A/N: This drabble is an entry into the Movie Quotes Drabble Challenge and the Doctor Who Quote Challenge. It uses quotes from Doctor Who, Sweeney Todd, and Lord of the Rings. It takes place in an obviously AU world where Harry Potter is dead, but the fight against Voldemort continues.

Words: 214

It had been with mixed feelings that he had accepted Hermione Granger as his mentor. He had known that, years ago, she had been hailed as the brightest witch of her age and that she had fought alongside Harry Potter, but the Hermione Granger of today was a cold, distant woman. She had become a far cry from the innocent Gryffindor she had once been.

"You strike them any way you can," she had told him. "The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters won't hesitate to use any means possible to destroy you. Don't give them the chance. Deadly force is the best option. Using stunning spells and inflicting minor wounds may let you get away for a time, but they leave behind a still dangerous adversary who could very well kill you or someone you care about in the future."

"I do not believe it! I will not!" he had shouted at her. "We can't be like him. We have to be better than him."

For one long moment, she had simply stared at him with the haunted eyes of someone who had seen too much. Then she had spoken. "You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn."

That was the last time he had ever seen her alive.