Author's Note: First, I would like to thank my good friend, Freerangeegghead. You have really helped me out a lot with this story, even though you are doing this all UNOFFICIALLY! ;) I really appreciate everything you do! Second, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favourited this story! It really brings joy to this writer!

Chapter Three

The Greatest Performance of All

"Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?"

-Sun Tzu

The trio Apparate into an abandoned alleyway between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. The darkened path is perfect enough to keep others from seeing the slight shift in the invisibility cloak that covers Harry and Griphook.

"What are we..." Ron starts before he was cut off by Hermione's hand clamping firmly over his mouth.

"SHUSH!" She hisses in his ear and only removes her hand from his mouth when she feels for certain that Ron is going to remain quiet. "You need to remain quiet... as I told you before, Despard is from Transylvania. He will not have an English accent! So if you do not want to get caught, you will need to be quiet!" 'At least until I can get you inside Gringott's.' Hermione thinks to herself as she moves out from the shadows of the little dingy alleyway into the pale sunlight of Diagon Alley.

Suddenly, rough hands spin the brunette around causing her to momentarily lose her balance. Hermione stares at the wizard in front of her, her distaste clearly written on her face. The man was dirty, ragged, and had a bloodied bandage covering his eye.

He grabs onto her cloak tighter and bellows, "My children!" He stares at Hermione polyjuiced as Bellatrix and snarls, "Where are my children? What has He done with them? You know, you know!"

"I suggest you take your foul hands off of me!" Hermione warns as she looks upon the man with disdain.

"You bitch! You know what He has done with my children!" The injured wizard screams as he lets go of her cloak and reaches for her throat.

He does not see Hermione reach for her wand until it was too late. The Cruciatus Curse courses through his body before Ron, disguised as Despard, or Harry could register what was going on.

"There is nothing you can do, Harry." Griphook whispers harshly into The-Boy-Who-Lived's ear. "You move out from under this cloak and we are all done for! Plus, if anyone is watching, it would make her ruse more believable."

Harry watches lamentably on as Hermione continues to curse the unfortunate man as Ron moves forward and grabs her arm.

"That's enough," Ron whispers, causing the brunette to stop the curse. "He hasn't done anything to you! He just wants to know where his kids are... if my family weren't careful, that could be mum or dad."

Hermione snatches her arm out from Ron's grip and stares at him, "He shouldn't have touched me!"

"You used an Unforgivable on him!" The ginger-haired wizard hisses through his teeth, his voice becoming strained from trying to whisper, instead of shouting out his rage.

"I warned him, didn't I?" The brunette states coolly, her voice still causing chills to run up both the wizards' spines. "Now, come. We need not tarry longer here."

Turning to face the direction of the goblin-ran Wizarding bank, Hermione starts to walk up the street.

"Why, Madam Lestrange!" A male voice calls out from behind the group.

"And what do you want?" Hermione says her voice full of contempt. She knew she had heard his voice before, but could not place it at this time. Her mind is running rampant with thoughts of being found out before her idea has come to fruition, the entire moment rests on her ability to remain calm and for Ron and Harry to pretend to be invisible.

"It's Travers." Griphook whispers from underneath the Invisibility cloak. The brunette could hear the worry slipping into the goblin's normally condescending high-pitched voice.

Hermione remembers the wizard now. He was one of the Death-Eaters who tried to capture the trio at Xenophilius Lovegood's rook shaped house, when they were on the quest to gain more understanding on the Deathly Hallows.

"I merely sought to greet you," Travers says coolly, clearly offended by Hermione's harsh words. "But if my presence is not welcome..."

"No,no, not at all, Travers. How are you?" The witch asks, trying to cover up the mistake she made by jumping to the conclusion that he was nothing more than a passerby who saw her performance.

"Well, I confess I am surprised to see you out and about, Bellatrix."

"Really? Why?" Hermione inquires.

"Well," Travers coughs, "I heard that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the... ah... escape."

Hermione feels a slight weight settle in the pit of her stomach as hesitation creeps into her soul. 'What if me being out in the open, polyjuiced as Bella, when she is supposed to be confined to the Manor will raise suspicion?'

"The Dark-Lord forgives those who have served Him most faithfully in the past," The witch states, her words drip with content at the utter notion that the man before her thought himself better than her, and she hopes that it would also mask the hesitation she feels. "Perhaps your credit is not as good with Him as mine is Travers."

The wizard looks as if Hermione's words offended him, but the suspicion left his eyes as he looks upon the man that she had just cursed. "How did it offend you?"

"It does not matter, it will not do so again." Hermione says coolly, as she looks at the man, who tried to choke her, laying crumpled on the floor in his own filth.

"Some of the wandless can be troublesome," Travers replies. He begins to go on about an instance that happened within the Ministry, about a Muggle-born witch and her wand. The brunette is only half listening to the wizard, her mind is concentrating more on how to get rid of him before he realises that she is not the person he thinks she is.

When she hears Travers's speech winding down to a close, Hermione gives a curt nod, "Well Travers, it was nice to see you again, but I really must be going."

The wizard looks taken aback again at the sarcasm that had dripped off of her every word, but would never do anything in retaliation. "I see... well, it is good to see you are out and about again. A good day to you, Madam Lestrange."

Hermione smirks to herself as she sees the wizard hurry away and on to whatever business he was occupied with before. Stepping out onto Diagon Alley, the brunette adjusts her robes and walks, with a purpose, toward Gringott's, followed closely by Ron and an invisible Harry.

She never looks back to see if they are following her, but the sound of boots snapping on gravel assures her that they are following closely behind. The witch smirks to herself as large edifice draws nearer. She knows the time is near. The time when all her dreams will become reality.