•"Ron?"
Hermione entered the grubby tent from outside, waking her boyfriend who had been weakly snoring from on his cot. Waking suddenly, his dark ringed eyes locked on Hermione who came to kneel down by his bed, "Ron?"
"Whassit? 'ermione?" the ginger haired boy yawned, running a tired hand across his eyes, "what's wrong?"
Hermione bit her lip slightly and picked at the threads of her sleeve. She wasn't used to being venerable, or feeling terrified to the point of exhaustion. Hermione Granger didn't like to ask others for help...it wasn't in her nature to be anything but completely independent. Yet sitting outside, alone, so close to Hogwarts yet so far away...it was the most terrifying thing Hermione had ever experienced,
"Will you come sit with me?"
Hermione expected Ron to question her; that's what he always did after all. It was an almost pinnacle part of their relationship. Yet the ginger just sat up with a slight grunt and dawned his oversized jacket, pulling it about himself as he stood and smiled tiredly,
"Lead the way,"
Hermione nodded slightly and ducked from the tent again, taking a seat on the log before a dying fire. Ron took up the spot beside her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulling her close. They sat like that for a while, quietly, staring into the dying embers. For once, it was Hermione who broke the silence first,
"Ron, I'm scared,"
"Yeah. I am too,"
"Can you imagine it?" Hermione whispered, removing 'The Tales of Beetle the Bard' from inside her jacket and flipping open the front cover, "the damage Lord Voldemort could do if he had the Elder Wand?"
The young witch ran a hand over the inked symbol as he shook his head,
"Naw. What'do you think could happen if he had all of them? The Deathly Hallows I mean?"
"He'd be the master of death," Hermione croaked, "he'd be able to out duel even the strongest of wizards,"
"Well...let's be glad he doesn't have all three then, ey?"
"Yeah..."
Hermione stared into the dying embers and rolled a lip under her teeth, "I guess you're right," •
Hermione shot awake from her restless sleep as there was a light tapping at her room window. Exhaling shakily and glancing in that direction, a crisp snowy owl was resting patiently on the pane, holding a neatly tied Hogwarts scroll in his beak. Careful not to wake Remus, who was still fast asleep beside her, Hermione left the bed and opened the window,
"Welcome back, Fawkes," she greeted, "you found McGonagall?"
The Bird of Paradise nodded slightly as Hermione took the scroll he held. Placing a few treats on the sill for the Bird to peck at, Hermione fell down into her office chair as she opened the letter,
'Miss Black,
I'm glad to hear that you, and those troublesome friends of yours are safe. Professor Dumbledore told me of your mission before the end of term last year, and I must say I'm rather vexed that he would chose students as young as yourselves to complete such a dangerous task. I will never truly understand that man's thinking in the matter.
As for your other request, Hogwarts is already prepared for a battle against You-Know-Who. I have purposefully strengthened our anti-apparition wards, and shut off the Floo Network. I suggest using the hidden tunnels into the school before collapsing them, we don't want to take any unnecessary chances. I know you'll proceed with caution, Miss Black, as you are much too intelligent to plan otherwise. But I ask of you, don't be rash. Use all of the resources at your disposal. If we really are to battle against Voldemort, I suppose it is best if we hold the higher ground. Be safe, all of you.
Yours faithfully,
Minerva McGonagall'
Hermione sighed deeply as she ran a hand through her bedhead, biting her lip a few times as she reread the scroll. Her own history was starting to unravel before her. The last of the Horcruxes was about to be destroyed, and all of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World was about to be thrust into 'the first' Wizarding war,
'I guess this outcome was inevitable,' Hermione thought, sitting forward to smooth down Fawkes white feathers, 'defeating Voldemort would still spark the first battle. I haven't really saved anyone, have I?'
Hermione groaned frustratedly as she sat back in her chair and looked at the ceiling, 'I've just made a bigger mess of things. I should have just found my way home!'
"Hermione? Love, is everything ok?"
"No, not really,"
Hermione sat forward in her chair and pinched the spot between her eyes, "I think I just made things worse, nothing has changed,"
"I think you're wrong," Remus grunted and got up from the bed, a crooked smile on his lips as he cocked his head to one side, "I'm with you. Lily, James and Sirius are still here. We have the Order, and we only have one more Horcrux,"
"But what if we can't beat him, Remus? It was just dumb luck the last time!"
"Then we hope for dumb luck again,"
Remus wrapped his arms about Hermione's shoulders as he kissed the side of her head, "you aren't alone in this. And let me tell you, I'm pretty positive Harry Potter wasn't alone either,"
"But the risks-"
"We all stand by you, Mione, no matter how many Death Eaters we have to face. You're smart enough to know that,"
"I guess you're right, Remus. This is the best chance we have...I can't let Voldemort live to see a second war..."
"That's my girl!" Remus cheered quietly, "we should probably get ready. I have a feeling we aren't going to come back here,"
"Right, just...give me a second,"
"All the time you need, love."
As Remus placed one last kiss on Hermione's forehead and left the room to get ready, Hermione herself bit a knuckle in thought, 'Dumbledore knew I would need the Elder Wand to defeat Voldemort...but it can't on its own,'
Hermione opened the drawer to her desk and removed the wand from inside, holding it carefully as though it were the most fragile thing in the world, 'Dumbledore knew I would have the other Hallows. The Invisibility Cloak, the Ring which contained the Resurrection Stone and now the Elder Wand,"
Hermione opened the other drawer in her desk to reveal the small diamond stone on a broken ring base. She had asked McGonagall for it before leaving Hogwarts that night she found her Headmaster. Glancing down at the purple beaded bag sitting on the floor near the bed, Hermione inhaled sharply. It had been decades since the Hallows had been in the possession of any one person. Together, they made one the Master of Death. Hermione had read all about them, and that was her final conclusion. The Hallows would allow her to defeat Tom Riddle.
Standing rapidly as she threw the Elder Wand into her sleeve, and placed the broken ring on her finger, Hermione brushed out her hair and pulled the auburn curls up in a messy bun before grabbing her bag. Throwing on a dark cloak and pounding down the stairs, many eyes landed on her from the dining room table,
"Morning," Sirius drawled, sitting on a windowsill near the table as his eyebrows lifted, "exciting night, eh?"
Knowing exactly what Sirius was implying, Hermione snarled slightly and folded her arms,
"Shut up, Sirius,"
"Now, now no need to quarrel with each other," Molly chided, exiting the kitchen and pointing her wooden spoon at Sirius, before turning to Hermione with a bright smile, "my dear you're looking gaunt, come, sit and eat before you waste away,"
"Thank you. Has Remus come down yet?"
"Yeah, he went to take a walk around the Burrow," Lily explained, taking a drink of her Pumpkin Juice, "I think he also went to look for a newspaper,"
Hermione nodded stiffly and poked at the plate which had been placed before her by Molly,
"We were just discussing baby names, dear," the woman explained, placing a hand on her belly with a distinct gleam in her dark, motherly eyes, "so far none of them seemed right. Have any suggestions?"
"William, but he'd be known as Bill to close family and friends," Hermione answered without much thought, smiling at the thought of Fleur and Bill together as a couple. Shaking out of the daze, Molly seemed to ponder it and smiled,
"Yes, William is a very nice name. I'll pitch it to Arthur, I'm sure he'd love it,"
Returning back to her kitchen as Hermione smiled, the entire table looked up as the door to the Burrow slammed open. Remus stood there with a darkness on his face, holding a newspaper in one hand,
"I think you guys need to see this!"
Tossing the paper onto the table, everyone gathered around it as Hermione tightened her grip on the edge of the table. The headline was kind of hard to miss,
'MINISTRY ATTACKED! WAR AGAINST YOU-KNOW-WHO ESCALATES! MINISTER OF MAGIC FATALLY WOUNDED!'
"Bloody hell!" James mumbled, taking Lily's hand from across the table, "this is really happening then?"
"I'm afraid so," Hermione stated, clutching her arm as she turned to Remus, "the Horcrux us upstairs in the wardrobe-"
"Already on it, love,"
As Remus vanished, Hermione turned as a door opened somewhere behind her,
"You'll be needin' this, 'ermione,"
Aberforth pulled the sword from inside his room as Hermione motioned for Sirius to take it. Smiling at the old man, his blue eyes twinkled,
"Are you coming with us, Abe?"
"Naw, I'm too old fer fightin' wars. Be safe out there, pup, an' kick ole' Snake Noses arse fer me,"
"Will do, Aberforth. Thanks for all your help,"
"Aye. Good luck out there, to all of ye,"
There was a collective mumble from the group as Hermione grasped her arm, glancing up to see Remus coming down the stairs with a satchel in hand. Removing the Elder Wand from her sleeve, Hermione summoned up a Patronus and sent it with a message to the rest of the Order, 'it has begun. Use the tunnels to get into Hogwarts,'
"What's the plan, Hermione?"
Glancing up slightly, the brightest witch of her age stared into the eyes of every one of her friends. The Longbottoms had already gone ahead per Hermione's instruction, and other members of the Order were no doubt on the move towards Hogwarts,
"We destroy the cup. The minute we do, all hell will break loose. Keep together and find that snake. It's the one thing keeping Voldemort alive. Whoever happens to have the sword will do it. Do you understand?"
There were some nervous nods from around the room as Hermione nodded and swallowed thickly, dropping the sword into her bag, "to Hogwarts, then,"