Chapter 31 - False Revelation
Later…
… Ron blinked. Where was he… Huh? Something seemed off about well, bloody everything… Everything? What could it be? The room was dimly lit and in the center was a giant veil. There was something hypnotic about it, the air around it unnaturally still, and between its arches was an opaque layer of some unknown fluid, oscillating around like the surface of an untouched pool. The room was quiet and tranquil, but although almost inaudible, he could have sworn he heard voices, whisperings…
He was thinking too much. Unlike that ninny Granger, Ronald didn't let himself get paralyzed by extraneous and likely irrelevant thoughts. Ginny was bloody dying, and it was up to him to bloody save her! Where the fuck was she?
But there was nothing in the room, just The Veil and six stone walls forming a regular hexagon around him. There wasn't even any sign of The Dark Lord, but he knew somehow that The Dark Lord was in the room, observing him. All unimportant, because he knew, deep-down, exactly where Ginny was.
He forced himself to look straight into The Veil. Beyond its surface, into its dark emptiness, its infinite depths. And as he stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back.
"Ron," said Ginny, gasping from beyond the veil. She had a single pin-sized puncture wound on her pinky, blood pulsing out of her slowly. She was growing more and more pale, and soon she would be dead. "Don't come. You'll die. And even if you save me, it'll mean bringing Him back to life."
She was right. Ginny would return with the philosopher's stone, and The Dark Lord would use it as soon as he brought it out. But it didn't matter. Ginny was his little sister. He loved her.
There was an inscription etched onto a stone near the entrance of The Veil.
The First Law.
Which was Equivalent Exchange.
Ron touched the veil. It was cold. He wasn't the brightest bloke around, but he was more then intelligent enough to know that beyond The Veil was death. To save Ginny's life he'd have to give up his own.
It felt like someone inside him was screaming. Trap! Trap!
Fuck it.
XOXOXOX
Earlier…
"Finite Incantatem," said The Twins. Finally, they could move again, but far too late. Ginny had vanished.
They'd been following Ginny when a dark figure had stunned her, and then them.
"We've got to get Dad!"
"No you twit, we've got to get Dumbledore!"
XOXOXOX
Back to the present…
Hermione sighed. She'd changed out of her bloody robes. Her drawers were organized at long last. Now she just had to arrange her awards, term papers, textbooks, galleons, sickles, and knuts in her suitcase and she'd be ready to go back home and have a productive summer. Mum and Dad would have to be pleased. She was top of her class, she'd accomplished several spectacular feats, and she'd abandoned her best friend to die…
Hermione's face spasmed. She didn't know what Ron and Harry were on about… Not even getting upset at her? How very… Very… They'd been so pleasant to her for the better part of a year, put up with her for longer than any other colleagues she'd ever had, and when they'd needed her to fix things for them she'd refused… An unfair transaction… Perhaps they'd been in shock… They'd not yet realized that she was a bad friend, as she'd nothing to offer them…
…Yes, yes, once this was over, they'd refuse to have anything to do with her. Stupid, ungrateful curs, as if she hadn't gotten them awards, they really ought to remember that if they survi-
This wasn't her fault! She'd nothing to do with the situation of course, so she'd nothing to feel guilty over!
She was being much too hard on herself. Had she thought this might happen? Obviously. Had she planned for it? It was certainly possible, but whatever her plot she'd erased it from her memory, and going and getting herself murdered by The Dark Lord hardly seemed productive. Throwing her life away here would be a waste- think of all the contributions to the magical world she was destined to make- truly hiding away in the Slytherin Common Rooms wasn't just the prudent choice, it was also the morally correct choice, if one thought on it carefully enough.
"Know when to hold 'em," Hermione sung to herself shakily. "Know when to fol…"
Hermione forced herself to stop trembling and wiped her eyes.
Yes, yes, Mum and Dad would be quite prou…
Ronald would… Hermione bit her lip. He'd not even seemed upset with her? But why not? Yes, yes, it was hardly fair to expect anyone to go barrelling towards a confrontation with The Dark Lord, but… But Ronald was supposed to be overly-sentimental. And Harry!? Harry ought to have ripped her apart.
She just couldn't understand those two… Incomprehensible, impossible, foo…
Hermione started to pace. And what had The Evil Neville Longbottom been prattling on about? The two of them alike? Impossible, she was a girl and he was a boy! They couldn't possibly have- have anything in… Friendship and courage? Such things were for overly-sentimental fools! Like dear Ronald. Sweet Harry.
So brave. So kind. When Hermione had been with them the world had seemed so magical! When she had to factor in more than advancing her self-interests into her decision making it had been so… so…
"Hmph!" Hermione grunted.
Friendship and courage? Hermione snorted. Friendship and courage?
Well, what good would all of Harry and Ron's friendship do without her guidance? Incompetent foo… Moro… Idio… Truly those two were the epitome of horrib-
Hermione gasped a breath, and wiped her nose on her robes.
"Hmph!" Hermione grunted again. She started to pace, ignoring the blood soaking her shoes. It was almost as if… Dear Ronald… Sweet Harry…
Almost like they actually liked her, even beyond what she could provide for them… Like their relationship was more than transactional…
"Hmph!" Hermione snorted, stopping, her heart racing.
Madness… All relationships were transactional… Obvious… It was obvious… It must have been the stress…
Well, perhaps she ought to save Ginny. Confront Lord Voldemort. She'd spent almost half a year preparing afterall, and Ronald would forever be in her debt, and…
But she hardly cared what Ron thought. Sure she thought he was cute, and he was fun to be around, and he made her feel special, but she was Hermione Granger and he was just another average wizard. Trying to impress him was fun, but mostly because he had that horrid inferiority complex and pretended to never be impressed… But if she brought back Ginny, he'd have to be impressed even despite that. He'd have to be…
And even if he wasn't… Even if he wasn't…
She still wanted to. She still wanted to?
Because of his inferiority complex of course! Just how far could she push it! Such an intriguing question! One that would surely require a lifetime of investigation!
Hermione's heart fluttered.
Afterall, he was far too stupid and naive to ever believe that Pure and Innocent Hermione Granger had baited The Big Bad Dark Lord into taking Ginny as a hostage. Murder was fun, but the true joy was getting away with…
Hermione's smile faded. Wait… She'd… She hadn't known that Ginny would be taken hostage… Sh- she couldn't predict The Dark Lord's moves. She hadn't- this had hardly been her-
Rita… Gilderoy… Ginny…
She… She'd murdered them all. Shouldn't she feel bad about it?
Well it wasn't like she'd had a great deal of choice in the matter. If she'd have spared Rita or Gilderoy she'd be in Azkaban and if she'd spared Ginny The Dark Lord would have taken Ron instead! But… Why didn't she feel bad about it? Harry would feel bad. Ron would surely feel bad. Bloody hell, even Snape had felt bad. So why didn't Hermione?
All we care about is ourselves…
"Stupid Evil Neville Longbottom," Hermione murmured to herself angrily. She'd never been fooled by his clumsiness, his awkward charm- she knew that he was empty! Of course, he looked at her and saw the same. She'd never been able to fool him. He knew…
That she was a…
Sociopath.
Why didn't she care about people? Why couldn't she? Why couldn't she care about being a good person? Why did she have to feed on the warmth of others like a bloody dementor? Why couldn't she be the warmth? She'd tried of course, but she'd always known it was fake, an imitation, manufactured.
It wasn't fair! It came so easily to others! That desire to be good, they didn't have to work for it! But from the bottom of her heart, Hermione knew that if she did eventually go after Ginny, it would only be to impress others. Just like when she'd caught Pettigrew. If there was no reward for doing the right thing, then she wouldn't do it. Because she didn't care if she was actually good or evil, only if people perceived her as good or evil. It was all performative.
Not at all like Harry. Not at all like Ron. Books! And cleverness! There were more important things- friendship and bravery- and oh she so hoped that Ron and Harry were careful! They didn't just sit on their arse because it was logically prudent! They did what was right!
And compared to them…
Compared to Ron…
She was worthless. And that was why she was sitting on her arse while he was out being a hero. She settled into her bed next to the dia-
Another message had appeared in the diary, in the neat clear handwriting of Ginny's correspondent. 'Hello Hermione. This is not the first time we've spoken, but this is the first time I have had the privilege of being direct with you: I can stall no longer. Get me The Philosopher's Stone from The Veil of Klyeaezrf, and I will use it to save Ginny's life. You will find me in The Room of Requirement.'
Hermione wrote, 'How do I even know Ginny is with you?'
'A rational question.' The Dark Lord wrote back.
'Ginny Weasley' Ginny's sloppy (almost boyish penmanship!) signature scrawled itself hurriedly onto the page. 'Wait, are you on the other end? Don'.
Hermione's lip wobbled. She shook, as pressure built up inside her. Don't come. Ginny was telling her not to come. Of course she was… Of course… Ginny would never work for The Dark Lord, even if it… But Hermione knew Ginny. She'd slept next to her everyday, studied with her, Ginny wasn't some bloody saint, so why… This wasn't a game. He would kill her. How could she- did she think herself immort- Didn't Ginny realize? She was going to die, so what did it matter what others thought of her?
A giggle escaped Hermione. "HehehehahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
An Imperius Curse… The Dark Lord was using an Imperius Curse of course, but he was severely overestimating Hermione because all that bloody emotional manipulation wasn't gonna work, because Ginny could die for all she cared she wasn't gonna throw her life away for anyone else, and really all she could think of was Voldemort hunched over a bloody desk like an office worker, because it looked like he was using a bloody typewriter…
Wait…
Typewriter. If you mirrored Klyeaezrf on a keyboard you got Satilimuh. Reverse the letters left to right and it spelled humilitas, which was latin for humility. The philosopher's stone was hidden in The Veil of Humility.
God she was smart! Probably a genius, even!
Hermione smirked.
Yes she was selfish. Yes she lacked the morals that others seemed innately born with.
"Yes, I am sociopath."
But despite that, she could do the right thing, even if for the wrong reasons.
With that in mind, Hermione went to face Lord Voldemort, in a mind game with the highest of stakes.
She could hardly wait. She'd been planning this moment for months! What fun! As soon as his defenses were lowered, she was gonna avada kedavra him into another decade of wandering the world as a lowly shade! Ron was gonna be so bloody impressed!
XOXOXOX
At the start of the day….
"So I suppose you're to have me kidnap the youngest Weasley boy?" Asked his servant.
"Imbecile," hissed Lord Voldemort. "Our purpose is to get the girl to steal The Stone. Nothing more."
His servant scoffed. "Don't tell me you actually believe the cold shoulder she's giving him. She seeks to bait us into a useless attack!"
Lord Voldemort sighed. Such a shame that his Prince had abandoned him. Talking with idiots grew tiresome. Did his servant truly think that her so-called rejection of the boy had been some elaborate attempt at a trick? It was a show of force and a warning.
"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others," said Lord Voldemort. "When I was a child there was a Dark Lord I admired above all others. I thought him the greatest Dark Lord of all time. It was a privilege to witness such greatness. His genius was unparalleled, his charisma mesmerizing, his forces unbeatable, his servants terrifying, his struggle unifying. He thought himself invincible, and in his arrogance created a Dark Lord even more powerful than himself. It was this that led to his ruin. I am the greatest wizard in the history of the world, but nobody is above realpolitik.
"If you truly believe we can trick Granger you are a fool," said Lord Voldemort testily. "And if you think we should force her to our will you are an even greater fool yet. But… What she tells herself she most desires is to win Ron Weasley's heart. And what would be more romantic than throwing away the world to save his little sister? Yes, this is what she tells herself. The truth though, is that she is like Dumbledore… She needs me. I complete her. What is she, what is her purpose, without a great evil to overcome?"
"I see," said his servant. "You are truly brilliant, Master."
"For me to trick Hermione Granger is impossible. But for her to trick herself, that is all but inevitable," said Lord Voldemort. "Our deception must be complete. She must tell herself that she does our bidding against her will."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Seven more chapters left! In the next chapter, His Struggle, we get the end of Malfoy's arc, Harry and Snape's reaction to Sirius's death, the beginning of Hermione's confrontation with The Dark Lord, and the (birth?) of this universe's Voldemort. And now onto the reviews!
merendinoemiliano - Thank you! I needed Sirius to die saving Snape, I suppose I could have given him a more elaborate set piece, but I wanted him and McGonagall out of the picture quickly. I'm also giving Nagini a significant powerup in this story.
Gja03 - Thank you! Hope this one delivered, although I would say the climatic showdowns don't begin in earnest until the chapter after next.
XDXDD - My goal when writing fanfic is to exaggerate characters, but keep the essence of the character the same.
ViviTheFolle - Harry's strength and weakness is his sense of responsibility and selflessness. Interesting observation about Hermione. It's definitely one that I think a lot of people should make, but won't admit to. My style of writing is to ask myself what would I do in that situation? And only after that move onto what the character would do. Since Hermione isn't especially brave, I just kept my genuine reaction to the situation as the scene: cowardice, a veneer of delusion to protect me from the avalanche of self-loathing and guilt that come from my strong instinct towards self preservation. Luckily? Hermione's arrogance and pride allowed her to overcome her fear when she solved Dumbledore's puzzle.
In cannon at least, I think Hermione fits into every house except Gryffindor. She helps Neville find his toad so she has the kindness of a Hufflepuff and she definitely has the work ethic, she is the most studious student of her year so she could fit into Ravenclaw, and she has the ambition and ruthlessness to blackmail Rita Skeeter and found a house elf abolitionist movement. But in the very first book after she solves Snape's riddle, she doesn't even consider facing Voldemort, she sends Harry to do it. Her worst subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she underperforms relative to her talent level in almost every duel she's in. Bravery does not come easily to Hermione.
PensieveThoughts - Very glad to hear it. Reviews like yours always help me keep my motivation to keep writing. And in my humble opinion, the best of this story is yet to come. The fourth to last, third to last, and last chapters are the three strongest chapters in the story, in my opinion.