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Two Steps From Hell	By : Ssserpensssotia Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 30375 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. No profit is being made. No copyright infringement is intended. Everything Harry Potter related belongs to J.K.Rowling.

Chapter List
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a/n Hi! See, I'm back :) Thank you all for your congratulations! If only there was a potion against hangover that worked quickly…
You guys are awesome, and I am lucky to have such readers.
I'm on vacation now, however, because you made me happy, I will try to make you happy and update quickly :)
I'm not building any additional mysteries anymore, I am solving them ;D
Also, I'd like you to remember that there is no Author POV, meaning that if a character says something, or thinks about something, it's from the character's perspective only.
P.S I get stuck with words from time to time, and now I have "awesome". I don't really like the word, and hopefully it won't be in the story XD
Sooo…the fight…right? Grins
Enjoy!
Beta: Julie. fjad
Chapter Thirty Six
She had to win.
She had to.
Nothing mattered more.
"Oporto!"
She jumped out of the way of the curse and rolled, crouching on the ground before raising her wand.
"Serra Virtu!"
The beam of light left her wand and sped towards her opponent, before exploding in red colour as the curse hit the shield, and then sped back at her.
"You filthy, little fuck!" Bellatrix screamed at the laughing figure of the boy-who-lived.
An arch with her wand and a new triad of curses were ready to be fired at the menace who tried to keep her from the most important thing in her life.
The Horcrux would be hers.
xxx
He really did not know when Potter had learned all those curses, however, he had to admit he was impressed. Despite being drugged out for most of the time, Harry had very good knowledge of attacking and defence spells.
And his Boy Wonder was definitely powerful.
The icon of Light was firing Dark Arts spells one after another, all the while managing to either block or roll away from Bellatrix's curses.
And he himself had taught Bellatrix how to fight after she had gotten her Mastery in the Dark Arts. She wasn't in her best condition after a few months in Azkaban and that was the reason why Potter still wasn't dead, even half an hour after the beginning of the duel.
He had prohibited the usage of only the Killing Curse, and the duel was to death, so no matter how long Bellatrix and Harry fought, the duel would end anyway.
"Magica Pulso!"
The Dark Lord heard Bellatrix's cry of insane joy as the magical rope tied itself around Harry's neck, suffocating him.
So it would be Bellatrix.
Pity.
xxx
She couldn't fight.
She wouldn't!
"You are Tom from another time, I presume?" Professor Dumbledore asked solemnly, looking between Tom and Hermione before concentrating his not-so-twinkling eyes on her. Dumbledore could feel the magic and recognized the owner immediately.
Professor!
"It's Lord Voldemort, and you better remember that, Albus." Hermione knew that her mouth opened and the words came out, however, it wasn't her.
"Yes, you have always hated everything muggle related, your name included, am I right, my boy?" Dumbledore asked Tom who was glaring at him from behind the shield, and Hermione felt such hate and fury course through her veins that she had to fight for breath for a second. She did not know it was possible to hate someone that much.
xxx
He had always been wary of the boy, ever since meeting him in the Orphanage, and only now he fully understood why.
He was to become a Dark Lord, his complete opposite.
Albus was looking at the young woman who had Tom's aura and magic at her command, the same woman who was also a Dark Lord.
He would say a Dark Lady, but it wasn't her who held the title, it was Tom's soul.
He knew only of one art of magic that could have created something like that.
The young girl was Tom's Horcrux from the future, and with that conclusion, he had raised his wand in the first place. He would never hurt an innocent, but the girl with red eyes could not be innocent and Tom's wand was pointed at him, held tight in her hand.
If Tom trusted her with his wand, it could mean only one thing.
Even if she had been innocent, Tom had managed to darken her soul already.
She reminded him of Ariana, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore the hostile, incredibly powerful magic that radiated from her.
He would not allow this version of Tom to walk away. He— she—would need to be locked up with Unspeakables and interrogated. He didn't want to hurt the girl, but he had to stop Tom.
No matter the price.
xxx
'Don't fight me, Hermione. Accept my magic as your own,' Voldemort's desperate urges did not reach Hermione who kept struggling against the maddening rush of power, refusing to accept it, to let it merge with her.
'I will not,' she said in her mind, her hand holding the wand that was vibrating with power.
A thick, deep purple line shot out from the bone-white wand and connected with the pink one from Albus Dumbledore's wand in the air between them.
Voldemort and Dumbledore decided to forego any spells and curses and immediately called on all their magic to attack.
She had known how powerful Professor Dumbledore had been, however it was one thing to know it, and completely another to feel it.
Hermione knew that had she not had the Horcrux, she would have been blown away from the sheer force of magic from the very first second of the duel.
She felt Voldemort's magic around her, near her, it was running in her veins, calling to her, but she refused to accept it.
She refused to accept that maddening power. If she did, she would win, she knew it, but if she did, nothing would change in the future. If Professor won, then she would be killed, and maybe Tom too.
It looked like Dracula, while having full control of her body, did not have control over her magic, and when she refused to merge with his power, he couldn't overpower her will.
Her magic was hers only, and Voldemort couldn't use his full potential if she was blocking him.
The sparks were flying everywhere from the collision of two completely opposite powers, and Hermione had difficulty to breathe from the sheer amount of magic present.
She could feel Dracula struggle, she could feel his desperation, and she loved it.
'You idiot!' He hissed at her when the balance started to crumble, the deep purple being absorbed centimetre after centimetre by the shining pink, moving closer to Hermione.
When it would hit her, it would definitely kill her, even if it wasn't Professor Dumbledore's intention. He would not be able to control the power.
'Hermione, let me in!' Dracula roared when the pulsating line of purple and pink moved a few meters closer to her, and was now only a meter away.
While Dracula was Voldemort, he was only a tiny part of the soul, and it looked like he was going to lose.
She could see Tom's terrified eyes look at her, not understanding why his wife, who had his Horcrux, was losing.
His pale eyes were desperate as they connected with hers and Hermione felt a sharp sense of betrayal in her heart.
She wanted him dead even if she didn't. He was Voldemort and he deserved to die now and spare the future the pain he would cause.
Something akin to doubt spread in her heart, and Hermione realised that she couldn't betray Tom and Dracula. Not like that.
It was like stabbing someone in the back.
It wasn't right.
She mentally turned to Dracula, looking into his red eyes.
She didn't know what to do.
The connection between the wands was broken as suddenly, Dumbledore threw a bright, shining blue ball at her.
Elemental magic could not be blocked, Hermione reminded herself and made her body move away from the impact, only to find out she couldn't.
With wide eyes, Hermione watched the blue ball fly towards her, and judging by Dracula's internal scream, he wasn't the one blocking her movements. The ball froze just before her terrified eyes.
Voldemort was just as shocked as she was when the air suddenly stilled around them.
Silence.
The figures of Tom and Professor Dumbledore were frozen as well, and all Hermione could do was blink as fog started to appear from the ground, going up before consuming everyone.
She couldn't even see her wand. His wand.
Something seeped into the air; gold dust twinkled around them, before falling to the ground, shimmering.
'What is happening?!' Hermione screamed in her mind at the silent, even shocked Voldemort, who was looking at her mental image with pensive, hard eyes.
He was calming down.
Before she could even hear his answer, the wind howled and formed a small tornado that was illuminated by the same golden dust. Gusts of brutal wind were all around their frozen figures, and Hermione mentally reached for Voldemort.
My god, what is it?
Hermione had already believed that she had had enough shocks for a heart-attack in her lifetime, however, now, her heart was beating so fast she thought it would jump out and run away.
A figure appeared from the tornado, and not bothered by the brutal wind, it calmly started walking towards them. A golden and blue cloak was billowing behind it, and the hood was hiding the face.
A hand peeked from inside the sleeve of a dark blue robe, and with a swish of a wand, the blue ball from Professor Dumbledore disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
The figure wasn't tall, and Hermione removed Voldemort as a possible candidate. Also the colours—blue and gold—were not his favourite.
Squinting her eyes, Hermione concentrated on the figure that was now standing over the fallen followers of Grindelwald, with the wand out.
Both she and Voldemort were watching the person with morbid fascination, unable to move. With a quick glance at Tom and Professor Dumbledore, Hermione saw their eyes were golden in colour, and unmoving.
She was the only one —and Dracula—who could see the person wave the wand above the heads of the fallen wizards and see the light, thin lines moving from their heads and into the wand.
Even without Voldemort, Hermione understood what this person was doing.
The hooded figure was removing the memories, modifying them.
Who is it?
Magic was radiating from the hooded figure, but it wasn't hostile.
It was familiar. It felt friendly to her.
Voldemort suddenly started laughing in her head; sincere, honest, relieved laughter that wasn't evil or maniacal; he was laughing like Tom had. Amazement and fascination radiated from him, and Hermione realised he had already identified the unknown figure.
'Well, well, well.' She heard Dracula's quiet voice as he kept looking at the hooded figure.
He knew who this person was, and it looked like he wouldn't share.
If he could figure it out, so could she.
With keen eyes, Hermione watched as the person now moved towards Dumbledore, and with the wand touching the Professor's head, she saw the memories flow away from the auburn haired man and into the wand.
Whoever it was, they were helping Voldemort to keep the timeline stable, and they did not have any problems with complicated Legilimency.
The figure was relatively short, and the hood did not allow even one glimpse of the face. The cloak was deep blue and was golden only in the inside, shimmering like the golden dust on the floor. The wand was dark and had a few sharp-looking spikes on the edges; the handle was white in colour while the tip was midnight black. Hermione had never seen such a wand before. The hand had a glove on.
The figure was silent as the wand disappeared into the sleeve, and with calm, unhurried steps, it moved to Tom.
A hand again appeared from the sleeve, glove disappearing, and putting the palm onto the shimmering barrier that was raised by Voldemort to protect Tom, the figure removed it as if it were nothing.
Only now Hermione noticed something about the hand that made her heart stop. Completely.
It was a feminine hand with red fingernails, and the ring finger had two rings on it. A large, sparkling purple stone and one more ring that changed it all for Hermione.
The same ring that she now had on her index finger, was on the ring finger of the mystery person.
It cannot be!
Voldemort was chuckling in amazement as the person turned towards Hermione and lowered the hood.
Dark locks were gathered in a stylish, elegant bun that was held with a shimmering clasp; the straight, small nose, the red lips that were stretched in a sly smirk and one raised eyebrow were not what made Hermione almost faint.
It were the eyes, bright, shining purple eyes that held knowledge and wisdom and that were twinkling with laughter and good humour.
Her eyes.
On her older face.
It—it…it's not possible!
'It's magic,' Voldemort offered, and she could hear fascination in his voice. He was really impressed.
"Hello, Hermione." Her older self winked at her before chuckling a bit. "And hello to you too, husband dear," she added, still looking at the frozen figure of the younger Hermione.
She was talking to Voldemort.
And she had called him her husband.
Hermione was ready to faint when her older self first took Tom's still frozen hand and then her and silently Apparated them away.
xxx
They appeared in the Chamber of Secrets, and older Hermione let go of their hands.
Tom was still frozen, his eyes golden, and she smiled at his immobile figure before turning to her shocked younger self.
It was so long ago when her eyes still held vulnerability and insecurity she could see in Hermione's now brown eyes, and she gave a small, sincere smile before reaching for Hermione's hand and clasping it tight.
"I think it's time for our little chat, my dear."
xxx
Hermione knew it was possible as she had travelled back in time herself, however, it was one thing to see younger Tom, and completely another seeing her older self.
She couldn't be older than thirty, however, the wisdom and confidence she was sensing from the blue-clad figure told her she was much, much older.
She finally snapped, didn't she?
"No, you didn't," her older self remarked, making Hermione feel as if she was talking to Voldemort, who also couldn't help but comment on her thoughts.
A chuckle left the red lips.
"Come, Hermione, I'll show you something," her older self spoke and Hermione could feel Dracula rub his hands—mentally—in eager anticipation.
"And you, darling, will stay here." The older woman tsked at Dracula and moved her index finger left and right, as if talking to a child.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Dracula had taken control over her body and was now glaring at her through Hermione's red eyes.
"I know perfectly well who I am talking to," older Hermione responded in a calm, patient tone, and then her eyes flashed red.
Dracula!
She would be stuck with Dracula even in the future!
"He's not so bad." She patted herself on the head with one hand, before smiling sweetly. "We're very good friends now."
She did snap. She was crazy.
"Now, now, don't be rude, Hermione. We dislike rudeness."
We…
And she believed Voldemort to be the insane one…
"He is, to be honest."
The other woman remarked on her thoughts again, and Hermione would have sat down onto the floor, had it not been for the hand holding her arm tightly.
She needed a break. Would she ever get one?
"Come, let us take a walk," older Hermione suggested in a kind but already impatient tone, and before Dracula could say anything, he was standing near Hermione.
Separately from her body.
The hell?!
"Sorry, Marvolo, you are not allowed with us today." Her older self winked at shell-shocked Voldemort and then she and Hermione disappeared in the rain of golden dust.
xxx
When Hermione opened her eyes, all she saw was fog.
Her body was transparent, but somehow, she felt so calm, so relaxed that it didn't bother her.
"To make it easier, call me Mrs. Gaunt. It's complicated with two Hermiones," older Hermione offered and the younger Hermione swallowed hard.
She didn't know what to ask first.
"You are really his wife, aren't you?" She asked 'Mrs. Gaunt' and saw her purple—why purple?—eyes twinkle.
"Correction, Hermione. I am you, so you are his wife," Mrs. Gaunt stated simply as she started to slowly walk into the fog, beckoning Hermione with her with an index finger.
"Is he still the Dark Lord?"
"Very much so."
"And you are the Dark Lady?" She asked the silent figure who was looking at her with her head tilted to the right.
"I am not. There can be no Dark Lady when there is a Dark Lord." Her voice was soft and understanding, however, Hermione imagined it was not often she spoke like that.
"With the amount of people refusing to listen, you cannot be nice with everyone. Sometimes, you have to make them listen, whether they like it or not. " She said with a small smile, like explaining two plus two to a five-year-old.
Suddenly, older Hermione raised her hand to stop any other question. She was nodding at something she was hearing in her head, and then she raised her wand, pointing into the air.
A beam of blue light left the black tip of the spiky wand, and travelled somewhere up, before disappearing completely.
"I apologize. Had to reschedule an appointment." Mrs. Gaunt shrugged her shoulders when Hermione kept staring. "And greetings from the Dark Lord."
"What are you?" She knew she wasn't normal.
"Normal is overrated," Mrs. Gaunt stated simply and smirked slightly.
"Are you Voldemort?"
Sincere laughter left the red lips and the eyes flashed red for a second. "I am not."
"How old are you?" Hermione inquired after a minute of silence as she was trying to comprehend the fact that Dracula wasn't present in her mind. She felt suddenly lonely.
Hermione saw her older self nod slightly at her silent statement.
Her head felt empty for the first time in years.
"Ah, age. What do numbers matter when it's all about the soul?" She definitely reminded Hermione of both Dumbledore and Voldemort.
"Marvolo also says that he wants to strangle me for sounding like Albus Dumbledore."
She spoke of Voldemort like he was her real husband.
"And he is." Purple eyes were looking at her with emotions she did not understand. "Even a Dark Lord can be a good husband when he wants to be."
Was she crazy?!
For a second Hermione saw Mrs. Gaunt's eye twitch, and she recognized it as her own trait.
Her older self was going to lose patience soon.
"And he wants to be?" Hermione asked in disbelief, slowly walking near the cloaked figure.
Why blue and gold?
A small chuckle left her older self, and Hermione hated how meaningless she felt now, compared to her.
Her older self was so confident, so relaxed, so knowledgeable that Hermione felt like an empty space right now.
"And you are."
Hermione wanted to sneer in answer, but stopped herself. She was right.
Is this how Tom felt when he had seen his future self?
"And the wand?" She was staring at the wand that was now being levitated near her eyes.
"Hawthorn, thirteen and a half inches."
"And the core?"
"That is for me to know, and for you to find out."
She hated when people answered like that. She was as cocky as Voldemort was.
Would be.
"You will find out that not everything is black and white when dealing with Marvolo, Hermione. But we shall talk about it later. First, let me show you what we came here for."
Hermione stopped at the comment and resumed her steps after shaking her head.
She was going to go crazy soon. For real.
A "tsk" from Mrs. Gaunt was all Hermione heard before the fog started to part, revealing something that made her sit onto the ground.
They were on a cliff, and below, in front of her was an endless lake, full with golden waters and enormous amounts of small boats that went from one shore to another.
The sky was purple with bluish tones and there was no moon and no sun, the area was illuminated by the golden dust that was everywhere.
She felt her jaw hang in amazement and shock.
What was this place?
"That is my domain. You like it?" Mrs. Gaunt asked with genuine curiosity, looking at her sitting figure with a raised eyebrow.
"Your domain?" She needed a moment to gather her thoughts.
"This is the Port," Mrs. Gaunt showed around with her hands, letting Hermione see the endless boats with…
People?!
"The Port?" Hermione murmured to herself, getting up after a nudge from her older self.
"I like the name. Short and simple." Mrs. Gaunt smiled, her purple eyes closed.
Hermione was about to ask what this Port was, when she noticed something pulsing with light on her older self's chest.
It was the square necklace with black and white stones that Harry had given her.
"And who had given it to dear Harry, Hermione?" The purple eyes were looking at her, amused.
But, but…
"Is Harry alive?" Hermione asked and held her breath. She would crumble if Harry was dead in the future.
The purple eyes were shining with mirth as the head with styled bun nodded.
Thank Merlin!
She had so many questions she felt like her head would explode.
Why did her future self have to stop the fight between her and Professor Dumbledore? How did she do it? How was she so powerful? What was she? How old was she? How did she end up married to Voldemort? Why were her eyes purple? How did she separate Dracula from her to come here? What was this place?
"I seemed to have forgotten how many questions I could ask in one minute."
She was curious!
"But of course you are," Mrs. Gaunt commented on her thoughts again, making Hermione's head spin with even more questions.
"I thought that since Dracula spoiled many things for Tom, I could do the same for you," her older self said while taking the steps that were engraved into the cliff. "And I know much more than your sneaky friend. Currently, at least."
Hermione was about to ask another question when she comprehended what Mrs. Gaunt had said.
Dracula did what?!
How old was she?!
"Don't tell me you are surprised by his unethical behaviour. He is a Slytherin, isn't he?" The topic of age was evaded again, rising suspicions in Hermione more and more.
Why did she look so young if she was much older?
Hermione wasn't happy about the fact that her future self sounded like a mix of Voldemort and Dumbledore more and more.
"And does that mean that the timeline will change?The fact that you have interfered and are now telling me this?" Hermione asked, breathless from the magnificent view before her eyes.
The shore was made of black stone that had cracks of blue and purple, zigzagging in random directions; the waves were small and looked to be made of golden dust and the boats were everywhere.
Her older self stopped and tilted her head to the right. Again.
A habit she recognized from someone else.
"I will remove your memories, just like with Tom." A raised eyebrow, as if daring to say something back. "And no, the timeline will not change because of me." She smiled and added, "Or you."
She had no words.
"Are you on his side?" She had to know.
A small grin and a shake of elegant head.
"Necromancers are grey, Hermione. You should really start with the Arts of Necromancy instead of running away from it."
Did she hear correctly?
A Necromancer?!
She would have a Mastery in Necromancy?!
"I am a true-born Mage of Necromancy, my dear."
She needed to have her head checked, as she was sure she was hallucinating.
She was walking like in a dream, coming closer to the people on the docks, waiting patiently to board their respective boats.
What is this place?
"This is Purgatory, Hermione."
And Hermione had thought she had already been shocked. What comes after shock?
"Illumination."
xxx
a/n Tadaa…Surprise? :D Why is it always Tom who gets spoilers, right? Hehe…Till later!
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Two Steps From Hell