A/N: A chapter not for the faint hearted.

Enjoy.

Chapter 4

Demons in Ashes

She grabbed a fistful of red hair and yanked Ginny's head up with force. Tears sprung in the young witch's eyes as she forced herself to look up at her tormenter. Hermione's features were dark and her hazel eyes drifted over her victim's face. They had returned to Robur Castle mere minutes ago. Bellatrix and Narcissa had ordered the warriors to take the twins down to the dungeons but Hermione had said sharply that she wanted Ginny to stay with her. She felt Bellatrix's intense eyes burning in her back but resisted looking over her shoulder at the raven haired witch sitting in one of the leather arm chairs, one leg dangling over the arm rest.

"Don't do this," Ginny pleaded as she stared up to the witch who had once been her best friend. "Hermione, please. This isn't you. I know you're in there somewhere."

"Shut it!" Hermione shouted, pulling Ginny's hair. "Who said you could speak?" She let go off her hair and Ginny slumped down to the floor, on her stomach, and shielded her head with her hands. Hermione's foot came up and made contact with her former friend's side. "You disgust me!"

"The feeling is mutual," Ginny heaved as she tried to look up. The pain in her side was throbbing and she felt suddenly sick. "What happened to you?"

"Your scumbag brother happened to me!" Hermione shrieked and her hand slipped into the sheath attached to her hip where she kept her wand. As she drew it and aimed it at Ginny, she felt the warm tingling sensation in her fingers that reminded her that a second wand was in the room. She stretched her neck and her eyes fixed once again on the figure on the ground. Ginny was still wrapped up in the chains Narcissa had conjured up and couldn't move away from her. "What he did to me destroyed me! He woke up another side of me; a side of me I never knew existed. Only for that will I be grateful. What was I thinking, hanging out with filth like you and your family?!"

Ginny was about to protest but Hermione's wand came down in a slashing motion. Blood gushed down from her cheek. Ginny's eyes widened in pain as she fought to free her hands from the chain. The iron scraped her wrists but she managed to free one hand and cupped her bleeding face. Blood seeped through her fingers, down her neck and into her clothes.

Hermione watched in amusement. "Now they match."

"You're a monster," Ginny whispered.

Hermione chuckled softly. "Whatever you say." She took a step towards the red head, who flinched as she came nearer. "Now, there are a few things I am going to ask you." She smiled sweetly but her eyes reflected her anger. "You're going to tell me exactly what it is I want to know and maybe I'll let you live." The tip of her wand slipped under Ginny's chin and she forced her to look up. "Lie to me and you and your stupid brothers die, understood?"

Ginny managed to nod.

"Good girl," Hermione whispered as she patted Ginny on the head like one would do a dog. Her wand slid across Ginny's throat and she could sense the younger witch's breath hitch. Ginny sat on her knees, clutching her bleeding cheek. Tears had welled up in her eyes and fear radiated of her body. She tried to follow Hermione with her gaze but couldn't turn her head far enough now that Hermione stood behind her.

"Let's start this with an easy question," Hermione said as she pressed the tip of her wand pressed into the base of Ginny's neck. The red head's body stiffened. "Where is the rest of your resistance?"

"Hogsmeade," Ginny whispered.

Hermione's eyes darted to Bellatrix, who had sat up in her chair and was watching intensely at the situation unfolding before her eyes. Then she looked back at Ginny, who was slowly breaking down as the realisation that she was about to give every detail about the resistance away again hit her. Twice she had been captured and for a second time he would bring her resistance to the brink of destruction.

"What's the plan?" Hermione said softly.

"Regroup," Ginny answered mutely. She stared down at the floor and watched the pool of blood near her knees grow steadily bigger.

"How many more are there?" Hermione demanded, poking her wand a little harder into Ginny's neck when she sensed her hesitation.

A sudden outcry of pain echoed around the Caste, rising up from the dungeons below. Ginny's head snapped up when she recognised her brother's voice but Hermione responded quickly. Her fingers closed around the back of Ginny's head and she forced it to bend forwards, staring down at the floor. The sheer brutality of her action left behind five perfect finger marks on Ginny's neck and the redhead lost her balance, landing first forward on the blood stained wooden floor. She whimpered softly.

"Shut up!" Hermione commanded. Her wand twitched and the bright red jet hit Ginny in her back. For a second her body froze but then it started convulsing. Hermione watched as Ginny's eyes rolled back into her head and foam began to form around her mouth. A tormented outcry of pain escaped her as the Cruciatus Curse hit her over and over again. The bright red flashes of light reflected in Hermione's eyes as she watched her former friend suffer.

"Enough," Bellatrix said and her hand closed around Hermione's wrist, forcing her to lower her wand. Charcoal eyes connected with hazel brown. "She can't talk if she's dead."

Hermione considered Bellatrix's words for a moment but then nodded. She flicked her wand, forcing Ginny back onto her knees and circled her like a predator did its prey. Ginny's face was covered in blood and dots of foam still clung to the corner of her mouth. Strands of hair had fallen into bloodshot eyes and her face had been drained off its colour. Her hands were shaking and her nails had broken off where her fingers had clawed across the cold, hard marble. She lifted up her head, still trembling.

"I don't know you anymore," she managed to whisper. The words were a struggle. "I don't know who or what you are but..." Her voice trailed off. "You are not Hermione anymore."

"Oh, but I am," Hermione smiled softly. "Just not the one you thought I was."

Ginny's eyes darkened. "I wish Andy had killed you when she got the chance."

"I wish Cissy had killed you," Hermione hissed and Ginny flinched at the pure hatred in her voice. "Instead I have been left to clean up her fucking mess!" She cocked her head. "Besides, we both know that Andy is never ever going to kill me." She chuckled softly. "She loves me too much."

"She will destroy you," Ginny countered. "One day."

"I hope you don't mind that I won't hold my breath," Hermione laughed. She let the tip of her wand graze across Ginny's arms, up to the side of her neck. "Now, tell me, how many of your sad little friends are in Hogsmeade right now?"

She could have lied. She could have told her that there were over a hundred. She could have said there were more than Hermione could ever begin to imagine. But she didn't. The tip of the wand was hot and started blistering her flesh. She thought about her parents, hidden away in the countryside. What good was she to them like this?

"About fifty, give or take a few," she answered and registered the surprise on Hermione's face. "Most of them are former Hogwarts students and people living in Hogsmeade. Rosmerta is in charge."

Hermione looked at Bellatrix. "Round up some of the best warriors. I want that village by night fall tomorrow." She glanced back at Ginny. "And you're staying here, so you can't let anyone know we're coming. If all goes well, we can burn them in their beds!"

Ginny felt the panic spread through her as she imagines her friends caught off guard, without a decent chance to defend themselves against impending evil. Suddenly the strength seeped back into her body and she started fighting against the chains around her. The pain was sharp and for a moment it felt like someone had split open her head with a cleaver. Stars danced before her eyes before she was swallowed up into a pool of darkness.

Hermione stood behind Ginny, wand in hand. Blood clung to the wood where it had made contact with Ginny's skull. She stared down at the bleeding young witch at her feet before stepping over her body and approaching Bellatrix. She was about to kiss her temple when the sound of footsteps made her look up. Narcissa emerged from the dungeons, her hands coated in blood and still clutching her wand. Blue eyes sought and found the other two witches.

"I think we need a shovel."

"You killed them?!" Hermione asked, her voice suddenly high pitched. Her eyes darted back to the unconscious Ginny lying on the floor. "Well, if we get rid of them before she wakes up, she won't know any different." She shrugged. "Get some of the men to do it."

Narcissa nodded and quietly walked out of the drawing room, careful to avoid the pool of blood forming around Ginny. Hermione turned back to Bellatrix, who had fallen into the arm chair again and gazed into the fire. Hermione perched herself on the arm rest and felt the older woman's arm protectively sneak around her waist.

"Gather our best warriors," Hermione said softly. "Send scouts to watch the village throughout the day. No doubt it will be well guarded." Bellatrix's arm tightened around her waist. Hermione looked down at the other woman's hand against her side. The lack of recognition made her wonder if what she had said did not stimulate Bellatrix. "I'll go myself if you prefer."

"No," Bellatrix said suddenly and looked at Hermione. The look in her eyes was distant, almost cold. "I'll gather the men."

"What's going on, Bella?" Hermione asked.

"She still wants you," Bellatrix hissed and fixed her gaze back on the dancing flames in the fireplace. "After everything you have done, after everything that has happened, she still wants you back." She shook her head. "Why?"

"I guess she is a victim of love," Hermione answered and remembered the moment between her and Andromeda on the stairs. Had she known, or even suspected, that it had been the brunette witch, she would have turned around. Had she been so deluded to believe that it could only have been Bellatrix or Narcissa? She swallowed hard. "She is desperate."

Bellatrix set her jaw. "They used Polyjuice Potion but how did they know we were coming tonight?" She chewed her bottom lip in frustration. "They had to have infiltrated our ranks."

Hermione shivered, still feeling Andromeda's hands roaming over her body. "Even if they succeeded, they won't be doing so again," she insisted and Bellatrix turned to look at her. "They are trapped in a village that by tomorrow night will be burnt down to the ground. After tomorrow, there won't be a resistance left." She leant in and her lips brushed against Bellatrix's. "It's been a long night. Maybe we should rest."

A soft groaning sound made her look up and she watched as Ginny struggled to lift her head off her arm. She slipped off the arm rest and crossed the distance between her and the younger witch. When she reached her, Ginny tried to cower away in fear. Terrified brown eyes looked up to Hermione. "You are even worse than she was."

Hermione shrugged. "Try finding someone who cares." She knelt down beside Ginny and her fingers tangled in the fiery red hair as she pulled her towards her. "Where is Andromeda?"

Ginny didn't answer, choosing instead to look away from Hermione and gazing down at the floor. The grip on her hair tightened and the pain was sharp and sickening. She felt her stomach turn as the bile rose up in the back of her throat. Hermione yanked her head a couple more times but she kept her lips together.

"Say it!" Hermione shrieked and Ginny tried to crawl away at the sharpness of her voice but couldn't move. Hermione stood up, still holding Ginny's hair, and began dragging her towards the fireplace. Ginny cried, kicked and screamed and tried to free her hair from Hermione's iron grip, but Hermione didn't let go until she had dropped the red head at Bellatrix's feet. Hermione's hazel eyes met Bellatrix's black orbs and the raven haired woman arched an eyebrow in question.

"I think she needs to learn a lesson," Hermione hissed as she reached for the hot poker that had been lying in the flames. As she pulled it towards her the iron was glowing orange. At the end it was a simple strip, maybe just a couple of inches long. As she yielded the stick, she looked back at Bellatrix. "Hold her down."

Bellatrix dropped to her knees beside Ginny, placing her knee in the small of her back and her hands on her forearms, pinning her down to the ground. Ginny squirmed, screamed and cried as she felt Hermione tear apart her shirt, revealing the bruised but otherwise unscathed flesh of her back. She closed her eyes and waited.

Hermione's features were illuminated by the golden gloom of the fire as she hovered over Ginny's body, slowly bringing the burning hot poker closer to her skin. She could smell the burnt flesh before she could see it and planted the scorching stick firmly against Ginny's shoulder blade. The redhead's body seized up underneath Bellatrix's strong grip and her legs started kicking. Bellatrix moved until she straddled the younger witch, her thighs forcing Ginny to lie still.

Hermione slowly removed the poker from Ginny's skin and the thin, narrow strip at the end had left behind a raised, swollen red burn. The stench of burnt skin prickled her nose as she leant back and placed the poker back in the fire for a moment. She waited until Ginny had stopped trembling before removing the iron stick from the flames again and repeating her previous action by pressing it against Ginny's now red hot flesh.

She screamed in agony as the pain rushed through her. Her hands clenched up into fists and tears seeped down her cheeks, lacing with the blood still oozing from te cut on her cheek. The pain was sickening and she felt her stomach turn but in the position she was held in it was almost impossible to vomit. Bellatrix pressed down on her hard and her fingers left behind large, purple bruises on Ginny's arms.

"This should teach her," Hermione said slowly as she removed the poker from the fire for a third time and inspected its glowing hot edge. With a smile she brought it down against Ginny's skin, chuckling softly at the sound of skin burning and sizzling underneath. A fine plume of smoke billowed up from Ginny's shoulder before Hermione removed the stick and revealed the mark she had left behind. The three marks brought together formed a triangle; the mark of the Three Cores.

She stood up and her hand closed around Bellatrix arm to help her up too. Ginny didn't move. She lay motionless on her stomach, with her arms folded beside her body and with her back exposed. The burn looked angry, red and swollen and it stood out against the bruises across her skin. The only sign that told Hermione that she was still alive was she slow and steady rising and falling of her chest. Ginny's eyes were wide open and she stared at something in the distance, something nobody else could see.

Narcissa walked back in to the room, followed by two lower ranked warriors. The two men curiously looked at the witch lying at Hermione's feet but Narcissa jammed her wand into their arms and forced them to keep walking, towards the dungeons. They disappeared down the staircase at the end of the room, the sound of their boots echoing of the metal.

Narcissa joined Bellatrix and Hermione and her gaze lingered on Ginny. The first thing she spotted was the burn, followed by the deep cut across her face. The corner of her mouth curled up as she inspected what Hermione had done. Sparkling blue eyes looked up to meet hazel. "Very nice. Couldn't have done it better myself."

Bellatrix took her sister's arm. "We need to gather a group of warriors before moving in on Hogsmeade tomorrow." Her eyes briefly darted back to Hermione. "You're with me while she deals with this... mess."

Narcissa nodded and followed her sister out of the drawing room. Their footsteps died out in the distance and Hermione kept her eyes trained on the door for a few more seconds before dropping to her knees beside Ginny, taking her by the shoulders and leaning over. Ginny stirred now that she was touched and she looked up at Hermione with a blank gaze.

"Tell me where Andromeda is or I swear to God I will burn you so badly you'd wish you were never born," Hermione hissed and reached behind her to draw the poker out of the flames. Fear filled Ginny's eyes at the sight of it and she nodded slowly.

"She... is... looking..." Her voice broke. The words were painful, it hurt to speak. "For Ollivander."

"The wand maker?" Hermione growled. "I knew we should have killed him. Where is he?!" When Ginny didn't respond quick enough she brought the glowing stick closer to Ginny's face. "Where is he?!"

Ginny blinked and swallowed hard. Tears were burning behind her eyes. "Italy. He's in Venice."

"Andromeda has left the country?" Hermione whispered. "She must have found something worth leaving for if she abandons her daughter in Hogsmeade." She stood back up, tossing the poker back in the fire. She grabbed one of Ginny's arms and began dragging her across the room. She had no resistance left and Ginny just allowed Hermione to do whatever it was she wanted. Her body ached all over and the headache was blinding. They reached the top of the metal staircase leading down into the dungeons and Hermione suddenly snarled.

She let go of Ginny's arm and before her body could slump down to the floor, she kicked her into her lower back. With an outcry of pain Ginny fell over the edge, hitting her head on the next step of the stairs, as her body began rolling down. The pain was sharp but she didn't feel most of it. By the time she reached the bottom, she was unconscious. Blood poured out of her nose and mouth and Hermione reached her after descending down the stairs slowly. Torches illuminated the narrow corridor, with cell doors on either side. One was open and as she walked past she peered inside. The two warriors had almost finished digging.

"You buried them in here?!" Hermione shrieked and the two men looked up, startled. "You idiots! Have you got any idea how bad that's going to stink?! Dig them back up and bury them outside. Dump them in the river if you must."

The two men silently started digging again, soon revealing some bright red hair. Hermione shook her head as she placed the tip of her wand against one of the iron wrought cell doors. It sprung open and she pushed Ginny's unconscious body inside. The walls were bare and only a tiny hole served as a window. A bowl of water stood in the corner, a day or two old. A torn piece of fabric served as a bed. Hermione left Ginny inside and stepped back out of the cell before locking it. The bolt moved with a sharp scraping noise and she sighed in content.

"You," she said and pointed at the warrior who had just dug up Fred Weasley's body. Mud covered the dead young man's face. "When you come back, I want you to keep an eye on her. Give her some bread if she wakes up. If she causes any trouble..." She paused. "Call for Narcissa and she will deal with it as she deems fit. Understood?"

She left the dungeon, crossed the drawing room and went about looking for Bellatrix and Narcissa. She found them in the dining room, leaning against the table. Bellatrix's hand was buried in her sister's blonde hair, her leg wrapped around her waist and Narcissa's hand had hoisted up Bellatrix's skirt and she was now touching her between her thighs. Empty goblets lay scattered around the floor.

Hermione froze in her step, taking in the scene in front of her. Something roared in her chest. Something she couldn't quite explain. She took a breath and walked towards the table. Narcissa looked up, suddenly aware of her arrival, and withdrew her hand from between Bellatrix's legs. The dark haired witch's eyes snapped open in disapproval but then she spotted Hermione and groaned.

"We need to talk," Hermione said sharply, ignoring what she had just seen. "The resistance is looking for the old wand maker."

"Ollivander is about as useful as those two dead Weasley boys," Bellatrix scoffed. "What do they want him for?"

"I don't know but whatever it is must be important because Andromeda has abandoned the resistance and travelled abroad to find him."

"Abroad?" Narcissa asked in surprise.

Hermione nodded. "Italy."

Bellatrix's eyes darkened. "They are after something. She would never choose to leave if whatever it was she is trying to find didn't matter so much." She stepped away from Narcissa, severing the moment they had just shared completely. "When did she leave?"

"No more than a few hours ago," Hermione answered. "She was in London when we raided East. She left with her daughter after you snapped her wand."

"We have to find out whatever it is she's trying to do," Bellatrix said slowly. "If she is looking for the wand maker who created these Cores, she must have found a way to damage them. Or is she is at least hoping that he can think of a way to destroy them." Her eyes darkened and she started pacing the room. "We can't let her find him." She looked at Hermione. "Find her."

"Me?" Hermione questioned in surprise and Narcissa looked like she was about to object too. "Why me? Wouldn't we be better off if we went together? The Keepers can operate without us for a couple of days."

"No," Bellatrix said dismissively. "If she has found a way to destroy us, or is at least looking for one, we shouldn't be together when she does."

"So you're sending me as a sacrifice. If she finds a way, she can test it on me first," Hermione snapped and closed the distance between her and Bellatrix. She could smell the erotic scent of arousal laced with her perfume and leant in. "Why don't you go?"

"Because nobody knows her like you do."

Hermione let her lips dance across Bellatrix's cheek. She could smell Narcissa on her. "You're pushing me away."

"I am trying to keep you close," Bellatrix whispered in return and her hands slid up Hermione's back. "I don't want to lose you."

"We are stronger as one," Narcissa said softly as she placed her hands on Hermione's shoulders. They stood like this, together, for a couple of seconds as the realisation of danger dawned upon them. Narcissa rested her head in the crook of Hermione's neck and inhaled her scent as she kissed her skin. "But if we have to divide to conquer..."

Hermione slowly closed her eyes. "Perhaps."

"Find her," Bellatrix breathed into Hermione's ear. "Find her and bring her back here. If she has found something, she must be stopped."

Hermione felt a shiver creep down her spine but slowly broke free from the protective embrace. "I'll leave tonight." Her words were hollow.

"Stay safe," Bellatrix said softly and her hand searched for Hermione's. "For all of us." She leant in and softly kissed her goodbye. Her words were lost to Narcissa but Hermione heard them. They were meant just for her. "I love you."

She smiled weakly. Never before had she heard Bellatrix whisper those words. She had believed her incapable of loving, of feeling anything beyond hatred, desire and lust. She remembered the night she had told the raven haired woman she loved her. It had not just been a moment of desperation. It had meant everything. It still did. "I love you too."

Narcissa kissed her goodbye too, her lips perhaps more insistent than Bellatrix's had been. Soft, slender fingers trailed up Hermione's arm before tangling in her hair as she rested their foreheads together. "Just come back home safe."

Hermione nodded and turned away from the two witches. She walked out of the dining room and climbed the marble staircase to the next floor. She closed her bedroom door behind her and leant against it with her back, torn apart by the emotions that overwhelmed her. Unexpected tears glistened in her eyes and with angry stomps she walked across the length of her bedroom, opened her wardrobe and got changed in a pair of black jeans, a dark long sleeved shirt and flat, knee length boots. She bound her hair back in a ponytail and stared at herself in the mirror for a while.

She packed a few clothes into a simple black rucksack, swung it over her shoulder and let her eyes wander around the room one last time before leaving. Once downstairs she opened the front door. When she looked back she found Bellatrix and Narcissa standing in the doorway of the dining room. They were looking at her and their eyes reflected a sudden hopelessness Hermione ad never seen before. She heaved a sigh and stepped out of the door, into the night. Soon the sun would start its journey up over the horizon. She wanted to be gone by then.

The shadows swallowed her up. She turned on the spot, clutching her wand as tightly as she could and called up the only image of Venice she had ever seen. With a soft 'pop' she vanished into the night, separating the Cores in a way they had never been separated before. All that remained now that she was gone was the fortress on the banks of the river Thames, void of one of its main strengths. In the distance the sun began to paint the skies in a different colour, slowly erasing the darkness. It was the start of another day.

It was the start of something new.