Realization

Disclaimer: I own nothing, seeing as JK makes all the money and I'm just a poor college student.

A/N: Well, it's been a while and I take no responsibility for anything that may seem insane. That is the product of being trapped in an old house in the middle of
nowhere with the crazy man who calls himself my father for two weeks. In short, cabin fever. As always, let me know.

Remus apparated to St. Mungos as soon as he cleared Grimmauld Place’s wards. He was directed to Hermione’s room. Upon reaching the door, he found a crowd outside it trying to break their way in.

“What’s going on here?” he asked the nearest person, Neville Longbottom.

“Harry put up wards and won’t let anyone in. Ron came out a few minutes ago crying and then went back in muttering about splitting souls and evil,” Neville said.

“Oh no…”


Harry was just staring at Ron. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Hermione had split her soul and displayed more evil tonight than he had ever seen from her.

What’s happened to her? She’s as bad as any Death Eater. That wasn’t self-defense that was pure evil pouring out of her.

He looked at Ron who was just staring at his fiancé.

She was coming out of a healing sleep and just started hearing what they were saying minutes ago about committing her. It incensed her, but she could do or say nothing until she was more alert. Harry had had the same look on his face as her. Where does he get off…? The bloody hypocrite. Oh, how I’d love to speak to him…tell him the truth about why I killed that pathetic excuse for a rat…but I can’t, I swore it to him… Her hand twitched at the thought.

Harry leaned over and touched her hand in brotherly affection. He then whispered in her ear, “Wake up, Hermione, I know you can hear me. I love you…”

She slowly sat up and turned to face him.

“You…you don’t love me. How could you think about committing me? Are you crazy? You need me…” she said slowly.

“Dear,” came Ron’s voice from far away, “why?”

“I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“You can tell us,” said Harry. “You can trust us.”

“Can I?”

The boys just looked at each other and then at Hermione with pleading eyes.

“Fine. I did it for someone you don’t trust. If not, Remus would have done it.”

“But…” started Ron.

“He was behind my father’s death. That stupid silver hand ripped my father’s heart out.”

“Who told you to do it? And when did you talk to this person we don’t trust?” asked Harry.

“Well, you were with Remus and Ron was with Charlie in Romania. I just gave Minerva the slip. I did it on a hunch and I turned out to be right. He told me the truth about what happened since he went underground and about the plans to kidnap Ginny. But he made me swear to keep this to myself.”

“You knew about the plans to kidnap Ginny?!” said Harry incredulously.

“Of course I knew. Don’t worry,” she said exasperatedly. “She’s fine.”

“How can she be fine? Mum said it was Malfoy who took her. And Snape!”

“Who was it you talked to?” asked Harry in a deadly calm voice.

“Snape,” she whispered.

Immediately both boys began to rant and rave about the man and how he had betrayed them all by killing Dumbledore.

“You should hear him out,” she said in a quiet voice, but both boys heard her nonetheless.

“Hear him out?” screamed Harry. “I saw it with my own eyes. You didn’t see the hate etched into every inch of him when he saw Dumbledore! You didn’t see anything! You don’t know what that bastard is really like!”

“It’s you who is mistaken. Now, let that ward down. People are trying to break it very hard. Obviously there’s a reason.”

Harry, fuming, turned and let the ward down roughly. Remus, followed by all of the younger Order members tumbled into the room.

“Hermione,” said Lupin, straightening himself and gathering his dignity, “I see you are feeling well enough to incense Harry. Welcome back.”

“Thank you. It was nothing, a sibling tiff.”

“We’ll see,” said Remus, giving her a knowing look.

She shivered and knew he would seek her out later to discuss whatever had put Harry into such a foul mood. And she also knew he would see the reasoning behind her actions better than Harry or Ron ever could.

“What is it that you needed so desperately, Lupin?” asked Harry, annoyed.

“Well, the Death Eaters are attacking Azkaban as we speak and we need you three there.”

“We’re busy,” said Harry, giving all of them a piercing look that clearly told them to get out or they would face the consequences.

“Harry, please,” said Luna. “We can’t win this.”

“I’ll go,” said Hermione, getting up and grabbing her bloody clothes.

“No you don’t,” began Ron.

“Shut up and get going,” she snapped.

“You need to rest, love. You can’t…”

“Yes I can. Don’t treat me like a child. Now, get going,” she said. If looks could kill, anyone standing in the room after that statement would have been toasted to a crisp, and this included Harry, Ron, and Lupin, the others had turned and left for the battle.

“Get out,” she said.

“No,” said Harry. “Lay back down.”

“No.”

“Love, Hermione…please. You’re not being rational. You need to heal before you throw yourself back into the fray.”

“Ronald Weasley, if this is how it’s going to be then here,” and she handed him back his ring and pushed past Remus out the door, carrying her bloody clothes.

Ron stood dumbstruck for a minute and then pocketed the ring and followed her, mumbling, “…was crazy to ask anyway…don’t want that kind of wife…can have Snape…”

Harry and Lupin followed Ron from the room and proceeded to apparate to Azkaban.


Hermione stopped on her way down the hall and ducked into another room to get dressed. Luckily, this room was empty as she put her bloody clothes back on thinking, I can’t believe them! Of all of the people in the world, how could I get stuck with those two as friends. I need to contact Snape. Oh well, I’d better head to this battle. I’ll deal with Snape later…

She ducked out of the room and continued down the hall until she reached the lobby. There, she apparated to Azkaban, arriving in the midst of the Death Eater ranks. There was so much noise from shouting and explosions from the spells being fired that no one seemed to notice her.

She saw her advantage and began firing off spells at the nearest targets. She had stunned and bound several before they really caught on that she was there. Someone close by shouted something she couldn’t hear and another figure turned to face her.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the insufferable mudblood,” came Bellatrix Lestrange’s voice from under her mask. “Crucio!” she shouted.

Hermione dodged the spell and took off running. She was knocking into Death Eaters in a desperate attempt to find someone, anyone, who wasn’t wearing a mask.

Bella was hot on her heels as she made her way through her fellows with a cat-like ease.

Hermione, seeing Bella over her shoulder was gaining ground, ran faster. She wasn’t paying any attention to who she was plowing over, she was just running, until she smashed into the back of a very tall, very pale man.

He turned and looked down at her, then over to Bella, who was still slinking foreward.

“Ah…” he said. “I see that you know who your match is.”

He reached down and pulled her up. She kept her head lowered, feeling doomed. He shook his head at Bella and she turned slowly to continue the assault on the Order members. Voldemort put his cold hand under Hermione’s chin and lifted her face to look her in the eye.

“You have run the wrong way to get back to your Potter. Or, perhaps, you were not running to him…”

“I…I was…um,” she stammered.

“I see. Running from Bella. I know, you are not yet prepared to face her. But perhaps you were running to me.”

“N-n-no. I was-”

“Perhaps you should consider it…now leave.”

He did not release her face, but watched her closely as she just looked up at him.

“Consider what?” she asked, getting over the shock of finding herself face-to-face with the most feared wizard in Britain.

“Consider coming with me…and leaving the doomed.”

“And what do you have to offer me?”

“Elevation, from being looked down upon. Elevation, my dear, to the most revered witch of this age. I could give you that…” His face was inches from hers.

“The purebloods will never get past what I was born.”

“They will once they see the full extent of your power…”

“And you could give that to me?” she asked, in awe of the fact that she wasn’t dead yet, but being looked at like she was the greatest gift to the world.

“If that is what you want…if you give me what I want…”

“And what do you want?”

“A child.”

She just looked into his eyes. Then he turned from her.

“I see you harbor feelings for another.”

“What?” she asked, genuinely confused. I don’t love Ron.

“Not that brat. A more powerful man. Severus…” he hissed.

She just looked at him, like she didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Well, you love him. Or, maybe you just love that brain of his.” He put his face inches from hers and looked into her eyes. “I could offer you so much more…and I have the wealth of knowledge you seek.”

“But…”

“Shhh. Now, head back before you are missed, my dear. Think on it. And contact me if you come to a decision. That involves me, of course. I would, after a few weeks, take your silence as a refusal. Just think of what I could make you…”

He released her face gently and put his wand on her. She disappeared and reappeared next to Lupin.

“Remus!” she shouted.

“Hermione! Where did you come from?”

“Nevermind that now. Where do we stand?”

“It’s a deadlock.”

“Okay,” she said. And with that she snaked off through the ranks of the Order, heading to the front line.

She shot up there like a light and began firing at the wall behind the Death Eaters.

Then his voice was back in her head, I could offer you so much more…and I have the wealth of knowledge you seek.

She put it aside and continued her assault on the wall. But it was back again… Elevation, from being looked down upon. Elevation, my dear, to the most revered witch of this age. I could give you that…

The wall came crashing down and she disapperated, leaving the battle behind to search for Snape.