Thank you for waiting! I know it's been a killer long time! As some of you kay know, my dad passed away a few months ago and I've not been myself. As well as having a toddler at home I really haven't had any time to write at all. This chapter is unedited, and not my best, but I'm trying to best to get back into the habit, so please bare with me while I find myself again. Also - there is also another ,new first chapter and the first chapters have been updated!

7. The Bathroom

Hermione watched as the last of the grime washed down the plug hole. She sat cross legged on the floor of the shower in a trance, her thick curls covering the front of her face. Her knuckle was still split, and she sat opening and shutting her hand, watching the gash flex among the tendons. She got up slowly, her body was still jelly, but her mind was clearer.

She dressed in a jumper dress and leggings that Ginny had bought her, it smelled of the Burrow. Like freshly made bread and ginger snaps. She pulled the fabric over her nose and enhaled. She stared at herself in a mirror, the edges still steamed and her face hauntingly observing her from the centre. She was paler then before, her eyes puffier and redder. Her eyes looked how she felt - dark - empty. Black instead of brown.

She gripped the edges of the sink until her knuckles turned white. Holding her breath until her lungs screamed at her to finally breathe - when she finally did it came as one big racking burst that was so deep and sob ridden it stung. All of her stung, every inch of her ached. Hermione was no stranger to grief, but nothing - not even the war, compared to this.

'Get a grip girl.' she said staring at herself.

Lost in her own eyes she jumped when there was a small knock at the door. She straightened herself up, and started to pick up her things.

'Just a second,' she croaked towards the door.

The knock continued, steady and slow and insistant. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Just a minute!' she called again.

She gathered everything up and headed towards the door. The knocking had turned faster, frantic but drawn out as though whoever's it was was dragging their hands down the wood. It sounded desperate.

For some reason her hand stopped as it touched the door lock.

"Is everything okay?" She said through the wood.

No answer. The banging at the door grew louder still.

There was a muffled noise behind the door, low in vibration, guttural, almost as though someone was trying to speak.

A groaning. A desperate primal noise of need.

Something didn't feel right, something was wrong. Someone was clearly in trouble. As if on cue a red light descended across the bathroom and a loud siren began to resonate and echo throughout the room.

"Evacuation..." she said under her breath.

Hermione wasted no more time in tearing open the door.

"What's going o-"

Hermione screamed as she was bombarded by a dead weight that knocked her to the ground. Fingers entwined in her still damp hair, pulling at in painfully, tearing at it, trying to pull her head up.

Winded but alert, Hermione pushed against the weight as much as she could. It was a woman Hermione had seen around but didn't know the name of. She had smiled at her now and then in the corridors. Her face had been kind, sweet - but now was contorted and gurning, her pearly white teeth almost cracking from the violent and jarring crashing of her jaw. Hermione took a firm grip on either side of the woman's head as it strained closer to her.

"Get off.." Hermione pleased but the woman was relentless and continued to claw at her. Hermione could feel the womans nails dragging down through her skin and she screamed louder. She scanned around for her wand but saw it out of reach outside of the bathroom. She must have dropped it on impact and it rolled away. Typical.

She began to feel something warm and thick on her stomache. She braved a glance down and screamed louder still. Hermione was used to being scared. She had known fear many times.l, she was used to it. Something Hermione was not used to, was feeling confused. So when she looked down and saw the woman's torso leaking blood, fluid and organs all over her she almost froze.

Her mind ticked.

Impossible.

These wounds were fatal.

How was she still fighting so hard.

She should be dying...

Or dead.

Hermione's eyes finally found her assailants. They were filled with an nothingness Hermione couldn't describe. She gasped.

All the books she had read, all the words that she knew could not come close to the void of emptiness that stared back at her.

The clouded eyes moved, darting in an unco-ordinated desperation, back and fourth like they were trying to focus but couldn't. They had a hot energy like there was an inner drive driving them to full capacity- but they were soulless.

Hermione's hands grabbed onto either side side of the womans upper shoulders and pushed and swung as hard as she could. With a tremendous effort, she managed to roll the woman off of her. Without thinking she darted into the nearest cubicle and locked the door, just as her attacker slammed against it.

She was secure. For now. Her mind spun with different answers to impossible questions but could come up with nothing to explain what was going on just beyond the plank of wood.

She needed her wand, but she wasn't even sure exactly where it was now.

She pulled up her jumper and whispered, assessing the damage the woman had done to her skin.

It was jagged, red and bleeding. The womans nails had well and truly dug deep into the skin. It would probably scar.

The banging on the door continued, and the screams outside grew louder and louder until Hermione finally out her hands over her ears and finally cracked. She curled up in the corner of the cubicle and cried loudly, shaking her head in denial of everything that had happened. The virus. Her parents. The creature just outside of the door.

With no fight left she sat there, shivering and sobbing and waiting for the creature to bash it's way in.

Draco wiped away the sweat at his brow. His eyes skimmed over ever crook and cranny, searching for any signs of movement. But there was none. He tried as best as he could not to make a sound, but the heels on his polished shoes echoed across the hard floor. Draco had to admit, that for such a lanky ginger George was suprisingly light on his feet. He moved almost silently throughout the halls, his wand raised and at the ready - not that it was any good.

Never before in his entire life had Draco felt any sort of disadvantage for his magical heritage. Being a wizard had never had its draw backs, until now. If they couldn't use magic what could they use? He needed a line of defence, and fast. They were only getting closer and closer to the screaming. His stomache was turning.

They had managed to make it so far without bumping into anyone...or anything. The entrance to the labs came out not too far from where the registry rooms where the new employees would fill out their contracts and occasional meetings were held, but with everything that had been going on they had been closed for several weeks making this part of the building empty. Draco's eyes caught a glint of something shining on the wall up ahead of them. Two crossed swords were mounted there, some relics of another time when Aurours were sworn into service in fancy ceremonies. There they were, alone and forgotten. Put the side and unessesary and trinket from the past as decoration. Until now.

'Weasley - I have an idea..."

Ginny had levitated the desk up against the door and stood as far away from as she could, clutching the baby to her chest. A loud relentless thumping resounded from the heavy oak. She stood in the red flashing lights, for the first time in her life maybe, truly terrified.

Ginny had seen war - She had seen death and blood and fire and the edge of a world hellbent on cruelty and injustice that still gave her nightmares. But that, was nothing compared to what was behind that door.

She couldn't comprehend exactly what she had seen - but she knew evil when she saw it. She couldn't stop shivering. The dying sounds of screaming tore at her soul. She wanted to help, but she had the baby. She couldn't put him at risk, and she couldn't abandon him in Hermione's office alone. Suddenly he began to bawl, making the banging behind the door amplify with apprehension.

'What are they...' she whispered into the air.

She didn't know whether she ws thankful or regrettful that she had waited when she heard the evacuation alarm. She had wanted to wait for Hermione, who was only down the corridor. If she had just left she could be home right now - but then again she could have been caught up out there - in whatever hell this was.

Without warning - a green light sputtered into the room from the fireplace. It mixed with the red and for a second looked lke some weird firework display in the office. Ginny braced herself for the worst at the figures that emerged.

'Dad!' she cried running into his arms. For a split second she was taken back to a simpler time, when a father's embrace could fix anything. Mr Weasley squeezed her tight.

'Ginny! I'm so glad you're ok.' he kissed the top of her head.

'How did you get in here? You can't use the floo network?!'

'Being friends with the Minister has it advantages I guess,' he half smiled.

Ginny looked round to see a squat, square looking man standing awkwardly by the fireplace. The red lights bouncing off of his shining bald spot on top of his potato shaped head. His face was dirty, his teeth yellowing and his face unshaven.

"Mundungus Fletcher.." she nodded at him. He have a quick short nod in response. He avoided her eye contact and kept focus on part of the wallpaper, in his hands he clutched a satchel. He stank.

"I think hes a little shell shocked" said Mr Weasley quietly.

"I found him standing in the corridor outside my office amongst...everything. just standing there... he didnt even flinch" Mr Weasley's eyes scanned over to the thumping at the door.

"We need to go Ginny" he said pulling her arm gently towards the fireplace.

Ginny shook her head.

"Dad, Hemrione is still out there!"

Mr Weasley pulled at his face.

"Look Ginny, I'll floo you home and come straight back for 'Mione okay? We need to get the baby out of here now."

Ginny looked down the baby and nodded reluctantly.

She took her father's hand and stepped into the fireplace. Mundungus hobbled in next to them, squeezing in. The smell of him was making Ginny feel sick. He held the baby closer.

"The Burrow!" Arthur commanded

The four passengers were engulfed in the emerald flames just as the door burst open, and hell staggered into the office.