The End Is The Beginning Is The End

Warning: This story contains elements of violence and rape, which can be triggering to some readers.

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The scent of rotting flesh could be detected from miles away.  In every direction there were thousands of corpses…men, women, children. 

Many were so badly decomposed that the ability to identify them was near impossible.  Advanced magics would be needed to complete such a titanic task.  That is, if anyone still lived to perform such magics...or even cared, for that matter.

Hermione Granger once remembered a conversation that Harry shared with her.  It was shortly after Cedric Diggory's mass.

He said to me, 'There is no good nor evil...only power.'

Power.  If he were alive, Hermione would applaud his foresight.

Because following the Battle of Hogwarts, when the Dark Lord fell, so did Harry.  A horcrux...he had died for them all, like so many others.  But who would have predicted the enormous power vacuum that followed?  It seemed that Lord Voldemort's power had extended far beyond what anyone could perceive--a power that kept other evils in line.

She looked around at the rotting corpses, adjusting the piece of cloth over the lower half of her face.

The better to breathe.

She brought her knees to her chest.

Amidst the struggle for dominance the bodies were ignored.  Only the lucky received a proper burial.

Hermione knew that somewhere among the dead were some of her dearest friends—Neville, Cho, Seamus, Lee…her professors that she loved and admired; Hagrid was gone, the entire Hogwarts staff obliterated in a single battle.

And then there were those that would probably never be found...

Her parents were among many muggles who simply were rounded up and executed, one by one before being disposed of.  There were rumors of incinerators that burned thousands of bodies, blocking out the sun.  She hoped there end had been painless. 

It seemed even the wizarding world had its own version of the Third Reich. 

She still did not know who murdered them.  Most of the muggle population had been destroyed or enslaved; entire governments collapsed.  It was a dangerous world, where good intentions often paved the way to hell…

Good intentions led to her current circumstances.  After all, wasn’t it after Ron died that the twins proceeded to establish their own ‘new world order’; one that would provide justice and at the same time ensure a ‘pleasant time?’  The twins wanted to build a world built on laughter and happiness.  It had been Hermione's greatest wish to see that vision come true.

Ha.  How silly they had all been.

How silly she had been.

Hermione trusted them.

She never knew that power could do the strangest things to people…

No, their world wasn’t a place of laws and reason.  It was a pleasure playground, where anything goes, where happiness translated to ‘anything’.  It had gone to deplorable extremes.  Yes, it may be a safe haven for those seeking to avoid the dark forces, but  while the dark forces were controlled with a sickening level of precision, where everything was regulated the new world order was the exact opposite—deregulated and dangerous.

Where people received no trial; where slytherin equaled death, no matter the age or past.  How many children were born, and using the stolen sorting hat they would simply execute anyone who was a slytherin.  How...awful.

It was dangerous time to be yourself.

Hermione chose to leave, exiling herself.

She was losing her mind there.

And yet now that she was alone she often found herself questioning her choices.

She had a pride that could be crippling, and a loyalty to reason that led to strained relationships.  But she was insecure.  She fell apart when things did not go as planned, and throw feelings into the mix…Hermione was a mess when it came to regulating her feelings. 

And these aspects of her personality led to her choice, and now she was alone.

Freezing.

Starving.

She wasn’t fighting just the dark wizards or crazy people, Hermione was fighting the elements, and most importantly, she was fighting herself.   she was only now realizing that it was a losing battle.  Who would win?  Was there any such thing?

She really didn't know. 

That kind of uncertainty was terrifying.