Author's Note: A lot of you have said that you no longer like the character that Hermione has become. I think it is important to remember what Gregorovitch told Andromeda a few chapters back, where he mentions how the wand influences Hermione's personality. At this point in the story we have come to realise that there is a chance that not all of what Hermione does is her own personality and I will be building on that possible concept in future chapters. Like Serpent Spell, Nemesis is also a story that is bound together by tiny snippets before the picture becomes clearer towards the end.
As you may have noticed, there is some influence of the Deathly Hallows in this story. I enjoy bringing back fragments of the original series to remind us what this story really is – even though it has started to live a life of its own.
Also in this chapter, some of the characters reflect on previous events from the first instalment of the story. It is important to remember what brought them here, what they became and what they can become in the future. Andromeda's despair over getting Hermione back is one of the reasons I decided to write this second part.
Someone asked why Hermione didn't want Narcissa mentioning what had happened between them in the previous chapter. My thought behind this was that it happened when she felt weak, perhaps even sad, over Andromeda and Narcissa fed those feelings whilst they become closer. It was a small insight in Hermione's complicated sides.

Chapter 12

Lovers In A World Unseen

"Do you believe her?"

Tonks looked at her mother. Andromeda stood by the window, looking out into the night. Everyone inside the Three Broomsticks had heard Hermione call for her and when Andromeda came back inside she had told them what she had said. The whispers had been continuous ever since but Andromeda had not spoken a word.

"Mum, do you think she will give us Ginny back?" Tonks pressed on and Andromeda slowly turned away from the window to look at her daughter.

"I think she will, but I am not sure if that's all she's going to do."

"Did you see anyone else out there?" Seamus asked and Andromeda heaved a sigh.

"No, but Hermione is smart enough not to come out here on her own. I have no doubt that the others are there with her, hiding in the forest." Andromeda chewed her lip. "I want Ginny back as much as you do, guys, but I think that we're doomed regardless of what we decide."

"Not accepting her offer means Ginny's dead," Rosmerta deadpanned and everyone looked up. The blonde witch stood behind the bar and had just emptied her glass of Firewhisky. "They are dangling her in front of us like a piece of meat and we're expected to fall for it." Her eyes sought out Andromeda. "We have to take the chance that they'll come for us either way."

"What about the Hallows?" Katie suddenly interrupted.

"What do you mean, what about the Hallows?" Tonks asked. "We can't go looking for them whilst the Cores are waiting on our doorstep. We have two hours before they come and torch the place. Nobody knows where the bloody hell that damned wand is anyway!"

Katie had to admit that Tonks was right but her eyes held fire. "We mustn't give up on them though. If Andromeda can find the Elder Wand, we'll be a lot closer to destroying them. Or at least one of them."

"I am not going to find that wand in the next two hours, Katie. I don't even know where to start," Andromeda sighed and glanced at Gregorovitch. He had insisted he get out of bed and now sat on a wooden chair, his legs resting on a footstool, with a blanket draped around his knees. He looked tired and fragile and Andromeda knew he wouldn't stand a chance once the Cores decided to attack. She looked around the rest of the people gathered here tonight. There wasn't much left of their original resistance and the idea of getting Ginny back had sparked hope in all of them.

"I have an idea," Andromeda said unexpectedly and a silence fell. Every set of eyes fixed on her and she pushed herself away from the window sill she had been leaning against and stepped further into the room. Something about her demeanour had changed; something that now radiated confidence and defiance. "I've been thinking about this for a while but maybe tonight is the night we put it to the test."

"What do you want us to do?" Tonks asked as she moved closer to her mother.

"I need you to be ready," Andromeda said slowly and her voice was deep and husky. A glint of anger flickered in her eyes. "I need you to listen and I need you to do exactly as I say."

~()~

Bellatrix impatiently paced between the rows of trees, her hands clencing and relaxing. She twirled her wand through her fingers and every so often she would stop, fixing her gaze longingly on the village in the valley below them. Whenever she did, she would aim her wand and Hermione would rush to her aside, her fingers closing around the raven haired woman's wrist as she forced her to lower her wand. Bellatrix's eyes were dark and filled with hatred.

"We promised them two hours," Hermione reminded her and their gazes locked. She held her anger back but Bellatrix could hear the echo of hate and desire in her voice. Hermione felt the same steady heartbeat in her chest, the anticipation of an imminent battle. The brunette brushed a strand of hair out of Bellatrix's face and smiled wickedly. "Once the deadline passes, they are all yours."

Bellatrix groaned in dissatisfaction and turned away from the village below her. "Why aren't they answering us?"

"They will," Hermione reassured her. "They can't avoid us forever."

Narcissa, who had been leaning against a tree, suddenly moved forwards and pointed at Hogsmeade. "Someone's coming."

Hermione's head snapped back around and she saw a lone figure appearing from the Three Broomsticks. They walked across the cobbled street towards the magical ward that separated the village from the forest and stopped there. Hermione didn't need for them to lower their hood. She had recognised Andromeda almost immediately and now rushed through the trees to reach her. Her lungs expanded with fresh air as she ran, disregarding how twigs from bramble bushes got tangled in her cloak. Her heart pounded in her chest by the time she reached Andromeda.

"I have considered your offer," Andromeda said slowly and her brown eyes searched to meet Hermione's. When their gazes locked it was as if the world stopped. For a moment in time it was just them, separated by an invisible wall, on opposite sides. A reminder of where they were, how they had ended up this way. "But before I give you my answer, I need you to listen to me."

Hermione cocked her head and seized up the older woman. "I'm listening."

"You know we have Gregorovitch," Andromeda began and Hermione's eyes darkened. "He's told me about the wands, Hermione. About what they are and what they can do to a person." There was a hint of despair in her voice and she wished she could break the barrier between them, just to touch Hermione's hand as she explained what had happened, what was still happening. "The wand feeds of your anger, Hermione, but it sends pure hatred right back inside of you. It's like a vicious circle, an act that repairs itself, and the longer you have the wand, the longer it gets to feed its hatred back inside of you." Her voice became softer and kinder. "You can still change this."

Hermione snorted. "You really think any of this is still worth saving?"

"I believe you are still worth saving."

"Do they think the same way or do they just want to see me dead?" Hermione asked as she pointed at the Three Broomsticks. "No one in there believes you anymore, Andy. They aren't fighting because they want to save me. They are fighting because they want to see me destroyed, bring the world back to how it was. They have changed their allegiance. They don't do this for you anymore."

"I never thought that they did but as long as they are still willing to fight, whatever motives they may hold, I will go on too," Andromeda answered softly. "How do you expect me to let you go when I know there is a way to stop this? To turn this around? I know it would be a long and painful road but there is a chance, Hermione." She stepped so close to the barrier that she could feel the invisible magic on her skin. "Do you remember what it was like, before all of this?"

"They have forgotten who I was before all of this. They just hate me now." Hermione's words were hollow and her lost even the smallest echo of the girl she had once been.

In the distance the thunder rolled across the darkened skies and an unexpected flash of lightning lit up their faces. Andromeda saw the dark rings around Hermione's eyes, the shadows that had started to overwhelm her. She knew that her friends inside the pub didn't do any of this to save Hermione. Their visions had changed a long time ago. They fought for survival; they wanted to avenge their family and friends. Whether they believed they could truly change the world, she didn't know, but she had to believe she could make a change somewhere. Her eyes dropped to the pocket of her Hermione's trousers and saw the wand that had started all of this. She would give anything to see it destroyed.

"Do you remember that night when you were at my cottage with Molly and Ginny?" Andromeda asked softly. She knew it was the night Hermione's life had changed but she wanted her to remember something else about it too. "You sat in my kitchen and I remember the way you looked at me. You were so confused, you didn't know whether to hate or like me because I looked so much like my sister but our hands touched…"

Hermione shook her head, forcing the images of that night back into the dark depths of her mind. She had not thought about that night for weeks. Whenever the memory of Andromeda found her, the haunting face of Ron would destroy it. It was as if she couldn't think of the one thing that had given her the smallest shred of happiness. "That night is gone."

"It doesn't have to be," Andromeda tried. "It doesn't have to be gone, Hermione."

"Like it is ever going to be any different than what it is now!" Hermione suddenly shouted and her voice was twisted with anger. "Everyone is dead, Andromeda. Harry and Ron and Fred and George!" Her eyes suddenly ignited with a hatred Andromeda had never seen before. "All the others are dead too. Have you forgotten who killed all of them? Have you forgotten who let Bellatrix into the Burrow the night she killed Lupin and Kingsley? Have you forgotten the night at Hogwarts that I hexed your daughter so that she lied to you for days? Don't you remember how I killed Ron? Harry?"

"Look at you!" Andromeda pleaded. "What have you become?!"

Hermione stepped closer to the invisible barrier separating them and extended a hand as if to touch Andromeda but held still in mid-air. "I found what lived inside of me all along. I merely listened to a calling I didn't know existed until that night. When Ron raped me, he tore open something that could never be closed." She reached for her wand and held it in her open hand. "How can I deny this part of me?"

Andromeda's eyes pierced into Hermione's. "How can you deny me when you know there is another side of you? How can you deny what we are, what we were?" Her words faded into the night and she watched how Hermione pulled back her hand as if burnt by fire. "What we should be?"

Hermione turned away from Andromeda. "How can I be your soul mate when my soul is dead?"

"The night Harry died, do you remember what happened?" Andromeda said softly and Hermione turned around. She remembered the events of that night very vividly. "You believed all the Horcruxes to be destroyed and tried to kill Voldemort but he lived. What did you feel when you realised he was still immortal? Were you afraid to die?" Hermione's eyes found Andromeda's again and the tension between them mounted to an indescribable high. "Who was it that told you Harry was the final Horcrux?"

"You."

"I knew I signed Harry's death sentence when I told you." Andromeda answered firmly. "I knew what I was doing. My answer to you killed Harry. You may have cast the spell but in the end I was the one responsible for his death."

Hermione curiously studied the other woman's face. Andromeda's perspective on what had happened that night differed from her own. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You betrayed him?"

Andromeda shook her head. "Harry knew that he had no choice. He couldn't tell anyone because he knew that they wouldn't be able to make the sacrifice. Only I knew the truth and that night everything came together. Harry died because he believed you were less of a danger than Voldemort would have been." She swallowed. "He wasn't wrong."

"Voldemort was nothing compares to me, compared to us!" Hermione mocked. "Harry Potter was a fool."

"He wasn't," Andromeda countered and Hermione's face darkened. "Even then he understood that one day you would grow stronger than we could have ever imagined possible but he believed you could be defeated. Without him, Voldemort would have reigned forever but he knew the world didn't need him to defeat you." She straightened her back and placed her hands on her hips. "Harry believed, even back then, that there would be a moment you could be overpowered. That moment is approaching and I refuse to let it pass."

Hermione chuckled softly. "You know, Bellatrix wanted for you to fall in love with me. It was all supposed to be just a game. you and me." She peered up at the darker haired woman through her eyelashes. "I guess I didn't read the rules before I started but it is still a game now, Andromeda. Two players on opposite sides of the board, trying to break each other into pieces." She paused. "You can still move over, forget the battle."

"Bellatrix would never accept me at your side," Andromeda replied and her eyes darted up to the forest behind Hermione. "Don't think I don't know that she's out there, waiting for the hours to fade. There is something Bellatrix wants almost as much as you want it, Hermione. Her motives are different but the desire and the need still exist." She smiled weakly. "Besides, we both know that I could never dwell in the darkness when there is still something good left to fight for."

"Have it your way," Hermione stated and shrugged. Above their heads the full moon appeared from behind a thick black cloud. The silver light fell across their faces and for the first time in weeks they truly saw each other. Hermione's eyes found Andromeda's and her face was emotionless. "Your time is up."

"I know."

"Ginny for the old wand maker." Hermione lifted her chin up in the same haughty manner Narcissa did. Andromeda recognised the mannerism immediately. "Or be prepared to die."

"If you want the wand maker, you will have to come and get him," Andromeda replied firmly. "Bring Ginny to the pub and we will make the exchange." Her eyes darted back to the forest. She knew they were out there, hiding in the shadows, withdrawn from her sight. She knew their numbers would be too great for them to defeat. "You come alone or the deal is off."

Hermione considered Andromeda's request for a moment. "Very well."

She turned around and began walking back towards the forest. She was about half way up between the trees when she heard Andromeda's voice calling her back. She looked over her shoulder and found the older woman still standing by the barrier, her soft features caressed by the silver moonlight. "I will always love you."

Hermione let the words sink in. Somewhere deep down inside of her a feeling stirred but it was fought back down into its place by the darkness that she harboured in her heart. Unexpectedly soft hazel eyes found Andromeda's across the distance that separated them and her voice was almost kind. "You know I can never love you back."

"You already do," Andromeda smiled sadly and turned her back on Hermione before walking back towards the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione stood between the trees for a moment longer, forlorn, before continuing to walk back to Bellatrix and Narcissa. The two witches were impatiently waiting for her return and Bellatrix's eyes were eagerly searching Hermione's face, seeking the approval to attack the village. Hermione met her eyes and shook her head.

"I go alone."

Bellatrix wanted to object but Narcissa put a warning hand on her sister's arm and the raven haired woman remained silent.

Hermione's eyes fixed on the two warriors that held Ginny, their strong hands clutching the metal chains that were tied around her wrists. Her head had fallen forwards, her chin resting on her chest. Hermione couldn't see her former friend's face but knew it to be swollen and bruised. Ginny's clothes were torn and every part over her body was covered in bruises. She was an unsightly picture of shades of purple, blue and red blended together.

"I will take her," Hermione said and snapped her fingers at the two warriors and they handed her the chains. The metal felt cold inside her hand and she closed her eyes for a brief moment as the feeling registered. They snapped back open and she glanced at Bellatrix, who looked impatient and agitated. "Once I have exchanged her for the wand maker, the village is yours to take."

She dragged Ginny along behind her, disregarding how the girls' knees buckled and she couldn't support her own weight. Ginny's legs dragged across the mud and rotting leaves. She groaned in pain when her knees hit against a large boulder. The sound of the chains rattling echoed through the quiet night and Hermione saw Andromeda reappear from inside the Three Broomsticks. She was surprised to see the older woman kept her word and walked up to the barrier alone. From where she stood she could see Hermione and Ginny come closer. She never once flinched when she saw how Hermione was dragging Ginny behind her.

"Where is the wand maker?" Hermione snapped when she reached Andromeda. She let go off Ginny's chains and the young redhead collapsed in the soil beside her. "You're not getting her until I see him."

"Nymphadora?" Andromeda called softly and her daughter appeared from inside the pub. She wasn't alone. The old man's arm was draped around her shoulders and Tonks held him up around his waist. Every single step looked like it was about to be his last. His face was gaunt and still covered in blisters. Tired eyes looked up and discovered Hermione on the other side of the barrier.

"Finite Incantatem," Andromeda whispered and with a soft whispering sound the barrier that separated her from Hermione vanished. They stared at each other as the realisation of their closeness sank in and Hermione slowly stepped towards Andromeda, pulling Ginny along. Without speaking a word she left the redhead at Andromeda's feet and stepped back again. Tonks, who had now let go of Gregorovitch, rushed to Ginny's side and caressed the side of her swollen face. She muttered a spell and the chains vanished.

"Please, don't do this," Gregorovitch groaned when Andromeda reached for his arm to guide him towards Hermione. "She'll kill me. She'll kill me!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered and averted her eyes so he could not see her tears. "I have no choice."

"You kept your word." Hermione couldn't hide her admiration and her fingers closed around Gregorovitch's wrist. The old man shuddered under her touch and she pulled him towards her. She looked back at Andromeda, whose eyes had filled with tears. "I didn't think you'd keep your promise."

"I always keep my promises, Hermione," Andromeda whispered. "And I never give up on what I know is still worth fighting for." Her brown eyes widened and suddenly the world around them started shaking. "NOW!"

The array of spells descended upon Hermione out of nowhere and she only had a split second to draw her wand and defend herself. She cast a Shield Charm that surrounded her and the vast majority of the spells shot off in different directions, forcing their way into the ground. Large cracks appeared at the earth split open. A few feet behind her a blue jet hit a tree and it started to fall as if in slow motion. The air was full of smoke and the sound of distant voices.

Her wand spun around in her hand and when she turned to look she found Bellatrix and Narcissa running through the forest, their wands drawn and their faces twisted into a mask of hatred. It was Bellatrix who cried out the spell but the green jets erupted from their separate wands in unison and found each other in mid-air. For a few precious moments the world bathed in a green light and everyone stopped moving, fixing their gazes on the danger above their heads. Then the ball erupted, shooting green flashes in every direction. People fell and when the light dissolved a sudden deafening silence remained.

Hermione jumped to her right when she saw a figure running towards them, neglecting to use their wands. They attempted to grab hold of her and when she turned to look she recognised Seamus Finnegan, one of her old classmates. The young Irish man had spun back around, searching for his target, but before he could take another run at her, Hermione had shot the Killing Curse his way and he fell, like the leaf from a tree, and lay sprawled out on his back, his eyes still wide open.

"Hermione!"

It was Narcissa who called for her and she looked around for the blonde haired witch. She was engaged in a furious battle with Rosmerta. The blonde barmaid was holding her own and Hermione observed how she countered all of Narcissa's hexes with her own. Her eyes snapped around to find Bellatrix and found her facing her sister. Blood trickled from Bellatrix's nose and a manic chuckle left her throat when Andromeda only just dodged one of her curses.

"Where's the wand maker?!" Hermione cried out and Narcissa took her eyes off Rosmerta for a moment. She desperately looked around for Gregorovitch but did not see him in the battling crowd. "He was right here! WHERE IS HE?"

"They took him!" Narcissa shouted back and aimed another spell at Rosmerta. The curly haired witch answered with a sharp retaliation of her own and Narcissa was forced to take two steps backwards. Hermione sprinted towards her, slashed her wand through the air and blood started to gush from a deep cut across Rosmerta's forearm. The witch shrieked in pain and staggered backwards, desperately attempting to stop the bleeding. Narcissa turned away from her and looked at Hermione.

"It's a trap! They've set us up!"

"She doesn't have a way of destroying us so there has to be something else she wants!" Hermione breathed. Her heart hammered against her chest and the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Fear began to creep into her chest, invaded her thoughts, and she looked around. Warriors and Keepers were fighting the Resistance and people were screaming and shouting things she couldn't quite hear. "We need to find Gregorovitch!"

Hermione ran towards Bellatrix and Andromeda and without warning she pushed the raven haired woman aside and faced Andromeda herself. Bellatrix seemed stunned for a moment but when she saw the anger flickering in Hermione's eyes she took off into the crowd of battling witches and wizards. Hermione stared at Andromeda, her cheeks flushed with excitement and adrenaline. Her wand was aimed at Andromeda's chest.

"What are you playing at?"

Andromeda never took her eyes off Hermione's wand. She doubted whether the girl was capable of killing her but she knew Hermione was definitely capable of wounding her. The scar on her arm was a permanent reminder of her rage. "You wanted a battle so now you've got one!"

"You know this is pointless. You can never defeat us!"

"I can weaken you," Andromeda countered and smirked. Hermione stared at her in surprise whilst around them more magic erupted. "Did you really think that we'd not given this any thought at all, Hermione? Would I really send my friends into a battle that I know we cannot win?"

"What is it you want?"

"I've already got it," Andromeda smirked and her wand shot up into the air. From its tip a tight rope sprung and it wound its way around the duelling figures, snaking across the ground like a serpent hunting for its prey. It coiled around Rosmerta, who had just managed to stop the bleeding from her own and who sat on her knees, but when she saw the rope she leapt back to her feet and copied Andromeda's spell. A second rope appeared, joining the first. From across the grounds a third one appeared and Tonks' rope met her mother's and Rosmerta's. They joined up when they reached the lone figure of Narcissa, momentarily unaware.

"NO!" Hermione's horrified cry caused the entire battlefield to look at her.

The ropes wound their way around Narcissa's legs, her waist and her left arm, pinning it behind back. Narcissa frantically slashed her wand at the ropes that bound her but they did not sever. Panic filled her blue eyes and she looked up to find Hermione running towards her, arms outstretched. Towards her right, Bellatrix also ran towards her but it wasn't going to be good enough. The ropes tightened and brought Narcissa to her knees. She fell in slow motion and realised that her wand was slowly slipping from her fingers.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's spell was simple but effective. Narcissa's wand changed direction and instead of falling in the dirt it whizzed across the air and landed in her outstretched palm. Realising that she wasn't going to reach the blonde witch in time, Hermione altered her course and met up with Bellatrix, flinging her arms around her waist and pulling her away from her sister. Bellatrix screamed in anger and attempted to fight Hermione off but the brunette was stronger and used all her physical strength to keep them separated.

"DO IT!" Andromeda shouted and she, Tonks and Rosmerta simultaneously ran forwards and reached Narcissa at exactly the same moment. It happened so quickly that no one around the blonde haired witch even had time to react, though Hermione tried to am her wand at Tonks and fired a Killing Curse but it missed. When she blinked, the group of witches had started to spin and another second later they were gone. All that remained was thin air and Bellatrix's horrified screaming.

"Find the wand maker!" Hermione barked when two Warriors came running towards them. She struggled to control Bellatrix, who was frantic, and let go off the dark haired witch. "Find Gregorovitch and then burn this place to the ground. Leave no one alive!"

Bellatrix pushed past Hermione and charged towards three figures disappearing towards the trees. One was a Keeper and the other two were Dean Thomas and Ginny Weasley. Dean had lifted Ginny p over his shoulder and was running to get away from his attacker. Bellatrix overtook the Warrior with ease and ran towards Dean and Ginny. A well-aimed spell brought the young man to his knees and he fell face forward in the mud. Ginny's body slumped down across his back, pinning him to the ground.

Bellatrix yanked Ginny away from Dean and threw her aside. Dean rolled over and fear reflected in his eyes when he stared up at the unhinged Bellatrix Lestrange. Charcoal eyes searched his face. "Where did they take her?!" She fell down on her knees beside him and jammed her wand into his neck. "Where is Narcissa?!"

"I will never tell you where she is," Dean sneered. "You'll have to kill me."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Bellatrix shrieked and the green flash briefly lit up Dean's face before killing him. She then turned to Ginny and aimed her wand. She heard Hermione approach behind her but didn't wait for the brunette to reach her. The spell fell off her lips with ease and hit Ginny in her back. The redhead lay motionless in the dirt, her eyes reduced to fine slits. By the time Hermione reached Bellatrix and managed to pull her back to her feet, Ginny's last breath had evaporated in the midnight air and Hogsmeade was burning around them.

"She's gone," Hermione whispered as she wrapped her arms protectively around Bellatrix. Flames ate their way through the roof of the Three Broomsticks and the orange gloom spread across the darkened skies. ""Whatever they want, they have Narcissa." She absentmindedly kissed Bellatrix on her hair. The older woman was shaking. "We'll get her back, my love. I promise you we'll get her back."