Chapter 15- Now

Hermione

"Alpin!" I backed up, feigning fear and surprise.

He grinned at me, malice glinting in his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to get rid of you."

"Why though? What did I do to you?" I slowly crept my hand to my belt where my knife was concealed.

"Oh nothing." He smirked. "I've just been dying to get out of this place. Murder, win, and continue on with my life. Sorry I can't say the same for you."

My mind was racing as he continued to move closer to me. I felt my eyes almost betray me, they nearly darted over to where Chico had concealed himself, but I held back the urge.

"Where is Chico?" I stalled, trying to plan a strategy in my head, while still carrying the conversation. "Did you kill him off already?"

He began moving his scythe from hand to hand. "Oh no, that cannon you heard was your friend's. I don't know where Chico went…" He looked into my eyes before furrowing his brows. "Do you?"

I shook my head. "I wish. Maybe I could stay away from the both of you, try and survive."

"Oh no, that won't happen. You're going to die right here in this little apartment. You won't have time to run." He continued to advance towards me and I felt sweat from my panic begin to form on the back of my neck.

I couldn't think of anything else to say until I thought, 'maybe family, or I could try and get him to stop. Just stall.'

"What does your family think about you being here?" I asked, stopping in my tracks.

He smiled, lowering his scythe. "Oh they're pleased. They know that I'll win, they know that this is just another golden opportunity."

I knew that. I was just stalling, I remember seeing him with his family just before we left Hogwarts.

"Son, beat all of those other tributes until they are nothing but bloody pulps." Alpin's father clasped his son on the shoulders.

Alpin nodded, hefting his bag over his shoulder. "I'm ready for this. All these other's," he swept his arm around the room, gesturing to the other tributes. "They aren't, they're going to be all too easy."

"Even those from your school?" His mother asked, looking at her son with loving, yet frightened eyes.

"Those too." He hugged his mother and kissed her cheek. I could see the tears running down her face as her eyes closed, savoring the last moment she had with her son.

"I won't disappoint you." He told his parents before picking up a little girl that appeared to be about eight. "Aesa, I will be home soon, okay?" He hugged the little girl.

When they parted she clung to her mother's leg. "Come home soon A-pin." I noticed the odd pronunciation of her brother's name, maybe a childhood nickname that stuck.

His father encouraged that his son was a killer, his mother more frightened for him, and only wanting him to come home. His sister wanted him safe, and Alpin seemed to only want to prove himself to his father.

Even if Alpin was a killer, a cold-blooded murderer, how could I kill him? His father wanted him to succeed, his mother and sister loved him and wanted him home, and he only wanted to make his father proud.

"You like being a killer Alpin? A murderer?" I asked him, furrowing my brows.

He shrugged. "All I want is to make my family proud. If this is what it takes, so be it. Now enough stalling, it's your turn. I'll be one step closer to going home."

He almost seemed sad and conflicted, but I had to remember, not three, or even two people could live. If someone was going to win, it would be now.

Alpin drew his scythe, ready to swing it in front of me when I swung my knife out and pierced his arm.

A shout erupted from his lips, and he clutched his arm as the blood tried to seep it's way out through his fingers. "Wrong choice." He snarled at me, ignoring the pain and bringing his scythe up to kill me.

I dived to the side as it swung down, hiding behind an armchair, and looking to my right to see Chico staring at me. "Go." He mouthed, and I nodded quickly before jumping up and throwing my knife.

Instead of catching him in the neck like I was aiming for, it skimmed by and stuck in the wall. He grinned and advanced towards me.

This time I was ready for the blow, for my life to finally end, but it didn't. I heard a clash and saw that Chico had jumped out and moved his spear in front of Alpin's blade to stop the force.

I just now noticed that his spear was completely metal, so Alpin's scythe connecting with the staff of it did no damage.

"Get the knife Hermione!" He shouted at me.

Realizing that I needed to get moving, I leapt over the chair and ripping the knife back out of the wall and turning to stab Chico. It stuck in his shoulder as he howled in pain again.

With a grunt of effort he threw his weight forward and knocked Chico over, sending his own spear staff slamming into his head. Chico fell and crumpled against the chair and groaned as he touched his fingers to his forehead.

It didn't look too bad, he was only bleeding a little bit, but I had more to worry about because Alpin was turning to me now, just spitting and hissing in anger. He swung the scythe to the side and I felt its impact in my left thigh, but not strong enough to cut too deep. Weakening Alpin's arms seemed to work well, because it was getting more and more difficult for him to heft the scythe.

I continued to swing at his arms, slashing little bits and weakening him only slightly further.

Suddenly, Alpin turned and plunged his scythe towards the ground, right where Chico was still slumped against the chair.

"No!" I screamed, just as it made contact with Chico's stomach.

Alpin let out a wild howl of laughter, as if he was an escaped convict of an insane asylum.

I found myself ramming into his side, knocking his over and away from Chico, though I realized I dropped my knife in the process. We struggled as I ignored the pain in my leg, but then he pinned me down, ready to stab me with his scythe.

My struggles and shouts of protest were useless; he was too strong and ready to make another kill.

I closed my eyes as I saw him raise his arm, but the impact never came.

Eventually, I opened my eyes when the weight was lifted off of me and I heard a boom of a cannon. I feared that it was Chico, but forced myself to look anyways.

On my left side, was Alpin, crumpled on the ground with his eyes just staring blankly at the wall. He was dead.

I was so relieved I almost forgot I needed to find Chico. I looked towards my feet and saw Chico lying there, with my bloody knife in his hand. When I looked back towards Alpin's body, he had a stab would in his neck, identical to one that only my knife could make.

"Chico!" I scrambled over to him and put my head to his chest, ignoring the blood pooling on the ground from all three bodies.

Shallow breaths filled my ears, filling my body with relief. "It's okay Chico, w-we can get help. You'll be okay, you will." I stuttered the words, knowing that he was dying but unable to admit it to myself.

"We both know I'm dying Hermione." He panted, clutching my hand in his own.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "No Chico, please don't die on my, please!" I begged, unable to accept it.

"You've won Hermione." He gave me a weak smile, but his breaths began to get more and more feeble. "Just tell my family I love them."

"NO!" I shouted. "I'm sick of making promises to do that! I don't want to HAVE to do that, please don't make me!" I sobbed, tears making tracks on my dirt and blood covered cheeks.

"You're strong, you can do this." Were his final words before his eyes fluttered closed and his hand went limp in mine.

BOOM

I sobbed all my feelings of sorrow and pain in the next thirty seconds. All my friends and allies, all the people I cared for had died, had left me.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I announce the winner of the very first Mudblood Battles, Hermione Granger!" Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed around the arena.

I kissed Chico's forehead before forcing myself to stand on weak legs and walk out of the apartment where I saw a hovercraft lowering down to the ground. I shielded my eyes from the dust it kicked up, and instantly two men came out and pulled me into the hovercraft.

As we rose again and I looked down to see the hovercraft pick up the bodies of Alpin and Chico, I finally realized it.

I was going home.

Finally the nightmares were over. I lost people that I loved, but maybe I would finally stop living the nightmares.

I was finally going home.

Please read this author's note.

Author's Note- And there is the end my friends. I am considering doing a short epilogue, so you guys think that's a good idea?

Also, this is a longer chapter for once! Yay!

So I'll possibly add an epilogue and thanks for the constructive criticism and please continue to review for this and the epilogue!