Hermione utilizes her portal within the Room of Requirement to access to Department of Mysteries one last time while the Dark Lord and Draco finally realize just what she intends to do.

So, it was pointed out to me back when I had Hermione use the portal back in fourth year that it didn’t seem probable(which was a great thing to point out). This chapter contains the specifics of just how she was able to accomplish it using magic and how she is able to gain access again.

Rodolphus and Rabastan activated the portkey, returning to Hogsmeade with Hermione in tow.

“Thank you for helping me. I do appreciate it.”

Rodolphus bowed formally. “It was our pleasure, My Lady. Are you sure you don’t need us for anything else this evening?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, I think I can take it from here.”

Both men nodded and apparated away, leaving Hermione alone. Disillusioning herself, she made her made quickly back to the Room of Requirement, hoping that what she was about to do would work.

Back in fourth year, when she had gained access to the Department of Mysteries via the Room of Requirement, she’d utilized specific runes to essentially create a portal through time and space into the Department of Mysteries utilizing a spell she’d created: ‘portus spatium praetorian prophetiae.’

Essentially the spell broke down into portus spatium (to move through space) and praetorian prophetiae designating the Hall of Prophecy. She added on ‘filius testae’ which meant Son of Potter.

She’d taken a chance that it would send her to the most recent Prophecy given for the House of Potter, and she hadn’t been disappointed. She had spent the past two years maintaining the passageway, and as such, she was hopeful that it wouldn’t tax her magical core too much to attempt the spell again. It was her only option however, as she couldn’t ask Rodolphus or Rabastan to help her break into the DoM.

Before moving into the Room of Requirement, Hermione paced outside the door, imagining the room as she would need it. When it opened, she was pleased to see the room exactly as she’d left it in this configuration—ancient runes lined the walls on the far end of the room. Hagalaz the rune for air and space, Ehwaz the rune for the twin forces of nature (gravity and electromagnetism)...Berkana the rune for liberation—the breakdown through the barrier of wards...Raido, the rune for the journey that one must pass through...Algiz for protection on the journey, and finally Hermione added the final rune...Kaunaz—the rune for death.

Before she cast the spell that would activate the runes and hopefully open a passageway to the Death Chamber within the Department of Mysteries (according to Grindelwald, that was where the Veil was located); she sent her Patronus to Draco—telling him that she loved him, asking him to forgive her for what she was about to do and pleading with him to trust in her.

Once her Patronus had been sent, Hermione took out the Elder wand and pointed it at the runes and spoke the incantation ‘portus spatium praetorium mortem.’

In a flash of blinding blue and white light, the room starting swirling and Hermione felt her magic responding much easier than it had when she’d done the similar spell in fourth year. The increased power of the Elder Wand decreased the strain on her own magical core, and she watched in relief as the portal opened up.

Changing into her animagus form, she slithered through the portal and into a room that was dark, dank and cold. As soon as she had successfully passed, she morphed back into her human form and flicked the Elder Wand at the portal with a ‘finite.’

As she carefully took in her surroundings, she couldn’t help but feel the coldness within the room permeating inside her bones. The room itself was large and rectangular in shape, in the center of the room was a sunken stone pit about twenty feet deep, and in the center of the pit, unsupported by any wall was a huge stone archway. Walking a bit closer, she noticed some kind of tattered black curtain, which was fluttering as if there was a breeze flowing through it even though the room itself was very still and almost unbearably frigid.

She could hear whispered voices coming from behind the black curtain.

Elsewhere, the Dark Lord had apparated to Nurmengard—taking in the large castle, which was dark and forbidding, but had probably been quite the fortress in its heyday. Moving though the outer gate and into a small courtyard, Voldemort turned with his wand out when a guard came to greet him.

“Imperio.” Voldemort said firmly and directed the tall, thin wizard to take him to the cell of Gellert Grindelwald immediately.

When they’d reached the top cell on the highest tower, Voldemort ordered the guard to open the cell door, which he did without hesitation.

Stepping inside the cell, Voldemort sent out his magic in a hale storm of anger—listening with satisfaction as the prisoner within the confines of the small room groaned deeply in pain.

“You know who I am.” He didn’t pose it as a question, there was no reason for preamble at this point.

A harsh, wheezing sounded through the cell before a faint chuckle was heard in the darkness. The Dark Lord cast a lumos, brightening the cell so he could see the face of Grindelwald.

“I know who you are, Tom Riddle, and I know why you’re here.”

“Then speak, before I forget myself and skin you alive.”

The manic grin of the older wizard did nothing to soothe Tom’s ire as his eyes flashed red.

“I must say, Riddle or should I call you Lord Voldemort?” When the man himself didn’t speak, Grindelwald chuckled again. “You have quite the daughter—beautiful, cunning, unbelievably clever, loyal and brave to boot.”

“Where did she go? Where did you send her?” Tom snarled in rage, his magic spiking with dread and fear?

“Why, to do something that I’d failed to do in all my years! Even the great Albus Dumbledore didn’t achieve what your daughter has managed to. Uniting the Hallows. You must be proud.”

The feral gleam from the deranged prisoner angered Voldemort and without warning, he made eye contact with the wizard and ripped through his mind—replaying the conversation between Grindelwald and Hermione. When he’d seen enough, he pushed out of Grindelwald’s mind as painfully as possible causing the old wizard to howl in agony.

“You utter bastard!” Voldemort snarled in manic rage, his magic lashing out of control. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

Grindelwald just cackled at the wizard glaring down at him, barely holding in his fear and rage.

“I didn’t think it was possible. When I’d heard of your first rise and disappearance and whispers reached even my ears that you hadn’t truly been vanquished. Horcruxes are tricky pieces of magic, yes? I believe your own daughter wears one—the ring? She’s bound her essence to yours. Did you not think that she might seek a way to unite the Hallows? And now you understand the price she will have to pay to do so. You may even be too late to stop it. For all your power, you aren’t Master of Death, Riddle.”

Grindelwald heaved again as he cackled madly, while the Dark Lord had heard enough.

“Avada Kedavra.”

The green light erupted from Voldemort’s wand killing Grindelwald dead before he apparated out of the cell and back to Britain.

Draco at that exact moment had been sitting in Severus office, trying to figure out what to do when Hermione’s Patronus burst through the room, her snake curling itself around him. Severus watched with trepidation as the spectral form began to speak.

“Draco, my love...I’m so sorry. I’ve gone to Grindelwald and I now know how to unite the Hallows. Please know I will always love you, only you, ever you. To Master Death, I must face death. It’s the only way to save my mum—to save my dad. Please, trust in me. You’re the only one, Draco, the only one I’ve ever trusted completely. Remember what Septimus told us about the Blessed Heart, Draco. I love you.”

Draco’s face paled as Hermione’s Patronus melted away and he collapsed onto the ground, howling out in pain, anger and terror.

What had she done?

Where had she gone?

Severus stared morosely at his godson in anguish, and what was left of his heart went out to Draco. It was clear Hermione and Draco loved each other very much and now that infernal witch was off somewhere trying to do Salazar knows what.

Then suddenly, another Patronus burst through the room...it was his Lord’s Patronus...a replica of Nagini.

“Severus? Hermione has gone to the Veil within the Department of Mysteries. She would’ve only been able to do so through the Room of Requirement. If I’m correct, she’s already there! Bring Draco now! Meet me at the Ministry.”

Draco stood up in a flash and moved over to the floo in Severus office and waited for his godfather to call out the destination. Severus nodded at Draco, took a pinch of floo powder and yelled, “Ministry of Magic, Atrium.”

Swirling away in a mass of green flames, Draco following closely behind.

Hopefully they weren’t too late.