Title: The Misfortunes of Virtue
Author: Winter Ashby (rosweldrmr)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling & Misfortunes of Virtue (title only) were written by the Marquis de Sade in 1787 (more notes about the literary allusions in the footnote of the last chapter)
Rating: M (for language and adult themes)
Summary: Draco steals away in the dead of night on orders from the Dark Lord to either kidnap or kill Hermione. But who is he really loyal to?
Timeline: Post 'The Half-Blood Prince' Some incorporated plot of 'Deathly Hallows'
Warning: Major Character Deaths! Inferi!Character, Necromancism: controlling the dead (NOT necrophilia), strong language, violence, blood, gore, & DH spoilers
Authors Note: This is the end, folks. Thank you so much for getting this far! But, as you've probably guessed, this chapter contains the inferius, so be warned. There are foot notes about the origin of the title and 'thanks you's.

Epilogue
Consequences of Desire

The world faded out of existence.

Somewhere, he might have been aware that Fred, and Lee were dead. He might have registered that Harry was alive, surprised, but alive. And it might have even registered that Ginny, Harry and Neville were trying to pry the body from his grip. It might have registered that the reinforcements showed up just a minute too late. And it might have registered that three of them knew what he'd done.

But that wouldn't be till months, maybe years later.

The only thing that Draco knew in that moment, as the smoke cleared and the moon shone out from behind the overcast clouds, was that he was a killer.

She made him a killer, when so many others had tried and failed, bodies lay at his hands, he'd never once felt guilt. He'd never once felt remorse for taking a life. Not before Hermione. But now, he was sure he was marked. There would be a skull and snake swimming just above his head for the rest of his life. And everyone would be able to see the face of the woman he took from the world.

He pulled her to him, inhaling the smell of her, memorizing the feel of her skin, scared and cut. He forced himself to love the blood on his hands because it was a part of her. He blinked back the tears that burnt and stung his eyes and nose.

"Draco." Harry touched his shoulder, but Draco didn't move, didn't speak, did nothing but cry over her corpse, still clutched in his hands. He pulled her still-warm body to his, her chest pressing against his own. And there was no breathing, no living left in her. He'd taken it, extinguished that brown spark that he used to dream of.

Eventually, he was aware that they'd all gone and he was alone. It was probably hours since the end of the war, since 'the good guys' won. Draco neither knew nor cared about what happened to the rest of them. He didn't notice that the bodies of his one-time-companions were being taken away, to be buried and blessed. He might have heard Harry say something about letting Draco 'say his goodbyes' as the footsteps faded back into the forest.

When he was alone with her, in the clearing, her blood drying to his skin and the cold setting in, he broke. Wailing, he held her closer and buried his face in her hair.

Frantic with guilt and grief so deep it cut at his ribs and heart until he was sure he'd bleed to death, just like her. He grappled with her hair, twisting his fingers deeper, trying to inhale every last bit of her he could manage.

Draco went insane.

He rose, holding her across his chest, and with one sparing look over his shoulder and concentrated on the three D's.

Destination.

Determination.

Deliberation.

With the crack of apparation, he was back at the Scottish Castle, Hermione's body weighed heavy in his arms as he made his way up the stone steps. Once he was inside, he set her down on the couch in front of the hearth were he used to sleep.

The tears dried to his face, and left a track of pale skin down his dirty cheeks.

He pointed his wand, recalling dark books he'd read before, and conjured all the magic he had left as his wand made a forceful jabbing motion and he mumbled, "Inferius Resurgo."

---

Draco could still hear it scratching at the door in the dungeons as he made his way up the stone steps. He spent most of his time these days selling off pieces of the castle's artifacts at a local pawn shop to he could buy supplies for his potions and food.

Other than that, he sat in the low armchair in front of an empty fireplace and listened to the creature he made claw at the wooden door.

He was broken.

He raided her unused bedroom and pilfered bits of her that were left behind. A piece of parchment with her handwriting, a stitch of cloth that smelled like her, her wand, a snippet of her hair he took from her reanimated corpse, and a single enchanted picture of her.

She was younger, only 5th year then. It was Christmas. Draco could see the tree and twinkling lights behind her, making her brown eyes shine. He folded it so that Harry and Ron were tucked under, against the palm of his hand, and all that was left was her smile and her face, burned into his memory.

With this, he would sit and ponder the essence of a soul, and replay in his mind what it was like to kill her. Locked in her Fidelus charm, he was untouchable, untraceable, unable to live. So instead, he existed. Just breathed air and walked the halls, pretending that the creature was still her when he would put a sleeping charm on it and lie down next to its cold skin. He called it Justine, because it just didn't seem right to go on calling it 'Hermione' when it clearly wasn't. He would touch its hair, which was coarser than he remembered, and whispered that he loved her/it.

I firstly need to thank everyone that replied to my questions in the LJ communities canon(underscore)evidence, canon(underscore)details, dramione, sevans, ravenclaw and books(underscore)freckles. Thank you all so much for your help and input. But I wanted to give an extra special thank you to ladyamber who was the beautiful mind behind the inferius curse.

Inferius Resurgo literally translated means 'the dead resurrect'. Originally, I wanted Draco to use the resurrection stone to make Hermione into an inferius, but everyone seemed to think that wasn't the power of the stone. So, I went with the curse. This is not canon, but I think it's a pretty good idea of what the curse would be.

Now, onto some educational information about the title of the fic The Misfortunes of Virtue:

The title and the name Draco gave inferius!Hermione (Justine) are both literary references to a book called The Misfortunes of Virtue. It was from a French book (also called Justine) written in 1787 by the Marquis de Sade, a libertarian who was put in an insane asylum because he was a psychotic, sex-crazed aristocrat. Justine was the first of his novels, one of many, that were increasingly erotic as he got older. And in 1801, Napoleon had him arrested because of the graphic nature of his works.

I thought these themes fit well with Draco's character in my fic.

So, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my little slice of the Draco/Hermione action. Also, if anyone knows of any other fics with inferius!Anyone, let me know. I find the concept absolutely enthralling. I guess that's because I love zombies. ;)