Unofficial Portkey Archive

Even Hermione was amazed at what she had accomplished. Her animal instincts were so strong that she could sense possible threats long before she even got there. Large creatures lumbering through the woods, snakes slithering through the trees, mischievous imps hiding in thorn covered bushes; all of them were smelled, or heard, or felt with enough warning to be avoided all together. In a word, it was exhilarating. She began to wonder just how far her skills could go.

She had been running for over an hour and she had barely broken a sweat. Carefully conserving her energy, she estimated she could keep this pace up for a half day or more. She quickly glanced down at her limber body. Her form was slender, but wiry with muscle. She took an opportunity to run up a large rock and jump off at full speed. She could easily leap three times farther, than when she first started. With each passing step, her belief in herself increased. Hermione knew that she was not invincible, but right now, fear did not weigh her weary soul down.

The wind felt like life sliding across her. She came across a large pond. Rather than avoid it, or stop to drink from it, she dove in. Her arms jutting out and downward caused her to easily slip through the cool wetness. On the other side, without the tiniest hesitation, she kicked her legs out and breached the surface and came bursting out, landing in a half kneeling position on the opposite muddy shore. A gleeful laugh escaped her lips and she began to run again. The water had her clothes tightly sealed to her, but each step shook droplets off and allowed air to coalesce around her. It was only a matter of minutes before she was almost dry.

"I feel so alive," she screamed out.

For the first time since Harry had left her, things did not hurt. She felt like a whole person. She was almost frightened to stop, for fear that the madness she had left behind would catch up to her. She decided that she would keep running until the horror of it all could not find her anymore. Soon enough, she would have to begin earnestly searching for Harry, but for now she was content with the world. If only Run, Luna and Ginny could be with her now. If only they could run through the wild woods by her side. Then they would understand too.

Up ahead, something had sensed her presence almost at the same time as she had sensed it. Its body was thick and heavy. She could tell by the noise of its footsteps. Something was dragging behind it. Most likely a troll with a fallen branch as a club, she quickly deduced. Sure enough as she began to adjust her course the forest troll came out from behind the trees and started to come after her. She felt she could outrun it, but far better to deal with it now then be woken up by a small tree bludgeoning her to death.

She quickly turned and came to a halt with the thing a mere half minute away. She looked around and picked up two heavy rocks from off the ground. Hermione pulled out her wand and threw one of the rocks up in the air. With a flick and a swish she sent it hurtling right at the troll's head. It whizzed through the air and stopped with a deep thud as it hit square on the troll's bony face. Blood immediately came pouring out of its mouth as she had most likely knocked any number of teeth loose. The blow caused the troll to stop and shake its head to deal with the effects of such a well placed blow. Hermione looked the troll up and down.

"Oh, you're a boy… how awful for you," she said with a wicked little smirk.

She threw up the second rock and again sent it flying with her wand. This time she aimed it straight for the troll's groin. Instead of a thud, it made a foul squashing sound. The troll looked at Hermione for a moment, and then the electrical impulses from down below reached its dimwitted brain. A long, low howl came tumbling out of its throat. It then proceeded to bowl over and crash to the ground. It did not move at all. The troll just sat there groaning in agony. It was extremely unlikely this creature would decide it was worth chasing Hermione anymore, even after it was able to finally stand up again. There were far easier meals to be had out here.

She turned back in the direction she had been heading and brought her pace back up to full speed. She needed to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall. There was a sunken meadow a couple of hours away that Firenze assured Hermione was safe to sleep in. Apparently, a pair of old unicorns lived there and they did a good job of scaring off the riff-raff. Hermione thanked her lucky stars that she had not gone and done something rash, like lose her virginity. She would need that, so the unicorns would allow her stay there. Who knew that being chaste would pay off like this? The thought made her laugh out loud as she continued on her journey.

--- ---

"Ho down there!" Ron cried out, "You will let us pass without incident. That is not a request."

A large group of centaurs had been out hunting when they heard the horrendously loud sound of humans traipsing through the forest.

"This is our forest," one replied, "and we will defend it vigorously."

"That's great and all, but we have an army of about one thousand witches and wizards. If you want to fight, I'd be happy to oblige. Though I fear that there wouldn't be much left of any of you when we were through."

One of the centaurs held a large horn up to his ear and listened carefully. He shook his head with amazement.

"We have no choice but to step aside. The flying human is not lying. There is a substantial army headed this way. We will return to the others and warn them of what is coming. It is the better part of prudence for us to stay out of their path."

With that the centaurs jumped and galloped off in a different direction. Ron was feeling pretty darn smarmy about the whole thing. A whole hunting party of centaurs simply ran off. This boded well for any other nasty surprises that might lie ahead.

Dumbledore sent a suggestion to Ron using a touch of magic, "Ronald, can you hear me? I do believe the troops are getting tired. Perhaps we could stop for a late lunch. Tired soldiers make poor soldiers."

Ron immediately agreed. He was upset at the slow pace, but he knew he had to keep their morale in mind. He sped across the short distance to the frontline and yelled down to halt the march. The students looked grateful and almost immediately, the teachers and the house-elves began conjuring up tasty rations and pumpkin juice for everyone. There was not a single soul unhappy about the chance to rest and eat.

Ron swooped down to where Ginny and Luna were tending to a few poor students who needed help with mending their shoes or a quick dose of healing potion for the cuts, scratches and bruises. They both knew that even things that were little could affect how someone was feeling. Keeping everyone's spirits up was imperative.

Luna spied her red-haired lover and smiled warmly at him. His face seemed creased with worry, but he was doing so well leading everyone to save Harry and Hermione. She was so proud, she was sure that her heart was just going to burst right then and there. He never looked as good to her as he did right now. He walked over to her and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

Ginny piped up, "What was all the yelling about up there?"

"There was a group of irritated centaurs nearby. We both agreed today was a bad day for the centaurs to want to vent there frustrations. So, they left."

"Any sign of Hermione?" Luna asked.

"Not yet, but the house-elves are doing an amazing job of not losing her tracks. The girl is running like a wild horse. And she doesn't have an army slowing her down. Don't worry though, we'll catch her."

Ginny nodded her head in agreement. She could not let herself believe anything other than they were going to save the day. The alternative was just too awful to consider.

Ginny got up and began to walk around the area. She noticed that Myrtle had not said a thing since her dire warning. She had been silently floating along, always near and yet keeping her distance. It was odd to see and rather sad.

"Myrtle," Ginny said, "come over here."

Myrtle quietly floated over and stood a number of paces away.

"No, come here," Ginny repeated this time pointing right in front of her.

Myrtle slowly came forward with her head looking straight down. It was as if she was somehow afraid of Ginny.

"What's wrong Myrtle? Don't be afraid. Why are you acting so nervous?"

"I… it's just that… well, you remind me of a girl I used to know."

Ginny smiled, "Really? Were you two good friends?"

"Ummm… no."

Myrtle was beginning to fidget and looked very uncomfortable.

Ginny immediately realized what was going on. "Was she one of the girls who made fun of you?"

Myrtle began to cry, but said nothing.

"Look at me Myrtle."

Myrtle lifted her head up.

"I promise you, that I will never make fun of you. Ever. Now come float beside me and keep me company."

Crabbe wandered by and saw Myrtle. "Ha, ha! You live in a bathroom. You're crazy. Ha, ha!"

Draco came up behind Crabbe and called out to Ginny, "Hey, Weasley! Is he bothering you?"

Ginny snapped back, "Yeah, he is."

Draco looked at Ginny, turned to Crabbe and punched him right in the stomach. Crabbe completely caught off guard fell to the ground gasping for air.

"Right," Draco sniffed and without losing a beat, he simply walked away.

"Well," Ginny confided to Myrtle, "that was unexpected."

Myrtle gave a shy laugh and Ginny just stood there with a goofy little grin on her face.

--- ---

Hermione watched as the four foot spider went tumbling down the ravine. There was a pronounced squishing sound as it hit a sharp rock at the bottom. That was the fourth creature she had dispatched this afternoon. She could see there was a noticeable clearing in the forest floor up ahead. She deduced that she had reached her destination. Another minute and she would be in the unicorns' meadow. The litmus test was if they were there or not. She was starting to feel tired. It had been a long day, and the further she got the more that Harry was on her mind. She hoped that he really had become a terrible beast. It would make it so much easier to do what had to be done.

She could smell a definite equine presence nearby. From what Hagrid had taught her, they would already be very aware of her. She reminded herself, that in spite of what things were in her mind, she was still as yet a 'fair maiden'.

"Or at least a maiden anyway", she snorted.

Then the distinct sound of hooves in the grass. There were definitely two of them and they were keeping themselves hidden. Most likely until they knew her intentions.

"Hello out there. I, umm… am Hermione. You probably know my Divination teacher? Firenze? He said, that you might allow me to spend the night safely in your glade. Would that be alright?"

She was not exactly sure why she was saying all that. Unicorns could not talk. She hoped that her calm voice would help them to realize that she was no threat.

"You may enter."

Hermione did a double take. The voice had definitely come from the direction of one of the unicorns. She slowly walked forward and saw the pair of them standing near. They were old unicorns, she could tell immediately. Though, to the untrained eye any normal person would never know. Hermione could tell by the silver and gray mixed in their tails and manes. Plus, their horns were quite long, which was supposed to be the most accurate way to determine their age. Each curled ring would represent about four or five years, from what she remembered in her studies. That would make them about… she counted quickly, about a hundred and eighty years or so. Almost twice as long as a typical unicorn in this part of the world.

"You can speak," Hermione asked cautiously.

This time the other one addressed her. "Indeed. We are quite old and so you will find we can do many things beyond what your textbooks tell you, young Hogwart's student."

There ability to quickly deduce her origin was impressive. She made a note to not underestimate them. Hermione tentatively reached her hand out towards the closer of the two.

"May I?" she said quietly.

With an upbeat neigh one answered, "You may young maiden."

The unicorn lowered itself and stretched its head out, so she could reach the horn. Hermione touched it gently and after a moment wrapped her hand around it. She closed her eyes and her mind drifted through happier times. She smiled and opened her eyes again. She studied the horn carefully and thought to herself that it really was a bit phallic to have such a large pointy object adorned on a creature that is supposed to represent innocence, especially in a young woman. A brief flash of Harry came to her mind, but in his case, she wasn't exactly grabbing the horn. A bright flash of light and heat emanated from the unicorn and it pulled its head back quickly. Hermione stared with an open mouth.

"I know it must be terribly hard with your teenage hormones, but may I advise somewhat less tarnished thoughts while touching a unicorn."

Hermione was intensely embarrassed. Her face was red and she could feel how hot her cheeks were. She stopped and quickly realized that she had just had a very strong emotion run through her. True it was embarrassment, but she felt it and it was something meaningful. Perhaps there was a grain of hope for her yet.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione spoke. "I haven't been myself lately. So, sometimes my thoughts are not my own."

"It is already forgotten," the first unicorn said reassuringly.

The second one then spoke, "The darkness will be here soon. It always comes early in this part of the forest. You must stay inside the border of this meadow. Our power will only protect you here. If you leave it, then you will be on your own."

"I can handle myself," Hermione said quickly.

The first unicorn snorted with a musical laugh. "Believe me, my young human. The dark brings things that are far more powerful than you. Spiders and goblins are childhood monsters. At night, the monsters of your adult nightmares come out to play."

She noticed a small pond towards the middle of the glade; she silently walked over and lowered herself down. With her hands cupped she brought the cool water to her lips.

"Bathe in that water when the moon rises. It can heal your wounds," the second unicorn said cryptically.

"I'm not wounded though," Hermione said questioningly.

The first replied, "Not all wounds can be seen. Do as you are told and bathe in the water. In the morning everything will be clearer."

She felt a sense of deep reassurance by their tone. She wandered the meadow until the moon was fully in the night sky. She stepped near the edge of the pond and undressed. The moonlight gave her skin a pale glow. She looked down and could see her reflection. Her face seemed so serious. Her lithe body was almost beautiful in the mirrored pool, she thought. Her breasts cast a seductive shadow beneath them. Then the light picked up just above her navel. Her legs seemed to waver as the spring breeze of night danced across the water. She took a step forward and slipped in without even the smallest splash. Her feet hit the mossy bottom just as the water came up to her neck. She lowered her head in and felt the cool wetness rinse the dust and dirt of the day clean. When she came back up her hair was hugging her head. She ran her fingers through it and stood there mesmerized by the moon's strange patterns on the pool's surface.

With each passing moment a little more of her pain melted away. With each moment her life became so much clearer. With each moment the madness drifted from her. She closed her eyes and begged the powers that be.

"Please, please let this be over soon."

Her love awaited her out in the darkness. For him, she brought a tragic gift. The gift of no more tomorrows. The gift of death.