his head and let it swirl in the bowl then he touched it with his wand.
Two images rose up, one of Dumbledore looking much like he did now and one of a tall, pretty and petite girl.
"For a man of Darkness…A wife for him he must have…
That loves him with her heart and gives her soul of both… Too soon it happens but all is well…
And a light shall shine forth…"
The voice of the girl died into nothingness and the memory disappeared. There was silence in the kitchen.
"What does it mean?" Harry asked quietly.
"It means that Voldemort will marry, his wife will either love him already or grow to love him and they will have a child, however, the last two lines are unclear, even Ebony does not what they mean," Dumbledore said.
"Wait, isn't Hermione married to You-Know-Who" Ron asked.
"Yes, she is the one the prophesy talks of," Dumbledore replied.
There was a long silence in the room. The bright, smart witch that they knew had to fulfill a prophesy and she was married to an evil wizard. Who would have thought such a thing would happen to Hermione?
A/N: I'm really sorry it took me so long to update but I kept changing it as I didn't like. I hope you liked the chapter and I'll start trying to write the eighth one!