The Prime Princess

A Roman style silver helmet glistened in crystal chandelier light as dark eyes shined behind the vizier shaped into a fox’s head. Moretius glared at the stranger and reached for his wand.

A slender hand wearing several platinum Gothic armor rings pointed a single finger at Mr. Ariston.

“You shall die so others could live,” said the Time Walker and reached her hand over fur-clad shoulder to pull her twin-staff free. It had a fox head and a power-crystal between its jaws glowing bright red. With a swift shake the telescope staff extended to its full length in both ways. On the other end another crystal burned in the bounds of elegant fox paw.

“What is going on?” squealed Mrs. Ariston and spilled her tea all over her gown. Saga unlocked her staff in the middle with a twist and pulled it apart. Quicksilver flooded out and took a shape of razor-sharp battle-axe on both ends.

“NO!” screamed Hermione and rushed to stop Saga from slaying her parents. Blaise stood abruptly up and drew his wand at Saga. Pushing Mrs. Ariston behind him and out of the way, he cast an ancient killing curse on the attacker.

“Perdo!” Bright light bounced back from energy shield surrounding Saga as she still marched across the library. The curse hit a marble pillar instead. Pansy scurried beside Alya as Moretius stepped next to Blaise to protect the ladies.

“Caedo!” Another crimson curse was shot and another and another… Hermione ducked behind a statue of nymph and covered her ears as the chandelier came crashing down and littered the whole floor with chiming crystal pieces. No curse had penetrated her shield so far and that really infuriated Hermione.

Seeing Saga passing her, Hermione darted out and aimed to run Saga down but to her surprise she ran through her. Loosing her footing, she crash-landed and skidded to halt. Being out of phase really sucked!

“Don’t you even dare!” threatened Hermione as Saga whirled her axes in silvery haze. Blaise and her father still threw curses at Supremeverse Marshal while Pansy and Mrs. Ariston messed with Floo powder. Flames in the fireplace turned into emerald green but were extinguished by a blast of Saga’s staff. Soot stained so ever clean floor and furniture and tainted witches’ gowns from head to toe.

A paw holding glowing crystal slammed the wand out of Blaise’s hand and twirling around, a blade came connecting to Italian’s neck. Mr. Ariston threw his wand to the ground and jumped on Saga to rip her away from him.

“Honey, watch out!” screamed Alya but was bit late. A hard blow hurled Moretius to the floor and left him with a gushing nosebleed. Saga pushed on and sliced Blaise’s throat.

“NO! Stop this!” yelled Hermione and tried to grab at Saga but couldn’t. Her hands just slide through her like there was nothing but air. An arm came to grip her shoulder and yanked her away. Struggling with Hel, she was pulled several feet away.

Hel held her down, not letting her go.

“In 4th dimension you can only watch,” whispered Hel in ragged voice as she pressed Hermione close to her chest. Hermione twisted her head around and seeing Saga chopping her mother’s head off, made her crumble to the ground. Headless body still twitched, blood burst out and pooled around it in crimson puddle. Always smiling amber eyes were wide open and horrifically vacant. A mane of wine-colored hair was tangled in bloody mess and clung to pallid cheeks. The pearl necklace was torn to pieces; like beautiful white snowflakes, pearls fell into blood.

“MOM!” cried Hermione in anguish and couldn’t look at gasping Blaise who still held onto his throat that was cut and bled to death.

“Just say the word,” murmured Hel and looked up. Pansy was screaming on the top of her lungs, as she desperately wanted to Apparate out of there. But she couldn’t. A metallic sphere with few blinking lights rolling on the floor made that impossible.

The cold look on the face of fox stared at Pansy who frantically fumbled with her wand and dropped it in the process. Thinking a little straighter she didn’t bother to pick it up but bolted to the exit. Saga followed her with a calculating gaze while one of her staffs turned from axe into spear.

Hermione clutched to Hel’s comforting arms as the lance skimmed through the air and with a soft thump pierced Pansy. The handle crowned by silvery fox’s paw and glowing crystal poked out of her back.

“Why?” whined Hermione fighting with hurtful tears and curled into tight ball as Saga faced her father. She almost felt their pain, confusion and fright. It was too much for her to handle. Nausea from seeing so much blood oozing over the spacious floor of the library made her pay for everything. Hermione wanted to black out from all of this, just to fade into darkness and never wake up again. Her blurry eyes drifted back to her mother who laid in two pieces. Already that made her sick.

Blaise dropped to his knees and fell face down. His hansom features were smeared with blood and ashen fear contorted divine face. He died without knowing who was his murderer or even that the slayer was his best friend’s replica. Hermione cried without shame and didn’t notice that Hel still didn’t cared if her parents and close friends were massacred. Absentmindedly she stroked her hair and whispered: “Give in, my darling. More deaths will come.”

The silver fox turned its attention to Moretius – the last man standing in the room.

“Look at them,” purred Hel and grabbed painfully at her hair and made her look. Saga walked around Moretius and swung her axe around to point a power-crystal at him. Moretius was unarmed and surely defenseless against her. He had no chance but still he stood tall and glared right in the face of his death.

“Saga will take everything from you,” murmured Hel and admired the gloomy atmosphere. “Why you torment yourself? This all could just disappear.”

Hermione held her eyes on her proud father who was not afraid to die. He was so much stronger in mind she’d ever be. She had always wanted to be like him in so many ways. And now seeing him welcoming death was just one of those aspects of his ever ending bravery. Never fearing inevitable end was one of his virtues.

“Just say the word and this all will end,” chanted Hel and cuddled her in her lap.

Saga had taken her time playing, getting no answer from Hel, she raised her staff transformed into sword over her head and brought in down in a swift curve to the side. Blood spattered over marble, covered Saga’s hands and almost everything in the library.

“Oh my god,” gasped Hermione and cracked.

Hel slapped hard across her face and gave another smack to wake Hermione up.

“This isn’t over yet,” she said in a gruff voice and dragged shuddering Hermione standing up. Sliding into Void she transferred them to next location. When the black veil of mist dissolved a bit from around them, Hermione looked around in professor Snape’s quarters. She recognized it immediately after being a houseguest in here for quite a long time.

In front of the fireplace Lucius nourished a glass of brandy. Potion Master sat on the couch and poured himself another shot of whiskey. At first Hermione couldn’t make out what they were talking because her messed up brain refused to translate anything heard.

“Not them too,” croaked Hermione and covered her face with shaking hands.

“Yesss,” hissed Hel with no sympathy, “All of them.”

Hermione wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand and tried to pull herself together. She had witnessed her parents’ slaughter. Blaise had died for the same reason as Pansy. She had wanted to deepen the relationship she and Blaise had into something more. Looking at Lucius and Severus was all she could take. She couldn’t afford loosing them too. Not Lucius who might be her future husband or Severus… After sleeping with Colonel she had no idea how she felt for Potion Master but she was sure she couldn’t loose him too.

Was her pure blood really so important? She couldn’t think anymore. Everything had turned into fuzzy cotton inside her head. She no longer knew who she was or what was going on.

“Say you’ll agree with the bonding and they’ll be spared,” said Hel. Hermione looked at her with a blank expression.

“Huh?” she had barely heard her question and hardly understood it.

“Do you want to see them also slashed up? Is this what you want? Them dead? So you could be a stubborn, selfish bitch?” hissed Hel and slapped her hard.

“I… No… Please, make it stop!” wept Hermione and fell to her knees.

“Only you can make it stop.”

Hermione turned her vision back to Lucius and Severus and cried her eyes out. She couldn’t decide anymore. From birth she had been thought that the pure blood was sacred and should stay so but bonding would taint it – contaminate the breeding work done by centuries. She was a pureblood, for crying out loud. Only pure blood really counted in wizarding world.

From somewhere in the back of her mind a creature awoke. It started whispering in Scottish drawl, it lured her to think of other ways to get out of there.

‘Why ye take this from ‘er? Ye can turn the tables around, ye know.’

Hermione rubbed her sore eyes and looked up to Hel. A psycho look in her face, she started to cackle as she rose to her feet. She was cooking something in her mind as she approached to Underverse Marshal.

“Tempus Katalepsis!” Hermione shouted just the second before Hel could figure out what the crazy witch was planning. Sucking up the pain, Hermione took away her staff and smirked as crystals started glowing by her touch. So they did share same genes to activate the weapon. Yanking off the Dialing Arrival Dimension and Home device from Hel, she smashed it under her boot. Getting guiding images from whomever, it told that without that gadget Hel was unable to return directly to Atlantis by using inactive portals. But still she could drift into Void and that she couldn’t stop in any way.

“I’m already linked to Morrigan, you dumb hag,” growled Hermione and took away Hel’s radio too. No need to alert Saga.

After few moments Hel was able to fight off the spell and blinked at Hermione who was holding her own staff at her. A silver wolf head grinned at her with a glowing power-crystal between its teeth.

“Imperio!” yelled Hermione, pointing her wand at her while gripping at staff. Hel went dull for a second and she used the moment to program her quickly before she fought it off too.

“You will not go into Void without my permission!”

“Yes, Miss Ariston,” droned Hel and then snapped back to herself.

‘Aye, lovely work ye did,’ congratulated Morrigan inside Hermione’s head.

“Stop Saga from killing them or I’ll blow your head off,” threatened Hermione and the crystal shined bright red. She had cast an Unforgivable and she didn’t care anymore. For a second she wondered if Aurors also kept an eye on other dimensions besides the 3rd. Well, so far no one had showed up and Lucius and Severus were still talking to each other and sipping their drinks.

“You don’t have it in you,” said Hel in unruffled voice.

“Really? I am the Rage Walker, aren’t I? So, I am very much capable of fucking killing you right now!” snarled Hermione and shot her in the shoulder. Hel staggered backwards and fell down from the impact.

A burnt hole was smoking in her leather jacket’s shoulder. Hel bite down her cry as she clutched to the wound and stared up. Hermione stepped closer, cocked her head to the side and grinned.

“I guess without this you are quite vulnerable,” smirked Hermione and held up the broken device that had also held a protective shield.

“You can never stop Saga without agreeing with the bonding,” said Hel hoarsely.

“Fine, then you are no longer useful for me,” leered Hermione and the next shot went through her head. Huffing at dead Marshal, she turned on the radio just like Morrigan showed and radioed to Saga.

“You came into my home, you killed my loved ones. Now I’m going to kill you,” growled Hermione when Saga had responded, thinking the caller was Hel.

“Hermione? Where is Hel?” demanded Saga.

“Hel?” asked Hermione in a fake wonder and looked down on her, “She’s gone to Hell.”