Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and the whole Monogatari family.
A/N: Okay…my mother has been harassing me for the next chapter…lol. Anyway, don't forget to review.
Chapter 10
Symphony of Destruction
You take a mortal man,
And put him in control
Watch him become a god…
He stood in the sun…head tilted back…beams of light casting down on him. Oh how he had missed that feeling…that warmth that now seemed to glow within him as well. It was like pure light running through his veins. He licked his lips. Her taste still lingered there. She was like a drug.
Kuro really didn't want to leave her…didn't want to leave that dungeon where she was so easy to bend to his will. He knew that wasn't the normal Hermione…there was something different when they were together. He didn't know what it was, but he wondered if it was related to the reason he now stood in the sunlight with no repercussions.
He took a deep breath in that sunlight. He could still smell her in the air around him…on him. He could feel her…she was confused…worried…scared…her heart pounded as if calling out to him.
He lowered his face from the now dying sun. There was much to be done in the night. One of which was dealing with those traitors that tried to hurt Hermione…his Hermione.
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"Never…again," Blaise clarified once more as he stormed into the Slytherin seventh year boys' dorm thankful no one was there.
Draco rolled his eyes and sat down on his own bed looking bored as Blaise continued to elaborate on how unhappy he was.
"We have been friends for a long time, Draco. I did this as a favor to you not to that wretched little…"
Draco looked up with a raised eyebrow as if daring Blaise to continue that line of thought. Blaise stopped his rant, took a deep breath and then continued down a different path.
"Draco, you don't understand how…creepy that was. You said it would be fine if I just stayed in the library all day. Do you know what it is like sitting in an isolated corner of the library…a corner that is surrounded by books no one reads I might add…and have your father there? Watching?"
Blaise shook his head as he started to pace as if he had been violated in that corner of the library. He stopped and turned to look pleadingly at Draco who simply looked up from his nails as if this conversation was really dull by nature.
"Your father…he…the way he looked at me…thinking I'm Hermione…that just was not normal! He does not look at Hermione like she's filth…more like she's dessert!"
Draco looked up at the very disturbed Blaise.
"I might be able to take you more seriously if you were not still wearing a Gryffindor girl's school uniform."
Blaise looked down at himself as if he had forgotten he was still wearing Granger's uniform. In a huff he stormed toward his trunk still mumbling something that sounded like, "It's just not right."
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The lighting was always horrid inside the prefects' bathroom. Maybe that explained the way she looked.
Hermione stared at herself in the mirror wondering if she was truly seeing herself anymore. She knew what she did…she let him bite her…she offered her own blood to save his life. Wasn't that the proper thing to do? How could she just watch him die?
Still, in the mirror what looked back at her was a pale young woman who looked weakened…tired. She leaned forward slightly making sure her towel was adjusted properly as she did so. Her wet hair fell over one shoulder as she tilted her head to get a better view of her neck.
Her fingers caressed over the small puncture marks with the arching imprint of his front teeth. In her mind she could see herself being pulled onto his lap like a starving man and feel his teeth sinking into her…his lips caressing her. It was a rather intimate thing…an exchange of body fluids…a sharing of life…it sent confusing stirs in the pit of her stomach and the desire to help Kuro find the answer.
There were others like him.
Others in his family living in the darkness of this curse…longing to be free.
She heard a knock at the door followed by Lucius' voice.
"Miss Granger?"
She heard the tone. It was worried. It was hard work switching places with a polyjuiced Blaise without Lucius' notice, but he recognized there was something wrong…just as she recognized the smell of firewhiskey about him—that was how they pulled the switch off.
"I'll be out in a moment," she called out hoping to satisfy his firewhiskey clouded desire to care for her.
She was so tired. Hermione dressed…each movement feeling disjointed…hazy. There was a slight guilt gnawing at her. Lucius Malfoy's job was to protect her and what did she do? She tricked him…let him believe she was safe while she went and offered herself up to Kuro. Lucius kept him like a caged animal though. It was all so confusing.
Lucius stood in the corridor…no invisibility cloak to cover him and not really caring at this point. One student had already spotted him in the library earlier that day and he reminded himself that he would need to discuss this with Severus and McGonagall. Was the cloak really necessary?
The quiet of the corridor allowed him time to think. He didn't know why…maybe it was the bit of firewhiskey stirring in him, but when he thought about the celebratory ball and how he wrapped his arms around her pulling her back against him, he realized that was what he wanted. To protect her, even if it was from herself.
But wasn't she the very thing he stood against…even if they stood on the same side at the end of the war?
She was still a Mudblood.
She was still the brains of the trio.
She was still Potter's friend.
And Severus Snape forced him to be her protector.
This was his fault.
She was everything he hated! He closed his eyes. The more he thought about it the more he knew what it was he always wanted…what he followed the Dark Lord for…he wanted power. Yes, he felt muggle-borns were beneath him, but Hermione was the exception to the rule…the only exception.
Power.
That was what he always wanted and what he would have. With power he could have who and what he wanted. With power there would be no Death Eaters after Hermione…no out of the ordinary vampires hunting her. There would just be him and his will…his command.
But was it worth it?
Was the extra effort it would take to ensure Hermione was safely by his side in the end worth the effort?
He heard the sound of the door opening and he opened his eyes, facing the door. Hermione stood there…freshly bathed, hair still damp falling over her shoulders.
Yes, he decided it was worth it.
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Hermione stared down at the odd bracelet that was just placed on her wrist. It couldn't slip off over her hand…it was choker-like around her wrist…almost like a shackle. It looked like intertwining strands of silver. She hadn't even had breakfast yet and she had to deal with this…imprisonment?
She looked up from the bracelet to the occupants of the room. The Headmistress looked thoroughly set…there would be no arguing with her. Professor Snape stood by the fireplace with his arms crossed over his chest looking as sour as ever. Lucius stood next to her, looking down his nose with a slight smirk of delight…as if he had won some game.
"That will allow Mister Malfoy to know your position at all times," Professor McGonagall explained tersely.
"He will no longer be wearing the cloak," Severus said noticing Hermione's confused face. "He has been seen by a couple students there is no sense in continuing this charade. The student body is being informed by Professor Flitwick as we speak of Mister Malfoy's reasons for being here. And yes, Miss Granger. He will still follow you from class to class."
They didn't even give her a chance to argue her case…to fight for her freedom. As she was leaving she heard Snape call out to her that she was being allowed a few hours that evening for tea with her mother…she would be escorted of course.
So, she had something to look forward to. What she wasn't looking forward to was walking into the Great Hall with Lucius bloody Malfoy behind her. She wasn't looking forward to classes where she could see him along with everyone else in the room. She wasn't looking forward to the whispers most likely to follow her through the day and she contemplated locking herself in her room until she went to see her mother. And to make matters worse she still felt drained and exhausted.
She stopped right outside the Great Hall not really feeling like she had the energy to do this. Lucius looked down his nose at her as she took a deep breath with her eyes closed mumbling something that sounded like, "Okay, you can do this."
Lucius acted as if he was flicking specs of dust no one else could see off his cloak as he spoke.
"You're a Gryffindor are you not?"
Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at the strange man. He stopped flicking invisible things and looked down at her.
"I have no doubt that you can walk into that Great Hall as if you are better than a majority of the idiots attending this school. You do it everyday."
Hermione was confused. Was he trying to comfort her? It was laughable. She didn't really think he knew how. Hiding her tired smile, she pulled open the door to the Great Hall and stepped in.
Silence.
Total silence followed by a wave of whispers as she began her walk to her table and Lucius took his leave for the Head Table. Her jaw was set. With each step she told herself not to show weakness…not to show how tired she was. She took her seat across from Harry and Ron noting how angry Ron looked…betrayed even. As soon as she sat down, Ron left turning red in anger.
"Arse," Ginny mumbled from a few people down as her brother passed her.
She offered Hermione a supportive smile before turning back to her breakfast and classmates. Hermione looked across at the only other person in her house that knew Lucius was her guard at school too.
"You know how he is," Harry said.
Hermione nodded looking down at the bracelet and then up as the morning post arrived. She wasn't expecting anything. Her mother couldn't write her and she knew of no other person with a reason to write at this time of the year, but still an owl swooped down dropping an envelope in her lap while nipping a bit of food on its way out.
Something told her the quick way the owl dropped the letter in her lap was on purpose. Hands under the table she opened it. A small phial of liquid tumbled out into her hand and she read the scrap of parchment that accompanied it.
Hermione,
Drink this as I know you will need it. It is a blood replenishing potion with a bit added to help you feel better more quickly.
Hope to see you again,
Hanajima
Hermione slipped the phial into her pocket and ate her breakfast or at least made it look like she was. After breakfast she was able to go off to the prefects' bathroom to take it. She didn't need to look weak and tired when she saw her mother. She didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. She downed the potion and watched in the dim light of the bathroom as her complexion seemed to brighten…a warm red tinge on her cheeks as if she was blushing.
When she stepped out of the bathroom there was her guard, Lucius again…standing there…his cold grey eyes swimming with something new as he looked down his nose into her warm brown eyes.
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He was sitting on his throne-like chair when the Death Eaters gathered in the room. He was god-like on that chair with Chi standing near by in the dark shadows. They entered one by one with wary glances up toward the Prince of Darkland…knowing…recognizing how unhappy he was. A few glanced nervously toward the large windows in that room and the sun that was shining brightly outside casting its glow into the room.
It made them nervous.
It made every one of them nervous.
Kuro stood up, head bent slightly looking over the tops of his eyes at the room at large. Chi smiled in a slightly warped delight as his nephew stepped off the platform and into the sunlight…the one thing the traitors thought would keep him at a distance—the sun that danced across the floor between them.
He paced back and forth for a moment…glaring from the top of his eyes at whoever happened to catch his attention…taking note of those missing.
Then he stopped suddenly right in front of Rabastan.
Kuro's eyes flickered to Rabastan for only a moment before calling the names…the names of the three traitors…the names of those who tried to hurt his Hermione.
"Jameson. Hollings. Emerson."
They stepped forward.
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Hermione stood on the path that would take her through the gate and closer to the little cottage. She stood between Lucius and Severus nervously pulling on that imprisoning bracelet before Severus pushed the gate open and waited for Hermione and Lucius to go through ahead of him.
By the looks of the flower strewn quaint cottage one would never guess that it was invisible to the muggle eye…to the eye of anyone not privy to its secret—that it even exists. The sight of the swing hanging from a large tree brought with it the memory of the one at Hermione's home…the home she grew up in and with it came the memories of her father pushing her through the years on that swing.
She sniffed slightly fighting the tears that wanted to fall. As they stepped onto the porch she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned expecting it to be Severus. It was Lucius though which erased the tears as the confusion set in. From the other side, over her head, Severus was giving Lucius a look of warning.
She held out a shaking finger and rang the doorbell. In true Hermione fashion, she stood there fidgeting with her hands in front of her while she waited listening to every sound of life that came from the cottage. Maybe it was because she knew her father wasn't there…knew he was dead that the sounds sounded so lonely.
Then the door flew open and Hermione was pulled into the tight embrace of Faith Granger.
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Silence filled the room full of Death Eaters. The only sound was from Kuro's shoes as he took slow steps toward the two men and one woman Death Eater that betrayed him. He stood in front of the three traitors, the sun illuminating his angry face.
It was strange seeing the vampire stand in sunlight and at the same time it was ultimately frightening. The sun not killing him made him nearly invincible.
He was a god.
Kuro stared at them as if he would take their heads off any moment or send them off to be a snack for Chi or some unnamed ordinary vampire. His hair now tied back samurai style again added to the look creating an intense energy around him that seemed to radiate throughout the room.
Then slowly Kuro walked away…not far away, but just a bit. He stopped once again in front of Rabastan.
He could feel her.
She was mourning…sad and nostalgic…and confused. Her heart pounded wildly calling to him…always calling to him.
Kuro kept his eyes on Rabastan as he spoke to the three traitors.
"You were told she was off limits. Instead, you went after her," he said…eyes not leaving Rabastan. His nostrils flared angrily as he fought to keep his voice calm only to discover that when it came to his Hermione there could be no calm way of handling this.
He turned his head toward those three traitors.
"YOU WENT AFTER HER!"
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Her laughter filled the kitchen reminding both men of the way Hermione sounded when she laughed. Faith sat the cups of tea down in front of each of the men as she retook her seat next to her daughter and picked up her own teacup lovingly. She shook her head and took a sip. Sitting the cup back down, she looked at her daughter with love twinkling in her eyes.
"I'll never forget when Hermione started to show signs of being a witch. Of course I didn't realize then what was going on."
Faith laughed thinking about the story. Both men sipping their tea looked upon Faith curiously waiting for the story to truly start.
"We were in America…one of our international vacations. Well, we went into one of the grocery stores near where we were staying."
She paused to take a sip.
"They had lobster…live lobsters kept inside this tank. They were piled up on top of each other…there were so many of them. She was devastated…started crying in the store."
Faith looked to her now blushing daughter and really didn't care. The two men were protecting her daughter and they seemed interested in the story. Snape had a slightly sardonic smile. He had a feeling he knew where this was going if her campaign for house elves and anything else she felt needed her services was an example of what an even younger Hermione Granger was like.
"I turned to put some stuff in my buggy." Faith laughed shaking her head. "I heard Hermione yelling, 'your free…your free…run." Faith was laughing so hard tears were coming to her eyes. "I couldn't figure out how she did it. Now I know of course. But she had levitated each lobster out of the cage so that they were now loose in the store and she was yelling for them to fight for their freedom…tears still pouring down her face."
The laughter that filled the kitchen was no longer just Faith's. She was now accompanied by both Severus and Lucius, though theirs was not nearly as loud and cheerful as her mother's.
Hermione couldn't help that her mother's 'savior story' made her think about Kuro and wonder if he was okay. Her mind flashed to the dungeon and for a split second she was reliving those events…feeling the sensation of his mouth and lips on her.
Lucius couldn't help his eyes wandering to the young woman. Yes, that was just like her to try to rescue things she felt was being wronged or in some kind of danger. Wasn't that her habit? As he watched her blushing cheeks and listened to her own laughter he began to wonder…would she try to save him?
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When he picked Jameson up with one hand and tossed him across the room everyone heard the sickening crunch of his bones. Hollings and Emerson immediately began to try to explain themselves out of trouble, but were met with the cold glares of both Kuro and Chi. Kuro reached out grabbing Hollings throat ceasing her incessant whining about the truth of their mission…the reason Kuro was to lead them.
In pure survival instinct, she clawed at his hand gasping for air.
"I care nothing for your dead Dark Lord," Kuro said in a soft, but dangerous voice.
At this Rabastan stepped forward, no longer caring to hide his true intent…no longer wanting to pretend to follow this…vampire.
"No, you were to help us complete the Dark Lord's work…to purify the wizarding world…to purge our world of Mudbloods…"
Kuro dropped the gagging woman and stepped closer to Rabastan, circling him like prey.
"Your Dark Lord was an idiot just as you are, Lestrange. Yes, I told Voldemort," Kuro said, stopping for the collective hisses of disapproval that washed over each Death Eater that seemed in agreement with Rabastan.
"I told Voldemort I would lead you if the unthinkable happened. I never specified what I would lead you toward."
Rabastan looked to be beyond angry. Chi smiled from somewhere in the shadows behind Kuro, pushing his glasses up his nose. Kuro would do anything to save the family…to cure the family of this retched curse. Kuro looked from Rabastan to every face he could of the occupants of the room.
"I believe it is time for you all to make a choice. Do you wish to follow the plans of a dead man? Or do you wish to start anew?"
About half the room stepped forward, crossing the imaginary line between Rabastan and Kuro and stood behind Kuro. If anyone looked…really looked at those that crossed that line…those that chose Kuro's leadership were those Death Eaters that always sat on the precipice of the war…between the Order and the Death Eaters, not really sure which side they belonged to—simply following their parents or grandparents.
The invisible line lay between the two groups like the strip of sunlight that was slowly fading from the floor. Kuro was still staring at Rabastan, daring him to say or do anything when Kuro spoke to Chi in Japanese preventing anyone in the room from knowing exactly what was said. Chi smiled though and nodded his head in understanding as he stepped forward pushing his glasses back up again.
"Mister Lestrange, on my way I believe I will see you and your…followers out. There will be no returning."
Rabastan and those following him did not argue with this, but willingly left leaving Kuro in the room with those willing to follow him…to help him…to do as he wishes…to not follow a dead Dark Lord. He watched the last of those against them walk out the door. Did they all even know that Rabastan was not the true leader…possibly the second in command, but not the leader? Deciding it didn't matter and waiting for the door to shut and the sound of footsteps going down the stairs to the large foyer, Kuro stood back on his platform.
"Right now your job is simple," he said looking over the group. "No matter what Hermione Granger is to be kept safe…protected."
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She walked along the path between the two men, thankful she was able to spend a few hours with her mother. They had to walk for about fifteen minutes to get the area they would disapparate from. Hermione looked up at the sky taking in the various shades of orange the sky had taken as the sun began to set.
They came out of nowhere.
More than she could count at first sight.
They were surrounded by them and their wands were drawn.
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Kuro sat alone in that large room. His elbow resting on the arm of the chair, he held his head in his hand.
An overwhelming fear had taken hold of his heart…fear and panic and none of it was his.
It was her.
Something was wrong and he could feel it in his very bones.
His heart pounded heavily.
The sound of the doors opening and the echoing of footsteps brought his head up out of his hand. He had expected to see his uncle…Chi stepping in to tell him the servants had prepared dinner. Outside the sun had set and the moon cast its glow through the windows now.
Chi was not who was stepping into the room.
The person stepping in had well defined cheekbones, hair with a brownish-orange tint that Kuro knew was not natural, and he held himself as if he were above such things as what Kuro was doing…disapproving even, but knowing he had no power to stop him.
Kuro was his Prince though…the future King…his great nephew.
"Hanajima says you found her," Ayame said.
Kuro looked up at his great uncle as he stood up to approach this family member. Ayame's eyes still held that haunted look of watching his wife grow old and die and still held the warning that life for them was best lived alone.
Kuro felt a wave of grief…fear…anxiety.
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It was so sudden. They were Death Eaters she knew…she could tell…the masks weren't exactly a subtle touch to their attire.
Hermione was shaking her head no in disbelief that they were even there…that this may be her last moments. She still had so much to do. She felt Lucius' hand on her wrist that didn't have the bracelet tighten and felt Severus grab her other wrist just above the bracelet in an attempt to show his protection of her as well.
She had saved his life.
She was his Little Princess.
And the unknown Death Eater fired the spell…the curse.
A green light shot through the air toward Hermione—it would not miss.
There was no time.
Severus turned, throwing himself between Hermione and the spell as she jerked her hands grabbing a tight hold of them both hoping to disapparate before the spell hit….before the curse could rip another person from her life.
Important note: I have had to disable anon reviews because of a spammer, then said spammer (evil-mastermind666) decided to sign in to do this. My first ss/hg story—some of you will remember my MarySue for fun story "Winter's Shadow." Anyway, she apparently didn't get the whole intent with the OOCness for fun. Anyway, I deleted her anon reviews and blocked her from reviewing anything. So, please understand that for a while you will need to sign in to review. Thanks to those who have followed me through it all since that first story.
A/N:
Next Chapter: It's a secret…I'm not giving hints this time.