Hermione and the Radiant Chaos

Chapter 15

She of Vengeance

Hermione flicked her wand and the walls began to distort and shimmer.

"Defiled one...You have no place here." A chilling whisper swept the chamber.

"Who is that?" Voldemort snarled.

"I am...Vengeance." The walls seemed to whisper.

"Vengeance? Nemesis? Show yourself!" Quirrell forgot Harry completely as he began to look for her.

Hermione smirked before she created several illusions of her ancient form. They flanked the Dark Lord on every side.

"Your accursed darkness shall be destroyed." They all said.

"Avada Kedavra!" The defense professor roared as he pointed at one of them.

The various women raised a mocking eyebrow at the dark lord as the spell passed through one of them.

"Illusions?" Voldemort's face snarled from the back of Quirrell's head.

Nemesis laughed mockingly. Her laughter rung in the ears of Harry, Quirrell and Voldemort alike.

"Which ones are and which ones aren't? You might be the strongest dark lord of England, but you're still pathetic." They said in unison.

Quirrell's eyes filled with rage and indignation at her insults toward his master.

"Do not dare mock me!" Voldemort snarled as he cast another killing curse via Quirrell; this time at Harry who was so stunned that he made no effort to move.

However, the curse struck a copy of Nemesis and it stopped as the ancient women's eyebrows raised mockingly.

"How...?" Quirrell gasped in shock.

"You don't get it yet? My name is Nemesis for a reason. I am the goddess of revenge after all." She said.

Quirrell's face paled at her off handed statement.

"A...true Goddess?" Quirrell whispered.

"Even without using the Philosopher's Stone I have never tasted death. I have seen millenia pass by as though they were an instant. What else would you call me?" Hermione's aged illusions asked.

Meanwhile Hermione smirked internally as she watched her several dozen aged clones torment and ridicule Voldemort. If anyone deserved such a miserable thing it was him. For several minutes she mocked and harassed the Dark Lord, reminding him of his every failure, his defeats, and his current impotency. She told him how weak he truly was.

If her insults had come from anyone else they would have meant nothing to Voldemort. However, having a 'goddess' (Which wizarding society seemed certain that she was, after all who but a goddess could destroy an entire government on their own?) mock and ridicule him meant that he was effected even more than Hermione expected. She empowered her words with potent, ancient magics and she gloated internally as she practically reduced the Dark Lord to a quivering wreck, and having his confidence almost completely obliterated.

"You think you're powerful? You're nothing. You're going to be destroyed anew Riddle." The assembled group of 'clones' promised before another walked into the circle.

"Say goodnight. Potter's power is great and he will destroy you eventually but first...He must be given one important thing: time." Hermione drew her wand and pointed at the mentally shattered Voldemort.

She then encased the overwhelmed Quirrell in ice.

"Time to be released vassal of the cursed one." She whispered.

A few moments later Voldemort's spirit flew from the encased ice and fled howling in agony. The illusioned Hermione flicked her 'ancient' hand with her hand and the ice shattered. The former professor toppled over; dead.

"I thought as much. As soon as Voldemort left you you died. The Ice wouldn't have killed you in the way that you died. Instead, you died as soon as he left. Such a waste..." Hermione shook her head in sorrow and a few moments later her clones and illusions faded; leaving only Hermione and Harry standing next to each other.

She then spoke again.

"I just hope that that wraith's mind is shattered by my mental and verbal attack. He'd deserve it after all."

Hermione doubted that, Voldemort's mind was far tougher than she spoke of and he'd rebound faster than she cared to think about. Nevertheless, she had delivered a sound and devastating blow to Voldemort's ego.

"Whoa." Harry whispered in shock.

"Hey what did you expect?" Hermione asked smugly.

"That was...well as our old friend would have said. "Bloody Awesome!'" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione laughed and pulled Harry to her.

"You're the best." She kissed him gently.

Harry blushed slightly but his thanks was a most passionate kiss.

Then, a second later Hermione focused on the mirror and she felt the stone drop into her pocket. Meanwhile, behind them a sound of roaring fire filled their ears and Susan appeared.

"Hermione! Harry! Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

Hermione nodded and Susan rushed to them and enveloped them in a hug.

"The stone?" She asked nervously.

Hermione grinned before she spoke.

"We got here before he figured out how to get the stone."

"It's safe then." She smiled in relief.

Several questions later Neville arrived which led to another session of questions.

After they had answered Neville's questions sufficiently Dumbledore rushed in with a 'worried' look in his eyes.

"Hello Headmaster, you're a little late for the party though. Ol' Volde has already fled." Harry greeted with a tint of ridicule in his tone.

Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock.

"Already?" He blurted.

Hermione grinned.

"It would have been more dangerous if Nemesis hadn't shown up. She wiped the floor with Voldemort."

Harry nodded eagerly in an almost Dobby like fashion.

"Hermione's right! She treated Voldemort as if he was a baby!" Harry agreed enthusiastically.

"I didn't get to see it." Susan complained.

"You were too slow." Hermione replied smugly.

Susan pouted before she smiled.

"What does Nemesis want? Did she tell you?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, but she seemed terribly scary."

Harry's face barely contained it's grin and Hermione knew it.

"Well, if you are all alright then I'll take you all back up." Dumbledore decided after a long moment where he tried to assimilate the information given to him.

"Sure." Harry agreed.

"What of the stone?" Dumbledore asked.

"It belongs to Mr and Mrs. Flamel." Hermione replied with an arched eyebrow.

"I know it does Miss. Granger, and I plan on speaking with them about des-"

"No." Hermione replied as she crossed her arms, a cool look came across her face.

Dumbledore blinked almost stupidly, rarely did someone say no to him and never had a child told him that.

"It's theirs and it's their decision whether or not to destroy it. I'll contact them personally. Sorry professor but I have to disagree with you here." Neville looked at the others in fasination, his eyebrows were arched curiously at the conversation taking place.

"You don't trust me?" Dumbledore sounded hurt.

Hermione looked towards Harry and then glared at Dumbledore.

"If you hadn't placed him with the Dursley's then I might have trusted you." Hermione replied.

At that revelation Susan's and Neville's eyes chilled. They had managed to pry out what had happened to Harry when he lived with his relatives. Harry had admitted to all the mental, emotional and physical scars that had been inflicted on him and Susan had mentioned that a lesser person would have become a dark lord under similar circumstances.

It was then that Neville and Susan had essentially sworn their loyalty to Harry. No one would ever hurt their friend again.

Dumbledore's eyes flickered in shame for a moment, undetectable to a normal person, but Hermione was anything but normal.

"It was for the best." He replied as he mentally called Fawkes.

"Better for who? Harry or yourself? I can't trust a person who'd put Harry into such a terrible situation." Hermione glared at the headmaster.

Dumbledore's face drooped slightly before they flamed out of the chamber via Fawkes.

A second passed and they appeared in his office, then he turned to Hermione with an expectant look on his face.

"Miss. Granger, the Stone please."

"No! It's not yours! I will personally see it to the Flamels. I'm honor-bound to do so. I'm sorry professor but I trust you as far as I can throw you and since I'm a lot smaller than you I can't even lift you, let alone throw you."

Dumbledore's face turned grim.

"Do you truly want to take this path Miss. Granger? I promised the Flamels that I would-" He was interrupted by Hermione.

"And you failed! Miserably! The Flamels' stone was reached by four kids! How hard would it be for the most powerful dark wizard to get there then?" Hermione glared.

The only warning that Hermione had was the nearly invisible movement of Dumbledore's hand. Instantly she dove to the floor, rolled towards her right (toward Harry), and fired a stunner at the Headmaster.

With a speed that was far superior to his age Dumbledore managed to bat away Hermione's stunner.

"It is not right to attack your headmaster Miss. Granger."

"It's not right to draw your wand on a quartet of first years either headmaster." Hermione's expression was icy.

"Are you certain that's what I was going to draw?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I've heard of the obliviate spell and I'd rather keep the contents of my head. Like I said Professor Dumbledore, I don't trust you and at this rate I never will." She replied.

The others (excluding an overly amused Harry) watched with shell shocked expressions as an eleven year old girl faced down the most powerful wizard of the age.

"It's truly a terrible day if a student cannot trust their headmaster. It's sad but, Miss. Granger I believe that an expuls-" Surprisingly it was Harry that interrupted Dumbledore.

"Excellent idea. Lets go Hermione." Harry agreed as he offered his hand to Hermione.

Dumbledore stared with a gobsmacked expression as the two walked towards the entrance.

"Hey! Wait up! I'll go with you!" Susan jumped up with Neville.

"Stop this instant! Only one person will be expelled today."

"If you expel Hermione, then you'll lose the rest of us too." Harry promised quietly.

Neville and Susan nodded bravely.

Dumbledore shut his eyes, sighed and for a long moment rubbed his nose in frustration.

"Perhaps it'd be best if we end this meeting and meet in three days when tempers have cooled." Dumbledore offered.

"Fine." Hermione turned curtly and, totally dismissing the aged Headmaster the four of them exited.

She heard Dumbledore whispering to Fawkes as they left.

"How did things turn out so strangely?" He was asking as they shut the door behind them.

"Wow, that was intense!" Susan sighed wearily as she slid down the wall tiredly.

She rubbed her eyes as the three others slid beside her.

"So what's next?" Harry asked Hermione wearily.

"First things first. We have to keep the stone safe. After all, it's safer with us than Dumbledore. No one would expect us to be carrying it."

"I'll leave it to you Hermione and Harry." Susan added.

Neville nodded his agreement.

"You two are the most skilled of our group."

Harry looked at Hermione questioningly and even though she hadn't had experience deciphering his expressions for more than a millenia she knew instantly what he wanted.

"Fine I'll take care of it." Hermione agreed.

"Great." Harry grinned.

"Now isn't that just freaky?" Susan asked rhetorically.

"What?" Harry and Hermione questioned in unison.

"That." Neville laughed.

After they had retired to the common room and gone to their respective dorms Hermione could sense the conflict within Harry and the questions that he was begging to ask. And, so at one that morning she rolled out of bed, crept quietly out of her dorm and slipped up to Harry's bed. Then, she pulled the curtain back and beckoned him to follow her. He did so, curiously and once they arrived down in the common room Hermione scanned the area to ensure that the room wasn't 'bugged'.

Once she gave her approval of the security of the room Harry blurted out his questions.

"I thought you trusted Dumbledore." Harry said.

Hermione shook her bushy head in disagreement.

"I respected him, and he was a friend of mine who taught me a great deal yes, but he isn't the man he was last time. He's set in his ways right now. He's gotten old and at this time only sees the big picture. He does what he thinks is right and at this time he has no 'equal'. But, I know that his arrogance can be broken. You and I broke it last time. Still, that'll take a great deal of effort, and it could be years before it pays off. It'd be worth it when it does though. He's a noble...but currently a very stupid man, yet no one can argue that he isn't powerful. He has the potential to be great again although it might mean that I have to beat some sense into him first." Hermione replied.

Harry frowned thoughtfully for a long moment before he nodded in understanding.

"So he can be a great man, but right now he's only so-so?" Harry questioned.

"In some ways he's magnificent. In others, not so much and in several ways he's completely ineffectual."

"So, what do we need to do?" Harry asked.

"We need to prove that we are outside of his control and it's a good thing too. We'll do so slowly but it'll be worth it."

Harry smiled at Hermione faintly at that.

"I hope so." He agreed.

Hermione lightly kissed his cheek.

"I know it'll be worth it. We've both sacrificed far too much and I'm not willing to lose anything else; ever again." Hermione replied.

Soon afterward Hermione and Harry headed up to their respective dorms again.

The last few days of term passed quietly. They finished with their exams. (All of them passed with the highest scores of their year. Harry broke several records and Hermione naturally outdid Harry.)

Nothing of interest occurred until the ending feast. Because the four of them weren't caught that year and had points taken Gryffindor managed to secure the cup. Dumbledore did not give them points for saving the stone, nor did he congratulate them. Hermione figured that he was being a stubborn old fool. (Then again, Hermione didn't have a lot of right to call him that, otherwise she'd be the hypocrite.)

The term thankfully ended relatively silent with only a couple more visits to Sirius and, Dumbledore's several attempts to steal the stone back from her but she managed to defuse those quite easily due to her alert nature, and wards that she placed around her bed. (They were wards that she had invented herself when she reached the age of seven hundred.)

As much as I know he could be useful and a decent friend; right now he's nothing more than a big...really big pain in the neck. Hermione had thought after one occasion.

Their trunks packed, the quartet made their way out of Hogwarts. They had finished their 'first' year at school. Only six more years remained to them. As always, the clock fought against them, and even though Voldemort hadn't been aware of her manipulations of time she feared that he could eventually learn of them.

However, the greatest threats are always the unseen ones.

Peace had been preserved for a time, and summer had arrived. Yet one question plagued her mind as she planned how she was going to meet the Flamels: How much longer would peace be maintained, and how would she be able to protect Harry from the upcoming threats? Wizarding Society now operated without a government, and so things were slowly falling apart even though wizards and witched tried to maintain the society that had been ensured by the ministry. There was too much happening for even Hermione to keep track of all of it and that was frightening.

AN:

I really need to mention this...When I said obsessed I was actually thinking how nothing else matters to Hermione but Harry. Not 'Fan Girl' Obsession. Hers is more along the lines of 'I don't care if everyone else jumps in a lake/dies. All that matters is Harry!'

gg: Thanks for the tip!

As to the Stone...Yes, she's going to return that. I just cut off before the train ride, and Hermione had enough to deal with during term. (Dumbly, Sirius, etc)

Things heat up slowly in large stories and this is probably going to be one of those large stories. ^.^