Chapter 16

Chapter 16

HERMIONE GRANGER

Hermione Granger's vision cleared slowly as she saw that the silhouette holding the wand was Crovus as he aimed it at the body of her best friend, yet those eyes meant that it was not really his friend in there.

No, those red orbs and that cruel smile on that face showed that it was not Harry. This was someone else. This was Voldemort.

She could see their lips moving ng but couldn't hear anything, for her ears were ringing. Yet she didn't miss the blood dripping from Crovus's arms. Whatever he had done to break free from his binds had taken a toll on his arms. They were charred black, and burnt skin fell off of them just as blood dripped down to the ground.

She saw his lips move.

"...mistake….." and she saw his wand light up, her eyes widening as she saw that ominous green color, as she saw his whole arm glow as he waved down his wand in that all too familiar pattern.

"NOOO!" she screamed, trying to stop him, yet her words meant nothing.

BOOOM!

The whole shack shook, and she was flung back once again as the area ahead of her exploded with massive blast.

"AGHHH!" she covered her face as dust filled the whole shack, and she coughed as she inhaled it.

She struggled to her feet, her heart thumping in her chest. Her legs wobbled underneath her as she stood up and tried to move forward, her body still struggling from the after effects of the Cruciatus, and was not still under her control.

And then there she saw him, Harry her friend. Or his body at least, lying lifelessly on the ground and she gasped as she covered her face and rushed towards it, and began to shake him.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up, Harry!" she screamed, hoping in her heart for another miracle, just like the one that had happened in the Ministry a year ago.

Yet he didn't react. His heart didn't beat, and despite all her efforts, he didn't even twitch his body lay there lifelessly.

"There is no use in this, Granger," she heard someone whisper from the side, and her head snapped towards the source and saw Crovus lying there, his back against the wall.

"Your friend died a year ago. The person that woke up in the Ministry a year ago, was not Harry Potter. It was the Dark Lord," he added, and her she stilled as she saw his condition.

Blood dripped from his face, which was filled with scratches, and for the first time, she noticed the massive chunk of wooden chair impaling his side. Yet the most frightening thing was the charred mess into which his right arm had been reduced to.

Below the shoulder, his arm had lost all color and was a dark husk of charred matter that simply flaked away. He was pale, and she couldn't fathom why he wasn't screaming from the sheer pain he must be in as she rushed towards him.

"Crovus!" she gasped as she assessed his injuries and reached into her pocket for her wand, yet it wasn't with her.

"Wand? Where is the wand?" she questioned. He had wrestled out Voldemort's wand from him and had used it. And though it wouldn't be her wand, she would have to make do in this situation.

His eyes looked towards his charred hand, and she looked there and right there in his hand, and instead of a wand, what only remained of the famous yew wand was a charred mess.

She immediately struggled to her feet and rushed towards the door of the shack, and tried to open it.

Yet the door didn't budge.

"AHHHH!" she screamed as she pushed against it. She kicked it, again and again. Yet it didn't budge.

"It won't open. He put special wards around the place. Wards that are nearly impossible to break," she heard Crovus mutter as she felt her gut wrench in pain as she realized just what that might mean.

She could also feel the wards erupt around the place, and then she rushed towards him, once more. Once more examining in his wounds once again, she bit her sleeve and tore it off of her shirt, and then began to cut it with her mouth, as she saw those red orbs looking at her.

He was growing paler and paler, and she could see his skin become blue as she heard him wheeze.

"It…is…t….goin…t..work…..It's….t….late," and he coughed up, yet she couldn't let this go. She refused to pay attention to his words and continued to bandage his wounds as best as she could.

"Wa..t…wr….yo…ev..n…doi….t..re...?" he gasped out and she chewed her lips as she looked at him.

"Don't speak. Let me help you," she said but her heart broke as she saw him give her a broken smile and shook her head.

"I..t.s…ov.r…..,her...noth…you can do, st….tel….me….wht…. wre...yu….doing there…."

She bit her lip as she shouted.

"Just shut up, and don't you dare sleep! Stay awake!" she slapped his face as she saw his eyes drop, and his face was cold as ice.

"I wanted to know the truth. The truth about why you killed Ron?" she answered him as she tried to engage him. His red orbs had a complicated expression.

"M..…eye…..ook…int…my….eye…." he gasped out, and she stilled at those words, having a clue of what he intended to say.

She slowly looked up into those red orbs.

"Do…..it!" and with his encouragement, she bit her lip as she mouthed the words.

"Legilimens!"

0000

Hermione Granger found herself standing inside the main Hall of what she presumed to be was Malfoy manor. The Hall was filled with Voldmeoort's most trusted followers, high ranking death Eaters, powerful and dangerous men who had helped the Dark Lord achieve the heights of power he now enjoyed.

Crovus was nervous, nervous, and afraid. She didn't know how, but she could tell. His expression showed no change, and his eyes were dull, yet she didn't miss how he would occasionally glance at her Potion's professor, who looked rather nonchalant about this whole ordeal.

And then suddenly, the whole room became quiet as the doors to the room opened, and in walked the Dark Lord himself. His very presence was so vile that even though this was a memory, her magic roused in disgust.

Yet he wasn't alone. Behind him was a floating body, a body she recognized with a single glance. Those red hair, and those worn-out jeans, and that god-awful jumper.

It was Ron.

And her gut twisted in agony as she saw the state he was in. His body twitched in the air, his whole body scarred, and she could tell that he had been brutally tortured.

She could feel Crovus's pulse quicken as he saw the Dark Lord stride into the room. With Ron at his back the Dark Lord finally opened his mouth.

"Now, I have called you all here for our dear friend had a very big secret to share," the Dark Lord began.

"We have a traitor in our midst!" Voldemort roared, and the doors to the room closed, as his magic spread through the room, forcing many of the Death Eaters.

"This person has been helping our dear friend, plotting with him, and now our dear guest shall point us towards this heinous traitor!" the Dark Lord spoke up, as he walked behind Ron, and gripped his head, and forced him to look up.

"Now, if you want this to end. If you want the pain to go away, all you have to do is point at the traitor," and at this point she realized that Ron couldn't even speak.

Crovus had become cold as soon as he had heard that ad at this she realized that it had been him helping Ronald. And that eh was going to die.

She saw Ron's sole functional eye open, as it scanned through the room. He then slowly began to raise his hand, her own heart thumping with every inch it rose as she began to understand what had happened to her friend.

She saw Crovus look towards their potions professor, and she felt Crovus's mental shields shift as she heard the voice of the Potions Master.

"Do not hesitate!"

BOOOM!

And then, the whole room suddenly dissolved into pitch-black darkness, and she realized this for what it was.

This was the Peruvian Black powder, the smoke screen the Twins had invented. Crovus's heart was racing as she saw him take out his own wand, as he aimed it at the shadowy silhouette racing towards where Ron was.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" she heard the voice of their potions master, as a green spell raced towards her friend, Ron and hit him in the chest. The light in his eyes vanished as his head fell down, lifelessly.

"ENOUGH!!!!!"

And then a massive magical wave erupted from Voldemort, and the smoke screen was cleared and she saw it. Crovus stood infront of the Dark Lord, a shield erupting between him and Snape who stood ahead of him, his wand raised at the Dark Lord.

"I never expected this of you, Severus," the Dark Lord said, sadly as the potions professor stood there defiantly knowing what his fate would be.

"And you go against me why? For that woman I didn't spare?" the Dark Lord answered, and she realized that he was talking of Harry's mother.

"You should have spared her," said the man, and she saw his wand blur, yet before he could do anything, Crovus reacted first.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" and the green spell raced towards the potions master hitting him the chest, as his body fell down with a thud.

0000

DAPHNE GREENGRASS

Daphne Greengrass paced outside, the boundary that had been drawn as the curse breakers and Aurors surrounded the shack on all sides, it had been about half an hour since the cure breakers had begun working on the wards, and by the way the Aurors were lined up she knew that they were very close to cracking them all together.

She had been kicked out, though she had gotten the message to the Minister, and the only thing she could do now was hope.

She felt the air behind him crackle and turned back to see Tracy appear there.

Immediately, she rushed towards her as she sought to confirm what she had told him.

"Are you certain the information is correct," she questioned quickly, and Tracy nodded.

"It is. I checked it twice. Crovus has a son," she told him, and the truth was Daphne still didn't know what she should feel about this. Yet she knew that no matter what, Crovus had a right to know this, that he deserved to at least know this.

"Is that the shack?" Tracy questioned as she moved past her, and Daphne nodded.

"Yeah, they are just about to break the wards. It has been about half an hour. There has been no movement from the inside," she told her as she joined her.

There were teams of Aurors and healers stationed there. Some reporters had been granted special access and were stationed by their side, waiting to see the result of the operation.

BOOOOM!

The whole ground shook as the wards fell down, and she saw the Aurors rush in as the operation began, there was shouting and spells were cast until she saw them enter the shack, and the whole area became quiet for a second.

But then the doors opened just as abruptly and she saw the healers rush in this time, as her heart began to race.

And then she saw them bring out Granger, whose clothes were torn, and her face was covered with grime and dirt. Her feet wobbled as the healers helped her walk, yet there was no sign of Crovus, or Potter.

"NO!" she gasped as she saw them bring out a body bag, and then another stretcher, and even as far as she was, she could recognize him. It was him, Crovus, and she could see the healers trying to work on him frantically.

She rushed past the boundary, and despite the protests from the various Aurors, she raced towards Granger, who herself was crying and talking to the Minister.

And despite the distance, she didn't miss the whimper.

"Voldemort was alive….." and her heart stilled as soon as she heard those words.

0000

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