The ground was hard beneath her feet as she ran. Thorns cut her bare legs, blood dripping from the wounds, branches ripping her nightgown, tearing it. The moon was high overhead, casting the forest in an ethereal glow.

The wind was cold, ripping through her body, chilling her as she made her way through the trees seeking refuge. Her hair was loose, the dark curls tangling in the foliage as she rushed past. She could hear footsteps behind her, chasing her, a cruel laugh following her as she tried to escape.

"No!" she cried out when she reached a stone wall blocking her path. There were trees on either side of her, too dense for her to maneuver her way through them. Turning, Hermione faced her hunter. Red eyes glowed beneath the black hood concealing his face.

"Why do you run, child?" His voice was deep, raspy, amused. "Running will not keep you safe from me."

Hermione flinched when he raised his hand, cold fingers gripping her chin, tilting her head back until she was staring into his crimson gaze.

"You will be mine, Hermione. Quit running and accept the inevitable."

"Never," she hissed, pulling free from his hold. "I would sooner die."

"If you continue this rebellion, death would be a release from what I shall do to you," he promised.

She found herself pushed against the rock, his hands moving along her skin, the tattered remains of her nightgown ripped away from her body. He laughed when she struggled, his grip tightening, his body blocking her escape. His hood fell away, his eyes glowing as he smiled.

"I see it in your eyes, hearing it in the racing beat of your heart, smell it in the intoxicating aroma of your arousal, feel it as your body quivers beneath mine." He ran his tongue along her neck to her ear, whispering, "Taste it on your warm flesh."

"No," she whimpered as his hands touched her, caressing her, squeezing, stroking, scratching.

"There is darkness in your soul. It calls to me, Hermione. Tempts me with visions of what you will be after you surrender to me. Embrace the darkness," he urged as his fingers slid inside her, stroking her, teasing her. "You have such power and brilliance, my beauty. Acknowledge what lingers within yourself, admit you want more than simply being the I brainy /I one. They take you for granted, never seeing the passionate woman you've become."

"No," she protested weakly, his words wrapping around her, filling the empty places in her heart, seducing her mind and body. "They love me."

"Love? Love is for the weak. Are you weak?" he asked as his fingers moved inside her, his teeth biting her ear and neck, his robe rubbing against her breasts.

"I'm strong," she moaned as her body began to rock against his hand. "Had to be strong. Prove I'm just as good as I they /I are."

"You're better than all of them," he hissed triumphantly. "Blood means nothing when there is power and darkness. Ambition has driven you to great heights, my beauty. Give yourself to me and go further than you ever imagined."

"Yes," Hermione cried out as her orgasm hit, gasping when she felt him bite her neck, his hand continuing to stroke her as she came.

"Soon."

Hermione woke up gasping for breath, her body covered in sweat, her hair tangled around her face as she sat up in bed, her hand clutching her chest. Just another nightmare, she told herself as she tried to calm down. Her knickers were wet, her covers pushed down at the end of the bed, but she was safe at Hogwarts. Voldemort wasn't hunting her through the forbidden forest. Lying back down, she pulled the covers over her, her eyes widening when her fingers brushed against a bite mark on her neck. "No," she whispered desperately.

She heard a promise whispered in her mind. "Soon."

The End