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Life and its Reflections by Artifact Creature
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Life and its Reflections

Artifact Creature

Darkness bled past her face until its colour was scorched onto her mind. The stone floor exploded in front of her unexpectedly, she staggered, stumbling and felt for something to grab hold of, Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a massive stone hall and gradually it dawned on her, Hogwarts. Except this was not like the building she spent her studies in. A chill wind stalked from corner to corner and there was no visible sources of light just a mist of silvery shadows. Hermione clutched the large book, curses and counter curses, to her chest. With her free hand she extended the wand as far forwards as she could reach trying to ward of whatever might be here.
"It's empty, completely empty." Like a bell her voice echoed through the bare corridors. A stray thought suddenly came to fruition, how was she to get out of here? She thought the way out would be obvious, worse, she hadn't thought at all. Gripping her wand tighter still she began to walk through the vacant corridors, it was like the building had been stripped down to the brick work, there was nothing but the walls. Her sharp mind raced for a solution, she thought back to the book that had explained the silvered-world. Turning quickly she set off, now with a purpose. The library, that would have books, books held answers. The journey to the large book filled room seemed longer than normal and without the normal trappings of the school direction was harder to find. As she walked she thought.
Why did I come here? What could I do that Harry couldn't? He's the boy who lived, me? I'm swatty Hermione Granger. It's not fair all I wanted to do was help him, him.
She focused on those thoughts; that syllable; that someone. Her steps carried her across the barren floors faster now she had something to take her mind off of the walking. Soon she stood before the oaken doors to the library. The doors, so familiar, now seemed alien and hostile with a small shake she walked inside the library. It was empty. Her heart sank and with it her body collapsed onto the floor.
"Lost Miss Granger?" The voice creaked across the expanse like a glacier.
"Who's there?" She raised her wand towards the figure.
"I am he who must not be named." The serpentine voice wrapped around her throat choking any response but one from her lips.
"Voldemort?!"
"Do not say that name! I am not he; I am his shadow compelled to do his biding. Every time someone calls him by the title of he who must not be named I grow stronger." The figure stepped forward, Hermione gasped. The creature's skin was covered in scales each a perfect mirror. "You see Miss Granger, I am a reflection in a world of mirrors." He who must not be named made a sharp gesture with his hand, Hermione's wand shot from her hand and into his grasp. He gestured with his other hand; her book did the same as her wand.
"You see what power I have? I need not even speak words of spells, every dark art people claim he can do is mine to cast."

*****

Harry turned in his sleep, as a car went past outside the Cauldren. By some freak turn of fate the light from the car hit a street sign, that light then shone through the window and bounced off the orb. For a split second light streamed over Harry's closed eyes. With a sleepy grunt he woke, something was wrong. He stared at the orb for a full three minutes before he realised its significance. Pulling on clothes as fast as he could he ran into Ron's room not caring who he woke in the process.
"Wake up!" He shook the sleeping Ron as he yelled, "Wake up, get Hermione." Harry then raced back to his room and began to tare through the contents of the trunk looking for his wand. As soon as his hand met with the smooth wood he felt sparks shoot through his skin at the prospect of using it after so long. Ron entered the room looking pale and worried.
"She's not here." They stared at the Silvered-World now in unison. "You don't think?"
"She wouldn't."
"She didn't put up much of a fight about you going using the bloody thing!"
"Okay, listen I'll go and find her, you stay here and if I'm not back in an hour then get help" Harry practically slammed his wand into contact with the shimmering orb.
"Help!? Where from? What the bloody hell?" It was to late; Harry had already gone leaving Ron alone with his protests.

Harry appeared inside the Silvered-World with the same mind twisting crash that deposited Hermione onto the cold floor, but unlike her he didn't stumble blindly. He stood stock still until the spinning stopped anger blazing across his face. Silent rage boiled in his head, he was mad, but not at Hermione he realised, at himself. Why had he let her do this? How could he have been so blind, it seemed obvious now? His wand was at his side in a vice like grip, he didn't know why, there seemed to be no one here. But he felt the need to protect her. As he stalked down the nearest corridor every curse, counter curse and hex he new ran through his head. He needed her, it burnt itself into his mind, he needed her and it had taken something like this to prove it to him.