The night was dark and ominous, wind rattling through a small oak tree nearby where Hermione, Draco, Theo, Yaxley, Travers, and three other Death Eaters whose names she had not heard, stood.

She wished she could feel the summer breeze on her face, as it billowed her robes and threatened to tear back her hood. Beside her, she watched Theo close his eyes and tilt his head back and wondered if he was trying to smell the sweet air through his mask.

“There are twelve inside,” Hermione said clearly over the wind, gesturing to the medium size cottage in front of them.

It was quaint and homey, she had to admit. With white plaster and a thick thatched roof, it was like something out of a fairy tale complete with a blooming rose bush by the front door.

The Dark Lord had ordered them here, personally appearing at the manor to ask Hermione to lead the mission. He’d informed her that inside were a group of Death Eaters that had defected from his rank – creating chaos and destruction without guidance or consulting the Dark Lord. They had to be eliminated before all his hard work was for nothing.

She had agreed, wondering as she left how it was that the Dark Lord seemed to struggle to hold on to his followers.

“Travers you and those three go around the back,” Hermione said, pointing to the back garden. “The rest of us will come through the front.”

Travers nodded, gesturing to the other Death Eaters to follow as they skulked into the darkness and out of sight.

Draco, Theo, and Yaxley watched her, waiting for the signal to move forward but she didn’t give it.

Something felt wrong… she couldn’t put her finger on it but her stomach twisted. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

These were wizards that had gone against the Dark Lord – that had murdered and maimed innocent people in his name without consideration of the cost. They deserved to be punished – they must be punished.

Theo’s eyes caught hers for a long moment and she saw the worry and care in his stare. The last few days at the manor had been spent with him, Blaise, and Draco, catching up and consoling each other over the loss of Daphne. She had not only heard all about the funeral, but Theo had offered her the opportunity to step inside his mind via Lucius’ pensive (which was a far less invasive means of seeing the memory than legilimency) so she could feel just a small bit of closure at witnessing her kind and gentle friend find her final rest.

She stared back and she could almost hear the words in his mind without stepping through:

We will follow your lead, wherever it may take us .

It was what he’d continued to say as she had expressed her fears and worries to the boys over the last few days.

Finally, she nodded, sending the Dark Mark into the sky with a wordless morsmordre. Then she stepped towards the front door, waving her wand to break the wards that had been placed around the perimeter of the property to keep them out, while casting her own anti-disapparition charm over the house. They would have to do a lot better than that to keep the Dark Lord’s second in command at bay.

As if she were an expected guest, Hermione opened the door and stepped inside, flanked by Draco and Theo with Yaxley taking up the rear.

On her left was a staircase that more than likely led up to the bedrooms, in front of her a narrow hallway that opened into what appeared to be a modest and old fashioned kitchen, while to her right was a shabby looking sitting room that in many ways reminded her of the Burrow with its mismatched furniture, throws, and pillows.

There were four wizards in the sitting room, all had been huddled around what looked like a game of exploding snap. Jumping to their feet, they brandished their wands but weren’t fast enough. Hermione hit the closest one with a killing curse, Draco, Theo, and Yaxley quickly taking care of the others.

Just as any time she used dark magic, she felt it burrowing under the skin of her wand arm, sliding through her veins and crawling into her heart. There was something inside her that recoiled from the dangerous power, while the rest of her eagerly lapped it up.

The feeling of something cracking inside of her had disappeared a long time ago.

From the sounds in the kitchen, whoever had been in there had also been caught unaware. But she could hear movement above. Gesturing to the stairs, Draco and Theo followed, while Yaxley checked the rest of the bottom floor with Travers and the others.

Hermione took the stairs slowly, listening for sounds of attempted disapparition. As she reached the top she saw that there were two doors to the left and three to the right. She waited for a long moment.

“ Homenum revelio, ” she whispered.

In front of one door five golden orbs sparkled, indicating the inhabitants inside. The thick, off-white carpet muffled her footsteps as she moved to the door before blasting it open.

Inside were two wizards and three witches, all wide eyed and shocked but brandishing their wands. Immediately curses began flying and Hermione threw up a shield charm as she and the boys forced themselves further into the room.

She squared off with a wild looking blonde girl that couldn’t have been more than a year older than she was. She couldn’t understand – Hermione was under the impression that she and Bellatrix were the only witches within the Dark Lord’s ranks. Unless these women had defected long ago which didn’t seem likely judging by their age.

The girl was a formidable opponent, hitting Hermione’s right arm with a stinging jinx that almost made her drop her wand. But it was clear this girl was no killer and was unwilling to use an unforgivable even if it meant saving her own life.

However, when the girl finally fell lifeless to the floor, it didn’t feel like a victory.

Draco’s back was suddenly pressed to hers as another round of attacks came from the doorway – obviously some of them had slipped by the Death Eaters downstairs. They were yelling, screaming at each other.

“Death Eaters!”

“Can’t disapparate!’

“Send a message to Moody!” a witch cried as Hermione turned on her.

Hermione faltered, her eyes growing wide.

“What did you say?” Hermione asked, moving closer to the woman.

“Stupify!” the woman yelled, but Hermione blocked the jinx.

“What did you say? What about Moody?” Hermione asked more quickly, panic bleeding into her veins.

“Why are you doing this?” the woman cried. “Why are you here?”

“You defected from the Dark Lord. You and your group have been killing people,” Hermione said, the words feeling hollow in her throat.

The woman laughed, shaking her head.

“What the fuck are you on about? We aren’t Death Eaters!” The witch pulled back the sleeve of her jumper to show her smooth and unblemished forearm. “I’m a bloody muggleborn you bitch! This is an Order safe house.”

Hermione’s wand lowered, hands beginning to tremble.

“You’re… you’re a muggle born?” Hermione asked, her eyes going wide.

The witch tossed her thick black braids over her shoulder, chin jutting up.

“And proud of it. I’d never join the dark side – I’m not trash like you. ”

The woman brandished her wand again at Hermione, who didn’t even bother to lift her own.

The Dark Lord had lied to her.

These weren’t rogue Death Eaters – she should have known the moment she stepped into the house. These were muggleborns hiding from the Muggleborn Registration Commission that had been put into place only days ago.

He had lied to her, manipulated her into exacting his will – and more than likely in the process proving to those who knew his second in command was a muggleborn, that she was willing to turn her back on her own kind.

Except she wasn’t.

This wasn’t justice. This wasn’t exacting the Dark Lord’s revenge on wizards that had done unspeakable crimes.

This was murder.

A flash of green light lit the small bedroom and Hermione closed her eyes against the glare. For once, hoping that it was meant for her.

But when she opened them, she saw the witch lying crumpled on the floor and beside her, Draco was lowering his wand.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” he cried. “She was going to kill you!”

“They aren’t Death Eaters,” Hermione said.

“What?” Draco snapped, his eyes growing wide.

Theo stepped up to her other side. There were still the sounds of fighting below, but around them was only the quiet of the dead.

“Do these look like Death Eaters to you?” she asked, gesturing to the witch in front of her. “This is an Order safehouse… These are…” Hermione swallowed back the bile that started to creep up her throat. “These are muggleborns hiding from the Ministry.”

Both boys stared at her in horror – she knew it was horror even behind their masks.

“And we… we slaughtered them… like animals,” she ground out, before turning to vomit all over the floor.