Comin' Down to Nothin' More than Apathy

Please take time to read the super important Author's Note at the end of the Chapter!

Summary: When Hermione's family is threatened because of her past, she calls upon her inner darkness and war training to save them. But who will save her from herself? This story will be set AU Eclipse and I believe that most of the Harry Potter sequence will be AU after Order of the Phoenix.

Disclaimer: I unfortunately am not the owner of the Harry Potter series or the Twilight saga. I'm just playing with the characters.

(HPOV)

Roughly three hours after the attack on my parents or- 'the incident'- as I had begun referring to it mentally, I found myself gazing stoically at the faces of those around me. I was being careful not to let my eyes linger on any one person long enough for them to notice.

Of those present, approximately twelve individuals whom had fought at my side the most these past five years know me well enough to understand the complexities of my psych when under duress. They know without a doubt that I do not want their halfhearted condolences. They know I do not want them to come to me with their generic sympathies or apologies. Rather, they understand I wish for them to silently stand at my side in a show of unwavering support.

So the rest whom did not know these sorts of things about me ... well they were the ones I found myself avoiding direct eye contact with. I did not wish to see the pity or sympathy etched in their every expression once their stare met my own. To see such a thing might possibly break me by simply requiring me to acknowledge the guilt and grief lying beneath the anger, hate, and vengeance consuming my every thought. And I'm not ashamed to admit that there was no way I would be able to function with those sorts of emotions running rampant.

Avoidance. It and apathy- a habit I acquired during the war when I became incapable of dealing with the daily horrors I witnessed- had become my coping and self preservation methods of choice.

These past few hours while Harry, Ron, and I had been compiling a list of Order members who had been affected by Bellatrix in some way, I had also been working diligently to immerse myself into nearly a complete apathetic state. I had been forcing myself to become emotionally detached from everything happening around me save the anger and hate I felt towards Bellatrix and her minions.

Was it wrong?

Probably.

Would it hurt me in the long run?

Definitely.

The Mind Healer that Kingsley had forced upon me after an incident involving a very vivid and very public flashback four months ago wasn't going to like my actions either. Mostly because the crazy, old, Indian coot was all about recognizing and coming to terms with unsavory emotions or memories instead of avoiding them like I was prone to do. However, I couldn't bring myself to care because if I didn't succumb to the apathy then I would surely lose the small hold I held on sanity. And I needed my sanity to protect Charlie and Isabella while seeking vengeance for my lost family.

Protection and vengeance.

Those are the reasons I am currently surrounded by twenty-one talented members of the Order of the Phoenix. I cannot deny that they had genuinely surprised me earlier when I declared Bellatrix as my reason for summoning them to the safe-house I had taken up as my residence. While their angry reactions were what I expected, their willingness to join such an uncertain and dangerous mission were not. In all honesty I had only counted on a few of them to volunteer which is why I summoned such a large group. Instead, all twenty-one of them offered me their service without hesitation. I accepted because each of them possessed strengths I would be able to capitalize on.

So, to make this witch hunt easier on all of us, I took the liberty to divide the twenty-one into two groups based on said strengths. The ten whose skills lay more in the areas of tracking and tracing dark magic would remain based here in Europe where they would work towards finding Bellatrix's lair. Both teams of five, Team Night and Team Day, would be working in alternating twelve hour shifts so that there would be an active team at any given time of the day. The teams were to immediately begin searching for specific magical signatures in hopes of identifying those working at her side while remaining battle ready just in case back-up is needed.

Once I had the ten of them squared away, I then turned to my list of the remaining eleven. These veterans were some of the most talented and battle hardened members of the Order. Like Harry and I, most were natural born duelers. Powerful, quick on their feet, unpredictable, and creative. A very deadly combination during battle.

However, each and every individual was also fearsome in their own right.

Ron Weasley's skills lean more towards the strategic end of things. I've always known him to snag the upper hand by exploiting weaknesses most didn't even know they possess. Hestia Jones tends to be quite similar to Ron in that respect, but she also acquired rare skills most could only dream of mastering during the eight years she served as a Ministry Hit-Witch. Former Durmstrang student and front-man of the Weird Sisters - Kirley Duke- is downright vicious when it comes to proving he holds no tolerance for those wishing to follow in the footsteps of the late Gellert Grindelwald. The Czechoslovakian is even better with a wand than a guitar which is definitely saying something. The next member- Luna Lovegood- quite often finds herself being underestimated by her opponents during battle due to her perpetual dreamy expression. Unfortunately for them, the girl is as sharp as a tack beneath it all. Being a direct descendant of the High Fae always seems to serve her well in combat.

About three years ago Ernie McMillian took up the position of our resident field medi-wizard due to his affinity for healing spells. He also knows exactly where to aim most curses and hexes to maximize on the pain felt by the opponent. I would wager that he is just as effective alone as Fred and George Weasley put together. Though the aforementioned twins are easily the most adventurous of the entire Order, they are also the ones you give a wide berth to on the battlefield due to their compulsive need to cast their self-created, incredibly volatile, and irreversible spells during a fight.

The final three team members are all classified as I.H.C.'s (Intelligent Humanoid Creatures) with danger ratings ranging from XXXXX to XXX by the Ministry of Magic. Thus making them some of the most dangerous beings in the Order.

Remus Lupin's unmatched knowledge of defensive magic combined with his tendency to let his baser werewolf instincts rule him in battle make him one terrifying man. His quick movements, calculating eyes, and fierce snarls evoke fear into the hearts of many whom are unfamiliar with his relatively genteel personality. Then there is Muggleborn Terry Boot. He became silent but deadly after being fatally injured and subsequently turned into a magical vampire four years ago. His change enhanced his previously subtle albino characteristics to the extreme. Most people are extremely unnerved when they encounter his rather unorthodox and vibrant silver infused pink eyes. He relishes in such extreme reactions to his presence because it gives him at least a thirty second window to work his magic. Last but certainly not least is his mate Julia Laroche. The Veela from southern France has a sweet as pie personality; However, she has no control over her emotions when it comes to dealing with those responsible for killing off her clan. She tends to take to the skies as a vengeful, flame wielding harpy at the mere sight of Voldemort's followers.

Honestly, I cannot believe I'm lucky enough to have such a large and capable team at my disposal. Bellatrix and her lackeys won't know what hit them when we catch up with their sorry asses. When the time comes for us to engage them they will be expecting me and possibly the other two members of the Golden Trio, but not the nineteen comrades whom have our back.

I finally looked up from the notes I had been writing up for Kingsley in regards to our mission. I had also listed whose skills would make the most effective groupings in a side margin. Each group would be relatively skilled, though my wariness of placing a mated pair such as Terry and Julia together complicated things a bit. But like all problems, it was solvable.

Each of the remaining eleven volunteers were silent as I searched each of their faces for any sign that they may be regretting their decision to join this witch hunt. They were standing against the wall, legs spread at shoulders width apart with their wands held behind their back in a classic at ease stance, awaiting further instruction from the one they currently deemed in charge.

"Alright, Bellatrix has made her motives known. Until we are summoned to battle by the tracking team or the Ministry, we will be concentrating solely on protecting the target innocents. Unfortunately, this cannot be done without making ourselves known. So to secure the innocents we will be splitting up into two teams," I began once I was sure none of them wished to back out.

Their slight shifts in stance and demeanor told me I had their full attention, so I continued relaying the first part of the plan.

"Harry, Ron, Julia, Fred, Duke, and Remus are team one. Remus will be team leader. Your first portkey will take you to the forest just outside of our targets house. Secure the perimeter. Harry, I want you to approach the target since you are the most comfortable with Muggles. I'm warning you now that you will likely be met with a gun to the face as he has been warned that Death Eaters may be in the area. Calm him down. Explain who you are and our connection then get him to touch your secondary portkey. It will bring you all just outside of the Cullen house where I will be with team two."

Whilst I had been speaking, the six of them were nodding their acceptance of my rough guidelines. They understood that devising a concrete plan of action to reach their ultimate goal would be decided on amongst themselves as they knew their own limits the best. As soon as I was done, they grouped together around the map I had provided of the area and began discussing strategy whilst they awaited the signal to activate their portkey.

At the influx of noise I winced. Even though I had only been dealing with being a partial werewolf for the past couple of years, I knew without even looking at the time or a calendar that the full moon was now a mere week away. Starting with my hearing- my relatively normal senses would suddenly start becoming more sensitve. It was just something that happened at a random moment on the first day of the week leading up to the moon. I had yet to have it happen at the same time twice. Though that is probably because the full moon does not rise at the same time every month.

I had to take a moment to concentrate on acclimating myself to the strengthening senses. Once that was done, I was easily able to let the loud voices fade into a low hum. From the corner of my eye I could see Remus doing the exact same thing though I imagine it was much harder for him since his senses were much sharper than my own. We shared a knowing, sympathetic look with one another before I turned my full attention to my own team.

"Our objective will be infinitely more difficult than theirs. Just before the war ended, our targets shadow informed me that she had become romantically involved with a Muggle vampire. She spends the majority of her time amongst his coven. It is likely that they will not take to kindly to our presence or the news we bring."

The five faces before me shifted subtly in understanding of my unspoken warning. They recognized that we'd have to be especially careful on this mission or else we'd end up wasting valuable time fighting against and restraining the vampires.

"Our portkeys will drop us off here, at the end of the public entrance to the vampires property," I explained with a gesture to the point I had marked on the map that the shadow assured me was an accurate depiction of the Cullen residence and home.

"In order to not alert them of our presence immediately, we will need to apply the standard vampire repellent charms before departure. You five will secure the perimeter while I approach the target. Once the others have arrived, I want them to join you in maintaining the perimeter. Terry, you and Harry are to escort their target inside."

Happy that none of my team questioned their role, I went on to to explain the sort of protection charms and alarms I wanted them to begin placing around the property. Since we would be remaining there for at least twenty-four hours it needed to be as protected as possible. Though, if all went accordingly, I was hoping the large home would become a semi-permanent sort of headquarters for us to work from. As soon as we finished planning, I set the portkeys to depart in ten minutes.

"And what do you want us to do if there are Death Eater's on the premises?"

The cacophony of noise that had erupted as everyone began a last minute check of their person to ensure they had all of their required gear stopped immediately. You could have heard a pin-drop in such silence. Eleven pairs of eyes immediately looked to me as Ron asked a question that had likely not crossed any of their minds since they did not think on the same strategic level as the redhead.

"If they are present when you arrive, your objective changes. We will not indulge them in a full out battle with innocents in the vicinity. You are to engage them long enough rescue the target only. Call for back up if needed. If worse comes to worst and we are not capable of capturing the innocents, then activate your emergency portkey. It will take you to the rendezvous point- Safe-House Six. From there we regroup and discuss counter attacks," I answered without missing a beat.

It was a solution I didn't even have to think about. I had decided immediately that we would not give them a fight at this point. Until we had a more solid plan, preferably one where we were not entering a situation blind, our only objectives were to protect and defend. I took their subsequent silence to mean that they had no more questions about the mission or how they should proceed.

I took five minutes to carefully take stock of my own belongings to ensure I was fully prepared for any situation I might find myself in. I could feel the weight of my Vine and Dragon Heart-string wand as it once again settled into the invisible holster beneath the sleeve of my right arm. A quick lift of my left pant leg revealed that the spare Cherry and Thestral Hair wand I won the allegiance of during a dual with Walden Macnair was tucked safely into my ankle holster next to a simple dagger of pure silver with a dragon hide handle at the top. Another similar blade, this one larger than the dagger, was strapped my right thigh and rendered invisible by a few well chosen spells. Next, I took stock of the small pouch of emergency potions I always carried. It was fully stocked and secured tightly to the dragon hide belt of my black cargo pants next to the weightless supply bag I had charmed with an undetectable extension charm a few years ago.

My team and I then quickly applied our vampire repellent charms so that we would not have a scent or heart-beat for them to detect. We also shot silencing charms at each others feet so that our movement would remain off their radar as well. As soon as the last spell was cast, we all rushed to gather around the two portkeys as the thirty second warning sounded. A small, encouraging smile were the last exchanges between the two teams before our respective crimson scarves glowed bright blue and sent us twirling through time and space.

Approximately two minutes later, my comrades and I found ourselves deposited onto little more than a damp dirt path in the midst of the woods. My senses were immediately assaulted by the colors, sounds, and wild scents of the surrounding forest. I could practically smell the freedom out here in this wide-open, scarcely populated area. The slowly emerging wolf was practically humming in contentment as it got a whiff of my unfamiliar surroundings.

I sighed.

It was barely two hours into the week leading up to the moon and I could already tell my lupine characteristics were going to be enhanced this month- more than likely from the anger I feel in regards to the threat to my family as well as the sudden change in scenery. I had to literally shake off my desire to explore the alluring forest further as I fell into a formation that was near second nature.

We took off at a moderately fast jog up the center of the mile long dirt drive. George, Ernie, Terry, Hestia, and Luna were moving at the same steady pace on either side of me. A quarter mile up, Terry broke rank to run a loop around the property with his handy dandy vampire speed. George and Hestia disbanded to the left and right respectively at my hand signal once we were at the half mile point. Luna and Ernie were the next to go once we had traversed another quarter mile. The five of them would run diagnostic spells over their areas to ensure that there were not any dark wizards hiding out before they began adding the protective enchantments.

That left me to cover the last quarter mile on my own.

I slowed to a walk as I came into a meadow. A large, three story Victorian era home with a colonnaded portico was situated in the center. On the far right side of it, a white double seated swing swayed in the light evening breeze. There were well manicured, brightly blooming flowerbeds situated throughout the yard as well as on either side of the gently sloping stairs giving the property the perfect welcoming feel. All in all, the beautiful home demanded awe from all who gazed upon it.

As I approached the long and winding sidewalk, approximately 300 meters from the front door, I could hear that all hell had broken loose inside. Due to the feminine and very human sounding sobs I could hear despite all of the yelling and growling, I decided it would be in my best interest to skip the formality of knocking and just invite myself inside. I quickly cast a disillusionment charm on myself to avoid giving away my presence.

Just in case.

The overwhelmingly concentrated predatory scent of unknown vampires were the first thing I noticed as I pushed open the door. I actually had to take a moment to let my baser instincts become accustomed to the eight distinct scents before I could proceed. The vampire occupants of the room were so engrossed in either comforting Isabella or fighting amongst themselves that they didn't register the door opening of its own accord. I slipped inside unnoticed and quickly took stock of where each person was situated in the room.

Two dark haired female vampires, both slight in nature, were on either side of Isabella offering comfort. Behind the stark white couch, in direct contrast of the two sympathetic women, stood a massive man with both of his bulging arms crossed over his chest in a classic protective stance. Another male, this one blond with a compassionate face was knelt at her feet. He was sporting a perplexed expression as he asked her questions about the identity of "that odd woman" in a soft tone. His eyes shone with exasperation each time she refused to answer by tilting her chin up in a classic show of the Swan family stubbornness. Though I was extremely curious in regards to what they were talking about, I let my eyes roam past him to the female blond whom could have been mistaken for a Veela leaning against the far wall. She was watching the proceedings with an indifferent expression although her eyes told a different story. They gave away her interest.

In the middle of the room stood the sources of all the growling and indiscernible yelling. A male with curly honey colored locks was flanked by a red-eyed male. The human drinking, ash blond wall of rippling muscle had obviously been turned in his late twenties because his body was fully developed. He stood at an intimidating two and a quarter meters, effectively dwarfing his younger companions lightly muscled, two meter frame. Both had extremely heavy scarring along their jawlines as well as on the visible areas of both their arms and neck. From my conversations with one of the female vampires in Terry's coven, I knew that these scars were sort of like badges of honor amongst their species. These were the scars of warriors. They acted as a visual representation of a vampires effectiveness in battle. Each impression of teeth belonged to a vampire whom had not been capable of killing them. They told all who dared gaze upon them that they best proceed with caution. Even the odd scar positioned kitty-corner above red-eyes' left eyebrow didn't lessen the vibes of 'don't fuck with me' the two gave off.

I actually sort of held a smidgen of respect for the feral, lanky, copper-top going toe to toe with them when most would cower in fear.

Aware of the rough position of everyone in the room, I started correlating them with all of the possible escape routes to find the best place for me to take up in the room. As my eyes passed over the floor to ceiling window in appreciation for the options it offered me, the unmistakable sheen of blood could be scene glinting on its surface. I was -unfortunately- not at an angle that afforded me the ability to discern any other details regarding it. As I took my next breath, I paid more attention to the undertones of the overpowering predatory scents in the room. I could definitely identify the slightly sweet, metallic properties of blood now that I was looking for them. Luckily the vampires all seemed to concerned about the cause of the blood to even contemplate attacking.

Unwilling to ask the millions of questions that came to mind in regards to said blood before I found the best strategic point in the room, I continued my analysis of the area. I actually spent several minutes weighing the pros and cons between that glass window and the far wall between the front door and the entrance to the kitchen. In the end I chose the latter to lean against because it offered me the best view of the rooms occupants and appeared to have the best position for self defense and escape.

The inhumane sounds in the center of the room grew louder and a vampire brawl seemed imminent;Therefore, I decided it was time to make myself known.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on with you vampires, but someone better tell me why I smell blood and why Isabella is sobbing right this instant," I bellowed as I simultaneously removed the disillusionment charm hiding my presence.

Nine faces whipped around to stare at me. The vampires surprise was slightly humorous. I'd wager they aren't used to being caught unawares. However, the wariness I also noted in their expressions stopped the triumphant smirk that wanted to stretch across my lips. Well, that and the instantly blackening eyes which were accompanied by a chorus of ferocious growls.

Fuck.

I snarled back at a volume to low for a human to hear and narrowed my own eyes knowing their oddity happened to be quite intimidating. You see, my once brown pupils were now streaked with both amber and red. The amber was a side-effect of Fenrir's attack and the red came from being in close contact with Lord Voldemort's soul via Horcrux for several weeks at a time. Just in case my warning was not heeded, I enacted a bit of wandless magic to restrain them. I really didn't want to waste any valuable time fighting with them.

"Her...Hermione?" The bell like voice of my younger cousin questioned in between sobs.

Black eyes belonging to the eight frozen bodies in the room darted back and forth between us. Their owners were obviously trying to discern some sort of relationship since we obviously knew one another.

The more mature version of the little girl I remember quickly abandoned her perch on the couch. She wiped the tears from her face then made her way towards me. She cradled her bloodied left arm close to her body, but spread her right one wide as if she were going to hug me. Instinctively I took a few steps away from her advancing form. The logical part of me knew she was not going to attack; However, the side of me that was wound up and itching for a fight perceived her actions as a threat.

"I do believe I once told you that assuming identities could be a fatal mistake, Isabella," I stated. It came out rather harsh, but that was just one of the unfortunate side effects when one only allowed hate and anger to occupy their emotions.

Her body became stock still as she looked at me with big, innocent doe eyes. For a few seconds she looked genuinely confused. Then her eyes got impossibly wider and her mouth made an 'O' shape as she realized her mistake. She took a step back and leveled an entirely serious expression on me.

"What happened the first time you performed accidental magic in front of me?"

I nodded to let her know she had asked the correct question and let a small, proud smirk tilt my lips as I answered, "I turned your hair lime green when you wouldn't share the princess coloring book. You thought it was neat and offered to let me have the book if I could give you hot pink stripes as well."

A brilliant smile spread across her face. Seconds later, her petite body came hurtling towards me even faster than before.

I backed away once more to show that I was uncomfortable with her approach. Apparently unable to read even the most blatant forms of body language, she kept on coming. My instincts went on high alert and I felt an uncontrollable flash of intense anger. I had subtly warned her off of approaching me by stepping away and she didn't heed the warning. It was all I could do to restrain myself from pulling my wand out and cursing her as my instincts demanded. Just as her body was a little less than a meter away from my own, I gripped her shoulders and leaned down a hair so that our noses were mere millimeters apart.

"You may be family, but that does not afford you the right to initiate contact with me. If you wish to keep your head connected to your body, you will never come at me in such a manner again. Do you understand?" I practically snarled.

A chorus of sharp hisses and low growls from the gallery of observing vampires sounded. I had no doubt that they would have attacked me if they were capable of moving. However, they weren't, so I paid them no mind.

"Hermione?" my name was her only response. Her voice was laden with confusion at my harsh tone and tears were once more spilling from her brown eyes.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me. Without. Permission," I clarified sharply, "Ever."

A nod was her only response as she slowly backed away from me. I could smell the smidgen of fear wafting from her meaning she definitely understood my warning. Once she was a respectable distance away, I held up my hand for her to stop. I then cautiously approached her on my own terms and reached for the arm she still held against her body.

She didn't let me move the arm an inch. She refused to let me see it, something akin to shame was spread across her face as she stared at the bloodied limb.

In a change of tactics I questioned, "what happened to it?" in a much softer tone than I had used before.

Tears once more spilled down her cheeks as she bit her lip then shook her head in refusal to answer.

"Tell me now, Isabella or I'm going to assume that one of your vampire friends harmed you and I promise that you will not like the sorts of punishment I would consider for such an infraction against your trust," I growled with an annoyed curl of my lip.

She lifted her head, those eyes of hers no longer staring holes into the floor. Instead they were looking at me defiantly.

"It wasn't one of them," she hurriedly assured. "I...I got your message about the Death Eaters and I was doing so good. I hadn't panicked. I was watching out and being careful. I even had a plan to escape in case they showed up. I just... I didn't know anyone would be able to sneak up on a coven of vampires."

The last part came out as a whisper. If I hadn't of possessed sensitive hearing, I wouldn't have heard her.

"Are you saying Death Eaters hurt your arm?"

She shook her head.

"No, just one. I... I'm pretty sure it was Bellatrix Lestrange. After she took off that awful magical mask, I could see that she had wild, curly black hair, sharp features, and blue eyes so harsh they made you cringe. Just like you described her when you were giving Charlie and I profiles of all the most dangerous Death Eaters in the war. She interrupted Jasper's brother, Peter, telling us about his life. She yanked me to her and... the... the Cullens couldn't move. They couldn't save me from her. And I obviously couldn't save them from someone so crazy and powerful. She.. she did something to my arm with her wand. Then she wrote a message using my blood on the window and... and she said she'd come back and kill Charlie and I later since you were -and I quote- 'obviously too busy mourning over the mangled bodies of your filthy, muggle parents to make the game of ripping your life apart piece by piece any fun.' Then she pointed at the window and told me to make sure you read it."

By the end of her explanation she looked both confused and heart-broken. What happened had obviously affected her deeply. Unfortunately, I was not the type to go around offering false sympathies or words of comfort. Especially when she happened to mention that Bellatrix Lestrange had done something to her arm. The explanation caused a feeling of dread to well up in my chest. This situation had 'bad' written all over it. Bellatrix Lestrange, the most demented Death Eater ever, had willingly touched a muggle. She didn't just willingly go around touching those she despised unless she inflicted some sort of horrible damage upon them.

In a move to fast to be entirely human, I yanked Isabella's arm away from her body. I didn't pay any heed to her disgruntled protests or her pitiful attempts to pull it back against her body. There was no not showing me now that I knew who had hurt her. I had to check the wound for curses and poisons. I had to make sure she wasn't in imminent danger. Then, I had to check for tracking charms and an attempt to get a trace on the magic.

Of their own accord, my eyes widened in shock as the wound came into view. It wasn't a cut or gash like I expected.

Instead there was a blood streaked, pitch black snake slithering through the mouth of an equally dark skull.

The Dark Mark.

Authors Note:

I'm sure you have all noticed the long wait between chapters on both of my stories. Well, there is a reason. I've been super, super busy.

These past few weeks, fellow authors Banana Flavored Eskimo, Michelle Amethyst, and Keelhaulrose have joined me in creating a blog called Wicked Goddesses.

The four of us will highlight our favorite stories from the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Crossover fandoms as well as stories from other fanfiction sites in daily post segments.

Please, check us out at www(dot)wgoddesses(dot)blogspot(dot)com

Oh! Don't forget to review!