"How could I have married into such a spineless family?" Marjorie screamed, as she slammed the door. She carried one suitcase of possessions, fully expecting her bluff to work, fully expected Dudley to follow her and finally leave the sanctuary of his parent's home.
But no one came out to stop her.
Carelessly, she plodded down the drive to the pavement. The lone alarm from a rushing fire engine was the only other sound that morning.
Marjorie was all but ignoring her surroundings when she quite literally ran into the one person she never expected to see again.
"Out of my way, woman," he commanded. His black cloak bellowed as he approached her. A number of other men approached from across the street.
"YOU!" she shrieked, standing her ground.
"I said get out of my way, bitch," he said, as he pushed past her intending to ignore the Muggle woman.
"How dare you speak to me like that," she spat drawing his attention.
"How dare I speak to you?" he said, as he turned and took a quick look at her. He shook his head in disgust. "You stupid cow, I'm in too much of hurry to deal with the likes of you. My 'family' is waiting," he said turning towards number 4 Privet Drive.
"So, you decided to return? And what the bloody hell did you do with my car?"
Her comment froze him in his tracks. "Explain yourself, woman."
"Spy my arse; you don't even remember forcing us out of our own bed last night. And my spineless worm of a husband refusing to stand up to any of you."
"How many were there?" he demanded.
"You don't even remember?" She shook her head, turned, and walked away.
"Avada Kedavra!" A green light hit her and she fell to the ground.
"Stupid Muggle," the wizard muttered, as he turned his wand towards the house, instantly sealing all its doors and windows. A gleam flashed over his face as another beam of pure energy struck the building, an explosion reverberating from inside. Similar beams struck the house from other directions, as several men converged at its front. Fresh sounds of destruction accompanied the growing sound of distant sirens.
Screams sounded from inside the house, as flames burst the windows and consumed the first floor; before spreading rapidly to the second. The house remained sealed; allowing only the flames to escape.
The wizard remained at the scene, watching the flames, listening to the screams of pain and death. He grinned as the roof collapsed long before the fire brigade arrived.
The only help possible was occupied at another scene only several blocks away.
"Why did you leave me?" the voice asked endlessly.
She listened to the question unable to answer. His last interrogation session had left her unable to speak and nearly drained of life, kept alive merely for the formalities of the trial and the proceedings that were to follow. The shackles cut into her wrists; the fresh welts on her body had clotted hours earlier. She felt relief only when she leaned her bruised body against the icy cold stone wall.
"Why did you leave me?"
Sleep was impossible; death was probable. She no longer wanted to try to survive; she just hoped her sacrifice would not be in vain.
There were no lights in the anti-chamber where she was held, no windows, and only one door. A simple wooden chair sat against the far wall, where he sat and enjoyed watching her suffer.
She strained to hear any hint that this would end, but her raspy breathing and that voice remained the only sounds. Her mind began to drift in the darkness, the cold stone against her bare skin her only route back to reality.
"Why did you leave me?" the voice asked again.
She tried to mouth her only reply, but the pain in her jaw prevented that. 'You stopped loving me,' she thought again.
"Why did you leave me?"
She reflected back to the recent dream she had imagined, of another life where she was happy and he still loved her. 'I never stopped loving you,' she thought.
"Why did you leave me?" the voice repeated.
She let her eyes close, and felt a cold tear fall on her chest.
How long she had been unconscious she could not tell. The dark room now flooded with light as she felt multiple number of hands on her. Her legs were unshackled and she was being held upright to relieve the stress from her wrists. A sharp flood of pain hit her hands as the pressure of the shackles was relieved.
She still was not allowed the dignity of clothes as she was dragged away from the comfort of her cell, her bare feet unable to support her weight as she was pushed into the confining space of the courtroom's cell.
A throng of faces stared at her as she was forced to stand behind the iron bars, the confines of the cell not allowing her to sit. She left her hair pulled over her face in the hopes of being able to hide her shame.
"Hermione Jane Granger, you are being held for murder and High treason."
"Does the accused have any last words before the verdict is read?"
She raised her head and tried to speak, but was still unable.
"Having been duly tried and found guilty of all crimes, you stand before this tribunal for sentencing."
Another voice spoke out from the judge's raised bench, "Death."
"Take the convict to the Death Chamber to carry out the sentence."
"No. She is to suffer a slow and lingering death to serve as a message to any other traitorous and cowardly individuals that may act against the state. This sentence will be carried to completion immediately." That voice was unmistakably Harry's.
She felt hands grab her through the bars. The door to the cell opened; she was manhandled from the cell and deposited into a clear, rectangular box.
The smooth sides felt soothing to her battered body, as she pressed against the glass. She refused to look out at the faces in the courtroom. Many were there as witnesses, though very few were there voluntarily.
"You may proceed." she heard from the judge's bench.
She thought she felt something in her hair, and moved her hand to her head, watching a white speck slip to the floor of the chamber. Then, she felt another something slowly fall into her hair. She could not tell what was happening. Another white speck fell to the floor.
The specks increased until a constant stream was falling into the chamber. The pile grew, now covering her feet. Only then could she tell that the pile was moving. Her feet grew numb as the pile grew deeper, now halfway to her knees.
She tried to move, but the chamber was so thin that she was unable.
The white specks stuck in her hair, and the stench grew. She could look at them closely for the first time. "Maggots!" she tried to scream.
"Yes, your body will feed and nourish these maggots, until only your bones are left. In all likelihood three to five days from now, they should have burrowed into your flesh. In a week the sentence should be complete."
She screamed, but no sound could be heard because the chamber had been silenced, and the edges of the shattered bones in her jaw rubbed together, feeding her pain. She could still taste the blood in her mouth. The flow of maggots continued to slowly fill the chamber. It was at that moment that she finally realized the cell would be her coffin.
She looked up to see a hooded figure approach. He came face to face with her, only that thin layer of glass between them.
"Why did you leave me?" Harry repeated. "Goodbye, Mudblood, I have some invited guests to entertain." He turned, laughing as he walked away.
She sobbed in silence, still trying to move her lips. 'There's still good in him. He'll stop this insanity,' she thought.
She could feel the maggots as they began to feed on her open wounds. The tiny creatures nuzzled into her skin, squirming and eating.
She screamed in silence.
Slowly, they continued to pour into the glass coffin, now up to her stomach.
The hordes of people who had come to witness the event sat in near silence as the last of the maggots were dropped. The top of her cell was closed off, but ventilated so that air could circulate for the parasites.
She had not been taken from the courtroom; she was to remain as an exhibit for all time. The witnesses began to leave the room, after the coffin had been sealed. No one wanted to watch her die; even Harry had left her to die alone.
She watched as the last faces left; she recognised one clearly from his size and the tree trunk he had for a leg. She also thought she saw another face with him, but the pain fogged her mind so much that she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Outside the courtroom in the corridor; a select few remained to privately mourn the convict's death. Hagrid clumped over to where Professor McGonagall stood, where she was talking to another woman and man.
"Professor," he greeted, expecting an introduction. The woman never looked his way and left, her long blond hair flipping as she did so.
"Rubeus, you remember Charlie Weasley? He returned to watch the execution, as a representative for the rest of his family."
"Hagrid, it's good to see you again."
"Here ter watch an innocent girl suffer, Weasley?"
"Here to finally see justice. The professor and I were discussing recent events in Romania and the dragon population. She was informing me of the recent events here."
"If yeh wan' justice, why this?" Hagrid asked, his sympathy for Hermione evident.
"I can promise justice will be swift," Charlie said.
"Justice is one thin', bu' this is jus' murder," Hagrid began to rant.
The door to the stairs opened, drawing their attention. Caterina returned and hurried back to the group. She remained tight-lipped when she approached, eyeing Hagrid suspiciously.
"Spirit, chi è quell'uomo gigantesco?" she whispered cautiously. - Spirit, who is that large and horrible looking man?
"Hagrid, this is a good friend of some old and dear friends, whom you may remember. Caterina Basile, this is Rubeus Hagrid, the individual we discussed last night. Spirit instructed me to make the introductions. Rubeus, Miss Basile is here to help," Professor McGonagall said by way of introduction.
"Caterina, is it? An' where migh' yer be from?" Hagrid asked.
She looked at him, puzzled, and cocked her head slightly. The elder educator smiled and repeated the half-giant's question, this time without his heavy accent.
"Italia. I met these people in Vienna and we have travelled together for the week past. That 'other' almost murdered my brother."
"I see. Professor wha' can we do ter save Hermione?"
"At this point I've been told we should not do anything, at least for another hour."
Caterina again was looking puzzled when she felt a warm hand on the small of her back, and then heard Hermione whisper, "Cat, non possiamo ancora entrare, è troppo presto." - "Cat, we can't go in yet, it's too early."
"Allora, che cosa facciamo nel frattempo? Stiamo qui impalati e ci guardiamo intorno come cretini?" - "So what are we going to do in the mean time? We stay here standing and look around like fools?"
"Chiedi alla Professoressa, o la gente penserà che tu stia parlando da sola. Posso tradurre io quando sarà necessario." Hermione instructed. - "Ask the professor or people might think you're talking to yourself. I can translate as needed."
"Non c'è bisogno che tu traduca, posso parlare nel suo stesso linguaggio, and Rubeus, direct your questions for Miss Basile to me for translation," Professor McGonagall interrupted. - "No need for translation, I can converse in her own language."
The door to the courtroom swung open, the familiar face that came from the other side causing tension among the small group. Hagrid's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. The intruder stared at the others.
"Hem, hem, I see you're trying to recruit fresh members to your old 'Order', eh McGonagall?"
"Dolores, how nice to see you again and, as you are well aware, the Order died with Albus more than ten years ago. Charlie came at his family's request and Rubeus is an old friend of Miss Granger. She needed to know not everyone abandoned her," Professor McGonagall said coldly.
The frog-faced witch turned to Caterina. "And who is this lovely creature?"
"My niece from Italy. I'm afraid she hasn't quite mastered English," Professor McGonagall said.
Caterina held her hand out. "Pleases to see your acquaintance, sir," she replied in her worst attempt possible.
Dolores Umbridge glared at the young woman, and then gave Hagrid a knowing smirk. "You'll be interested to know, it seems the convicted won't be able to last the day. She's fainted like a child."
"Yeh worthless waste o' magic," Hagrid muttered under his breath.
"Worthless? No, not after I report this 'meeting' to the authorities. Then we'll see who's worthless, you half-breed." Umbridge grinned and turned back into the courtroom.
The gentle half-giant lunged before anyone could say a word and was through the door before Umbridge could close it. She turned to him just as his massive fist swung and hit her full in the face. The force not only flattened her features even more, but also flung her across the room, smashing into the glass coffin which held Hermione Granger.
The two Aurors on guard instantly raised their wands, unsure if this was the forewarned escape attempt.
"Hold, or the both of you will not draw another breath!" the senior officer commanded.
Hagrid's anger seethed to the surface; he crossed the room quickly; his wooden leg clumping with each step. Without another word he grabbed the fallen witch and slammed her into the glass again, the Auror's orders largely ignored.
The glass cell around Hermione cracked as Hagrid released Umbridge's neck, letting her slump to the floor, blood trickling from her mouth and nose. Hagrid stood his ground as the first Auror approached him.
"So, we have our first attempted escape," he stated, holding his wand up at Hagrid's throat.
The courtroom door opened; his black cloak flowed around him as he stared down the Auror, before addressing Hagrid. "Brawling in my courts? Hagrid, I would have expected more from you."
"Sire, they burst in unexpectedly," the second Auror pleaded, as he stared at the wand in Harry's hand.
"No matter, I shall deal with him personally," the wizard stated, as he raised his wand, pointing it at Hagrid. A beam of energy blinded the Aurors, and all they heard was a loud thump as the half-giant's massive frame hit the floor. "Now, this 'thing,' get rid of it," he commanded, pointing to Umbridge's bloody form in front of the cracked coffin.
"Yes, sire." the two wizards grabbed the bloody witch and pulled her from the room.
A wide grin spread across Harry's face as he stepped up to the glass coffin. He looked inside and stared at Hermione's face. "So, here you are. You scared us all," he said.
He stared at the face which he knew so well, and smiled. "She'll be fine," he said to the empty space behind him, tossing aside the wooden stick he held. A comforting touch on his shoulder, a sign of acknowledgement, was all he needed. He watched as the grey maggots in the chamber started to leak from the damaged panes. The impact was just enough to crack the glass, but not shatter it. Harry smiled into the glass, watching his grin widen.
He watched as his reflection raised its wand. A split second before the beam struck the coffin; Harry felt a hard tug on his arm pull him behind the heavy oak table. The invisibility cloak flew off, revealing Hermione as both she and Harry fell together. The glass panes shattered, spilling the dead maggots and the unconscious woman from the execution chamber.
A quick wave from Hermione's wand knocked a large glass shard away from the base of the coffin, as the limp and bare body inside fell out. Hermione Granger was safely hidden from view from the other side. Hermione raised her wand again and created a wind that swept a pile of debris into the attacker.
Harry neatly dodged the flying glass as he pointed his wand again at the couple on the ground. Before he could cast his spell though, the rock behind him exploded. The massive body, which he had previously killed, was now pointing a battered umbrella in his direction.
The Harry on the floor raised his hand, casting a shield over himself and his wife, and with a sweeping motion slid Hagrid across the room to safety behind a pillar.
"I see you decided to save the bitch. Pity those other fools with you fell for this deception," his counterpart called out. "I shall deal with them soon."
"It wasn't that hard. You've terrified people so long, one look and they were ready to do anything I ordered," Harry replied. He looked at his wife by his side and whispered, "You need to get out. He'll go for you first."
"I'll give you one chance to surrender and I give you my word your executions will be swift."
"Get stuffed, you're the one outnumbered." They heard from another corner, as a blue spell exploded just behind the Dark Lord. Sirius had managed to slip into the courtroom unseen and had taken an offensive position. "Sorry I'm late. I got held up when Hermione left."
Behind the Dark Lord and unseen by the others, a dedicated group of his personal guard waited for the order to join the battle.
"Mmmm," Hermione moaned. Her jaw and the wounds from the beating she had endured had fully healed only to be replaced by new injuries from her cell's collapse. The pile of dead maggots still assisted in hiding her from view. Hermione Potter pointed her wand at her counterpart, conjuring a cloak to cover her, further concealing her.
"So you managed to find a way to help her, and under my very nose. I applaud your ingenuity," The Dark Lord called from the safety of his concealment. "Tell me, how did you do it?"
"We didn't, she did, thanks in part to you and the maggots," Hermione yelled back.
"Have you forgotten she is The Lost Witch?" Harry added.
"A myth," his mirror image called back while signalling to his attack team.
Hermione Granger moaned again and began to crawl from the debris, holding tightly onto the cloak. She looked over to her rescuers and saw her double wave her over.
"One last chance or I promise a long and painful death," the Dark Lord called, as he motioned his guards into position. Each man who slipped into the courtroom stayed close to the shadows, tipping the balance back to the Dark Lord's favour.
"She is that witch," Harry replied back to the tyrant.
"Granger, can you make it over here?" Hermione Potter whispered as loud as she dare without raising alarm.
She shook her head. "I can't," she mumbled, her voice trembling with fear.
A green beam shot out, shattering the stone bench behind the other Hermione. Harry pulled his wife close, shielding her from the flying rock. Sirius returned a spell at the 'elite guard', hoping to give the two Hermiones the time to reach a better cover. Hermione Potter shot a spell at the ceiling over the doorway opposite her and her husband, to block any additional reinforcements.
Hermione Granger, drawing strength from her counterpart's determination, finally gritted her teeth. She waited for Sirius's next spell to hit and then closed the ground to join the couple.
"This is a better defensive position, but we need to find a way to flank his men," Harry told the two women.
Hermione looked at him. "Together. Remember, we have to do this together with Sirius." She turned to her counterpart, who still wore the cloak wrapped around her frail frame. "You have to let us deal with him."
Hermione Granger shook her head, "No, I can't let you. I have no idea how you helped me, but I can't let you take that risk."
A series of blasts peppered the area behind and to the side of them. "One more blast like that and this table won't hold."
"It's me he wants. You never should have come back." She pushed back and tried to stand, but Harry pulled her back to safety.
"That's foolish. We have a plan."
"A plan? To barge in and get us all killed?"
"Padfoot, get Hagrid and retreat, we'll cover you," Harry yelled, as he waved his hand, releasing a fireball at the opposition.
Hermione Potter pointed her wand again at the ceiling, and another large chunk fell, blocking the way between them and the guards.
"Now, you two need to go. I'll be right behind," Harry commanded. A bolt of energy shot out from his hand, striking one of his counterpart's guards and giving the two women the chance they needed. Hermione pulled the weaker woman up, shielding her as they both ran out of their hiding place.
Harry turned at the exact moment to see a purple flash cut through his wife's black cloak just as she passed through the door. The scream tore into his mind as she fell; memories of her fall wounded at the Ministry twelve years ago flooded his mind.