-Fate and Soul-

Chapter One

"Oh my head...what happened?"

Hermione thought back to the routine sweep for dark activity. She was an Auror by day, a healer by night, and the Minister had ordered her team of three to scour an area. Voldemort had been gone for roughly around five years now, since Hermione was twenty-three, but even any mention of darker than normal activity had everyone scared out of their wits.

"That's right!" She exclaimed, snapping her fingers as she remembered.

She had a strong feeling of foreboding as they passed the old barn she wanted to check. Hardings, a new recruit, insisted that he had checked it already. As they had their backs turned, a curse flew at Hermione and everything went dark.

"Moody would not be pleased if he was still alive. Constant vigilance! Ooh, when I wake up, Hardings is getting it!"

"You're not going to wake up."

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, looking at the creature in front of her. "Are you a...fairy?"

The creature sighed. "Did I stutter, Hermione Granger? And yes, I am a fairy. Got a problem with that?"

"N-not at all! But aren't faeries supposed to be...bright and cheerful?"

The fairy narrowed its eyes. "Are you being stereotypical? Do you want me to make this ten times as harder on you?"

Hermione cowered slightly from the dark fairy before her. It wasn't like she hadn't seen faeries before because she had. Except this fairy was her height, and instead of its wings being a sky blue or a pink, they were pure darkness. It didn't help that the fairy had pure black eyes either.

"Make what harder on me?" Hermione asked.

"Oh dear Golden child. Do you not realize who I am? I'll give you a hint I suppose, you're quite smart I've heard. My name is Fati, the Dark Fairy."

"Fati...Fati...death! Fate! You're the Death Fairy!"

"I prefer Dark Fairy," Fati sniffed. "But yes, you are correct."

"So...what are you doing near me?"

"May I present the brightest witch of her age. Miss Hermione, I am the Dark Fairy. You can see me, hence, you are dead."

"I can't be! It was just a routine dark magic scouring expedition! We go on them all the time!"

"Did you see the spell you were hit with?"

"No, but-"

"Did you hear which spell was uttered?"

"No."

"You were hit with one of the Unforgivables, Hermione. You figure it out."

"W-where am I?"

"Take a look around," Fati said, waving her arm out. "You see nothing, but darkness. I would say you were in my realm, but...even my realm has more color than this. You are with me in the in-between, child."

"No, no. I figured that out. I meant, where's my...body?"

"Here comes the acceptance," Fati said grinning and brushing her black hair from her shoulder. "Your body is currently at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. If you want to see for yourself, there's a door behind you."

Hermione turned to see that there was indeed a door behind her. When she turned back to Fati, there was no one there.

"Huh," Hermione muttered, trekking across the black expanse, pulling open the door before shutting it behind her.

It took her a bit to adjust to everything being white after being in darkness for such a long time. She rubbed at her eyes, blinking them a few times for them to get used to the light.

"I hope you are ready to face this," Fati said, materializing next to Hermione.

"Who's here?"

"Everyone is here. Except your parents of course since they can't see the hospital. Those who will not be going to your funeral are paying last respects right now. The others are simply in denial at the fact that you are dead."

Fati glided down the long hallway, and Hermione followed. Fati led her to a standard hospital room that had been resized to accommodate all the people who had come. She could see tufts of red hair from several adults and kids. Ginny and Dean, Ron and Lavender, Harry, Andromeda, and Teddy, everyone. It was then that she noticed the group of people in the corner wearing Puddlemere flying gear.

"Oh no!" She cried, running through the throng of people that stood around her bed.

She never thought she'd see herself in death. While the Avada Kedavra was the deadliest, it was also the cleanest. It looked like she was merely sleeping.

"That's...me," she said, brain dead at the moment.

"And if I'm not mistaken, that's your husband," Fati said, pointing to the man who was crying and holding her hand.

Hermione tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but it just fell through. She made a sound that mixed annoyance and sadness, before looking at Fati.

"Oh, Oliver," she sighed. "He's so broken, Fati. What can I do?"

"It is heartbreak, child," Fati said, laying a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder. "There is nothing we can do, but watch him grieve. Eventually, if he himself allows it, he will move on. If not, then he will allow himself to waste away."

"Well I won't allow that!" Hermione replied hotly.

Fati shrugged. "There is nothing you can do, child. You are beyond them now. Come. My sister, Vita, wishes to see you."

"Life? Why would she want to see me?"

"Who knows?" Fati muttered. "However, if I am correct, it wasn't your time to pass child. I think she's pissed."

Fati laughed then, holding out her hand for Hermione to take. Looking around the room, Hermione sighed before grasping Fati's hand. Her own pale skin looked even lighter against Fati's deep bluish skin. She closed her eyes as Fati did something quite similar to a Portkey, and she was spirited away.

[-]

"Are you alright, child?" Fati asked when they had landed.

"Just a bit dizzy," Hermione replied. "I'll be alright...eventually."

Fati laughed. "Sister, dear! I have brought before you the Golden child."

"Honestly, Fati. Do you not take your job seriously?"

Hermione looked up at the sound of the voice and smiled. So this was Vita. While Fati was a vision in darkness, Vita was a vision in light. Bright white wings, silver hair, white eyes, and lilac skin. A complete opposite to Fati.

"Greetings, Golden child. My name is Vita. I welcome you to my domain."

"So...is this Heaven then?" Hermione asked meekly.

The sisters shared a laugh.

"Close, child, but not quite. While my sister here is Death, I am Life. She is Fate, I am Soul. She has brought you to me because someone somewhere made a mistake in your fate."

"Which pisses me off," Fati interjected.

"Hush sister mine. They will be dealt with accordingly. Now, anyone who enters Heaven must have not had their fates tampered with."

"Mine was tampered with?"

Vita eyes grew soft. "Yes. You haven't had an easy life, child. We wish to give that back to you. You were supposed to have kids, grandkids, and even great-grandkids before you passed. However, the only Wood heir died with you.

"You mean I-?"

Vita and Fati nodded as one. Hermione felt her eyes tearing up.

"It was what we had hoped for," Hermione said, placing a hand on her flat stomach. "And now we'll never get it."

"Do not fret, Golden child, for we offer something of great value to you," Fati whispered.

"We offer you life. Someone has tampered with the fate and the soul, and life and death will tamper back. We will return you to the time before your death. It is then that you must make a choice. Turn and fight with those coward enough to hit you when your back is turned, or-"

"Or tell the others what you know now and let them finish the job."

"Make your choice."

"I will go back and make things right. I wish to save my child, but I cannot leave the others to fend for themselves. I will turn and fight the one who killed me once before." Hermione said, defiance flashing in her chocolate orbs.

Vita and Fati looked at each other and nodded.

"Know this, Golden child. If you shall be caught off guard again..."

"Then I will come back for you, once again, but instead of getting offered this again, you'll be headed up straight to Heaven."

"We ask once again, flee or fight?"

"I fight."

"So be it," Vita said, grasping her sister's left hand with her right.

"Fate and Death with Soul and Life call their power to the surface. Send this Golden child back where she belongs, with the knowledge she possesses. Take our hands now, child, while the power is still raw and new."

Fati and Vita held out their hands, and Hermione grabbed them both. Power beyond her wildest dreams surged through her body as she closed her eyes against the agitating sensations. Somehow, this felt like it was too much. She opened her mouth to say something, but then, it stopped and Hermione fell unconscious once more.

[-]

Something was wrong. Hermione knew without even moving. She was far too comfortable to be in the wilderness, scouring for dark activity. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking them a few times as she sat up.

"Now wait a minute," she mumbled, looking around.

It looked like her old room, when she was much younger. But...what was she doing there? She climbed out of bed, her pajama bottoms sliding across the floor as she walked. She headed into her own bathroom that was connected to her bedroom and looked in the mirror. Her eyes widened as she clamped a hand over the scream that tried to come from her mouth.

"I'm eleven again. Oh Merlin, I'm eleven again. What's the date, what's the date?" She mumbled, fumbling out of her bathroom. "September first. The first day of school. Fati, Vita, what have you done?"

A black cat came slinking into her bedroom. It jumped up on her bed, looking at her with dark blue eyes.

"Fati?" Hermione whispered.

"The one and only, child," the cat answered, stretching.

"Where is Vita?"

"I am here, Golden child," she answered in the form of a white cat with purple eyes, as it slunk into her bedroom much like Fati had.

"What did you two do?" Hermione hissed.

"What did we do, sister mine?" Fati asked, turning to look at Vita.

"I think we used a little too much power, sister mine. You must remember, we have never done that before."

"So you sent me back twelve years? Do you know how hard it was to get Oliver away from Quidditch the first time?" Hermione groaned.

"Think of it this way, child," Fati said, grinning. "You like Quidditch and flying a lot more now, don't you? And what better way into a Keeper's heart than by talking about Quidditch?"

"Are you both going to stick by me?" Hermione asked cautiously. "I mean, cats can be used as pets, but I thought you could only have one."

"You are the brightest, Golden child. Remember that. You'll think of something." Vita said, kneading at the quilt on Hermione's bed before lying down.

"Well, I know what's going to happen. What will happen, what might happen...oh sod it." Hermione muttered, knowing that the two special cats were laughing at her.

She marched into the bathroom, well aware that she couldn't perform magic with her wand, but...

"Nobody said anything about a little wandless magic," Hermione said smugly.

She waved her hand in front of her and watched as her bushy hair became silky curls and her teeth straightened and shortened.

"Now that that's out of the way...Fati, do care to enlighten me on who looks good for this seasons Quidditch won't you?" Hermione asked.

"Personally, I believe the Wimbourne Wasps are-"

"That's a load of crock dear sister mine! Everyone knows that Appleby Arrows can throw down with the Wasps any day!"

Hermione left the two sisters to argue as she went to take her shower. When she came back, squeaky clean and ready to tackle the day, the two sisters were on opposite sides of her bed, not speaking to each other.

"Come now guys. It's just a little Quidditch." Hermione said. Uh oh...that's what I said to Oliver when-

"Just a LITTLE Quidditch, dear Golden child?" Vita spat.

"Quidditch is anything but little, child!"

"Okay, okay! I've argued with Oliver already about this. Or...I did. I will. Sweet Merlin this is going to give me a headache."

Hermione dressed quickly, shedding the towel she had for some decent slacks and a purple jumper. She grabbed her trunk with everything in it, waving her hand at it as she did her hair and teeth. It shrunk to the size of a tiny car and she pocketed it when she put on her jacket. Stopping for a moment, she tied her hair up in a simply ponytail before she headed down the stairs.

Vita and Fati followed her, continually arguing back and forth.

"Shh you two," Hermione whispered. "My mum is in the kitchen."

The cats both shut up as Hermione sat down at the table.

"Good morning, Hermione," her mother said.

"Morning Mum. When's Dad getting up? We have to be there soon you know."

"Yes, we know. What did you do to your hair?" Emma asked, just now looking at her daughter.

"It's called magic, Mum. Isn't it lovely? I can put it up now." Hermione said.

"Yes I see. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but Vita and Fati probably are."

"Ah yes. The cutest cats I've ever seen." Emma said, heading back into the kitchen.

"Vita?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? We couldn't just show up unannounced could we? Your parents think that you bought us when you went shopping. No harm done."

"And your mother thinks we're cute," Fati added as they all laughed together.

"For some reason, I have a feeling that things will be better this time around," Hermione said, looking at the two cats.

Fati and Vita did nothing but wink and smile at the witch.

[-]

So...I own nothing but Fati and Vita, and...do what you normally do! Press the lonely button and tell me what you think!

-Ninja