Jewel

VIII

Zoe was waiting for them when they reached the bottom of the spiral staircase. She was flanked by two menacing-looking men.

She introduced them with a gesture. "Nathaniel and Rhavin. They will come with us by the grace of lady Andromache. They have crossed the Pits before, multiple times. They know all the ways."

The vampire called Rhavin extended his hand to Blaise. "You are linked to the Syl family. I am of the same clan. Please accept my friendship as a kinmember." The Italian man blinked in surprise, but did not hesitate in taking the vampire's hand.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, scowled and leaned against the wall. "We do not have time for niceties, Rhavin. Riddle is on his way, as should we be."

Dropping Blaise's hand, Rhavin arched an eyebrow at the male. "Then lead the way, Sourcerer." Nathaniel's scowl deepened, but he turned and stalked away down the corridor without further comment. Harry shrugged and followed him, the others close on his heels.

The entrance to the Pits was an impressive stone gate, shimmering with power. Runic seals ran all the way around it. Zoe, however, just passed her hand over the surface to urge them to part. Without a sound, they slid back. Hermione had to bite back a surprised yelp - the amount of power that had flowed through Zoe's hands was tremendous, but the vampire hadn't even blinked.

She didn't get any time to ponder over the locking mechanism, though - one by one, her companions were stepping through the gaping doorway. She quickly followed them - on her heels, the doors slid closed again.

The dark aura behind the doors rammed all the air out of her lungs. Gasping, she clawed at her throat, fumbled for her wand and cast a small cleansing spell on her own energy. The blur passed from her eyes immediately, only to reveal Harry in very much the same situation. She had to cast the spell on him twice before he stopped gagging.

Zoe, Nathaniel and Rhavin watched them impassively. "Are you fit to continue?" the female asked, disdain dripping from every syllable.

"Shut up, Zoe," growled Ron, "even vampires feel it the first time."

"Time is of the essence," bit Nathaniel back. "If they slow us down... let's just say I have no wish to be found here with them."

"We're fine," said Harry suddenly, strength laced through his voice. Hermione looked at him, surprised - he was surrounded by a halo of power, light almost visibly pouring off him. He caught her gaze and shrugged. "Just let go of your seals. We might as well live up to being powerful, down here."

She opened her mouth to protest - then shut it, and nodded. He was obviously right - whatever threat there was around, it wouldn't be any use to try and stay concealed if that meant losing time. Concentrating on her body, she opened the seals that kept her power in line, one by one. She immediately felt better.

Turning 'round to check how Blaise was doing, she caught him staring at her. "What?" she said, startled, looking down to see if there was anything askew.

"Nothing," he said too quickly, and closed his eyes for a split second. When he opened them, he too was immersed in an aura of power.

Hermione nodded at him, then turned back to face the vampires. Ron looked rather smug, the other three still stood indifferently.

"We can go, now," she said.

~*~

The rogue vampires attacked together, in groups of sixes or sevens - quite like a pack of rabid dogs. Hermione pushed some strands of hair out of her face - it had tangled out of the braid she'd spelled it in, and was sweaty and covered in filth once more.

"Here they come again," said Rhavin in a low voice, and sent a ripple of force down the hallway, breaking through a shield and exposing the vampires that had been holding it.

Blaise hurled an intricate looking curse at them - it hit the front three undead, who combusted spontaneously, and threw the other ones back. Harry sent a sunbeam in their direction, torching another one - the vampires left quickly scampered away in the shadows.

Zoe lowered the arm that had been shielding her eyes. "Watch where you point that sunbeam, human," she snapped.

Nathaniel put a calming hand on her shoulder. "We should have scared them enough by now. Stick close - I want to cross the bridge before five minutes are out."

With that, he slid into the corridor ahead, quickly outstripping all of them. Blaise shrugged and cantered after him, the rest in tow - Hermione and Rhavin closing the column.

"How many of them are there?" she asked, hurrying down the hallway.

Rhavin caught up, now striding alongside her. "More than a hundred," he said, "but we're not exactly sure. They keep alive by animating Inferi - I suppose they must've Turned a couple of those by accident as well."

She nodded. "But the ones we've encountered weren't really powerful, were they?"

Rhavin shook his head. "No, the more powerful ones hide in the lower catacombs. That's not where we're headed, though - when we manage to cross the bridge we can take a shortcut through the Alleys."

"Alleys?" Hermione queried.

"Some heavily warded tunnels we keep for surveillance. If one of them gets too strong, we have to dispatch it before it gets any ideas."

It. Apparently, the clans considered the rogues as little more than beasts.

"Who keeps surveillance?"

"Mostly Sourcerers, some other clanmembers. It's not a very desirable job." Scorn dripped from his every syllable; he obviously wanted to end the conversation. She ignored it; there was something nagging her still.

"But if there's surveillance further down, why do we have to fight our way to the entrance? That doesn't seem a very well thought-out solution."

"The Pits used to be smaller. We didn't put up more Alleys on the new edges because every one of us can handle the creatures roaming the outskirts. Besides, if we put up surveillance, we might as well make them scared of us in the process."

She turned towards him. "Every one of you can handle a band of seven rogues?"

"Let's just say that if you can't, you won't be doing this job for much longer."

They continued in silence.

~*~

The bridge was a thin strip of stone, hardly more than two feet wide, covering an abyss that seemed to run down into infinity. "Bottomless pit," said Nathaniel harshly. "Lose your footing and spend an eternity falling."

"Don't patronize me," spat Hermione, quickly stepping onto the stone path. It seemed to take an ages before she reached the other side, but when she did, she hurriedly put up a ward at the mouth of the corridor.

Not a moment too soon - a few shadows slipped away from the walls, sliding further back into the black tunnel entrance.

She was soon joined by Zoe and Blaise. Zoe immediately put her hand on one wall, chanting. The stone had started shimmering when Ron and Harry followed them, and had formed into a small ornate archway when Nathaniel and Rhavin brought up the rear.

"Welcome to the Alleys," Zoe said to all humans present, and slipped through the archway.

When all of them had passed, the spell holding the door open collapsed once more. No more than seconds after that, black shadows grouped in front of it, feeling down the wall to find an opening.

Looking back to the archway, Hermione shuddered. The opening was as clear as a sheet of glass from this side, and she could discern a lot of red irises and bared fangs. It reminded her of Ulcridwe Castle.

"Come," said Zoe, shaking her out of her reverie. The Alleys were brightly lit - the corridor glowed with torchlight. Hermione squared her shoulders and resolutely turned her back on the shadows.

Rhavin and Nathaniel were already leading the way - they seemed to be using the runes inscribed on the walls to find their route. Ron fell back to walk next to her.

"You all right, 'Mione?" he said, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, fine," she lied, once again pulling her hair back in a spellbound braid.

"Look, I know it's not gonna make any difference, but I just wanted to say I was sorry," he said gruffly, staring dead ahead.

She looked at him, incredulous. "For what?"

"For almost biting your head off," he started, then hesitated, "amongst other things."

She smiled. "That's all right, Ron."

He glanced at her and smiled in response. "All right then."

Quite unexpectedly she ran into Harry, who had suddenly stopped walking. When she peered at him questioningly, his face was a scrunched-up mask of pain.

"Voldemort's here," he said through clenched jaws, "and he ain't happy."

Zoe's response was immediate. Pressing her hands to a wall, she closed her eyes. Hermione felt a power surge, as if all the magic in the air around her was sucked away - then a blue wave flew across the walls.

"To all guards - strengthen the portals, shelter all magic and take cover. There is evil on the way."

The voice vibrated along the walls, filling them with eerie echoes and sending shivers down Hermione's spine. Immediately, the torchlight dimmed, leaving them to stand in a half-shadow.

"Come," said Nathaniel, who was supporting a swaying Zoe, "we do not have much time left."

~*~

The one in command of the Alleys hadn't left any of his orders open for interpretation, mused Hermione as they hurried down another seemingly endless corridor. They'd encountered several small groups of Clan vampires, and none of those had seemed inclined to question their presence. Sure, they'd all shown respect to Ron, and some of them had looked rather surprised at the fact that there were humans in the Alleys, but not a single one amongst them had slowed their step.

Rhavin paused briefly to examine the runes on the nearest wall. "Apologies," muttered Nathaniel, "we've strayed far from the beaten path. Even we need directions here."

Harry shrugged. "At least that means that Voldemort won't catch up - he'll have to find his way, as well."

"Don't be so sure of that," commented Zoe. "Tom Riddle was a master in the ways of the Pits, when he lived here."

"You knew him?" asked Hermione as they sped off down a darkened hallway.

"Yes," the other female said curtly. "I did not like him. Besides being blatantly human, he resembled Gyuryan quite remarkably."

With a glance at Hermione's face, she added, "Gyuryan was the leader of the rogues, back then. Of course, we killed him when he tried to surface. He was quite mad."

Blaise grinned at Hermione's frown. "Keep breathing. You can't know the name of every dark wizard in history."

She scowled at him.

After another fifteen minutes of brusque walking, Rhavin's step faltered. "We have arrived," he said quietly.

Zoe nodded. "You must continue by yourself, from this point on."

Hermione looked incredulous. "But you promised to..."

"That has nothing to do with it. When Riddle planted his artefact, he put a Ward around the perimeter. It prevents everything not fully human from passing it. Only the Elders are strong enough to survive inside. We would die within minutes."

She gestured to the end of the corridor. "The ward did not include the Alleys, which is why we were able to get this far. However, the quickest route for you to take now would be to go through this archway. The hallway behind it will lead directly to the Sealed Chamber. We will follow you through the alleys. We will not be far away."

Ron whistled through his teeth. "I knew Lord Gabriel was going along with it too easily."

"You are lucky to even get them down here, Seraphim or no," bit Nathaniel back.

"I think you have not realized how lucky you are, vampire," said Blaise. "If we had not come, Voldemort would have killed anything alive inside this Manor without thinking twice."

"Do you contest the strength of the Vampires?" hissed Zoe. "Clanfriend or no, I will..."

"You underestimate the strength of wizardry, Sourceress," spoke Harry, his voice laced with power, his eyes filmed with blue.

"Calm yourself, all of you," snapped Hermione. "We don't have time for a power game. Zoe, is this a map of the warded area?"

Not taking her eyes off Harry, the vampire nodded. Quickly conjuring a piece of paper, Hermione pressed it onto the etching in the wall and passed her hand over it. When she pulled way, the etchings had neatly copied itself onto the parchment.

"What is the spellword sealing the arches?" she asked.

"Sohrenin," replied Rhavin, "but wait..." He pulled some glowing gems out of one of his pockets and gave one to each of the humans. "When you wear this, you'll be able to walk through the archways without having to cast spells. They only work inside the warded area - if they worked everywhere, and a rogue ever got to one..." he trailed off under Nathaniel's withering stare.

"Thank you," said Blaise earnestly, putting the stone in his pocket.

Harry had reigned in his strength somewhat, and looked slightly embarrassed as he shoved his stone in a trouser pocket, as well. "Thanks," he muttered. Hermione put hers on a cord she'd conjured and tied it around her neck - it was probably strong magic, she figured, and she didn't want to risk putting it with either of her wands.

"We should be going, then," she said, turning towards the vampires once more.

Ron looked utterly miserable. "Good luck," he said softly. She nodded at him, and then without wasting any more time stepped through the archway - it felt like walking through a liquid mirror.

Within seconds, the others joined her. She glanced back at the way they'd come - it looked like a sheer stone wall again. She knew the vampires could still see them, though.

She squared her shoulders, glanced at the map and stalked off down the corridor.

Whatever happened now, they were on their own.

~*~

The hallway was deserted. The taint was almost tangible here - even with all her seals open, Hermione found it hard to focus. A glance in Harry's direction told her he wasn't having the same problem, though - if anything, he seemed to be stronger. The display of power he'd put up in front of the vampires was nothing compared to the force that was waving off him now - Hermione was sure she could see sparks shimmer in the air around him.

He caught her gaze. "I don't know what it is," he said almost apologetically, "it's as if my magic is reacting to this air. I can't do anything about it."

"Polar opposites getting closer," said Blaise. "We're walking towards the first Horcrux Voldemort ever made. Every time he made a Horcrux, he split his soul in half - meaning that, right now, we're closing in on the biggest piece of Voldemort's soul that still exists. Even the body itself is animated with only a very tiny part of it."

"And he's still this powerful," breathed Hermione. "Thank Ciàran he didn't think of leaving his soul whole, and finding immortality elsewhere - who knows what he could have done!"

Harry sniggered. "He probably doesn't see it that way, you know."

Hermione huffed. "He's insane. What would he know?"

Turning a corner into another ornate hallway, Hermione saw a light shimmering in the distance. She glanced down at the map. "That's the chamber's Seal," she whispered, "come on!"

They sped down the corridor. The light got brighter as they closed in on it - when they finally reached it, they found themselves in front of a mirror, shimmering with power. She could clearly discern their faces in its strange depths - Harry looking more powerful than ever, Blaise slightly out of breath but also radiating magic, she herself looking rather rattled.

She scowled. Why did she always end up looking like a hag after she'd ran for five minutes?... her scowl turned into a frown - why was she thinking about her looks at a time like this?

Harry, in the mean while, stood stock-still, staring at the clear surface. Suddenly, he raised his hand and touched it - clear ripples emanated from the spot his fingers had brushed, emanating a strange vibration - as if someone had just brushed past a very big bronze gong.

She looked at the mirror in wonder - the vibrations intensified - go into the mirror - took one step towards it - the sound echoed along the hall, bouncing back and back and forth - into the mirror - she took another step - and further forth

the sound crashed into her vibrating through her bones singing through her blood she was going to die her head was splitting open noise falling around her enveloping her fingers were shaking her skin would burst head crack sound spilling out brain pounding was going to die bones splintering to die blood gushing die die die

She came to lying on the floor. With some difficulty, she pushed herself up to her elbows, rubbing her eyes - they were open, but it was very dark - "Harry?" she said, voice hoarse. The echoes of the gong still played in her head, but at least she was conscious. "Blaise?"

"I'm here," said a voice to her right, "wait - " she heard a small sound - a match flared. Harry looked at her, eyes unfocused, through cracked glasses. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and asked, "What happened? Where's Blaise?" just as the match burned down.

"Next to you - I think we set off a ward. Wait, let me try some magic..." His wand lit up, illuminating the hallway they were lying in. Blaise was sprawled on the floor, eyes closed. "You were walking straight at it," said Harry, looking at her strangely, "as if you wanted to enter it or something. He jumped and caught you - well, two seconds too late. Is he all right?"

The Italian male groaned in response. "Please, don't ever make me do that again," he said with difficulty, working himself up to a sitting position. "What did it do?"

"I think it told Voldemort exactly where we were," rasped Hermione. "It's a race, now."

Harry nodded, and scrambled to his feet. "Right," he said, "this shouldn't be too hard." He ran his hands along the now sheer stone wall, muttering incantations.

After a few seconds, Hermione felt a surge of power. "Harry," she said, "be - " With another ripple of force, Harry was picked up bodily and thrown back across the hall. " - careful," she finished lamely.

"It's black magic," said Blaise matter-of-factly, "let me try."

Harry arched an eyebrow at him from his position on the floor, but bounded to his feet and shrugged as he walked back towards them. "Knock yourself out, mate."

Hermione swallowed as she stared back into the shadowy hallway. "I think you'd better hurry, Blaise," she said, as the shuffling noises became clearer. "We've got company."

~*~

The fourth wave of Inferi bore down on them, and she felt her shields waver slightly. "I don't understand where they came from, all of the sudden," growled Harry in between spellfire. "These corridors were deserted just now - " He hurled another Balefire Spell at the line of staggering figures - "and within seconds the place is crawling with them!"

More balefire thundered down the hall, filling it with pure white light - the undead evaporated, only to be replaced by another score of empty-eyed faces.

"The ward must've called them," said Hermione through gritted teeth, fighting to hold up her protective spells. She had both her wands pointed in front of her already, but sweat was rapidly filling her eyes. "Any luck over there?" she half-yelled over her shoulder. Blaise didn't stop muttering.

"Well, he hasn't been blasted through twenty feet of air yet, which to me seems like a definite improvement," muttered Harry, "watch out, Hermione, they're coming from the left, as well."

She started and glanced to the indicated direction - undead fingers were prodding through her web of spells. Another wave of force sent them flying back, where they were caught in an Inferno spell of Harry's.

"Still, it doesn't make sense," Harry said, catching his breath. "That ward is supposed to hold the undead off, not call them towards it."

"Yes, but only when the undead are the biggest threat. I suppose it's realized that we are a greater danger to whatever's inside than a pack of mindless corpses," said Hermione, throwing a few stunning spells at the first of the undead crawling back towards them.

They all froze at a slow, thunderous sound coming from behind them. "I've got it!" yelled Blaise, and Hermione half-turned to see the sheer wall showing a deepening crack in the middle - and then, with the sound of a thousand trains pulling their emergency brakes, drew apart.

Hermione turned back to the Inferi again - only to find them scampering back off into the darkness.

"We beat them?" said Harry, hesitation in his voice.

"No," replied Hermione, dread making the bile rise from her stomach, "I think that whatever lays behind that door scares them more than being killed by us."

With one more excruciating screech, the gates came to a halt. Pale blue light filled the cracked archway between them - nothing could be seen beyond it. "That has to be the base ward," Hermione breathed, as she leaned towards it carefully. When it came in contact with her fingertips, it sent a wave of sparks up her arm, tingling all the way.

"No wonder those Inferi ran," she said, wonder in her voice. She'd pulled her hand back, but the sparks were still playing around her fingertips. "It's pure white energy. Anything animated would be sucked dry in seconds."

Harry grinned darkly. "And here we finally find the other half of Voldemort's energy balance. I wondered where he'd stashed it."

Blaise looked nauseous. "Yeah, but if he comes here, and takes all this energy back into his body - it's been tainted for years! He'll have power rivalling a demon's!"

Hermione swallowed, and squared her shoulders. "Well, we're here to try and stop that."

Harry shot her a smile. "Thanks for tagging along."

She punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

They stepped into the light.

~*~

The hall that lay beyond the light was filmed with blue and eerily quiet. Hermione shivered as she passed through the gate - it felt as if all the hairs on her body were standing on end.

"There it is," whispered Harry - and there it was; standing in the middle of a room, an ornate pillar on which a mirror lay, carefully arranged on a black velvet cushion.

Cautiously, checking every step for booby traps, they made their way over to it.

"It seems perfectly normal," said Blaise, peering at the gilded frame. "Are we sure this is it?"

"It must be," said Hermione, a little hesitantly - "If it weren't, why would Voldemort be so fussy about it? It has to be it." Doubt started to overtake her, though. It did look perfectly ordinary.

Harry suddenly laughed. "Finite incantatem," he shouted, waving his hand through the air.

"Harry, what.." started Hermione - what if he'd compromised the integrity of the balance - and then she felt her doubt suddenly sliding off her. The very air around the damned thing had been spelled.

"Well, at least we're sure this is it, then," said Harry, leaning closer. "I wonder..." Suddenly his face turned ashen, and he pulled away sharply.

"What's wrong," Hermione asked hurriedly, "what happened?"

"Look at the inscription on the top of the thing," Harry said gruffly, rubbing his temples. She obeyed, turning to the mirror once more. Along the top of the mirror, she could discern letters...

eray lur tuo yohw tu becafr u oyton woshi

"I show not your face but who you truly are," she whispered. "Oh, Harry, what did you see?"

"You don't want to know," he bit out, "trust me."

She bit her lip. "It's probably not true, you know - it's been possessed, and..."

"Just - forget it, Hermione. Okay?"

Still a bit worried, she nodded. That mirror was clearly evil. But... Common sense battled curiosity for a while, and lost. She sneaked a peek herself.

At first, she only saw her own face. She frowned at it, wondering - and then suddenly her gaze was drawn to her eyes - in her eyes, her face was reflected again, and in that reflection was another reflection, and another, and another...

Countless reflections zoomed away into infinity, each with a very small change in them. The subtle changes got bigger and bigger - the image resembling her own face less and less - until she found herself staring into the face of Bellatrix Lestrange.

She yelped and started back, but right before she broke eye contact with the grinning horror image, something whispered in her ear - are you sure that isn't you?

She shook her head violently. No, that wasn't her, that wasn't who she was turning into, it couldn't be, she'd never be like that woman, hell would have to freeze over - but are you really, really sure?

She caught Harry's pained gaze and suddenly understood whose face he'd seen in the mirror. "No way, Harry," she said softly. He shot her a wan smile.

Blaise cleared his throat loudly. "All right. Whatever is going on with that mirror, I don't like what it does to you two. I vote we get rid of it." With that, he drew his wand and cast a reducto at it.

Hermione was just in time with throwing up the shield - the curse bounced back from the shimmering surface of the mirror and would have incinerated its caster had she been any slower. "I think we should be a little more careful when it comes to throwing hexes at cursed objects," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Touché," said Blaise, rubbing his neck, "thanks."

"It still leaves the question - what do we do now? We can't stay here any longer, Voldemort can be here any second," said Harry, glancing back at the still-shimmering doorway leading back into the Pits.

"We take it with us," said Hermione resolutely, pulling a piece of magick-repelling silk out of the recesses of her robe and gingerly wrapping it around the handle of the mirror.

"I'll take it," said Harry quickly, taking the mirror out of her hands and holding it face-down in front of him.

"Then we should get the hell out of here," said Blaise. "Voldemort can't be far off."

They ambled back to the doorway, as careful as ever. Hermione's thoughts weren't on it, though. What if I really am alike to Bellatrix Lestrange? Worse, what if my hunch is true and Harry really saw -

"Hermione?" she heard Blaise call tentatively. "We have to go." Suddenly realizing she'd been staring at the pillar, she turned back towards her companions, and with them stepped back through the light.

~*~

On the other side, the hallway was deserted once more.

Harry immediately clapped his hand to his forehead, though. "He's close," he grunted, "we should hurry."

Hermione nodded and drew the map of the warded area out of her pocket. "The best way to go would be down the hall and then to the right," she said after consulting it for a second. "That would get us out the fastest."

Harry nodded and strode down the hallway, step slightly faltering as he swayed, presumably of the headache. Blaise turned towards her, looking slightly worried.

"What happened back there? What did you two see?"

Hermione swallowed. "Something I really, really hope isn't true."

He shook his head gallantly. "Whatever it was, it has to be as far from truth as anything can be. That thing has been tainted by a madman, and should be treated accordingly."

She smiled at him as Blaise started to turn towards the hall once more - and then a wave of power crashed over them. Blaise pressed her into the wall, shielding her from its force, but she couldn't help but notice that the blue light that had shone from the entrance of the Seal chamber had winked out. She looked up at him, dread washing through her every fibre.

His expression had turned ashen, and he wasn't quite meeting her eyes.

"Where's the closest entrance to the Alleys," he said, sounding rather strained.

"Over there," she indicated, "but -" He drew her against the wall, grabbed the jewel around her neck and pulled. She felt the string snap.

"Blaise - what's going on, where's Harry?" He didn't reply, but turned around and started forcing her in the direction of the Alley entrance.

She became aware of sounds coming from down the hallway. Shuffling feet, but also a voice, which had to be Harry's. She made to call him, to ask what was wrong - and then she heard another voice. And another. And another.

Blaise's back kept blocking her view of the hallway. He was backing away rapidly now, pushing her further and further towards the wall behind which safety lay. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she heard him pant, "I think it wasn't meant to be."

Suddenly he turned sharply, allowing her a glimpse of what he'd been trying to hide - a score of white-masked figures, Voldemort at the front, surrounded by a frightening halo of blue light, cackling - Harry, lying in a spreading pool of almost black liquid, the mirror of Eray still in his hands - she screamed, clawing at Blaise to let her past - but he gripped her waist firmly, pushing her through the wall.

As she felt the ward slide around her like water, she could finally see his face - his eyes were like a liquid blue fire, burning right into her heart - then she was through, the solid seeming wall as clear and transparent as glass from this side. She pounded her fists against it, but it wouldn't give way - she saw the jewel Rhavin had given her dangling from Blaise's fingers.

She realized she was screaming, for Harry, for Blaise - for him to tell her what he had meant - and then he turned away, wand outstretched. She couldn't hear the curses, but she saw the green light shooting from his wand, she saw some of the distant Death Eaters falling -

And then she saw the beam of green light coming in the other direction, hitting Blaise squarely in the chest. She saw him fall, wand clattering away, saw his broken eyes stare at the ceiling.

Arms were wrapped around her, pulling her away from the ward. She fought, clawed at them, still yelling for the two dead men in the hallway, sobs starting to push through her throat. "You must come," said Zoe, "they will find the portal soon. You must leave this place. There is nothing more you can do."

She suddenly went limp, causing the vampire to loosen her grip. "They're dead," the pale girl said softly, "and the dead do not hear your calls, nor do they heed your sorrow. There is nothing you can do."

"I'll be damned if there isn't," Hermione growled, moving with snakelike speed - before the vampire could stop her, she'd whipped out the thin golden chain of her Time-Turner and flipped it back.

You couldn't change the past, she knew.

Perhaps you could change the future.