Dark, Twisted and Time Turned

Chapter 45: Auburn

They were hidden, spread out, just on the edge of the town. Hermione had made herself comfortable on the roof of the church, waiting. Just as she begun to become bored, the nearby popping and cracking of Apparation alerted her. They were here. She saw the main group forming, just to the North of her, and fired off a silent exploding spell that knocked most of them  hard upwards, and then unconscious. She ducked back behind the steeple as the cloaked figures shouted, looking for her. Obviously not smart enough to use a trace detection spell.

More of them appeared, cloaked in black, and then spells begin to fly. Several houses catch fire, only to be put out by Tom, Black Flashing so he's practically invisible.

"Are there Aurors?" A man shouts, attempting to jinx a hidden Abraxas. Hermione's heart leaps anxiously.

"Aurors would actually engage! And they're in Austria anyways!" A woman replies angrily, and as she sweeps her arm out, ferocious blue flame spread from the tip of her wand, engulfing the nearby buildings. She watches as Elizabeth sends a stunning spell at the woman, but the flames cannot be helped.

"Oh, you little bitch!" One of them curses, shooting a curse at Elizabeth. She falls from her hiding place and screams, red electricity crackling through her. Perseus goes to her aid.

Build an army. Take them, use their bodies, wipe their minds. Make them fight each other. Despite hearing the wicked voice in her head, Hermione made no effort to pull out her Muddle Mind potion. She grins, remembering the delicious sensation the last time she used this spell.

"Imperio." Tingles spread through her arm at one of the cloaked figures, who stills and lowers their wand. Two others approach to shake their friend's shoulder, attempting to reawaken them. Attack them. You fight for me now. She thinks, and the two near her man suddenly fall. If they're dead, she doesn't know, but it doesn't matter. Because she wasn't the one killing directly. Technically. 

The man's friends soon realize they're under attack from one of their own, and once four fall, he is killed. As the blue flames spread to her church, she Flashes off the roof onto the street below, silver cloak flapping behind her. Already excited from the experience of an Unforgivable, her anticipation to duel was overwhelming her. Theon and Chyllie were attempting to get the townspeople over the ridge, to get them to the estate where safety lies. Anyone with a wand remained behind.

"Hermione, you're insane!" Abraxas shouts, joining her on the street as she defended herself from an onslot of spells. Carnell had joined them, Tom was attempting to creep up from the east.

Hey, stupid, look out for your friends over by Tom.

Her head snaps up, seeing a small group attempting to go around them to get to the town. No. Not the town; Theon and Chyllie had gotten almost everyone over the ridge, but a few stragglers were left behind. Namely, a young family struggling with small children. They were hurrying, but magic could reach faster. 

Quickly, she Apparates to them, striking down two of the cloaked people with stunning spells. Dueling draws attention, and the mother of the family pulls out her wand to disarm one of the others. They run, make it over the ridge, and disappear through a shimmering door, courtesy of Chyllie's runes. Tom suddenly comes over, and punches the disarmed man in the nose. They both go down, the man clutching his nose, Tom clutching his nimble fingers, swearing.

Despite his injured hand, he grabs his wand to stop the magical flames from consuming the town. Swirling the wand above his head, sudden pouring rain falls in sheets, lightning strikes illuminating everyone else. Some of the cloaked figures begin to Apparate, and Hermione addresses the final member of the defeated party. 

Before he can even consider escaping, Hermione creates a massive shield around her and her opponent, cutting him off from everyone else. The rain falls around them but can't hit them, and before they even begin duelling, she can tell the strain is going to exhaust her.

They were both fighting dark. Painful spells, spells to kill, to main, incapacitate. The air smelled of gun powder, rain and of something burning; the air was tainted with dark magic. As sparks and smoke began to fill within her shielded space, it flows up and covers the edges, obscuring them from view. She quickly clears it away, but it costs her a shield charm as a cutting spell slices into her leg. She cries out, attempting to torture her opponent unsuccessfully. 

"Hermione!" One of her friends shouts, but she barely pays them any mind. Another spell hits her in the arm, burning her, and her shield falters enough for wind and rain to fall on them. Wind caught the hood of the man casting green at her, and Hermione stumbled back in shock at the sight of his face. 

Her opponent's hood, having blown back, revealed a familiar face illuminated by lightning, and she sees red. No, not red. Auburn. Auburn streaked with silver. A scar over his left eyebrow- something like betrayal fills her heart. Pieces fly through her mind, connecting the dots, connecting all the missing, mysterious pieces together. 

"How dare you." She hisses, and strength seemingly returned, she unleashes spell after deadly spell. Their duel become fatal; one misstep, and one of them would die. "Start at the beginning then," she shouts. "Why the hell are you doing this?"

"Gellert won't take the power! He tries and fails to go the peaceful route- nothing has ever been made from peace! This was our dream, we just have different ideas of how to take it!" Dumbledore growls.

"And Ariana? What purpose was it to take on that name?"

"No trace! There was no evidence, never any suspicion that it was me! You're going to ask about the Basilisk? It was a weapon, and I found the trigger to use it! So I did, I used the boy, and I got what I wanted!"

"Mary! Cyriss! The poisoning, what did they have to do with anything!?"

"That filthy little blood traitor, tainting his families name? I had to get rid of the papers, and he was the right candidate. As for the others-" He's cut off as an outside spell rips through her shield, throwing them both back as the invisible walls burn in midair

"Enough, Albus! Leave here." Hermione watches in shock as man fights through, splattered in blood, blond hair wild. His two toned eyes were crazed. "That is enough! Leave!" With a final glare, Albus Dumbledore Apparates away, leaving Gellert Grindelwald in his place. Hermione was dizzy, having hit her head when her shield burst. She was disoriented, her ears were ringing, but she could still clearly tell the sounds of battle had faded.

"Hermione!" She hears the shout from Abraxas, wand at the ready, running towards her. Grindelwald gives her a weary look, and stumbles.

"Are you Aurors?" He mutters, stumbling still as he sways on his feet. She shakes her head.

"No."

"Good." And with that, he collapses to the ground.

A/N

This is it, folks. The conclusion. Did you expect that? Did you pick up on the clues? How'd you feel about the twists? This is not the end, however. Make sure to keep an eye out for the next book, Dark, Wicked Intentions.

I will be editing severely, and most likely getting rid of the chapters I wrote when I was a kid. There are somethings I need to let go of, and they are definitely ready to go.

I really hope you all enjoyed this book. I've poured so much into it, I've gone through so much while writing, and even I can tell how much my writing styles have changed since I began writing this. Don't forget to comment- I love comments and feedback more than I love votes.

And now for the last time in this book, I leave you off here:

XOXO

QueenOfClass