Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

Written for the 2017 Tomione Fest on AO3 - Runner up for "Where Dwell the Brave" (Best Hermione), and Best short story

Prompt: After becoming an Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic, Hermione learns that there are some secrets that must be kept; one such secret, which she has sworn an oath to protect, comes in the form of a young Dark Lord, who was resurrected within the Department of Mysteries from a previously unknown horcrux...

Hermione's hands were shaking as she untied the small scroll from the owl's outstretched leg; it was a ministry owl, of that she was certain. She stared down at the wax seal unblinkingly, feeling as if her entire future depended on the contents of the letter she now held in her hands.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Ginny prodded, eager to find out which department her best friend had been assigned to.

Hermione exhaled nervously and shot a pleading look at Ginny, "What if I didn't get in?"

Ginny snorted in disbelief, "Hermione, you received the highest NEWT scores in the history of Hogwarts. I'm sure you got in."

"Not the highest…" Hermione mumbled bitterly under her breath with just a hint of begrudging admiration.

"Whatever, If I got in, I'm certain that you did too; just open the sodding letter already!" Ginny sighed impatiently.

After shooting a glare at Ginny, she quietly resigned herself to her fate; The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had many open positions that came with a respectable salary and plenty of room for growth; not being accepted into the Auror Academy, though, would hurt. With trembling fingers, she cracked the wax seal and unfurled the parchment, her eyes moving back and forth quickly as she scanned its contents.

"Well?" Ginny breathed impatiently, trying to gauge the unreadable expression on her best friend's face.

"Well, it looks like I won't be joining you lot in the field after all." Hermione said tonelessly as she met Ginny's outraged expression.

"What!? Let me see that!" she cried indignantly on Hermione's behalf as she snatched the scroll from Hermione's fingers and quickly read the contents.

Hermione bit back a smirk as Ginny's look of outrage melted into one of confusion, and then into pure shock.

"Well, fuck me sideways…An Unspeakable?!" was all she could manage as she handed the parchment back to Hermione.

"I know! I can hardly believe it myself!" Hermione laughed excitedly.

"Blimey, we need to tell the boys. I for one, can't wait to see the look on Ron's face when you tell him." Ginny cackled as she looped her arm through Hermione's and dragged her from her flat.

oOo0oOo

"So when do you start?" Harry asked after ordering another round of fire whiskey from Madam Rosemerta.

"Tomorrow. The letter said I am to floo to the Ministry at precisely nine tomorrow morning, and someone will meet me in the atrium." Hermione explained as she wrinkled her nose at the glass of brown liquid that was set in front of her. Thankfully, she had a sobering draught in her medicine cabinet back at her flat.

"So…what exactly will you be doing?" Ron asked, the tips of his ears going pink.

"I've no idea, but I suppose that's why they call them Unspeakables, Ron." Hermione snorted. She'd known Ron would be jealous, but she was surprised at how well he was taking the news; the fact that he was even still speaking to her was testament to how much he'd matured over the last year. After they had finally managed to defeat Voldemort once and for all in the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione took the opportunity to finish her final year of schooling once the school had been rebuilt, unlike Harry and Ron who had petitioned to be accepted into the Auror academy straight away. With Harry being well… Harry, she knew that he and Ron would be made Aurors, with or without their diploma. She didn't have quite as much confidence in herself, however. Though she was top of her class academically, she wasn't the most coordinated, nor athletic compared to her peers; she would graduate with high marks, of course, but she feared grades alone would not be enough.

"Do you think it's true that they'll wipe your memory if you change your mind?" Ginny asked thoughtfully as she sipped her drink.

"You're not making me feel any better about this, you know." Hermione said shooting a glare towards her best friend.

"I mean, it's all so secret what they do…aside from the fact that no one even knows who they are, no one's ever talked…maybe they can't?" Ginny mused ignoring Hermione's glare.

"It doesn't matter, because I'm not changing my mind." Hermione pronounced, effectively ending the conversation, "Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm going back to my flat; I'd like to get a good night's rest before my first day."

Ginny stood congratulating Hermione once more and gave her a hug, before stepping away so that Harry could embrace her next. Before pulling away, Harry whispered in her ear, "You'll do great, Hermione. Don't ever doubt yourself, and always listen to your instincts."

Hermione nodded, giving him a re-assuring smile, as she looked over to Ron. He wouldn't meet her eyes, but he wished her luck all the same, giving her a one-armed awkward hug. It was the best she could hope for given the circumstances, and she stepped away without comment. With a final wave, she stepped out of the Three Broomsticks and apparated back to the quiet comfort of her flat.

oOo0oOo

The next morning, Hermione awoke before her alarm, and readied herself for her first day as an Unspeakable. She was unsure as to what she should wear, as she had no idea what she would be doing; she nearly had a panic attack when the thought struck her that just dressing herself for her first day may be very well be her first test…what if she showed up in heels when she should have worn trainers? In the end, she decided to play it safe and donned a pair of black dress pants, a burgundy fitted jumper, and a pair of well-worn flats; this way, if she needed to run, she could do so without breaking her neck.

Happy with her choice of attire, she took a last look in the mirror before pocketing her wand and heading out of her flat and down the block towards the red phone booth that would take her into the Ministry.

When she stepped out of the booth-turned-elevator, the Atrium was bustling with witches and wizards just as she had remembered from the last time she had been there; only this time, she wasn't under the influence of Polyjuice potion while on a mission to steal a horcrux.

Her eyes swept over the cavernous room, and settled on the information desk nestled in the far corner. The letter she had received the day before had only said that someone would be meeting her in the Atrium, though it did not specify where, or who she should be looking for. She had only made it about three steps when someone fell into step beside her, whispering in an all-too familiar voice just low enough for her to hear:

"Hermione Granger, follow me."

It can't be, she thought, but there was no mistaking that nose as he walked alongside her.

Had this happened a year ago, she would have stunned the man and sprinted away, sure that he was a product of polyjuice, but now that Voldemort had been defeated and his Death Eaters imprisoned, she quelled her flight response and nodded almost imperceptibly. The man who appeared to be Professor Snape, turned sharply to his left, and stepped through solid wall. She paused briefly, wondering if this was meant to be some sort of trick, until she noticed that no one in the atrium had so much as glanced in their direction. It was obvious that the wall acted much like the barrier that separated platform 9 ¾, so she squared her shoulders and stepped through quickly. She found herself alone in a long dark hallway, and she turned to look in both directions, wondering which way Professor Snape, or the wizard masquerading as Snape, had gone. She cast a quick lumos to light her way, and decided to go left. After walking for nearly ten minutes without encountering a single door, she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin when he reappeared suddenly behind her.

"Well, come on then, I haven't all day." He said gruffly as he gestured to a door she was certain hadn't been there only a moment before. He certainly sounded like Professor Snape…

"What is this place?" she asked, more to herself than to him, as she followed along behind him.

"The Hall of Illusions. It is ill advised to get lost." He said raising an eyebrow at her as he opened a door to a cozy looking sitting room where there were three other wizards already seated, some looking just as nervous as she felt.

She took a seat in the chair indicated, and folded her hands in her lap as a million questions formed on the tip of her tongue, though she knew better than to ask, and waited patiently for some kind of explanation.

Professor Snape, who hadn't bothered to introduce himself to the others, regarded them all coolly with his nearly black eyes, quietly assessing them.

"You…" he said pointing to the wizard seated to her far left, "Do you know why you are here?"

The wizard, who looked only a few years older than herself, gave a smug smile as his eyes flicked in her direction, and she mentally cringed; he reminded her of a less attractive version of Cormac McLaggen.

"Because I'm the best." He answered unabashedly, having the gall to wink at her.

Ugh.

Hermione remained stoic as she watched Snape's dark eyes flick to the wizard sitting immediately beside her on her left side. This one appeared much more reserved than the first, and nibbled on his bottom lip nervously much like Neville used to do whenever he was in the presence of Professor Snape. He was posed the same question.

"To investigate those things that eludes the minds of even the most intelligent wizards." He answered before giving a small nervous cough and casting his eyes back down to his feet.

Hermione was a bit miffed when Snape's eyes skipped over her, and fell on the middle-aged wizard to her right, nodding for him to answer the same question.

Even in death, he still hates me.

"To study magic, in all of its forms; even those that are the most socially abhorrent."

Hermione shivered. It hadn't occurred to her until now that they would be studying even the darkest forms of magic…

Finally, Snape's eyes landed on hers and she swallowed thickly. She felt like she was right back in her first year Potion's class.

"And you? Why are you here?" he said giving her his trademark sneer.

Hermione gaped at him, mentally running through all the possible answers she could come up with, none of which sounded even remotely as plausible as some of the answers she had already heard; somehow, 'To conduct mysterious wizard business' didn't seem like the answer he was looking for.

"I have no idea." She finally answered in defeat, and then added a belated, "Sir."

He stared at her with an unreadable expression, and as the minutes ticked by, she was sure that she had already failed her first real test.

Finally, he spoke, "Misters Selwyn, Greengrass, and Rosier, you are dismissed."

The three men looked at each other and then to her in bewilderment, until the smug one whom she assumed was Mister Selwyn spoke up.

"So that's it then? You're kicking us out?"

Snape sneered at the boy as he gestured to the door, "Good day, gentleman, do try not to get lost on your way out." He said in a way that sounded menacing.

Hermione sat rooted to her chair in shock as she watched the three wizards file out through the door she had previously entered. When the door clicked shut once again, Snape, or imitation Snape, turned back to face her and did something that unsettled her deeply...

He smiled.

"The first thing you must learn as an Unspeakable, Miss Granger, is that you do not, in fact, know everything. To say that I am shocked that it is you that sits before me now is an understatement." He said in a way that she supposed would have sounded mocking if not for the smirk that still adorned his lips.

"I see you've finally learned something after all these years." He finished.

Her lips twitched as she attempted to suppress the smile that threatened to surface at what she considered the most praise she had ever been given by him, and nodded instead.

It had been a hard lesson for her to learn, surely, but during the year spent on the run searching for Voldemort's horcruxes, she had learnt it well. She was not the same witch eager to prove herself with her hand constantly waving in the air; she had become more reflective and less verbose, taking the time to observe the world around her.

"The second thing, suffice it to say…cannot be taught. There is nothing I can say to you now that could prepare you for the things that can and will be asked of you. Once you make the vow to become an Unspeakable, there is no turning back. You must be sure."

Hermione nodded, the weight of his words reminding her of a time when doing what she felt was right meant life or death.

"Once you make the vow, Hermione Granger, as the world knows her, will cease to exist. Being an Unspeakable is not rewarding work; no one will know your name. If it were up to me, I'd say that this is not the place for you."

Hermione paled.

Cease to exist?

"Professor…"

"You may call me Psi." He interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her take in his words.

"Psi…?" she repeated, clearly confused.

"You knew me once as Professor Snape. He is no more, though now I am Psi."

She still didn't quite understand, but she was more concerned about what he had said about her ceasing to exist, "Does this mean I won't be allowed to see my family or my friends if I accept?"

He nodded once, his mouth set in a grim line.

"It is not a decision to be made lightly. Most find that they cannot cope." He answered honestly.

"May I have some time to consider this?" She asked him as she squared her shoulders and looked directly into his dark eyes.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." He answered, giving her a curt nod, "You have one week. If you decline, you will not remember what took place here today."

Hermione nodded, biting her lower lip already deep in thought as Snape, or Psi opened the door for her.

"Oh, and Miss Granger? Focus on where you wish to be, and the hall will take you there." He said with a barely suppressed smirk as he dismissed her.

Her lips twitched in amusement when she realized he hadn't told the others how to find their way back to the Atrium; they were probably still wandering down the infinite hallway.

"Thank you, Professor…um…Psi." She said as she slipped through the door.

oOo0oOo

That night at dinner, Hermione was exceptionally quiet, taking in the raucous laughter of her best friends as they talked about their day.

Could she do this? She'd never spend time with them again like this…They wouldn't know who Hermione Granger was. And her parents? She'd only just gotten them back…

She felt her heart constrict painfully as she pushed her plate away.

"Hermione? What was your first day as an Unspeakable like?" Harry asked, his green eyes not missing the fact that she had not taken a single bite of her food.

Ginny scoffed beside him before she could answer, "Don't be daft, Harry, she's probably already been sworn to secrecy."

Hermione managed a small resigned smile, "Today was only orientation. We don't actually get erased until our second week."

Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at her wide eyed until Ginny burst out in laughing, breaking the tense silence.

"And here I thought you had no sense of humor at all." Ginny chuckled as the conversation around the table resumed, and Hermione fell silent once more.

Maybe they wouldn't even notice she was gone.

oOo0oOo

Professor Snape, Psi, was reading in the staff lounge she had been taken to the previous day, when she arrived; his face not showing any hint of surprise.

"How did you know I'd come back?" she asked.

He declined to answer, only arching a single eyebrow at her as if to say, 'Are you serious?'

"So quick to leave the world behind then, are you?"

Hermione pressed her lips together in a firm line, as her nostrils flared at his insinuation.

"It's not like that, and you know it." She spat.

"Very well; your reasons are not my concern. It's time for you to make your vow; follow me." Psi said quietly, respecting and understanding the weight of the decision she had just made; after all, he had done the same once upon a time.

She followed silently through the seemingly endless hall of illusions to a large ancient looking antechamber. In the center of the chamber, sat a rather old looking book propped up on a pedestal, with an intricate looking dagger and a beautiful golden quill hovering in the air beside it.

"The book of names. Every Unspeakable who has ever taken the vow has signed this book."

Hermione glanced down at the open book, unable to read any of the names adorning its pages; instead, all she saw was symbols written in what appeared to be some sort of red ink.

At her look of confusion, Psi plucked the dagger that had been hovering beside the book, and handed it to her. It was in that moment that she understood; the names were written in blood.

"From this moment forward, you will be known only as Theta. That is the name you must sign."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione gripped the handle of the dagger and ran the sharp blade along the inside of her left palm, wincing as the blood welled up from the cut. She lifted the golden quill, and swallowed the bile that rose in her throat as she watched her blood run into the tip.

"Repeat after me, these words: As my life ends, I am reborn. I am the daughter of magic; I shall take no husband, bear no children, and seek no glory. I pledge my life to the pursuit of knowledge. I am the light in the darkness, the protector of the wizarding world, for I am Unspeakable; from this day, and all the days to come."

She repeated the words of her vow as the quill traced the circular symbol of her new identity into the yellowed pages of the ancient book, with tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

As she released the quill with a shaking hand, she turned to see Psi giving her a nod of approval. It was done.

"It gets easier." He said quietly, not needing to explain what he meant.

"How do you just…forget it all?" she asked, as she swiped the wetness from her cheeks.

"You don't. You just…keep going." He said giving her a look that conveyed his understanding before he turned back towards the hall, "Besides, you'll be too busy to worry about that soon enough."

Her eyebrows rose at that, "What will I be working on, then?"

"Before I tell you that, I think a tour is in order." Psi answered, as he glanced back at her over his shoulder.

She had to jog a few steps to keep up with his long strides, but she followed along behind him obediently, refraining from asking the millions of questions that were already on the tip of her tongue.

When he arrived at another door, he pushed it open and gestured for her to enter first. They were in another hall now, but this one looked much more like part of the Ministry, than the Hall of Illusions she had first found herself in.

"Where are we?" she asked, trying to get her bearings, if such a thing were possible.

"This is the interior of the Ministry. Look, there…" he gestured with his hand towards the large glass window they were approaching, "That's the Department of Magical Law Enforcement"

She peered through the window, confused when not a single witch or wizard even looked in their direction, until she realized the glass was enchanted; she could see in, but they couldn't see out.

"You see, The Department does everything that you would expect it to do; the Aurors are trained to neutralize threats and apprehend those who are wanted by the ministry, but they also serve another purpose; one the majority of them do not even know about."

She looked up at Psi with a mixture of surprise and confusion on her face at his words, "And what purpose would that be?"

At that moment, she saw three of the workers glance up at the window as if they had heard her.

"Those three, well…those are ours. How else do you think we would be able to modify the memories of those who knew Hermione Granger?"

She watched in dawning horror, pounding on the glass frantically as Harry, Ginny, and Ron strode into the room.

"They can't hear you." Psi said calmly, not bothering to try and stop her.

The Unspeakable at the main desk collected their wands to check them in, as was security protocol, and discretely tapped her own wand as they passed through a large magical security scanner.

And just like that, Hermione Granger was gone from their memories.

"Remember your vow." Psi said seriously as she sagged against the glass, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobs.

"I can't…" she whispered before she felt his strong grip on her arm turning her to face him.

"You can, and you will. I told you that nothing I say could prepare you. This is just the beginning."

Taking a deep breath, and forcing the sharp pain of loss into the back of her mind, she wiped her cheeks and nodded. She could do this…she would do this.

"Let us continue"

oOo0oOo

After taking her through the department of mysteries, which she had already been quite familiar with thanks to Voldemort, he led her to a suite of apartments.

"This one is yours." He said as he opened one of the doors that lined the wall, and when she stepped inside, she gasped. The space was huge, and it had a library. To say she was pleased was an understatement.

"You can decorate it however you wish. This apartment is attuned to your magical signature, so it will unlock automatically only for you. I suggest you take the rest of the day to settle yourself, as you will be given your first assignment in the morning."

Theta nodded and bit her lip nervously, "What about my things? My flat…?" she asked before he could walk away.

"You'll find that your belongings, including that…cat, are already inside." Psi said with his signature raised eyebrow, "Goodnight, Theta."

Her lips twitched at the mention of Crooks, and relief flooded her when she realized she wouldn't be quite so alone after all.

She worked late into the night organizing her new flat, too excited about the fact that she now had her own personal library to get much sleep. She finally passed out in the wee hours of the morning, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

The knock on her door startled her from sleep, and she sprang from her bed as if it were on fire, quickly throwing a bathrobe over her night clothes before wrenching open the door.

Psi's lips twitched in amusement at her disheveled appearance, "Let me guess…the library?"

Theta nodded in embarrassment, color flooding her cheeks as she opened the door wider to invite him in.

"I'll just be a moment, would you like some tea, or…?" she asked awkwardly as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Tea. Get one for yourself as well, we have much to discuss." He said with a hint of what sounded like impatience.

She nodded in acquiescence and scurried into the kitchen to put the kettle on before quickly getting dressed.

She found him in the library, and carried the two cups of tea over to the small sofa where he was seated.

He lifted his cup, not bothering to thank her for it, and seemed to stare into it for several moments before he began to speak.

"You should know, I do not believe you are ready for this assignment." He said finally, without preamble.

Theta furrowed her brows and waited for him to explain.

"In the end, it was not up to me."

"Who was it up to, then?" she asked hesitantly, the confusion still evident on her face. She still knew very little about the organization of which she was now a part.

"Alpha. He assigned this task to you, and would hear no argument to the contrary." Psi spat bitterly.

"So is he the boss then?" she asked, still trying to puzzle out the hierarchy within her mysterious department.

Psi snorted uncharacteristically at her pronouncement, "In a manner of speaking" he answered cryptically.

Feeling a headache already coming on, she decided to change tactics.

"What does this assignment entail, exactly?" she asked as she set her cup down none too gently and crossed her arms in front of her in annoyance. Likely, it was something well within her capabilities, yet due to his unwillingness to acknowledge her aptitude, he was making it seem as if it would be too difficult for her to manage. Maybe he had wanted this assignment for himself?

"Horcruxes." He said simply and met her gaze evenly.

She felt the blood drain from her face at the one simple word.

"No. Absolutely not." She answered immediately, shaking her head and pushing her tea cup away from her.

"You cannot refuse this assignment, Theta."

"The hell I can't! Erase me then!" She stood, hands planted on her hips as she stared at him incredulously.

"It's too late for that now." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I told him you weren't ready."

Seeing her one-time Professor seem so resigned gave her pause, and she swiped a hand over her face in an attempt to calm her anger, and sat back down stiffly.

"What am I expected to do with it then? Study it? Destroy it? Make one?" she asked in disbelief as her voice rose in fear. They couldn't ask her to commit murder, could they?

"You and your assigned partner are to learn everything about it that you are able. This is a matter of the highest priority." He said as he rose to his feet, and indicated that she should follow.

She kept track of where they were headed as far as the Department of Mysteries, and then her sense of direction failed her after he took several more twists and turns leading them somewhere deep into the bowls of the Ministry. At the end of a long hall, they reached a solid iron door.

"I was told you could cast a Patronus. Do it now." he commanded.

Unsure if they were about to be confronted with an army of dementors behind the iron door, she did as she was bid.

"Expecto Patronum!" she cried aloud, as a playful otter sprung from the tip of her wand, swirling through the air as if it were swimming. Just before her patronus faded from sight, there was a loud creaking as the iron door recognized her magical signature and unlocked.

"This is where I leave you." Psi said suddenly

She gaped at him, wondering what terrible fate awaited her behind that door.

"A word of advice; never forget what it is you are dealing with." Psi said ominously before he turned sharply and strode away, leaving her alone.

She swallowed nervously, and reached out a shaking hand to push the heavy door open, cautiously peering into the dimly lit room with her wand at the ready.

She froze in mid step as her eyes landed on a small intricately carved silver harmonica sitting atop a glass encased pedestal in the center of the room.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled and there was a familiar ringing in her ears as she crept closer to the case to get a better look.

"Who made you?" she wondered aloud to herself, not expecting anyone to answer.

"That's precisely the question." A smooth deep voice answered from behind her.

She jumped, and spun around quickly, pointing her wand at the tall handsome stranger behind her. To his credit, his only reaction was a barely concealed smirk.

"Theta is it?" he asked raising a finely arched eyebrow at her in question.

She stared at him, remembering that Psi had mentioned something about an assigned partner.

"Oh…I'm…I'm so sorry!" She stammered sheepishly as she blushed profusely, and sheathed her wand.

He chuckled at her embarrassment, "I've heard a lot about you, the great Hermione Granger."

Surely not from Snape, she mused.

"It was just logic and a bit of luck, really," she said brushing off the praise, a blush already rising to her cheeks, "And what is it they call you, may I ask?"

He chuckled darkly, "I've been called many things, but you may call me…Omega."

Her lips twitched, and she nodded, thinking of the meaning behind that name; the great one. He was confident, if not a bit arrogant, and handsome; strikingly so, but he was also her partner.

"How long have you been with the Ministry?" she asked in an attempt to get to know more about him, since he apparently already knew quite a bit about her.

"Oh, I've been around for quite some time." He said, his lips twitching in amusement.

"I see." She answered, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks once again under his penetrating gaze. She couldn't put her finger on it, but when he looked at her, she felt as if he was looking into her very soul.

"So what do we know so far about this… thing?" she asked, nodding towards the glass case.

He didn't comment on her choice of words regarding the horcrux, but folded his hands neatly behind his back, and walked around behind her slowly as he spoke.

"This thing, best as I can tell, was created sometime in 1945. It was found in the remains of a charred building in the heart of Muggle London. Its dark magical signature was enough to have it sent here, until such time that it could be thoroughly examined."

"Grindelwald?" Hermione mused aloud, as she nibbled her bottom lip, thinking of all the likely candidates who could have made a horcrux in 1945. Thankfully, all of Voldemort's horcruxes had already been destroyed in the final battle.

"Possibly; he was active at that time, until Albus Dumbledore defeated him, of course." Omega said as he watched her closely.

"Any significance to the building where it was found?" she asked.

"The building was destroyed during the war, I'm afraid." He answered.

Theta nodded, deep in thought. Many of the old buildings in London that had been bombed during World War II had never been rebuilt, though many new business sprung up following the boom in the economy after the war was over.

"It makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it."

It was a statement, not a question.

Theta laughed bitterly, "You could say that."

"Why?" he asked with what seemed to be genuine curiosity.

"I'd rather not discuss it." She snapped as memories flashed through her mind of hiding out in a tent with a far too heavy locket around her neck, whispering vile words into her ear as she slept.

They stood in tense silence for a moment until he finally said, "He doesn't believe you are up to this assignment; Perhaps he is right…"

Psi's words echoes in her mind, 'You should know, I do not believe you are ready for this assignment…'

Her anger rose then, tired of being made to feel like she was inferior to a wizard.

"Perhaps you underestimate me." She answered sharply and turned on her heel and strode from the room leaving him alone with the horcrux.

ooOo0oOoo

She fumed silently for the better part of an hour, until she began to feel a speck of remorse for storming out on him as she had; in truth, he hadn't said anything that she hadn't already been thinking, but in the end, her pride had gotten the better of her. He hadn't been the one there in that tent. He hadn't the faintest idea of how that thing was able to get inside your head and make you question not only yourself, but your best friends as well. She still blamed the horcrux for her failed relationship with Ron; all those years she tried to make him see how much she cared, and in the end, he had believed the lies that vile thing had spewed. If only he hadn't left them, he would have known it wasn't true. Instead, he chose to believe that something had happened between her and Harry while he was gone, and to this day, he still questioned it.

She shook her head, trying to let go of the old memories, as she made her way to the ancient library she now had access to as an Unspeakable. The best thing she could do right now, was to focus on the task at hand, which was to find out as much as she could about that horcrux lying deep within the bowels of the Ministry.

She spread out a roll of parchment before her and wrote down as much as she could remember from her conversation with Omega about the horcrux:

It was created in 1945

It was a small silver harmonica, not unlike a child's toy

It was found in the remains of an old building in the heart of Muggle London

Deciding to follow her first theory, she pulled every book she could find relating to Gellert Grindelwald.

It was three hours later, when Snape, or rather Psi, found her buried under a stack of books in the library.

"I thought I might find you here, rather predictable, aren't you?" He said crossing his arms over his chest, and looking down his rather large nose at her.

She scoffed as she stood up to stretch.

"Have you found anything, then?" he asked, not needing to specify what he was asking her about.

"I don't think I'm going to find what I'm looking for here." She said with a sigh.

"My, my, who would've thought that the answer can't be found in a book." He sneered

"Oh, I simply meant that I wasn't going to find the answer in any of these books." She said with a smug smile.

He arched an eyebrow at her, and she continued, "I'm heading over to the London Library first thing in the morning."

"That is a Muggle library." He said flatly

"Precisely." Hermione said as she swished her wand, sending the pile of books carefully back to their rightful spots before she stepped past him and headed out the door.

That night, as she ate dinner alone in her apartment, her thoughts once again drifted back to her new partner. She cringed when she thought about how she had stormed off in a snit, and wondered what he must think of her. Since she only had once chance at a first impression, a second would have to do. Her eyes fell on the empty chair across from her, and she smiled; maybe inviting him to dinner would be a good way to both apologize, and also afford her an opportunity to get to know the man she would be working so closely with.

ooOo0oOoo

The next morning, she rose early, and made her way through the Ministry to the phone booth, and headed out into the city. The London Library was very old, and she was optimistic that she would find what she came for; the land ownership maps of the city.

When she arrived at the Library, she asked the librarian to help her locate the London land ownership maps for the years between 1940 through 1945.

The books were large, taking up almost an entire wooden table. She began with the 1940 map that was dated as of May that same year. She hoped that if studied each one carefully, she would be able to discern which buildings were still being shown from one year to the next, and which had disappeared.

As expected, many of the buildings present in the 1940 map were gone in the 1941 edition. The Luftwaffe had begun bombing the city of London in September of 1940, destroying many of the city's buildings. She made a list of all the locations, which unfortunately were only street addresses, and she quickly thanked the librarian, and headed back to the Ministry to share what she had found with Omega. Maybe if she knew where the horcrux had been found, she could search the site directly for further clues. If the horcrux had anything to do with Grindelwald, surely he would have left his mark somewhere.

She went first to the library, then to the department of mysteries, but Omega was nowhere to be found. She doubted he would be at his apartment this early in the day, and her stomach sank when she knew that the most likely place he could be was in the one room she had hoped to avoid as long as possible; the horcrux room.

Summoning her courage, she made her way back to the room with the iron door, and cast her patronus. As before, there was a loud creaking as the door unlocked to allow her entry.

She sighed with relief when she found him standing in front of the case, gazing at the horcrux behind the glass.

"I don't know how you can stand to be so close to that thing, it gives me the creeps." She said as she made her way towards him.

He chuckled darkly, "Clearly, my experience with horcruxes has been very different from yours."

"Oh? And how many horcruxes, may I ask, have you been in contact with?" she asked in disbelief. She had only ever had the misfortune of encountering five of Voldemort's horcruxes, technically six if she included Harry, and now this one, which was more than enough to last her a lifetime.

"Eight."

Her jaw dropped.

"Whose-" she began to ask before he held up a hand to stop her.

"I'd rather not to discuss it." He said, with the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his full lips.

She shook her head, chuckling at how easily she had set herself up for that.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for yesterday, I really wasn't prepared to have that conversation, but, if you're willing to start over, than so am I."

He nodded graciously, though her smile faltered for the briefest of moments.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, biting her lip nervously, not sure if what she was about to ask was too personal.

He nodded.

"Can you feel it?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't be offended by her question.

He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, as if he were considering his words carefully before he spoke.

"Always."

"I often wonder if the reward is worth the price." She said quietly, gazing at the small silver harmonica sitting so innocently behind the glass.

"Time will tell." He answered, turning his dark eyes upon her.

She blushed under his gaze, feeling like an inexperienced school girl, and cleared her throat nervously.

"I actually have to run, I have a meeting with Psi this afternoon." she said before she quickly turned and left. It wasn't until she was halfway to Psi's apartment that she remembered she hadn't invited Omega to dinner.

Perhaps tomorrow…

Psi was opening the door to his apartment as she approached and asked with a barely suppressed smirk, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. I made a list of-" She said before he held up a hand to silence her.

"Perhaps this is a conversation best held in private." He said before indicating that she should follow him in, and he led her towards the door to his office and ushered her inside. She took a seat in a well-worn leather armchair, and watched as he flicked his wand to start a fire in the hearth, before pouring two glasses of what looked like fire whiskey before sliding one towards her.

"I'm afraid I'm all out of tea." He said with a smirk as he lifted the glass to his lips, watching her closely.

Not wanting to seem like the child he likely still saw her as, she followed suit and lifted the glass to her lips, and promptly choked.

He smirked, but still took pity on her and offered her a glass of water.

"Can I ask you something?" she finally asked when she managed to stop coughing, not sure if she would have another opportunity.

"You can ask, though I can't say that I'll answer." he said sardonically, taking another sip of fire whiskey

"What happened to you?" she pressed, "We watched you die that night in the boathouse."

He set his glass down and met her gaze evenly.

"Severus Snape did indeed die that night." He answered cryptically

"Then how did you…" she began before he held up a small stone, making it all click into place.

"A bezoar…you knew. You knew he was going to kill you that night." Hermione whispered in awe.

"Of course I knew. It was only a matter of time before he figured out how to claim the wand's allegiance from me…"

"But you could have been a hero, you could have…" she started before he shook his head

"No. A Death Eater doesn't get to be a hero, Theta. I was a means to an end…Albus understood that."

"I don't believe that. You spent the rest of your life making up for what you did…Professor Dumbledore always said everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they've done."

"And what of Tom Riddle, Theta? Do you think he deserved a second chance?"

Hermione gaped at him, "That's not for me to decide."

"Then you are a bigger fool then Albus."

ooOo0oOoo

Later that night, Psi's words were still weighing heavily on her mind.

The truth was, she couldn't imagine living in a world where there were no second chances. She had to believe that Professor Dumbledore was right, because what kind of person would she become without the ability to forgive? She knew, without a doubt, that destroying Voldemort's horcruxes had been the right thing to do; he would pay the consequences for what he'd done, one way or another. Her thoughts drifted then to the horcrux locked away behind an iron door several floors below. Was hiding it away so that the Ministry could gain knowledge from it worth the risk of it being stolen every moment that it sat in that glass case?

I often wonder if the reward is worth the price…

It was then, that she knew what she had to do.

With her mind made up, she made her way quickly back down to the dungeon like room and cast her Patronus before silently slipping inside. She was once again greeted by the high pitched ringing in her ears, and that feeling that her skin was trying to crawl away of her bones, though thankfully, this time the room was empty. Before she could talk herself out of it, she moved quickly to the glass case and took down the wards that protected it. When her fingers wrapped around the cool metal, even only for the briefest of moments, it seemed to vibrate in her hand before she dropped it quickly with a sigh of relief into the small beaded handbag she still carried with her since the final battle. Without skin to skin contact, the effect of the horcrux was greatly diminished. Not wanting to get caught, she transfigured a small phial she had in her bag to look like the silver Harmonica, replaced the glass, and erected a new ward. She would face the consequences in the morning with her head held high, knowing that what she did what was right.…she only needed a few hours.

By the time she made it back to her suite, it was quite late, and she yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she was until her eyes fell on her bed, and before she knew it, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt the edge of the mattress dip beneath someone's weight, and she squeaked in surprise when she turned to see Omega sitting on the edge of her bed staring down at her.

"How did you get in here?" she snapped, pulling the blankets up to her chin in an attempt to cover the flimsy satin night gown she was wearing.

"How about we start with you telling me what you are planning to do with it?" He asked, ignoring her question entirely.

"I don't know what you mean." she said innocently in an attempt to play dumb.

"I think we both know what I'm talking about. What do you think they'll say when they find out that the great Hermione Granger stole a horcrux?" He asked arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"They wouldn't think…" she began before he interrupted.

"But why shouldn't they? After all, no one even remembers Hermione Granger…" He said with a knowing smirk.

She felt a shiver creep down her spine at his words; he was right. If no one remembered Hermione Granger, they certainly wouldn't remember that she had been the one to help Harry Potter defeat Voldemort; they would have no reason to believe that her intentions with it were good…

The road to hell is paved with good intentions…

"What do you want? Are you blackmailing me?" she asked in disbelief.

He laughed then, a rich deep velvety tone that sounded wicked and enticing all at the same time, "Of course not, I'm on your side."

"Then why?-" she began before he once again held up hand to still her question.

"I too believe that sometimes, one must do what others lack the courage to do." he explained.

"What if someone finds out?" she asked, looking up at him and biting her lip nervously.

"My lips are sealed." He said with a wink and handed her the black beaded bag that had been sitting on her nightstand.

Looking down at the bag in her hand, she summoned her courage and pulled out the small glittering silver horcrux from its depths and turned it over in her hands. The same vibration she felt from earlier was back, and her eyes began to grow heavy. Omega was saying something to her now, though she couldn't make out the words; her only focus was on the movement of his lips. His fingers grasped her chin then, and slowly tilted her face towards his, as he lowered his lips to hers, and kissed her. She felt the harmonica slip from her grasp, as her hands reached up to tangle in his dark wavy hair, pulling him closer. There was no mistaking the feeling of lust pooling within her as he lowered her onto the mattress, his hand gliding up her bare outer thigh, slipping under the silk of her night gown. She felt like she was on fire; completely consumed with an overwhelming need for him as his lips left a hot trail of kisses down her neck, as he continued his exploration of her body. She could feel him, all of him, as he rocked against her, and she responded in kind, moaning softly against his neck

"Give yourself to me…" he whispered against her throat, and she nodded helplessly, her hands pushing his pants down over his hips, desperate for more contact.

"Yes..." she cried as she rocked against him, biting down on her bottom lip as he entered her. Feeling him inside her was like nothing she had ever experienced before, and she could feel something building up within her, moving her closer and closer to what it was that she so desperately needed.

As her orgasm washed over her, she felt a pulse of magic fill the air, and suddenly she was once again alone in the room. It was as if her very magic was suffocating her, and she couldn't catch her breath. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and could only hear the sound of her own frantic heartbeat, until she heard a voice in her heard that sounded remarkably like Harry, "Hermione, Fight it…You have to fight it!"

With every bit of strength she had, she reached for the beaded bag, and wandlessly summoned the basilisk fang she still had hidden away, it was now or never…

She felt her consciousness slipping away as she plunged the fang into the Harmonica, and gasped as the air once again began to fill her lungs. She heard a shrill cry as the harmonica released the darkness within, cracking in half from the force of its release. She understood then, as she lay there gasping, that none of it had been real. The encounter she'd just experienced with Omega had all been a fabrication designed by the horcrux, using her deepest desires, to get what it wanted most; a life force. Her life force.

She pulled herself up with shaking hands, relieved that she was still dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing when she had returned to her room. As expected, It didn't take long for there to come a knock on her door; undoubtedly, the others had already learned of what she'd done. The thought of facing Omega, after what the horcrux had shown her was enough to make her wish that they would just give her the dementor's kiss and be done with it; How would she be able to face him after fantasizing about that?

She made her way to the door, as if she were walking to her own execution, and where she expected to find a team of Aurors, and perhaps Psi, she nearly fainted when none other than Albus Dumbledore stood smiling down at her.

"Headmaster? Am I still dreaming?" She asked in confusion, feeling like she might faint.

He chuckled, summoning a chair for her as came in and closed the door, "No, my dear girl, I am very real, I assure you."

"But you fell from that tower…Snape, he-" she began and he waved his hand nodding.

"It was all very necessary, I'm afraid." He answered, waiting for her to put the pieces together, as he was sure she would.

"Wait…It was you wasn't it…you're Alpha." She said, recalling that Psi had told her that it was he who had assigned this task to her.

"Yes." He nodded, summoning two cups of tea.

"Why me?" She asked, wondering why he had chosen her for this assignment after everything she'd already endured.

"Because you are the only one I trust to do what needed to be done." He answered giving her a meaningful gaze. "Many good witches and wizards have been seduced by the lure of dark magic."

She blushed, thinking 'seduced' was certainly an apt description.

"But my partner, Omega, he had far more experience-" she began when he suddenly set down his tea cup.

"Impossible."

She furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering what he meant by that, had Omega been lying about his experience?

"But-"

"It's impossible, Theta, because you have not yet been assigned a partner."

His words seemed to echo in her ears, as she replayed their first meeting in her mind; He had already been in the room with the horcrux when she had arrived…

I've heard a lot about you, the great Hermione Granger…

Oh, I've been around for quite some time…

Suddenly, it all made sense. The man she believed to have been her partner was actually a creation of the horcrux. She felt shame wash over her when she thought about how she'd been attracted to him; a man who was trying to take her life…

"Whose was it?" she asked in a shaky voice, already knowing what he would say. Now that Harry no longer lived with part of Voldemort's soul inside of him, he would never have known…

"There were nine. Tom Riddle split his soul into nine pieces, not eight, as we had all believed. Truthfully, I don't believe he intended to make it, much like with Harry, however, he was aware that it had been created after the deed had been done. No one had suspected that the old sickly orphanage matron had been murdered, no a heart attack seemed much more likely than poison. Since the Muggles didn't find it suspicious, the alarm was never raised. It was found in the rubble, of what had once been Wool's Orphanage before it was destroyed in the war. An Unspeakable found it, and it's been hidden away here ever since."

"What if there are more?" she asked, the very thought making her feel ill.

"Then it falls to us, the Unspeakables, to do what must be done."