The Prime Princess

Madam Pomfrey patched Major Draconis up and ordered him to lie down for a while. Harry and Ron where standing in the other end of the Hospital Wing and talked casually with Neville but really where keeping an eye on Draconis. Carmen had left. She had stomped to Heads Quarters to prove something.

Draco was lying before the roaring fireplace and chatted with Blaise. In front of them where unfinished scrolls for Professors Snape and McGonagall. They stopped talking when Carmen entered the room and stared at Draco. Both handsome slytherins stared back.

“Yeees?” drawled Draco when he got sick of staring at her. “Did you want something, Mudblood?”

“I knew it!” squealed Carmen.

Draco and Blaise looked at each other for a second and then Italian shrugged his shoulders.

“It has to be Polyjuice or some charm,” whent Carmen on talking to herself as she backed out the portrait hole, leaving the two confused. Draco’s eyebrows drew together in concentration and suddenly he bolted up from the floor and rushed after Carmen.

“Whoa, hey, wait a sec!” called Blaise out and ran out of the Common Room to catch Draco who was chasing Carmen.

Back in the Hospital Wing everything had been quiet until Carmen dashed in and ran to her boys and started to babble about her point. Ron tried to understand her explanations but most of the time he just nodded his head on appropriate moments. Harry seemed to read between lines and got some picture of her nonsense but his understandings were blown to bits when Draco and Blaise entered the Hospital Wing.

“Nooo way,” muttered Ron and gaped at Draco and then at the replica.

“Care to explain what the heck is going on?” demanded Draco from bushy-haired Carmen. Blaise put his hand on Draco’s shoulder and shook him a bit.

“What is it?!” whined Draco and turned around to give a sharp look but then Blaise guided his gaze over the Hospital Wing.

“Oh,” said Draco.
***
Hermione watched Lucius sleep next to her. He reminded her an angel, a creature of pure light and she didn’t want to hurt him. Lucius trusted her, loved her and most of all – he saw goodness in her. That hurt her because she knew he was a fool to believe she was good. Maybe in some other life she was good, fighting on the right side, but that was in another reality.

She snuggled closer to Lucius and smelled his scent, memorizing it. He was too good for her and she knew it. She was killer and staying with him meant she’d soil the goodness in him, turn him into bad and create something cold and vicious. She had seen it happen just like she had seen the attack at Gates. Saga had changed his past once and it had turned out to be excellent and now she had seen the change that would undo Saga’s effort.

“I’m so sorry, love,” murmured Hermione and kissed his neck, feeling the pulse under her lips. “It’s for your own good,” she said and kissed his jaw line. “Good bye,” and kissed his lips. Then she left.
***
Carmen was harassing both Malfoys while they were trying to get away from her. Madam Pomfrey finally threw her out. Harry and Ron had an excuse to stay – Neville watched silently the way Madam stared them, then huffed and walked straight into her office.

“Oh, she’ll be back with my sister,” whispered Ron, “And she can be very persuasive.”

“Right,” muttered Harry and looked at slytherins.
***
Hermione strode into Entrance Hall and stopped to look at the hourglasses marking the scores. Her House had fallen behind.

“Whatta fuck?” growled Hermione and instantly suspected the damn Head Girl. And speaking of devil… Carmen came rushing down from the stairs with Ginny.

“You’re out on curfew!” shouted Carmen, pointing her finger at Hermione.

“I’m a Prefect, you daft cow!” yelled Hermione. She was so annoyed that this little silly Mudblood run the school. Ginny turned red from anger and itched to draw a wand at her.

“10 points from Slytherin!” was Carmen’s first reaction but then her voice faded as she really saw the true identity of Hermione. Dark aura fumed around her like a storm cloud full of electricity. The transformation was so shocking that Carmen forgot what to say. Ginny tugged at Carmen but she was transfixed.

The Angel of Death glided over the floor and looked down on Carmen with the utmost hatred and disgust. Under the white skin black veins shined like rivers cascading over planes. Dark light radiated so sinisterly that it almost hurt eyes as Carmen and Ginny faced her. All the candles and torches in the Entrance Hall started to burn with high blue flame and from outside came blood-chilling howling.

Carmen waited words to be spoken but they never came.
***
Hospital Wing had become some sort of nuthouse. A set of Malfoys was arguing like mad and not even Harry could understand what was going on. He heard some phrases screamed loudly like “ship”, “Atlantis” and “Commander”. It didn’t sound very wizarding, more like militaristic. He wanted to find out more and wished Hermione was there. She seemed to get along with him and Ron.

On that moment Hermione marched in and halted with both of her wands raised.

“I will hex you to Hell if you don’t shut up!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Hermione who seemed to be capable of taking down a full armada if necessary. Neville fainted. Ron gulped and looked some support for his weak knees. Harry stood still, calming himself. In the other end two Malfoys were staring at her with shock and admiration while Blaise continued to be cool about everything. Hermione assessed the silence and looked around to see many gobsmacked faces.

“Some of you I must Obliviate. And what comes to you, Draconis, I’m gonna send you to Court Marshal,” she said casually.

“You know him? Who is he?” asked Harry, stepping a bit closer to her. Hermione turned her head to look into green eyes and smirked.

“Oh, he’s a Malfoy alright,” she said, “Not just from around.”

“Aa,” made Harry and was confronted with the tip of her wand.

“Say good night, Potter,” asked Hermione coldly but couldn’t finish the spell when Carmen and Ginny rushed in. “For God’s sake, now what?” whined Hermione and turned around to shoot whomever had entered. Carmen got hit by the Obliviation Spell and grumbled unconsciously to the ground. Ginny dodged from the next shot and backfired with some nasty curse that ricocheted from a shield up to ceiling and brought down a whole chandelier.

The noise and racket brought Madam Pomfrey out of her office and other Professor to Hospital Wing. Hermione looked over her shoulder to see the school’s Staff pour in and the only option was to act by her nature.

“Tempus Katalepsis!”
***
Prefects Bathroom was maybe one of the safest places to engage a conversation. Draconis was tied up on the tiled floor and Blaise and Draco stood beside him in case he tried something. Harry and Ron were opposite to them, looking down at Draconis who was pissed off. Hermione stood between them and breathed hard. She was loosing control over herself again but the look on Harry’s face calmed her. She was among friends, well, on safe ground none of the less.

“He’s Malfoy Draconis, Major. Captain of… Um,” she tried to figure out a way to explain this. She knew Harry and his gang had learned to block Memory Spells and Harry had learned Legilimency and was even better at Occlumency. So, if she’d let him inside her mind, then maybe the explaining wouldn’t be necessary. But she didn’t trust him.

Hermione stepped closer to Harry, facing him real close, and looked into his eyes full of confusion and discomfort. He didn’t like to be so close to a slytherin.

“Can I?” she asked as she raised her hand and receiving a nod, she touched his temple with her fingertips. Ron and others watched as hundreds of emotions ran over Harry’s face and finally under the weight of Universe, he staggered away from her and sat on a bench. Holding his head between his hands, he mumbled something. Ron looked at his best friend and then at Hermione.

“What did you do?” He was already looking for his wand but noticed Hermione accioing a white towel and stepping to sink to soak it in cold water.

“Giving him some answers,” told Hermione and handed Harry a folded towel to put it over his throbbing head.

“Well, he got his answers, what about us?” drawled Draco and pointed at Major, “Why is he here?”

“I think you’d love to curse it out of him,” said Hermione and pitied Harry. She felt for him because now he was involved. Hermione hoped to spare Lucius from all this craziness as she felt his love bite on her shoulder. But could she keep Pansy and Millicent out of this?

“Hey, wait a sec here!” yelled Draconis when Blaise and Draco pointed their wands at him. “I think we can discuss this.”

“Why you’re here? It’s not an official visit by my knowledge,” asked Blaise and started to search some body parts that would really hurt went cursed. By “accidentally” one curse went off and Draconis groaned, holding a straight face.

“Is this trip for business or pleasure?” asked Draco and used an opportunity to use a curse so old it had scratched off from the Unforgivable List. Major howled in pain and dared to black out.

“I came here for Rage Walker,” said Draconis and gasped for air, “Elohim is convinced she’s no longer a Walker. Never was.”

Draco looked at Hermione and asked: “So, who is she?”

“She’s next step in the evolution,” told Draconis and fell into darkness.

Hermione stared at unconscious Draconis and then at her boys who had turned to look at her intently. Behind her stood Ron who was a bit confused for whom he was supposed to stand up for. Harry lifted a corner of his towel and gazed at Hermione who was caught in the middle.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the Reaper,” told Hermione closing her eyes.