"Granger, you hear me?" Tonks whispered into her wand.
'Yes," came the soft reply from the girl about fifty meters away. Tonks shook her head in amazement, still in awe of the fact that a seventeen year old girl had been able to create such a charm. Since it had been introduced to the Order, it was used as standard procedure when working in teams. Hermione had tried explaining the concept by comparing her spell to a muggle device called a "walkie talkie", whatever that was.
"Right then, you know what to do?" the Auror asked while scanning the area around the large manor before them.
"Yes. In and out. Clean job. We move on your signal." Hermione's voice was solid and sure. This was just a standard mission; nothing she hadn't done before.
"Let's get this over with, then. Molly's making a roast, and I would hate to miss it." Tonks ended the spell (dicere spatium). She slowly crept out from her hiding place behind a shrub and shot her hand in the air. Tonks smirked as she saw a faint glimmer move on her left. This would be fun.
Hermione quickly disillusioned herself when she saw Tonk's hand shoot up and swiftly moved toward the perimeter of the large estate. She could sense strong, old wards ingrained in the very land upon which the property stood. It had been passed down through many generations of Lestranges and so was infused with their magic.
Hermione closed her eyes and allowed herself to focus on those wards, slowly disabling them like one would a complicated puzzle. They were mainly there as a formality more than anything else since no one in their right mind would be daft enough to try to break in. Or so they thought. Only a few short minutes later, Hermione broke through the wards and disabled the protection charms surrounding the house.
"I still say you'd have a bright future at Gringotts as a Curse Breaker," Tonks grinned as she caught up with the younger girl. She had removed the Disillusionment charm from herself.
"Maybe if things were different…" Hermione trailed off as they stepped into Lestrange territory.
The estate really was beautiful, if a bit intimidating, with large windows and a gorgeous gray stone exterior. The gardens in front were tastefully arranged in a way that drew the viewer's eye in every direction without feeling overwhelmed. Cheerful daisies surrounded the perimeter of the grass while a various array of daffodils, pansies, tulips and other colorful flowers Tonks could not name decorated the lawn. In the fading light of day, it was so beautiful, it did not seem right. The Lestranges were known for their cruelty and ruthlessness. A pretty flower garden seemed too pure, too innocent to have just for its scenic value.
Tonks stopped to inspect one of the flower bushes at the edge of the yard. Delicate white petals bled into a pale pink color from the base outward. She leaned in closer and reached out her hand towards the rose to smell its fragrance, which would surely be magnificent.
A hand quickly circled around her wrist, lightning fast. Hermione gave her a warning look before saying, "I wouldn't do that unless you want to die a very slow and painful death. That's a nerium oleandus magii, one of the deadliest plants in existence, both magical and non-magical. The mere scent of it will drive you mad."
Tonks swiftly stepped away and looked at the flower cautiously. Her gaze lifted to the rest of the garden. "And all those…" she gestured with a sweeping motion.
"This whole place is a death trap. None of these plants are what they seem. Look," Hermione pointed at a clump of daisies, "those are actually aevitus somnus, or Dianthem." She had switched into her 'lecture mode'. "Also known as the Endless Sleep flower, its petals are pressed for dianthem juice. It has a slightly sweet flavor but is otherwise indetectable, and just a few drops will send you into a nearly irreversible sleep. Its only known antidote is a very complicated potion of phoenix tears and crushed unicorn hooves that takes a year and a day to brew. Even the best potion masters would find it extremely difficult to make."
Tonks looked around with new eyes. "Anything else I should be careful of?"
"Long story short, stay away," Hermione replied. She cast a wary look around the garden. "Although…" With a gleam in her eye, the girl picked her way over to a small patch of unassuming blossoms that were almost hidden from view in the shade of a larger bush. She pulled out her wand and conjured a small piece of cloth before carefully laying it over the flowers, gathering them up and tucking the bundle away in her robes.
"What is that?" Tonks asked as Hermione rejoined her on the path.
"Something that could be extremely useful."
"Care to share?"
"It's called -"
A noise from inside the manor silenced her. A light tapping against a window on an upper level somewhere to their right. Maybe it was just a bird?
"Hermione?" Tonks asked tentatively. The younger girl held up her hand for silence.
"There isn't supposed to be anyone here now except for the house-elves," she whispered. "Is there anyone else you've seen enter the house?"
"No, I've had eyes on this place for the last week. No one can apparate in or out, and I got someone in the Ministry keeping tabs on their Floo. They have a regular routine. My lovely uncle's got a nice little assistant at his job's keeping him occupied until much later. But we only have around half an hour if we're lucky before dear Aunt Bella's back."
"Hmm… we can't wait another night. I'll check when we get inside, but it's now or never."
Tonks nodded her agreement and the two approached the door. A simple charm unlocked it, and they entered the manor.
"Homenum Revelio." Nothing happened.
"Right. You take the upper levels and I'll start from here. Use your walkie talkie charm if you find anything." Without another word, the two split off.
They didn't know exactly what they were looking for, but they knew it was an object of great power that the Lestranges had somehow acquired. One that, according to Dumbldore, would be catastrophic to the Order. It would only be about the size of a very small potion vial, but the magic it radiated would make it clearly distinguishable. That was about all they had been told.
Hermione assumed it was another Horcrux, though she was usually sent alone on those missions. A year ago, Dumbledore had called her into his office and explained in great detail the way Voldemort managed to be virtually impossible to kill. He gave her the impossible task of tracking down the Horcruxes and killing them. She was forbidden to tell anyone else, especially Ron and Harry. And so, at the age of 16, Hermione Granger, student by day, special agent by night, had been inducted as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, known only to those in the Inner Circle.
Being a part of the DA in fifth year had given her the basics of defense skills and attack tactics, but private lessons with Dumbledore had sharpened her skills. She found that she had a knack for wards and fast reflexes. This, coupled with her almost encyclopedic memory, was a powerful and deadly duo.
Hermione and Tonks had been assigned this case because they had proven to be a formidable team. They also hoped that Tonks's blood relation to the Lestranges would aid in masking their presence as intruders. Mrs. Weasley had objected to sending "a child who ought to be in school" into the manor, but was overridden on the grounds that Hermione was the most skilled in dealing with wards and complex charms, something they would surely encounter with an object of such importance. Despite this, she never tired of complaining that children should not be involved in the war.
Not that any of us could really stay children in wartime, involved or not, Hermione thought darkly as she climbed the stairs up to the second level. A long hallway with several doors branching off ended with what she assumed was Rodolphus's personal study. That was probably the best place to start.
She quickly scanned each room as she passed them; two bedrooms and a loo. When she finally reached the study, it was locked with a more complicated ward than any of the doors she had yet encountered. She focused in on them and sent her magic out to explore their configuration. Wards were like knots - sometimes undoing a single strand would collapse the entire thing. You just had to know where to start.
Hermione unraveled the wards, which normally would have taken half an hour, in only a few short minutes. She even figured out how to replace them after she left as if they had never been disturbed.
Most of the room was filled with a large, wooden desk and a matching cabinet beside it. A nondescript painting hung on the wall opposite the desk and a window overlooked the extensive grounds behind the manor. Hermione searched through the cabinet first, but found nothing of interest. There were many dark objects she would have liked to study longer, but time was of the essence. She started rifling through the desk drawers to no avail, when she sensed something. It was so subtle it was almost indetectable, but it was there all the same: magic.
Closing her eyes so she could focus on the emanating force, Hermione turned so she was facing the painting. It was of a room with only a plain wooden chair in the center on top of an old rug. There weren't any occupants that she could see, although it was possible they were visiting a neighbor. Hermione tried removing the painting, but it seemed to have a permanent sticking charm on it. She chewed her lip as she ran her fingers over the gilded frame, trying to find something that would lead her to a hidden compartment. Nothing.
She was about to leave the room and search elsewhere when an idea popped into her head. She recalled how Harry had been able to retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from the Mirror of Erised although there had been no physical container. Maybe this was something similar?
"Specialis revelio!" she said. Nothing. She touched the surface of the painting and it shifted slightly, like she had poked a sheet with nothing behind it. It felt like a thin membrane over water. She poked a finger through, then her whole hand and accidentally knocked over the chair. On the bottom of it, a small piece of folded parchment was stuck. Hermione carefully extracted it from the painting. "UNDER THE RUG" was written in large, blocky letters. "Under the rug? What rug?" She turned toward the room, scanning it critically. There was only bare, hardwood flooring. Then something clicked in her mind, and she approached the large painting again. This time, she slid the rug beneath the chair to one side. Beneath it was a trap door, and beneath the trapdoor was…
"A time-turner?" Hermione wondered aloud. It had been years since she'd last had contact with one, but she knew that they definitely did not give off an aura of power like this one. Reluctant to continue without a second opinion, Hermione put her wand close to her lips and said, "Dicere Spatium." The wand flared bright gold before fading to a faint glow.
"Tonks, I got it. Second floor, Rodolphus's study." Almost immediately a slightly static-y voice replied back.
"Like a bloodhound, you are 'Mione. Be there in a bit." The glowing light emanating from the wand modulated with Tonks's voice, glowing brighter as her voice rose and dimming as it fell.
Hermione ended the spell and returned to examining the time-turner. It looked rather ordinary, if slightly larger than average: a golden hourglass in which miniscule granules of golden powder were encased. It didn't seem to be in very good shape, Hermione noted at the numerous scratches across the surface of the otherwise perfect gold. Scratches…? No, they were runes! The girl's eyes widened as her mind began to process all the possible implications this could mean. It was general knowledge that the process to make time-turners was lengthy and complicated, working with extremely rare and volatile materials. In short, inscribing runes onto the surface of one would be virtually impossible without causing some kind of minor natural disaster.
"Lumos." Hermione brought the object within an inch of her face. Ancient Runes was one of her best subjects, after all. She ought to be able to glean at least some meaning. "Hmmmm… well this looks like perthro, but slightly different, and this one could be tiwaz. Fate and justice, an interesting combination. Hagalaz is a bit ominous, but eitar coupled with ehwaz is definitely not right…" Hermione muttered to herself as she tried to translate the miniscule scratches.
"Oi, Granger, need some glasses?" Tonks grinned as she leaned against the doorway to the study. "Is that a time-turner?"
"Yes but… there's something strange and… well, something wrong with it," Hermione frowned down at the small object cupped in her hands. Tonks glanced at it. It seemed normal enough, just a regular time turner, a little worse for the wear. Nevertheless…
"I'd be surprised if there wasn't anything wrong with it. Sweet Circes, You-Know-Who's got it locked away with the Lestranges and the Order was willing to put you at risk to get at it. Merlin knows what that thing is capable of," Tonks exclaimed.
"There's more to it than just that, though. I'm sure of it. Something about these runes..."
"Hmm, t's been years since I've even thought about that class. But from what I remember, they have the ability to alter the properties of whatever they're carved on, depending on the existing ones." Tonks stopped for a second, considering, "But I don't know how that would be possible with a time turner. What do they mean?"
"That's the thing - these characters are older than the ones I know. They're still recognizable, to a certain extent, but some of these pairings make no sense. Look, 'eitar ehwaz' - 'poison partnership'. Why would someone put that on a time-turner?"
"Your guess is better than mine, Granger. You know I barely muddled through with an A."
Hermione sighed, frustrated. "And these other runes, they stand for-"
A rush, like a cold gush of air descended upon them.
"Bloody hell!" shouted Tonks. "They know we're here."
"Who's there? I wasn't prepared for visitors!" came a sing-songy voice from below. Tonks cursed again.
"Bellatrix," she muttered darkly.
"Come out now and perhaps we'll make your death quick," a cold male voice followed.
"Looks like she's not alone…" Hermione's mind was racing, calculating their odds of escaping without being seen. Or at all. "Alright, you take Rodolphus, I'll handle Bellatrix."
"I don't know, Granger. She's loonier than a drunk Cornish Pixie." Before Hermione could respond, a curse soared between them and shattered the window behind them.
"Protego!" Hermione managed to erect a shield just as another dark curse smashed into it. Rodolphus had reached the end of the hallway leading to the study. She winced as his curse pushed against her shield, creating cracks across the surface.
"Obcillio!" Tonks's curse sent Rodolphus jumping to the side. She raced after him, leaving Hermione with Bellatrix, who closely followed her husband.
"Well, if it isn't my blood traitor niece and Potter's Mudblood. Did your precious Order send you to look for it? I'm afraid your inferior brain wouldn't be able to get past the security, even if you managed to find where it is."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Hermione said, dangling the golden time-turner by its chain in front of her. Bellatrix's eyes widened in shock and horror. "I'm afraid your inferior brain is incapable of creating a clever enough hiding spot for your most prized possession."
"Crucio!" snarled Bellatrix so quickly, Hermione felt the curse whizz past her hair as she ducked.
"Procido! Perseco!" Hermione pointed her wand first at the floor, then at the crazy woman sprinting towards her. The wooden floor cracked beneath her feet and started falling away. Bellatrix howled with rage as she had to stop in her tracks and was consequently hit by Hermione's hex. Several slash marks appeared on her skin as if invisible knives had sliced at her.
"Mudblood bitch! You'll pay for that!" she screamed. With a jump, Bellatrix soared through the air and across the void now stretching across the hallway. Hermione slammed the door and locked it. She put a permanent sticking charm on the lock before bolting behind the desk and crouching down. Something heavy crashed into the door, and a moment later it exploded into millions of splinters.
"Poor little Mudblood, hiding from her death, " cooed Bellatrix. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! Incendio!" The desk burst into flames. Hermione stumbled back, nearly falling out the window in her haste.
Bellatrix's evil cackle cut through the air. "Did you really think you could win against me? Your little tricks are no match for real magic!" She brandished her wand in a circular motion, and wickedly sharp spikes appeared in mid air. She flicked her wand again, and they aimed themselves at Hermione. "Iacto," she said in a deathly calm voice. The spikes hurtled through the air.
"Muto aquae!" Hermione managed to utter, and the spikes turned to water just as they sliced into her, leaving several shallow cuts across her skin.
"Enough! Give me the time-turner!"
"Never!"
Bellatrix sent three different curses one after the other, leaving Hermione little time to react. But she had been training her reflexes and combat magic with Dumbledore for the past year.
"Tutella!" she cried, and a shield made of bright, blue light appeared in front of her, absorbing the impact
Faster than Hermione could have predicted, Bellatrix slashed her wand and sent her crashing against the window frame. Jagged glass ripped into her back, sending blood running down her spine. She cried out in pain.
Bellatrix giggled manically. "Awww, I think I broke Potter's little toy. It'll take weeks for the hous-elves to scrub your filth from the place." She crossed the room over to the younger girl. "I think I shall have to teach you a lesson." She smiled, and it was terrifying.
"Crucio!"
Hermione tried to stay silent so as not to give Bellatrix the satisfaction, but that did not last long. She felt like she was simultaneously being boiled alive and flash frozen. Each one of her nerve endings was on fire. But though her body was losing control, her mind never stopped working.
"Granger! Incoming!" Tonks spilled into the room, levitating pieces of broken wood as a path to walk across the hallway where the floor used to be. Rodolphus followed in hot pursuit, looking much worse for the wear. He appeared to be so intent on catching the pink-haired Auror that he did not notice the floor was gone. Tonks slashed her wand in a downward motion, and the pathway of wood plummeted with Rodolphus on top.
"Idiot!" Bellatrix snarled at her husband, shifting her focus from Hermione.
Once the curse was lifted, Hermione nonverbally cast a Doubling charm on the time-turner and discreetly tucked it into the inside pocket of her robes. She barely had enough strength to hoarsely call out a warning to Tonks. But it was enough. Tonks blocked a curse sent by her deranged aunt and returned fire. Her spell nicked Bellatrix, sending her to the ground.
"Ha! Take that you miserable-" she was cut off by the force of the curse that crashed into her and blew her back through the hole in the hallway.
"Time to give it up, Mudblood! Bellatrix wrenched open Hermione's fist and snatched the duplicated time-turner. A new glint lit up her already disturbed eyes as she added, "I think I know how to teach you your place." She waved her hand and a knife appeared, flashing dangerously in the dim twilight rays.
"Stup-"
"Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix cut off Hermione's feeble attempt to fight back. She caught the stick of vine wood and twirled it between her fingers before pocketing it. With her other hand, she slowly trailed the tip of the knife along the girl's jawline, letting it rest against her neck. She leaned in close and said against Hermione's ear, "The less you struggle, the faster this will be."
Bellatrix slammed her into the floor and pinned her down with her own body. "What do you know about the time-turner?" she hissed.
"Nothing! We were only told to find it!" Hermione cried.
"Liar! Tell me what you know!"
"I know nothing!"
Bellatrix reached out and rolled up the left sleeve of Hermione's robe, exposing the pale skin beneath. She placed blade to flesh and began carving letters. Hermione could do nothing but flail uselessly and scream. Every line, every slice sent a fresh wave of pain and utter agony through her arm.
Through the haze of pain, she caught a glimpse of her wand poking out of the madwoman's clothes. Mustering every ounce of strength left in her, Hermione reached for it with her right hand and grasped the wood. Immediately, a wave of power and warmth rushed back into her, and she released a burst of involuntary magic so strong, Bellatrix was thrown into the wall behind her.
"How dare you? Avada Kedavra!" she screeched.
Hermione watched as the green ray of death streaked toward her. She knew that it was over. She could only hope that Bellatrix wouldn't realize until too late that the time-turner she had taken from Hermione was fake.
She closed her eyes as the curse crashed into her chest, not sure what to expect. What she didn't expect was the explosion. Everything around her crumpled to dust and her vision went white. Before consciousness left her completely, Hermione felt a sensation like falling, falling, falling, then nothing.