The Anti-Heroine || A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter VIII

Chapter VIII:

Hermione's POV:

Hermione stood frozen, mouth dry and heart pounding erratically in her chest as she wondered– and not for the first time– if this was really the right thing to do. But, steeling all her courage, she took a deep breath and stepped forwards into the clearing. Her movements attracted the attention of the cloaked figure and he raised his head and looked right at them, unicorn blood trickling down the front of his dark robes. Fang let out a yelp and turned to flee and Hermione acted quickly, knowing that when the boarhound reached Hagrid the giant man would run straight to them.

"Incarcerous!" she hissed, her voice as quiet as she could make it, and shining ropes of silver light sprang from her wand to bind the massive dog. "Silencio!" She added when Fang started yelping and the boarhound was forced into silence. Hermione let herself bask in her victory for a moment before spinning back around as behind her Harry let out a strangled cry.

"No!" she cried out as Harry stumbled backwards, his eyes dazed with pain and his hands clamped over his scar as he fell to his knees.  "Stop!" Hermione shouted at the spectre that had started moving swiftly towards them, dropping to her knees beside Harry with her wand out and pointed defensively at the cloaked figure. A centaur suddenly galloped into the clearing, getting between them and the spectre and rearing up on its hind legs, ready to defend her and Harry. A ragged gasp escaped Hermione as she pointed her wand at the centaur. "Incarcerous! Silencio!" she repeated and the centaur joined the boarhound, toppled over on the ground, silenced and unable to move.

The spectre paused, halting his movements and tilted his head slightly as if curious. And then he spoke.

The voice sounded more like hissing then anything, but she could make out the words. "What issss your purpossse child?"

"W-we have a proposition. My friend and I." She tried to speak with more confidence then she felt from where she was on her knees next to Harry who was still clutching his head, strangled sounds of pain being torn from his throat. She took a deep breath, fiercely shoving her mounting panic before she got them both killed.

"Proposssition?" Hissed the spectre, "what do you have that could posssibly interessst Lord Voldemort?"

"How about the Philosopher's Stone." This was Harry, voice shaking and raspy with pain as he pushed himself up off the forest floor, one hand still pressed against his forehead and his face twisted in pain.

There was a long pause before the wraith-like figure spoke again. "It isss to my underssstanding that the ssstone isss hidden in the ssschool? What makesss you think that you can sssucceed in retrieving it?"

"We don't think, we know." Harry's voice was still shaky but he was speaking with more confidence now and she stood up, waiting a moment to make sure her legs would support before before helping Harry up to his feet.

"You know?"

"We already have the Stone. We stole it ages ago." Harry told the murderer of his parents, voice hoarse.

"And we'll give it to you under one condition," Hermione added, proud that her voice didn't tremble despite the fear and adrenaline coursing through her. Her deeply ingrained instinct to arm herself against the threat to her safety was making her free hand twitch towards where one of her concealed blades, hidden where she'd easily be able to reach it in a single motion. Her instincts were screaming at her and ten months didn't erase the habits of a lifetime– making her brain realise the slender piece of wood in her hand was just as dangerous as her knives wasn't easy, not when she knew just how deadly a blade was in her hands, when she knew her capabilities with them as well as she knew her own face. She clenched the hand not holding her wand into a fist and forced herself to focus on the Dark wizard, holding her chin up and keeping her fear off her face and out of her voice. "We want a Magical Oath," she said firmly, "we give you the Stone and you won't kill either of us for as long as we might live."