The stars never shined brighter, but the night behind them was never darker. Hermione found herself in a world of darkness of which she thought she might never return. When she reached the clearing, she fell to her knees. Her arms and legs were bleeding, yet she did not feel the pain. She outstretched her arms to the skies and let out a piercing scream. She knew that she was where she "needed to be". While looking up at the sky, she asked herself if a life of magic was what she truly wanted… she screamed, she yelled, and yet she remained alone. She was hoping for some type of divine intervention – which never came. She sought out the seers-of-the-stars, but all she could hear were the sounds of the forest – the sounds of the night. She was down on her knees, holding her head, rocking back and forth – when she heard a crunching sound behind her. She whipped herself around, wondering whether it was "friend or foe" – hoping in her heart of hearts that it was a Centaur…it was not. What she saw was a tabby cat. At the sight of her, Hermione let out a howl. The cat transformed into Minerva.

Minerva's heart broke at the sight of her beloved in so much pain. She knelt down so softly, it was as though she thought she might disrupt the earth itself. She attempted to pull Hermione to her, but her mentee pulled away. Hermione held her hands up and said, "No, no, no. Do NOT try to help me." Hermione stood and began to pace. She was in a frenzy, overwrought with grief. She began to ramble. "How, how, how – HOW could this happen? This is not the life that I wanted for myself. Why…why, why did this happen? He may not have been my 'life-mate', but he was still a soul-mate, nonetheless." Hermione's pacing reached such a fevered level that Minerva grabbed her arms and shook her.

"I said I would never hurt you, and that is not what I am doing – but you need to breathe." Minerva said sternly. Hermione was hyperventilating. She felt her eyes and fingers begin to tingle, and she thought that she was going to pass out. Minerva used her left hand and held Hermione's chin. "Look at me, look at me!" Hermione's breath was quick and shallow. "I said LOOK AT ME, HERMIONE GRANGER!"

Those were the words that brought Hermione back to earth. "I. Am. Not. A. GRANGER!" She screamed.

"I know you're not, darling." Minerva said. "I just wanted to bring you home."

Hermione collapsed, once again, and called out to the heavens. "Why, why, why?"

"Darling, listen to me." Minerva held Hermione's tear-stained face in her hands. "Look at me." Minerva said. Hermione's eyes met Minerva's as she said, "You are NOT to blame for any of this. What's done is done. It makes the pain no less – but there is nothing that we can do."

Hermione's eyes began to dart 'this way and that'. Minerva held her chin more firmly in her hand and said, "I told you to look at me!"

Hermione brushed Minerva's hand away and yelled, "How dare you!" Minerva's eyes were wide as Hermione stormed up to her and said "How DARE YOU!" She began punching Minerva in the face, screaming "HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME HERE ALL ALONE!"

Minerva yielded using magic, knowing that she wasn't the one who Hermione was angry at – and took every punch.

Hermione ended up pulling back, looking at her hands – wondering what she had just done.

"Oh God, what did I do?" Hermione asked.

Minerva raised herself to her knees. She put her right hand to her nose, and found it covered in blood when she withdrew it.

"What did I do?" Hermione asked again, through tears.

"We always hurt the ones we love…" Minerva said in between her panting.

Hermione looked down at her hands and wondered how it came to this. Her eyes looked into the shadows of the forest before Minerva climbed to her feet and said, "No, no, no. That is not what I meant. Look at me, look at me – come on kiddo."

Hermione's eyes began to slowly focus as she said, "My baby, my baby – where is my baby?"

Minerva's eyes slowly shifted over her love's face and wondered if she had truly lost her mind.

Sorry it has been so long since an update, and sorry it is so short – but I been in and out of the hospital. I did get several ideas - but it will take time to write out. I'm working on Thank you for being dedicated readers to this insane story! – Igraine7