DISCLAIMER. None of the characters used are a creation of mine. They belong solely to JK Rowling.

Hermione's foot kept tapping nervously as she sat perusing the various books the Room of Requirement had offered to her the morning of the day she was meant to meet up with Harry. It was slowly turning into a routine. She'd encounter some sort of puzzle and research but none of it would ever bear fruition. She just could not find the answers to the mysteries that kept hounding at her in this strange timeline.

She shut her eyes and leaned back into the couch, exasperated. She allowed herself to drown in the lethargy that threatened to overcome her. All her stress was catching up with her as her body itched for a reprieve.

The war had never truly ended for her and Harry. They had been fighting for more than a decade and it was beginning to catch up.

She sighed as she felt her forearm tingle, clutching it with her hand to soothe the burn over the Dark Mark. Reluctantly pulling herself away from the comfort of the Room she sneaked out through the secret passageway leading to Hogsmeade and Apparated away to the Lestrange Manor, Voldemort's recent lair.

The familiar turrets of the castle like place that she had grown to love provided her with no warmth this morning. All they did to her was light up an oppressing urge to leave.

She walked into the foyer, never once giving in to the fancies of her mind that kept reminding her of her Papa and his soft laughter under the summer sun.

She entered the parlour to find her brothers and her sister in law standing around the Dark Lord, awaiting his command. Hermione was mildly surprised at seeing only the Lestranges being present for this meeting.

Could it be what she thought it was?

She led herself to Voldemort and curtsied, 'My Lord?'

Voldemort's red eyes gleamed as his power filled the room. 'Such tardiness. Hogwarts is truly such a hindrance. If it wasn't for the old coot it'd have been so easy to crush it.'

Hermione whispered, false praises on the tip of her tongue, 'Dumbledore is no match against you, My Lord. He may be powerful but his age renders him weak.'

He smirked, 'So it may be but I shan't strike unless I am sure of his demise.'

Bellatrix preened, 'My Master, I will follow you anywhere. You only have to say the word.'

Voldemort chuckled, trailing his knuckles softly over the woman's face, 'Ah, my Bella, his end will come sooner than later and I shall enjoy myself very much when I see the light leave his eyes. Worry not, you shall walk right beside me when the day comes.'

Hermione saw Rodolphus bow his head in what one may call reverence but she could see past it. Years with him had taught her some things and she knew how he felt thoroughly repulsed at his wife being fawned over by another man, no matter the one that he preached.

Rather interesting, she thought to herself. He kept surprising her with his hidden depths.

She caught Rab's eyes who looked her over, searching her being for any traces of the after effects of the curse, silently ensuring her well being. He nodded at her tightly as she smiled.

Voldemort stepped back, walking towards the window and staring out at the morning glow of the winter.

'You must be wondering as for the reason I have called upon you. You are one of the most powerful among the Sacred Twenty-Eight and you have proved yourself over and over again,' he said.

He turned towards Bellatrix, 'My dear, you have never failed me before. The thirst for blood that I see inside you is unparalleled. You remain, to this day, my most faithful servant.'

Shifting his gaze over Rodolphus he murmured, 'You upheld the sanctity of the Purebloods as you rid the world of the nuisance the McKinnons created. Following Matthew McKinnon into his home.. murdering his entire brood without even having been told to do so makes me so very proud of you. You have proven to be extremely useful and trustworthy.'

His eyes roamed over the attendees and came to a stop before Rab, 'and you, young man, you have been very, very crafty with your ways in winning over the minds of the vampire covens. They're not easily moved, I realise and yet your cunning was most wonderfully used to target their strengths and put them to use against their forces. Incredibly marvellous!'

Rab's jaw tightened as he fell to his knees, 'My Lord, whatever I did was only so you can lead us to a greater tomorrow. I shall never hesitate to lay down my life for you.'

Voldemort ordered, 'Rise, my man Rabastan.' His steps grew louder as he came to stand right before Hermione. His calculated glare appraised her, 'You have such potential. I can't wait for you to fully give yourself up to me. I have many a things planned for you, young girl,' he circled around her. 'Your knowledge is vastly required for what I desire. Greyback's pack grows restless. It is not within my ability to keep a leash on the half breed when I find myself so indulged in my other.. endeavours. You shall do perfectly.'

Hermione whispered, 'Anything you ask of me, My Lord.'

'The goblins, too, are causing such a ruckus. What a shame. Their skills are something to behold and yet..' he said as he closed his eyes. 'Another important task I shall leave for when you are with us.'

He went around each member, slolwy regarding them and invading their minds. Bringing out his wand from within his robes he levitated a tiny casket, similarly designed as the one that had held the ring, and let it drop into Rodolphus' outstretched hands.

The cold inside the room multiplied tenfold as the dark energy vibrated off of the Horcrux inside. Hermione almost bit the inside of her cheek as she felt the dread envelope her, the darkness calling her forward.

'My Lord?' Rodolphus whispered.

Voldemort looked at him coldly, shivers erupting down the backs of the Lestranges. 'You will guard this with utmost care. It is a most precious trinket and should you fail I am certain you know the extent of my grief that would follow your sister's untimely death.'

Hermione saw Rab's fists curl in anger at the threat and sweat trail down his forehead despite the chill inside the room.

Rodolphus too seemed a little apprehensive while his wife looked like the happiest woman in the world. Her face glowed at the prospect of such faith from her master.

Voldemort placed a tender hand on Hermione's cheek and led her to the center, 'My dear, I do hope you will not hold it against me. I am merely a man who favours to keep his treasures away from prying eyes and safer than the most heavily guarded secret. I find you as the perfect leverage.' He stepped closer to her, taking a deep breath and letting her scent waft over him. He moaned, 'It would be a loss for us to let go of you so soon. I am sure your brother will understand.'

Bellatrix bent down to place a kiss at his feet as he moved even closer to Hermione, his gaze never wavering from her, 'Master, you will see how the family will do everything to keep your treasure safe.'

Rab murmured, 'It's an honour you have bestowed upon us, My Lord. You shall not regret it.'

Rodolphus claimed, 'We shall deposit it in our vault at Gringotts. Rabastan is extremely proficient at curses. Being one of the richest it is placed at the very deepest of the levels, right by the dragon. I am certain no harm will come to the contents of this box, My Lord.'

Voldemort smiled gently at Hermione, making her heart beat faster in terror. Kindness on his being seemed like the most terrifying thing on earth. His calm manner unnerved her.

'I am sure it won't. After all the aftermath would be most distressing should you let it.'

At his clear dismissal the family dispersed from the parlour.

Rodolphus placed a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder before he departed, 'Nothing will happen to you, sister. I vow to you. I will die before I let something happen to you.'

Hermione watched him leave with Bellatrix on his side. Rodolphus' love for herself never failed to baffle her.

How could a man so cruel.. so wantonly evil be capable of an emotion so pure?

Rab noticed her confused expression. He guided her away to the front lawns, walking over to the edge of the property. As they reached the end of the wards, Hermione felt a tug in her belly as Rab took her to their home.

She followed him inside, seeing how the muscles of his back flexed in his barely suppressed anger.

He stepped into the living room and helped her remove her cloak. 'He's threatened your life, Mi. Something is off about this entire deal. How could a cup possibly be this important?'

Hermione pretended to be as curious as him, 'Whatever it is he needs it safe. We'd do best to stay away. Knowing him, I'm certain it's something very Dark.'

Rab pinched the bridge of his nose, throwing himself onto the divan, 'As loyal as Bellatrix is to him I still can't ignore the feeling that she might try to do something to this little cup just so she can hurt you.'

Hermione smiled sadly as she took his hand, 'You're thinking far too ahead, Rab. She might hate my guts but her faith in Voldemort is greater than everything else. I wouldn't put it past her to abandon Rodolphus just so she could somehow please her master better. She will never dare sabotage something he values so much.'

Rab chuckled, 'You, sister, will turn all my hair grey.'

She smiled, dropping herself onto the ground and burrowing her head in his lap, 'Are you okay? Truly? You seem so withdrawn ever since you've returned. You didn't even fight me when you found Harry on my side.'

His brows furrowed, his gentle fingers threading through her curls, 'I am doing the very best I can to survive this war, Mi. I am okay. And as for the bloke Harry, I trust you.'

She looked up at him from under her lashes, 'Rab, I worry about you too, you know?'

He sighed, 'I just.. while I was away with Lucius I saw things I never wish to see again. Voldemort's crimes extend so far beyond our borders. It's frightening what may happen if he achieves world domination like he wants to.'

'It will be chaos,' she quietly observed, losing herself in the tranquility he brought to her.

She had missed him so much.

'You are my life, Hermione,' he said. 'I could never bear to go on living without you.' He whispered, 'That man.. Harry.. his appearance in your life means something big. I can see it and it makes me feel so small. Whatever it is you're up to.. it terrifies me gravely.'

She held his hand to her lips, 'Please, Rab.. don't.. don't think about it.. you will only bring yourself pain if you do.'

He shook his head, his eyes watering, 'I promised you I would always, always come back to you but.. what about you? Will you?'

She bit her lip. She couldn't lie to him.

Rab's heart broke as he saw her gaze shy away from him. 'I thought so,' he murmured. 'What have you brought upon yourself?'

Hermione stood on her feet, letting go of her grip on him. 'I love you, big brother.'

She walked away, never once looking back at his tear stained face.

Rab begged, 'Please stay.'

She shrugged her shoulders sadly, 'You know I can't.'

'Let me help you.. please.. Voldemort is a smart man. You're a spy, Mi and.. you're giving up everything. You're giving up your life.

'Victory stands on the back of sacrifice,' she mumbled and left.

Once outside she imagined Harry's flat and spun away before her resolve could break and send her running to her brother so she could just leave everything behind and forget her worries in the safety he'd provide.

She cursed her traitorous thoughts as her feet landed in an overly cluttered room. The floor was covered with an endless stream of papers while all the furniture had been pushed away.

She called out, 'Harry?'

'In a minute!' She heard him yell in response.

She dropped her things and removed her shoes, her bare feet padding over to the kitchen to find Harry fumbling over a pot of tea.

Something seemed wrong. His movements were forced and his muscles tense.

'It's difficult with magic. The Muggle way is easier,' he commented.

Hermione laughed lightly, leaning against the doorframe. 'And here we have the Chosen One failing at tea, ladies and gentlemen.'

'Oh, shut it,' he said fondly but Hermione saw his eyes darken as he poured the hot liquid into two separate cups. Handing over one to her he sat down in a chair.

Hermione followed suit and mumbled, 'The Cup is in the Lestrange vault.'

His eyes lit up, 'Another one down. When can we retrieve it?'

'It would be suspicious if I went to the vaults right now. Rab is the one who tends to the finances. I am free to go but since I've never been before it wouldn't seem right. I could ask Rab to do it but I'd prefer to keep him away from this mess for as long as I can.'

Harry nodded for her to go on.

She sighed heavily, 'I can see him succumbing to the feelings of guilt inside him. He still thinks he brought this upon me. I think he even suspects that I know a lot more than I let on. I won't be surprised if he figured it out, to be honest.'

Harry's brows rose, 'Hermione, is it safe to let him keep wondering? I could take care of the matter.'

Hermione shook her head, 'No, I'm not going to let anybody play around his head and manipulate his memory. I trust him with my life.'

Seeing his incredulous look she stressed, 'I trust him with your life.'

Harry smiled at her, 'I am glad you have him, then.'

The corners of her lips twitched, 'Yes, I am incredibly lucky.' She looked up, 'I can get the Cup after my time at Hogwarts is over.'

'That's decided then. I just hope it stays there.'

'It stayed inside the Lestrange vault for twenty one years,' she noted.

'And the McKinnons should have died four years lated.. Marlene included,' Harry said, bringing up the main reason behind their early meeting.

Hermione sipped her tea silently, pondering. 'I would know its location wherever it went. Don't worry. Besides, I don't think it will change.'

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, 'I don't know, Mione. The enitre business has chased away any sleep I may have had. We don't know what else could change.'

'Its just one incident which, believe me, I'm terribly guilty about,' she muttered. 'I had hoped to save the McKinnons this time around. Marlene is such a lovely girl. She didn't deserve it.'

'I wonder how much of it is to do with our meddling,' he frowned, the guilt in his voice evident.

'Stop it, Harry,' she admonished. 'Whatever it is.. let's just hope time doesn't go completely haywire.'

'I pray for you to be right,' he nodded solemnly, pushing away the cup and resting his head on the tabletop. 'What happened that night, Mione? I can't figure it out for the life of me.'

Hermione looked at her hand, the tiny red scar on her index finger almost faded, 'I have no idea. I do have theories but my mind keeps rejecting them. Nothing makes sense anymore.'

'I just don't see how the pain could have.. passed onto me. Could it be some kind of curse that affects everyone in the given vicinity?'

'It could be anything for all we know, Harry. I don't have a definitive answer for any of it.'

He clutched his head, almost as if in pain, 'What about the voice then? The white light or whatever it was?'

She looked at him carefully, 'Do you think that maybe you somehow engaged the Stone to work in our favour.'

Harry shook his head, 'I didn't do anything, Hermione. I didn't cast any spell. The ones I did, they rebounded. Nothing worked.'

She gnawed at her lips, thinking. Silence surrounded them as Harry brought out the ring from inside his room, placing the it in front of her.

The waves of magic rolling off of it pulsated around the two as they stared at it. Hermione quietly pulled out the little case she had used to store the tiara. She picked up the ring tenderly, almost scared it would burn her again. Settling it inside the case, she restored it to the depths of her bag.

She sighed and got up on her feet, casting a cleaning charm on the cups.

She commented wryly, 'Well, we know your luck followed you even in this time. There was no way we could have made it out alive that night otherwise.'

Something shifted in his eyes. He looked almost dejected. 'It did, I suppose,' he said absently.

'So what's happening with the Resistance?'

He looked up at her, startled out of his reverie, 'Oh, well we managed to eliminate Rosier. He's gone. His body will be found in a few days I'm sure. The Carrows are next.'

She nodded. 'Er, Harry?'

'Yes?'

She rubbed her neck, hesitant, 'Do you plan to reveal your identity to the Order now that you've properly aligned with Dumbledore on your agendas?'

He frowned, 'Why do you ask? Is there a problem?'

She sighed, 'Yes, well, Sirius came to see me. He saw you the other day in the Hospital Wing. He knows we are close and if you suddenly show up as the head of an organisation working against Voldemort it'd be too suspicious for you to care about me so much.

'As much as it hurts to say it but we can't completely discredit Peter as being a potential spy for Voldemort eventually. Nobody knows if he was this loyal even in the previous timeline. If Sirius knows about you then so does Peter. If something happens in the near future that leads Peter to Voldemort it'd be very sensitive information that will be relayed over to him. Our entire operation would collapse.'

Harry held her hand comfortingly, 'Don't worry. Nobody outside of the Resistance knows who heads it or even who all the members are. Even Dumbledore has only ever met me and just two of my men. Besides, it was always my plan for my second in command to negotiate whatever dealings we have with the Order. I have never been one to directly meet with my clients.'

She smiled at him.

He mumbled, 'You care deeply about Peter. I can see that. But be careful, Mione. He betrayed them once. He could do it again. You're already in so much pain with your role as a spy.. I hate to see you so brave and strong and broken all at once. I hate what you have to do just because you chose to befriend me.' His voice broke, 'You have had to go through so much. You would have been happy if you hadn't ..'

Hermione put her fingers against his lips, 'No, Harry, don't you dare finish that sentence. I'd be dead. Not happy. There's a difference. I know you're into self-sacrifice,' she chuckled, 'but we're in this together whether you like it or not. I and .. Ron,' she said as pain laced through her, 'we always knew we'd follow you anywhere. He never broke his promise and neither will I.'

She saw the unshed tears in his eyes as he sighed. She brushed his tears away and muttered, 'Harry, I know you down to the sound of your heartbeat. Tell me. What's bothering you? You're acting strange.'

He snorted, 'You always did know me the best.'

She saw his disheartened expression morph into something deeper. Remorse.

'It's five years today.. since I woke up here,' he explained. 'It's a difficult time. I just can't stop thinking about everyone. Especially,' he whispered, 'Draco.'

She felt a pressure build behind her own eyes as she heard his name. 'Draco,' she repeated.

'All the time that I spent alone searching for you, I was so scared, Mione. I was so scared I'd lost you too.'

She wrapped her arms around him, 'You were never gone, Harry. I could always feel you. I knew you would find me in the end. I knew you'd come for me.

'Together till the last fight', she stressed.

'Together till the last breath,' he mumbled.

She saw the sorrow in his eyes. Her heart went out to him. She could see the loneliness crawl upon him as he felt the burden of fighting a war when nobody even knows what it truly means. Nobody would ever realise the toll it had taken on him.

Nobody would ever know how the Chosen One broke under the pressure.

Reminded of a night as desolete and lonesome as this, she entwined her fingers with him. She smiled at him gently and pulled him to the middle of the kitchen.

Hermione hummed the words to a song she hadn't heard in a very long time, 'Forgive us now for what we've done. It started out as a bit of fun.'

Harry only had to strain his mind for a moment before he too smiled and sang along, spinning her around, 'Hey little train wait for me.. I was held in chains but now I'm free. I'm hanging in there, don't you see..'

He twirled her around, chuckling as he saw her laughing softly in the warm glow of the lamp overhead. His wistful eyes turned misty as he remembered the soltidue that had plagued the duo and how they'd scrambled for a sense of normalcy. The night had been weary and miserable but they'd found each other as they always did.

Never had they forgone the other. And never would they forgo the other now.

'The train that goes to the kingdom .. we're happy, Ma, we're having fun.. It's beyond my wildest expectations.'

He watched as her curls bounced around her, her robes billowing. She pressed herself against him, leaning her head against his chest.

He echoed, 'We're older now, the light is dim.'

She whispered, 'There's a reason we're alive when everyone we love is dead, Harry. We're here so we can avenge them. So we can seek retribution.'

'But how far can we go? You still have hope?'

She pulled back to look into his eyes, 'We're still alive?'

He smiled sadly. 'We have given up so much.'

She muttered, 'I know, Harry. The weight of it all is unsettling. We've been making impossible choices for a very long time now. It hurts every time I look at their faces. Your family's faces, I mean. They look so betrayed .. so tortured.'

'What you're doing is for the better of this world, Mione,' he said as he nudged her chin, making her face him. 'You know how I know it? Because it makes the people you love hate you a little more everyday.'

They swayed to the music in their hearts, their movements fluid and comforting.

'I know how you feel,' she muttered. 'You poured all of yourself into everything that you did for this war. And now you're empty.'

He chuckled darkly, 'We all did, didn't we? We were going to change the world. Looks like it's changed us. In irreparable ways.'

She whispered, 'Blood on my hands. Dead beneath my feet.'

He pulled away from her, his eyes glinting with determination. He shook her, 'No, Hermione. Listen to me. First we get through this war. We win this war. And then we look for our humanity again.'

She nodded at him numbly, losing herself in his warmth.

AN: I know the dance scene wasn't in the books but its too good to be ignored. I love the song the producers decided to use. (O children by Nick cave and the Bad Seeds)

Since I usually send out a reply to almost every reviewer I'll take this chance to tell all the guest reviewers that your words are truly appreciated.

All you guys are amazing. I love seeing how you perceive everything that happens. Its amazing hearing from you :-D