A Living Nightmare o }-OPEN

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the bearded barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly;
Down to tower'd Camelot;

Many people tended to hide in the shadows now, lurking where no-one could see them, casting Disillusions upon themselves to prevent anyone ever catching wind of them even moving. Ever since the death eaters began trying to round up those of the resistance or simply those who defied them and their beliefs. Muggle Born's stood no chance against a swarm of death eaters if they were caught out. Hermione Granger, known follower and fighter for the light was one of those unfortunate muggle Born's caught in a world that did not want her. That somehow blamed her on her bloodlines, as absurd a notion as it was she had accepted the slanderous remarks from her first year of school, showing no true negative emotions bar one instance in her third year ...

Her hand throbbed at the memory. Making the muggle born smirk as she hid, Disillusioned behind a street corner of a sleepy muggle town. Its residents just waking for a new day. The dawn was still young and the sound of bird song only made to increase the witches paranoia. What if those birds became a beacon for her presence. No, she needed to be careful. Any one of those birds could be a familiar, an animagus ... the wizarding world was far more than the muggle would ever know.

today was not about a mission however, no, today was about replenishing her supplies. Getting together enough food to last her another month or so. the less she needed to leave her hide out, the safer Hermione felt. There were far too many risks of being exposed for her to go out more than definitely necessary. Then again, after the death of Harry everyone seemed to retreat into themselves. Hermione just made doubly sure of herself once again. There was no doubt that she ever did things by half.

The muggle shop at the bottom of the lane brought up the shutters seconds before the shadowed figure crossed the street, frantically looking up and down the road to check for any further signs of life. there was need to be careless after all. Then, without much fanfare she slipped into another alleyway beside the building, taking off the dissilusion charm and slipping in through the front door of the shop. Collecting her things and paying with the muggle money she kept by for safe keeping. Diagon Alley was not safe for her, not as far as she as concerned.

Once finished and outside again, the hairs on the back of the young witches neck began to raise and within seconds her wand was at hand and she was in the process of running away when she turned in the direction of a sudden noise. Wand arm raised and a cocktail of curses and spells on the top of her tongue and forefront of her mind.

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[KYROS TREZIO]

It had been four years since Kyros had gotten up as early as he has done today, and the result of this was that he was sunken in his body; his eyes were bloodshot and he was walking with a slight slouch, as if he has just ran a marathon. The tall wizard was standing on top of a hill next to a village, looking down upon it with sleepy eyes that were looking but weren’t really seeing anything. Kyros was wearing his typical dark blue low slung wizard’s robes, which went right down to his ankles. He has always been a particular fan of the colour blue, especially as he was a Ravenclaw student before the Great Schools downfall.

Kyros walked down the other side of the hill and high jumped over a garden fence as he made his way into the centre of the village. It was quite obvious that hardly anybody was awake at that particular hour, and he didn’t blame them. He wished that he was still in his own bed, sheltering away from the wind, but he needed provisions. It was best that he ventured out to retrieve items of necessity, want or desire in the very early morning or late at night as to ensure his undercover operations were to go unnoticed. It was vital that he kept up appearances at the right times, and to not walk around arrogantly, knowing that he will not be attacked or kidnapped by the Death Eaters.

Kyros walked briskly into the centre of the village, where he noticed one of his fellow Order members. This particular member, Hermione, was one that vehemently annoyed him due to her heritage. She wandered around and spoke to Pureblood and Half-bloods as if she was their equal, but she is not. She is a Muggle born, a half cast, a Mudblood, an outsider and nothing more than vermin in Kyros’s eyes. However, he never let on his feelings towards her and others like her, as he was on the “good” side. He was in the process of walking towards her when she turned around, wand raised and pointing directly at him. Kyros raised his hands with a smile. ‘Nice reactions. That’ll keep you alive.’ He lowered his hands slowly and walked closer to her. ‘What brings you out so early?’ He looked to their right and saw that the shop where he intended to buy his items was now open. ‘I’m here to buy some supplies.’ He said with an inclining nod at the shop; he then looked down at her hands, which held multiple provisions to keep her supplied for at least a few weeks. ‘But it seems like you have got here before me.’ He smiled at Hermione.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Now facing what the young witch had believed to be her enemy, she felt her stern look falter slightly at the image of a fellow member of the resistance. Kyros was; like Severus a double agent for the Order that had infiltrated the ranks of the dark lord. Some of the information he was privy to had meant that many others had survived scouting attacks from Death Eaters that remained lurking within the shadows. It gave her an uneasy feeling knowing that once again, someone was putting their life in such danger all for a cause that was started far before their time. The doctrines that were drummed into the heads of the pure blood children of her generation knew no different than the poor house elves she had attempted to free during her school life. There were however some instilled thoughts within a house elves mind that made it difficult to make them see reason!

"Training should have given you the understanding that I could have cursed you into Oblivion for sneaking up on me in an empty street." Hermione deadpanned, her eyebrows lowering on level with her eyes. She hadn't had much contact with the Order this month. There was nothing more to report other than her continued existence. She had not had her safe house raided, nor had she seen any Death Eater movements outside what could be tracked by just about anyone. "And what are you doing in wizarding clothes! You know this is a muggle town!" She chastised, re-pocketing her wand into its holster hidden on her forearm under the sleeve of her long cashmere jumper. It was hard changing back to muggle clothes when she went into hiding but as it had happened her mother had been around her size when she passed ...

She never thought of it as dead. It was such a harsh reality that for now she was not ready to commit to. If she could convince herself that her parents were not brutally tormented before their deaths, that they were not desecrated by the evils of the world she had chosen to defend; then her sanity - wavering as it was - would remain intact.

With a heavy sigh however, she turned to Kyros with the smallest shadow of a smile. The action was so foreign to her she had all but forgotten how to show positive emotions anymore. Her familiars knew her moods, they needed no facial reference to the well being of their mistress. "The less I am seen, the safer I feel Kyros. You know that. I don't quite know why, but ... I've become restless and if coming out before dawn to simply get my supplies gets rid of that flighty itch then so be it. You know I disconnected my floo right?" She said, speaking in a very soft tone, something that had become very common of the young witch. Since the death of Harry all those years ago it became far simpler to retreat into her own mind. The expanse of which had provided something of a luxury during the long monotonous hours spent sitting in the same spot, making no noise, causing no movements, thinking no thoughts. Simply adventuring with the friends she once had and re-living old stories that now brought a tear to her eyes.

"Had I known you were going to be here I would have waited Kyros. I could venture back Disillusioned if you like? Company is something I can do." With a small smirk on her face the brown eyed girl gave something of a shrug with one shoulder. Indicating with a gentle swing of her arm carrying her shopping toward the small muggle shop she had recently came from. If she was lucky she might be able to catch some of the gossip floating around the HQ. Being so cut off from them at times felt more a chore than necessity.

[KYROS TREZIO]

Keeping his hands raised until Hermione looked in his eyes, realised that he was a friend (albeit a undercover one) and removed the stern look from her face. Kyros had always been a little disappointed that someone so beautiful and skilful was born from such disgusting descent; a witch as powerful as her should have come from a Pureblood ancestry. When Hermione lowered her wand, Kyros brushed down his robes as if there was some invisible dust on them, and looked back up at the witch and rolled his eyes. ‘I was hardly sneaking.’ He sniffed. ‘You are just jumpy.’ He smiled. ‘Understandably so, of course.’ When Hermione commented on his clothing, he looked back down at his navy blue robes and nodded. ‘I agree, but the Muggles cannot see me for two reasons: one, most of them are still asleep and two, I have cast a spell around me that makes me nothing more than a shadow to them. Besides, there are more dangerous things than Muggles around nowadays, Hermione.’

‘I did not, but a wise decision nonetheless.’ Kyros said in response to Hermione saying that she had disconnected her floo network. ‘It is best that we make it as hard as possible for us to be found by the Death Eaters.’ Kyros looked back at the shop where he had hoped to get his provisions and shook his head at Hermione’s offer. ‘You’re very kind, but no matter. I shall be back in a moment.’ Kyros pulled out a small money bag full of Muggle money and entered the shop. To the shop keeper behind the till, it would have looked like the door had just opened on its own and shut accordingly. Kyros picked up several items, ranging from ingredients for food to clothes. Kyros dropped the money bag on the counter and walked out of the shop; he had probably given the shop keeper too much, but he didn’t really care to carry around filthy Muggle money for more time than was needed.

Kyros walked out of the shop with the items he had just purchased jangling in a bag and he walked back over to where Hermione was standing. ‘So, am I to assume that you have not heard any information from Grimmauld Place?’ Kyros’s head snapped around as he heard a rustle, but it was just a Muggle man walking into the shop that he had just exited. He watched the man walk with a limp until he had shut the door behind him. Kyros looked back at Hermione and sighed. ‘Well, I am on my way there now. If you cared to join me, I would be most appreciative.’

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione had to give it to the guy, he was smarter than many people were led to believe. Then again, to fool the Dark Lord when a spy for the order was no little feat. Merlin only knew how Severus had done it for so long while still retaining his post as Potions Professor at Hogwarts. It would have been stressful enough teaching all the students during a war, but to do so with the knowledge that at any moment he could have been called to deal with the dark lord and force himself into situations that made the young muggle Born's insides flip with anger. There was of course, no reason for her to think so negatively about anyone who did what they could for the price of surviving such a harshly dictated world. Heck, she too was forced to become something she never wished for. A recluse, a cold and unfeeling person whose only great love in life remained her addiction to the written word in all its many guises. For days Hermione would sit in the same spot, unmoving, not eating or sleeping until she finished her latest book.

There would of course be days that were the complete opposite, where she sat in that same place, staring blankly off into space. Deafened and numbed by the silence that followed her every move. Her familiars never made enough noise to disturb her, they knew that causing their mistress to become distressed meant the room became a war zone, objects flying about the safe house at dangerous and often uncontrollable speeds, crashing into one another; smashing, cracking, damaging the fixtures and furniture ... it was not a nice place to be. The safe house.

But something like charming ones clothes so that muggles believe them to not be there? It was something the muggle born had not thought of in her many times visiting the muggle town. She usually cast a Disillusion, a complex charm in itself, to completely render her invisible to both wizard and muggle alike. In all honesty it was far safer.

After all, it wasn't the muggles that wished to kill her.

"Alas not, I have been quite without information this month. Albus and Minerva remember that I prefer to keep contact with others to a distinct minimum. there is no point endangering others for simply a whim of loneliness now and again." The brown eyed girl said softly, her eyes giving only a hint of the exhaustion that she felt daily, trying to maintain the lifestyle she had created for herself in which she shut herself away in the dark, lonely building she called 'the safe house'. Originally it had been part of a lifelong dream to own such a pretty home, but it had been raided by Death Eaters before she herself went into hiding. Not to put a good home to waste she set about altering the insides for her needs. At one point the floo network was alive with order members, yet over time it became neglected and ev entually she dimply disconnected it altogether. There was simply no point leaving it to chance.

However, now that she had the chance to go to the HQ, uninvited ... with no real need, the prospect of seeing people felt far more overwhelming and frightening than she once thought it could ever be. "I don't know ..." She mumbled, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "Is there a meeting I was not informed of? I was not given any forewarning that there was a need for me to go to headquarters."

[KYROS TREZIO]

Kyros adjusted his bag full of supplements in his hand as he looked back at Hermione, and listened to her tell him about the fact that she has gone without information for some time. Not just because communication has been an issue for a while, but also because she does not appreciate lots of contact if it endangers others. He nodded in agreement. ‘This is true.’ He said, regarding the fact communication is difficult and that only the most vital pieces of information should be relayed. ‘However; it would be best if we both converged upon Number 12 Grimmauld Place, not just to receive vital information from whoever may be present, but also to socialise. There have been no meetings planned that I am aware of, but you never know.’ He placed his hand on Hermione’s arm and said: ‘Loneliness can make a person go mad, you know.’ He suddenly gripped hold of her arm and spun on the spot, thinking about the Order of the Phoenix’s headquarters in London.