We Are Angels

Chapter Three

Draco stormed through the doors of Snape's office, if his eyes weren't already the blue shade of perfect serenity then he could have sworn that they would have turned red. His hair was falling across his eyes and his fists were clenched in what may have been hatred.

"You went to Hermione?" he hollered accusingly at Snape.

Snape didn't even look up from the potion he was brewing. The concoction was bubbling violently, the smell rancid, and the heat it was emitting supreme. "You know your greatest fear is that she'll become just like you?"

"Impossible, I'm the only Angel of Life," he spat.

"You know what I mean Mr. Malfoy, she'll be like you, consumed by a one single purpose. The purpose to take lives, you'll be competing as you try to save the lives of those she craves," Snape added entiwhistle water to the liquid, it sputtered purple smoke and as he waved away the smog he looked up to see his lively counterpart.

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean, its supposed to be a reward, this half-being, but it's a torture."

Ladling some of the thick serum in a series of a dozen glass vials Snape looked up, "You have to face your fears, that's the only way to get rid of them."

"You shouldn't talk. You've got no fears, you're the Angel of Fear, you create fear."

Tartly Snape said, "Don't you have some lives to save?"

Angrily Draco stomped his foot in a most undignified manner, "I am trying to save somebody, they're just not alive anymore."

Shaking his head Snape looked up at Draco, meeting his blue eyes with his black ones, "You know the rules, you can't save her, she has to save herself. Though you could simply overcome your greatest fear."

Sarcastically Draco said, "Right, I'll just hop off into Sherwood Forest with my Merry Men and using only a long piece of feathered wood save her. Sure, great advice, have you told Potter and Weasley?"

"Yes, now what are Merry Men?"

***

Ginny ran, and she ran, her feet pounding into the stone floor, her small bruised body slammed into the door to the tower. What she saw before her caused her to collapse in a huddled heap on the ground, sobbing gently into her hand she knew it was too late.

Hermione stood atop the tower in front of her exercising powerful wings projecting themselves from her back. Ginny wiped her tears, and rubbed her hand along the bruise blooming on her jaw. Forget the line, Hermione was gone, all she had was an angel now.

Inside Ginny knew the blow to her face should have left her on the floor for hours, but she had a sneaking ideal that a certain Angel of Life had kept her from blacking out.

Cringing at the cramps forming in her legs Ginny stood up, only to gasp again in awe. Spreading out in front of her for miles was the sad remains of Hermione's battalion, all dropped on one knee, their heads bent in reverence, lips murmuring a pledge to their angel. Cursing Ginny let her feet fall back from under her and she too bowed to death.

***

Dawn arrived, bright and cool, the grass of Hogwart's green, but quietly the troops of Hermione's battalion infiltrated the grounds, and in a few short moments she knew the grass would be Christmas colors.

Pulling a flask out from her hip pocket she threw back a mouthful of courage, silently she offered it to Ginny next to her. Ginny declined frowning at her.

Patiently Hermione waited for the moment, she never knew how she recognized the moment, but she always did. And she waited, not anxious in the slightest, though Ginny was shifting nervously from foot to foot.

Bored Hermione began to walk a small dagger up her fingers, the blade and her new ebony talons reflected the few strands of sunlight that filtered through the trees. Flicking the dagger back into its holster Hermione piqued her ears in the wind.

Not yet.

Vaguely she wondered what had happened to her, the old Hermione would have known, but she was a new person. She liked her wings, and her talons, her cool new transportation wasn't bad either. Knowing she was altered she took a step backward, her boot heel landing on a twig, the twig didn't snap. Liking that too she twirled her hair around her nail, still bored.

Touching the pennant around her neck she tapped her nails against the fragile glass imprisoning Ron's love and she knew, knew who had changed her. She drew her sword. They had pulled her into battle. Her arm jousted the sword into the air. They had enveloped her in the damn cause, despite her lover's attempts to turn her. She poked her tongue out, tasting the air. Thank you to all the people who had never noticed her change. The moment was here. She was glad they had molded her to this, they had pushed the cause on her. Yelling she circled the sword point in the air. Surging forward she rushed her men forward.

Screw the cause. She was only here for the kill.

Chapter Four:

The release of energy that pounded out across Hogwarts grounds as Hermione's battle cry flew from her mouth was monstrous; it rattled every bone in Ginny's lithe frame. From one side of the forest surged Death Eaters and their accompanying green light, from her position in the trees Ginny charged out to meet them in her own wave of emerald hatred.

Vaguely Ginny registered that her killing curse had met its target, however she was far more concerned with the fate of her comrades and their leader. Around her friends were once again falling in the masses, grimly she wondered how these remaining masses had survived the other mass killing sprees Hermione lead them into. With one hand Ginny cast fast and furious spells, with the other she felt in her armor the small sword she had confiscated from her brother's bedside table.

It met with just as many guts as her spells did, its aim as sure and true.

Whirling two more fell from her deadly lance, as they tumbled to the grass she let go a small pray for their souls. War could make even a witch a religious person. A thump behind her made her realize a Death Eater had fallen at her heels. In his back was the familiar dagger Hermione had been playing with. A wry smile wheedled on to her face; it was taking the Angel of Death to save her. God, the irony.

***

As the Angel of Life Draco was having a very difficult time storming down the hall toward the front doors in a towering rage, a disability of having to be lively. His mind set was a storm of gray clouds threatening to explode, but the trail he was leaving in his path was flecked with his own personal gold calling card.

He heaved the heavy oak doors open, spread out before him was a slaughterhouse of human bodies. Death Eaters and the warriors of the Light, bleeding as one. Regretfully he searched for Hermione in the crowd of fighters still managing to fling spells at one another; he didn't check the piles of bodies. Death can not die. Finally his eyes settled on the top of the Astronomy Tower, ruefully he swore a heavy oath, this was all her doing. It had to stop, balance had to be had.

She was casually sitting on the edge of the tower, her legs swinging over the side, her wings were fluttering in excitement, and she was flipping various spells and small aerodynamic weapons at random victims.

Every life she claimed sent a sharp pain up his spine, hot as flame and lethal to any mortal. Lucky he was life. He appeared behind her on the tower and grasped her wrist before she had a chance to fling her next blade. "Let go," she growled digging her nails into the back of his hand.

"Fuck off," he said simply prying the dagger away from her hand and tying it to the other one behind her back. Gently he pulled her off the wall and settled her on the stone floor of the tower facing him. She roughly turned her head to face his and met his blue eyes with her now fierce obsidian ones.

"They have to die anyway, its my job," she said fiercely, reading his thoughts.

"Revenge can't be brought out on others."

"Yes it can!" Her hair flew wildly with mythical electricity and her eyes burned deeper in coal.

***

She glared hard at him. What was he wearing? He didn't look remotely good with silver wings, black was always more his color, but she was wearing the black. When his gaze remained steady with hers she blinked thick curling lashes and listened to the battle raging below her.

Curious she tried to find the sound of Harry or Ron hurtling hexes in the quagmire of death. Death had a pretty smell she thought, it was sweet and delicate, so true and pure.

She was totally unprepared for Draco to slap her harshly on the cheek, her eyes snapped open and she took to studying, apparently he had changed too. In more ways than she was willing to admit.

"That was not nice...lover," she said the last word slowly, savoring the sound of it in her mouth, taunting Draco with his, their, past.

Not taking her carrot her said, "So? I'm full of humanity, I can do whatever I want."

"Sure about that?"

It took her aback when he replied with unwavering confidence, "No."

***

Snape's attention was divided, he knew he should be watching Draco, keeping him from doing anything reckless and losing his wings. But the final battle was at hand and he had to show his colors. Tearing his eyes away from the bickering angels he resumed dropping his potion bottles on the Death Eaters. The effects were not pleasant to encounter, so he didn't watch, just moved on to the next pathetic lump and gave them a good dousing.

It was his job to balance life and death, by scaring the Death Eaters with his potion he was not tilting the scales, and he knew that was all he was allowed to do. Balance...his fear was the balance.

***

"Hermione, if I could let you go I would, but I'm just trying to face my fears and find a Happily Ever After," he said looking down at her from behind his fringe. He sounded sincere, but by now Hermione had worked out what he was and figured he could make himself ooze sincerity.

"Bullshit, there will never be a Happily Ever After," she said hotly, looking up at him from her heap on the cold stone glaring through the few straggling ends of hair that she couldn't manage to blow out of her face.

"Why not?" he asked sarcastically.

"Because there was not Once Upon a Time," she growled returning his sarcasm.

"Hermione, you can't keep abusing our power this way," he said squatting down so their eyes were level, blue and black, ebony and azure, bleu et noir.

Tilting her head to one side in mock misunderstanding she asked innocently, "Why ever not my Prince, surly not because your nobility and loyalty will stop me."

"I'm the Angel of Life...not some goddamned lion! Hermione you have to listen to me! You'll destroy yourself like this!" Draco seized her shoulder roughly and shook her hard, when he reached no response he roughly let go of her as though she was a toxin.

"You sound like Harry, and I thought you weren't a caring and loving bastard," she spat.

"How long as it been since you were sober, since you were in control of who you are, when last weren't you trying to kill yourself?" he asked standing back up again and kicking her boot.

Wincing as her foot twisted she struggled to meet his unwavering gaze, "I'm not going to kill myself, I just kill others...and I love it," she savored the last bit prolonging it on her tongue to gauge his reaction.

Draco didn't like hitting Hermione, but she responded to brute force and sarcasm. This time he pulled her to her feet by her thick hair knotted on her head, "Ouch!" she shrieked.

"Stop being a smartass and listen to me!"

Grudgingly she said, "Okay."

***

Ginny heard Hermione scream and turned quickly toward the Tower where her leader was, not friend, leader, she reminded herself. Knocking off a few more heads she cut a path through the battleground. Her red hair waved out, blocking her eyes, and making her loose her footing on the slick grass.

Disgusted she didn't look down to see the blood streaking the grass, she was halfway to the Tower when Snape fluttered down into her path, "No," he said calmly.

Looking harshly at him she made a motion to pass by him, he blocked her path again and said, "It's between them now." Ginny stared at him for a moment longer than conceded defeat and threw a lethal potion vial at the nearest Death Eater in frustration before joining back into the battle.

Behind her Snape flew off and hovered above the Tower, lightly he berated himself for being a hypocrite.

***

Hermione rubbed her wrists where the bindings Draco had used were gone. Putting her already healing hands down at her side she took a bold step forward, watching her target yet again. He made no move of surprise or fear, he was just a cautious as she was, and he too stepped forward.

She could have asked him why he let her go, but she didn't, such obvious questions would degrade her intelligence. " I'm listening," she said in a sugarcoated voice of sickly sweetened.

"You're abusing your power," he shrugged as if to say he thought she already knew it. "It's consumed you."

"And I like it, thanks much, but death suits me," she was just spreading her wings to take off when he spoke again.

"There was a time when only life suited you." Her wings stopped beating and lazily folded themselves in again as she braced herself over the edge of the wall, watching the battle below her, the terror, and the death...her death.

Enraptured in what he could possibly say Hermione replied, "When, tell me?"