Hello everyone! My name is Paraking and this is my first ever fan fiction that will be published. I am currently still looking for a Beta to review the main chapters as I continue writing, if you are interested please let me know. I welcome all constructive criticisms and will ignore the haters and yes i do know the difference. All that being said please read and enjoy! Thats what your here for right?


The Crystal Council

Prologue

War is disgusting and over eight years of fighting makes it worse. We lost the battle of Hogwarts all those years ago and it crippled the Order of the Phoenix. There was no time to grieve as we regrouped at Grimmauld place there were ten of us and a traitor was waiting for his moment to spring his trap. Only four of the Order managed to escape that fateful day Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and myself Hermione Granger. We ran at first fleeing in different directions, though we did reunite and began hitting Voldemort's Death Eaters with guerilla tactics. However, it didn't really matter as his influence grew so did his oppressive regime spreading through magical and muggle England and we were forced to run to mainland Europe. The French resisted at first, but the seed of corruption had been planted long ago and it took only six months for Voldemort's influence to spread throughout France. Now we are hiding in an abandoned bunker on the south-west coast of France hoping against hope that the Death Eaters don't find us.

Its been one week since we found this place. Been even longer since any of us have rested or eaten properly. Hermione sighed as she stared at the grime encrusted mirror in the bathroom of the bunker. She looked older than she really was having cut her hair short after a run in with Bellatrix. Chocolate eyes tinted with black from the darkness she had been fighting for too long. Her tanned skin taunt against her face and her ragged clothes hanging from her body. If we don't find food soon the Death Eater won't have to kill us.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a banging on the door.

"Are you alright in there Hermione?'

It was Ginny "Ya I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute!"

"Alright don't keep us waiting too long."

Hermione sighed again before washing her face and opening the door to the main area of the bunker. The bunker had only three rooms a bathroom, a barracks with beds for six and the main planning room with a table in the middle with a map of France pinned to the wood. Standing around the table was the last remnants of the Order of the Phoenix.

Looking at the three of her friends she realized that this war had worn each of them down to the breaking point. Ginny's eyes had sunken back into their sockets from lack of sleep, Luna's once pristine hair had dark streaks of dirt and grime, and Neville was suffering the worst from the lack of food having lost most of his mass while they had been forced to run from place to place by the Death Eaters.

The three of them smiled at her as she joined them at the table. Hermione cleared her throat "Alright what do we know about the recent muggle killings?"

Neville was the first to respond "We know it's the Death Eaters probably trying to draw us out of hiding"

"Alright, do we know whose leading them?" Hermione asked

This time Ginny answered "It can't be Snape or one of the Malfoys the MO is too brutal, so it has to be Bellatrix.

Hermione had long since gotten over the fear od the black witch and now felt only hate when her name was mentioned. Her scar itched whenever she though of the evil woman but never mentioned it to anyone.

"Do we know how many Death Eaters are in the area" Hermione asked hoping that the number wouldn't be too high.

"From what we've seen roughly one hundred spread throughout local towns and the countryside." Neville responded.

Just as Hermione was about to respond a loud bang resounded through the area and as the four turned to look outside the saw a Death Eater wearing his mask with a tuft of red hair peeking out from the top of the mask. Hermione's blood boiled in her ears as her companions dragged her out the back door. The sound of other Death Eaters apparating to the location snapped her out of her blood haze as she turned and ran into the nearby forest. The Death Eaters didn't waste a second and followed the Order into the woods.

"Fuck! I can't fucking believe it they found us already!" Ginny screamed as they ran through the woods.

Hermione couldn't agree more and the fact that he had been the one to find them angered her even more.

"Just focus on getting out of here split up if you have too we'll find a way to meet back up later! Just stay alive!" Hermione yelled at her friends.

The chase continued as the four ran as fast as their weak bodies would let them when Neville's foot caught a root and he fell hitting his head on a nearby tree and passing out.

"Neville no!" screamed Luna as she ran back to his side hoping she could wake him before they got caught but it was to no avail.

"Luna run!" screamed Hermione as she passed them both.

Luan shook her head and told the last two members of the Order to save themselves and she pulled two bottles of poison from her pockets. She poured one into Neville's mouth and then drinking the other herself.

Hermione had stopped and stared in horror at what had just transpired before Ginny grabbed her hand and pulled her from the scene.

"We have to keep going Hermione if we don't then everything they believed in will die too. Now run!" Ginny cried out.

The two turn and continued running through the trees followed shortly by the thumping of boots and the madness of Lestrange echoing after them. Eventually the two broke through the tree line and finding themselves in a clearing that ended with a steep cliff face. Ginny knew that only one of the two of them could escape the other would have to hold off the Death Eaters.

"Hermione… thanks and I hope one day you forgive me for this." Ginny whispered before casting the featherweight charm of Hermione and pushing her off the cliff.

"Ginny? What are you talking abooOOOOOOUUUUUUT!?" Hermione screamed as she began falling.

Hermione was terrified but watched as Ginny turned and vanished from the cliff. Then she heard the first spell and saw the flashing lights before she turned to see the ground racing to meet her and cast "Arresto Momentum!" slowing her fall just as the sand came into view. Her decent slowed she landed softly in the sand both spells wearing off. She was in shock, in less than ten minutes she had lost the only support she had left, she had failed the Order, and the rebellion would die with her. There would be others she knew this but in the current moment hope had fled before the might of the Death Eaters. When she heard Bellatrix's vile laugh she woke from her stupor and though the mist made it hard to see she started running south. She ran along the rock face hoping to find a cave or alcove in the rock. Hermione knew Bellatrix would give chase she always did enjoy a hunt and so Hermione ran hoping against hope that fate might save her life once more. She saw it in the mist a purple flash near the rocks ahead approaching it quickly she found the cave she had been praying for. She entered the cave and blasted the rock ceiling above her hope the collapse would make Bellatrix think she had been forced to move on. Taking a deep breath Hermione muttered "Lumos" and began moving further into the cave. Despite how tired and hungry she was her feet kept moving forward pulling her deeper into the cave. It felt like something powerful was calling her deeper into the cave she tried to focus hoping to sense what was deeper in the cave but to no avail. After what felt like hours of walk she found the back of the cave and found a door set in solid stone. The door seemed almost ethereal and shifted in and out of the current reality, however when she reached out to open it the door solidified. She pulled the door open slowly concerned with what might be on the other side and whispered "Nox". The door revealed a golden hallway that shimmered with light.

"Where am I?' Hermione wondered aloud

As she moved further into the hallway her perception of the room changed from a hallway to an endless chamber that seemed was filled with golden pillars, as she turned she noticed the door beginning to close and the lack of anything attached to the door no wall on more endless pillars. When the door reached halfway shut it slammed closed and Hermione flinched at the noise and decided to try exploring the visibly infinite room

I shouldn't be here. Hermione thought. Yet why do I have this feeling that makes me think that salvation lies within this room. I should still be in shock the Order is gone, my friends are dead and hope not far behind. I should be mourning them right now, but I feel calm and at peace. Why? What is this place and what is making me so calm?

A loud noise jarred Hermione from her thoughts as she turned and saw the door reopen and the witch of her nightmares enter the room. Hermione moved quickly to one of the nearby pillars hoping to hide from the witch. However, as she moved the pillar moved as well prevent her from getting anywhere near it. Instead she turned and ran as fast as she could away from the other witch. Though she felt no fear she continued to run and was bale to put some distance between herself and Bellatrix right until she heard the spell.

"Crucio!"

Hermione screamed as the spell hit her in the back and she fell to the floor, no she realized that she had not fallen to the floor but through it altogether. She was also surprised by the lack of pain coursing through her body as the cruciatus curse was known to be quite painful when wielded properly. The more she thought about it the clearer it became that magic was useless or weakened greatly. The new room she had fallen into was different than the endless hallway, the room had walls, ceiling, and floor all solid and definite. Hermione quickly climbed to her feet and looked around and found the rooms only feature. A large gold egg sat in the middle of the room set in a pedestal. Intrigued she moved towards it slowly.

"You'll never escape me muddy."

Hermione froze and turned quickly only to find Bellatrix's wand pointed at her head. It happened then deep within her soul and for the first time in this strange place she felt something other than an overwhelming calm. Hermione felt an unbridled rage start as a small flickering flame before growing into a burning wildfire. The room as if responding to her rage began to grow warmer and with a force neither witch had felt before, throwing them to opposite sides of the room. Both hitting their respective walls rather hard though that did little to calm the rage with Hermione as she was on her feet and halfway across the room before Bellatrix had recovered from the crash. Hermione lunged at Bellatrix landing atop her and began pummeling the older witch with every ounce of strength she had left in her body. When just as before a powerful force separated the two, though this time Hermione was unable to pull herself back up her rage having been snuffed out like a candle. She could she Bellatrix get up and start moving towards her. A mixture of fear and hatred flowed through Hermione and as if sensing her emotions Bellatrix smiled ready for the kill. However just as she got into striking distance a wall of crystal shot up out of the ground sealing the two away from each other. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief before getting to her feet and looking at Bellatrix and realized she had stopped moving entirely and that a soft glow was coming from the wall behind her. She turned and saw a glowing doorway in the wall and the same feeling from before beckoning her to enter and so pulled by an other worldly power Hermione stepped into the doorway.