A/N: Big thanks to Guest, Nightcrawlerfw, roon0, Margareitha Malfoy-Nott, kfawcett1998, St3phP33l, craaazyaboutMalfoy, and meldz for your reviews. To my other readers and followers, thank you, as well.

To comment on somethings, yes, Hermione is going to through an extremely traumatic ordeal, and I know it's probably hard to read. She's not like the Hermione we're used to and love because of it.

Also, I know some of you are probably getting impatient on her growing up and finding herself a stud muffin. You probably want her to properly meet Tony, Steve, Bucky, whoever and fall in love and become a bad ass Avenger. *Raises cautionary finger* Careful now. There's a lot more stuff she's got to go through first before all that. With that said, feel free to review the warnings listed on the first chapter.

I also wonder if someone of you are growing impatient because she's unable to access all of her magical abilities. Please hold strong. I like to think you won't regret what's coming.

And lastly, how are you guys liking little Natasha? There's more of her in this chapter, so enjoy! R&R and Hail HYDRA!


Chapter 8: Cognitive Calibration

It isn't until she's twelve, after sparing with Natalia, that she remembers her real name. She'd already been losing. Natalia is, not only Madam B's favorite of the younger group, she's a force. Despite the last four plus years of training, Milas still lost the row. She even held her hands up in surrender, mouth bloody and right eye swollen. Bruised ribs on top of that. She was stooped on the hard wooden floor, hand on the barre to keep her from falling over completely.

Natalia had stopped at Milas' surrender and looked to Madam B for praise at defeating Taru, Damdinsuryn, and now her.

From the corner of Milas' eye, Madam B showed no approval. In fact, she shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"You are weak. Finish her."

"She surrendered."

"How do you know she is not faking? Pressing at your sympathies to gain the upperhand."

"I don't think she is."

"Finish her, Natalia!"

Milas' temple cracked against the barre, her vision blackened. When she woke, she was on her bunk and the process was slow. Thick and gooey the memories were that The Baron tried to so hard to eliminate.

The first thing she knows is her name is not Milas. Though she guesses she can find the humor in it, given it means apple in Greek.

Hermione. Her name is Hermione.

Natalia's got the desk's chair scooted up and close to Hermione's side of the bunk. She's dabbing a cold, damp cloth over her eye and temple. Said eye won't open.

"Next time, lead with that," she tells Natalia.

The girl ducks her head and removes the cloth, replacing it with an icepack. Hermione winces and takes the pack from her. She tries to get up, but Natalia pushes her back down, shaking her head.

"You have a concussion, so let me know when you need to throw up."

Her roommate feels guilty, but there are no apologies here, so she cracks a pained smirk. "You did good."

"You need to get better," snaps Natalia.

"Give me a couple of days—"

"At winning," she interjects.

"I win," argues Hermione. "Just not against you."

"I'm tired of always being the last one standing. I'm tired of always having to be the one…" Her voice trails off.

Over the passed several months, Hermione has gotten a good read on her roommates. And, yes, she may have taken discreet peeks here and there inside their heads which led her to know that Taru thinks about breaking out at least three times a day, and Damdinsuryn's is getting candy from somewhere. And then there's Natalia who's fooling everyone—except Hermione—into believing she's a sociopath. Natalia has taken to her for some strange reason. She's doesn't wallow by Taru or Damdinsuryn beds when she flattens them. She's not telling them to fight better and putting cool, damp rags on their heads after bashing them in.

Hermione eyes Natalia out of the corner of her eye, wondering if the girl has developed some sort of crush on her. Cute, but she's certain that's not it.

Her head hurts. Memories are hitting here in all the wrong places, but she needs to figure out Natalia…oh.

Oh, it's obvious now.

"You trying a little too hard," she tells Natalia.

The girl's expression doesn't shift. "What do you mean?"

"Madam B wants information about me, doesn't she? Or my uncle, that is."

"I have no idea—"

"Maybe if you'd been more indifferent, you might've succeeded." Hermione gets up into a sitting position. "You're not bad, I'll give you that. But you're going to have to get better."

The slightest shade of pink appears on Natalia's cheeks.

"Since Madam B will box your ears and whip you for failing, I'll give you something, but you've got to do something for me in return."

Her green eyes narrow. "What?"

"I need to know," Hermione begins—a bit theatrically, "where Damdinsuryn is getting her sweets. Hannah and Valentina, too"

"Excuse me?"

Hermione gets up from the bed and climbs onto Damdinsuryn's bunk and unscrews the round-over and extracts a wadded up pouch. She loosens the opening and dumps the cellophane wrapped candy onto the mattress. Natalia marches up to snag one, bringing a caramel candy closer to her face.

"At first I thought she was snatching from the older girls, but their stash is a bit more sophisticated—"

"I know who she got these from."

"Who?"


The library is a much better place to study than the dank book cellar at the facility. It's not like a real library, no, but it's close enough, and Hermione loves it here. She does her classes during the day and then retires here to unwind. Relax. Some of the books here are old and hardly read. When she opens the pages, the musty scent of yellow paper and old ink...it's euphoric.

Sometimes the scar on her arm ins't enough to remember it all.

Or even remember.

She scarred herself for all intents and purposes to remember her parents, but now…she remembers them. And with being out of the facility, their faces won't be taken from her.

She might miss them, but it's complicated. They sent her away. Her parents feared her, and she couldn't really blame them. The Baron openly admitted she's dangerous and that she doesn't believe for a moment she's tapped into all her potential.

Before Hermione changed, she did have a good life. It wasn't perfect, no. She didn't have friends and that hasn't really changed, but she did have a mom and a dad planning a future for her. She was so young, but they talked of universities and professions she could go into. They wanted for her. They dreamed for her. Her father. He wanted her to see the world. Her mum. Her mum wanted her to love God and His creatures. Helena Granger had told her she was good with animals. She'd make a spectacular vet.

Hermione looks down at her hands and sees the blood from the rabbits, cats, dogs, mice, and rats she's butchered to please The Baron. Even as 17, she couldn't handle the slaughter and sacrifice.

She told The Baron she would no longer kill animals. She told him they are better than humans and to give her a person deserving of a such fate. The Baron denied her request, telling her they'd stop with the animals but she'd get her chance and killing a person when the time was right.

She didn't kill 54. Maybe she should've. There's a nagging in the back of her head, telling her that'll come and bite in her in arse someday.

"You've been reading that page for ten minutes. Care to share?" Natalia paces next to Hermione, impatience fraying her normally cool edges.

Hermione leisurely flips that page she of the book she had not been reading. They've been in the library now for an hour which really isn't that bad, but Natalia is ready to get this done and over with.

"Are you sure you don't want to let Madam B on this?" asks Hermione.

The girl shakes her head. "She won't believe us." Her expression turns sour. "She'll just think Damdinsuryn is stealing from the other girls, and then all three of us will get a whipping. You and me because we wasted her time with something so stupid and her because she's indulging. But I know she's been getting the candy from Petr. It's his thing. He tries to tempt all the girls—"

"He's a pedophile."

She shakes her head. "I thought so to at first, but think about it. Damdinsuryn is showing no signs of abuse."

"She may not think she's being abused."

"Don't let that obnoxious baby voice and round face fool you. She's as brilliant and lethal as the rest of us."

"If she's so brilliant, why is she accepting the candy?" Hermione arches a brow.

"She likes swe—"

"There's got to be more to it than that."

Natalia is silent for a moment. "Then we'll ask her. Once she gets here."

"She will. She can't stay away from this place for too long."

"Like you."

"Book are educational. It's how I'm perfecting my Japanese and learning Mandarin."

Natalia stops her pacing and plops down in the chair beside Hermione. "So you said you'd tell me something if I helped you out with this. I didn't realize you'd sell your uncle out so easily."

Hermione chuckles. "Whatever I'm about to tell you, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Madam B didn't already know."

"Go on."

Hermione closes her book and shifts in her seat to face Natalia. "The KGB as we both know it is finished. The Soviet's gone. President Yeltsin has been sworn it. I've heard from a source Kryuchkov failed."

Her source being her orthodontist who handed her a new toothbrush with an encrypted message store inside the hollow of the handle.

"Then why are we still here?" Natalia folds her arms.

"Because we've been adopted by a small classified faction of what will be known at the FSB once the dust has settled. Our program would've been cut with everything else falling apart, but they're keeping us on because they need soldiers. Patriots. Trained and highly skilled personnel loyal to the cause of making what Russia really should be. The world's capital. For far too long, the westerners in their tiny countries have been calling the shots and missing. It's time for us to show them how it's done."

Something washes over Natalia's face, and Hermione pockets the expression as more evidence that Natalia isn't as bad as she wants to think she is. She better get rid of tells. If Hermione can spot them, then how hasn't Madam B?

"Hey, you two," announces Damdinsuryn as she rounds the corner of a bookcase. "Good to see you, Milas. Natalia, surprised to see you here"

Natalia is the first to get up. She throws Damdinsuryn's pouch of candy on the table. "You're going to tell us exactly what you've been telling Petr. And then…"

Damdinsuryn bristles, and Hermione jumps from her chair and grabs the girl's arm.

"Then what?" the girl asks quietly.

"Then we go see Madam B," finishes Hermione.


The doorknob to maintenance closet twists. The door opens and in steps Petr, one of the guards of Madam B's. From behind the shelf of cleaners, Hermione watches Natalia slip behind the man, grab his gun, and shoot him in the back of his lower leg. The sound of the shot echoes off the walls as does his screams. There are several thick walls between them and the rest of everyone, but Hermione's not confident no one heard. Hopefully, she and Natalia will the get the information they need before some finds them.

Kneeling, she tightens the rope, made of cut and knotted mop threads, around Damdinsuryn's wrists and ankles. She had to knock her out with a broken broomstick due to the girl attacking her and screaming in Mongolian/Russian gibberish. At that point, it'd been easy to access her mind. She thumbed through memories and found something very, very interesting. The downside was, she couldn't tell Natalia. The info they need has to come directly from Petr who's on the floor and rolls over to face his attacker, his eyes bulging out when seeing Natalia standing over him with his pistol trained on him.

"Don't move," she orders.

"What the hell are you doing?" he barks.

"You finally found someone interested in your candy. Well, the charade's over. Damdinsuryn is dead. Milas cut her throat."

Hermione steps out from the shadows and joins Natalia in standing over Petr. She takes in his wild eyes and appalled expression. His gaze goes from her to Natalia, and he gestures at them. "You don't understand. You poor girls," he says in English, his accent of London and his tone quivering. "I was trying to help her. I'm trying to help you all."

"Help us?" Natalia frowns. "What lies did you feed Damdinsuryn?"

"I can help you," the man says, his pained grimace turning hopeful. "I can get you out of here. You can be free."

"The candy—" starts Natalia.

"To be nice. You girls are in prison. Can't you see? There's a world out there—"

"You used the candy to gain Damdinsuryn's trust. You weren't being kind. You—"

"He's a spy, Natalia," interjects Hermione. "You can see that, right?"

"Of course," she says and turns her attention back to Petr. "MI-6?"

He doesn't say anything, but Hermione knows he is via Damdinsuryn. He promised her freedom in exchange for nothing. His mission is collecting intel on Chelintsov's program, but if he can get a few girls out of it when it's time for extraction, all the better.

Hermione studies him. He's young. So fresh and naïve. He's handsome, too, and can't be older than twenty. She wonders if this is his first mission, and she smiles sadly inside because this is her first, too. The only difference is, she's going to make it out alive. He let his emotions get in the way, and she really can't fault him for it. He sees her and all the other girls, not as a threat, but as children in danger. They are not his mission, but he can't stop himself from trying.

A part of Hermione, a strange part, wants to let him go. She wants to give him, not only Damdinusryn but Taru, as well, and tell him to leave this place.

She sees him go for his knife too late. He's quick as a flash, and he slices Natalia's arm, shocking her to drop the gun. He lunges for it, but it's closer to Hermione. She picks it up, aims, and pulls the trigger. His spine hits the floor, and wetness spills from his chest, soaking his black sweater. Vomit rises to the back of Hermione's throat because she wishes he would've died right away. It would've been easier than to watch his body stop jerking and his eyes go vacant.

Monster!

Her mother's voice rings loud and clear and present in her mind.

Devil!

God, what has she done?

She takes it back. Killing isn't simple.

The closet door bursts open, and Madam B is there with the rest of her men. It's like her arrival happens in slow motion and everything that happens after follows in the same manner.

She and Natalia are separated. She's locked in an old, unused office and left there for two days with no food or water. She has to relieve herself in a corner and has nothing to do but fear she's failed The Baron. At least she could take comfort she didn't fail HYDRA. That she hadn't exposed them.

Finally, the door opens, and she expects to see a guard, but it's Madam B. Her nose wrinkles, and Hermione knows the woman can smell her waste. Hermione only gives away she's shocked to see the woman and does not show embarrassment of what had to take place in her isolation.

"Wash yourself and then put on your nice dress. When you are finished, come to the Red Room."

Hermione nods slowly. "Yes, Madam."

She leaves the room and is so very weak, but she manages to the lavatories which is miraculously empty. There are no girls anywhere and when she goes to her room, none of her roommates are there. She quickly puts on the standard black dress with the white collar and black tights. She slips on her polished Mary Janes and wraps her hair in a crown braid.

At the threshold of the studio, she pauses, taken back by all the faces in the room. Everyone is in there.

"Take your place by Taru," says Madam B.

Hermione walks to Taru's side, taking in the scene. All the girls except two line up along the north mirror. The two who aren't are Serena and Damdinsuryn. Beside Serena is a table with a gun. On the opposite side of that table is Madam B, Katja, and Master N. A few feet in front of Serena is Damdinsuryn hunched on the floor, a blindfold over her face and a gag over her mouth. Her sobs echo off the walls.

"Serena," starts Madam B, "has turned eighteen. It is time for her to fulfill the first part of the initiation before completion of the program. Serena?"

"Yes, Madam," the girl replies quietly.

"Kill Damdinsuryn."

Serena does not reach for the gun. "You still have not said what she has done?"

"Who's to say she's done anything? I'm giving you an order, Serena, and I know you will comply. You are strong."

Serena's hand reaches for the gun, palm hovering over the weapon momentarily before taking it. Hermione sees the girl's shoulders are taught. She looks to the other girls beside her, and both Taru and Hannnah boldly turn towards the mirror, close their eyes, and cover their ears. Some of the older girls see their actions. Three of them do the same.

"Not all your sisters are strong like you," Madam B chimes. "You are the oldest. Show them the way, and kill the weakest."

Hermione's heart beats loud in her chest, and guilt consumes her. This is her fault. Damdinsuryn is going to die because of her. She killed Petr and now Damdinsuryn. She's a fool. For being responsible for their deaths and for caring. Milas wouldn't have fouled up, but she's not her right now, and she wants to turn away like the other girls did, but she can't. Damdinsuryn will die. The least she could do is try to make the girl's last few moments more bearable.

She's never entered anyone's mind at such a distance, but Hermione's going to try nonetheless. When Serene takes aim, Hermione delves into Damdinsuryn's mind and finds a memory of her and her father. They're on a horse that's galloping at high-speed. The wind is crisp on her cheeks but the sun is out, and the meadow is green.

The shot is fired, and Hermione pulls out and turns away. She squeezes her eyes shut. Damdinsuryn's sobs are replaced by Serena's.

You were right, mum, she thinks. I am a monster.


What happened with Damdinsuryn, Natalia, Hermione, and Petr is never discussed. It's like it never happened. Damdinsuryn's things are gone from the dresser and closet, but Hermione can't even attempt to properly unpack her suitcase now that there's space.

Her thoughts drift to Valentina and Hannah. They were getting candy and promises from Petr, too. She won't say anything and from the looks of it, neither will Natalia.

She had feared Taru's and the other girls' wrath. That they would try to seek revenge on Natalia and her for selling out Damdinsuryn. They don't, and Hermione thinks it's because they don't know everything, and they never will. She and Natalia don't go unscathed, unfortunately. Both receive a whipping from Madam B for not coming to her in the first place, but she excuses them from class for a week, allowing them to heal from the punishment.

Natalia claims it's a gift for neutralizing a threat. Despite the outcome, they've impressed Madam B for acting efficiently.

Time goes on and Damdinsuryn's space is never filled. A year passes and still no replacement. At this point, Hermione remembers everything. The life before being the institute and everything after. She remembers the first shock HYDRA gave her to make her forget and all the ones following. The Baron probably did not anticipate she'd remember everything so soon, but he needn't worry. She doesn't need to be disciplined with shocks and propaganda films anymore. She's accepted her circumstances, and sure, she's grown fond of these girls, but HYDRA is her purpose.

On the bed, she grabs the black box and opens the flaps and grabbing her first pair of pink satin pointe ballet slippers. Sitting down on the floor, she slips them on and carefully wraps the ribbons around her ankles while Taru manipulates her hair into a crown braid. Her wild curls don't care much for a slick, neat bun.

She checks her reflection in Taru's hand mirror. While in the HYDRA facility, there were hardly any mirrors anywhere. Vanity was something left to the older kids. Now, Hermione is slowly becoming familiar with her own face again, and it has changed a lot from the scared seven year old girl in the Snow White nightgown.

"You're pretty, Milas," Taru tells her.

Hermione hands the mirror back. "Not as pretty as you, but thanks."

It's true. Taru has outgrown her awkward stage. Her skin has cleared for the most part, and she no longer has braces. She's also learned to stop pinching her mouth so much.

"See you later," she says, grabbing her bag and booking it out the door.

Hermione watches her go and then looks into the hand mirror again, whispering, "Hail HYDRA."