Once upon a time, [Hello? Can you hear me? *taps mike*] once upon a time, there lived a little beaver – but that’s not important, this story isn’t about beavers. This story is about love and war, and how they both kill in their own ways, and how, contrary to 'as to the saying goes,' nothing – nothing – is fair in either. This story is about beauty, and romance, and grief, and how we humans, silly mortal things, complicate things that simplify our path to nothingness. This story is about twists of fate, about those little words that cause enormous deeds, about those enormous words that are backed by very little of – if any – deeds.

It is about how love creates and destroys, about how easy the descent into the Apocalypse is.


Easy is the Descent
[ or The Trilogy of Hell: The Past ]
“Life offers thee nothingness”

Chapter 1:
{ a t d e a t h ; w e b e g i n }

The night terrified her. It reminded her of childhood nightmares and teenage dreams, both things with terrible ends. At twenty years of age, Hermione Granger was no longer lanky or bushy-haired or the kind of toothed that Crabbe and Goyle could make fun of, but her graceful posture and tamed locks and even, white teeth scared her nearly as much as the proverbial hours of gloom. There had been a point in her life when she had believed stereotypical beauty might contend her, but the reason behind the belief was gone, gone despite the promises, the assurances.

It was scary, how scary the night was.

The night. It brimmed with memories, memories of the days gone by, memories of the people that she had loved – still loved – adored. Memories that had become bitter because of their sweetness, precious because they were all she now possessed. She was empty, more hollow from within than any pair of eyes could gauge, alive only because of, and for, her memories.

A wind rustled outside the window and, with a slight shiver, Hermione pushed off her blanket and clambered from her bed. The bedroom lay in darkness, and it unsettled her. What have I been thinking? She asked herself. She had not slept without a light – not even once – since that dreadful night, seven months ago. Had she thought clicking off all lights, tonight, would drive out her fear? She had been stupid, stupid, stupid, she told herself.

But perhaps stupid was not the word. The drowning person grasps at the least of supports, and anything that could cancel her terror was welcome. She switched on a light, watched its brilliant, white shafts engulf the room and drive out the gloom that she so badly hated. This is silly, she thought quietly. I’m twenty, as far away from the least hint of magic as possible, and I’m still scared. “This is silly,” she said out loud. “Really silly.”

“But is it, Granger?”

The scream that escaped her throat was piercing, tore down the staircase and throughout the neighbourhood. For seven months, she had seen no wizard or witch; for seven months, she had struggled, only, to push out of mind the events of the past year or half; and for seven months, she had known she was wanted but she could not be found, not by the most powerful of wizards or witches. But the voice she now heard was no hallucination, no nightmare – it was real, it was amused, it was taunting.

“Say hello to you death, mudblood.”

The memories of the past year came back all at once, were the last thing Hermione Granger remembered before the world blacked out.

*

Maxie says: With this FF, I wanted to explore what happens when things go wrong. It's... dark? I don't know. I think it is. *mumbles to self*

Text Cut: Yeaa.

The Potterverse? It belongs to J. K Rowling. <3

{ Index }

[] Chapter 2: Two's company; three's a trio
[] Chapter 3: The beginning of an end

First reader? Hello (:
This was brilliant! and i really want to read more
I'm really interested now

forever a fan (:
Eviee <33

WOW! This story has me hooked! The description you use in your writing is just brilliant. I can't wait to see where this is going to go.

Oh my gosh, this is brilliant! I love it! Your writing is amazing

*tackles* EVIIIEE!
Thank you. <3

Aww. <33

*waves* Thank youu, and I'm super glad you enjoyed it. <3

YAY! *feels all happy* Thank you. <33

MaxieLuffYAY!

You have a new story! *dances* I absolutely loveee it and like I always say in every story, the details are purely amazingg! I must steal your mind because it holds every awesome creative idea out there! xD

PAMS. <3

*ish tackled* Woahhhh

Your welcome like always (:

Chapter 2:
{ t w o 's c o m p a n y ; t h r e e 's a t r i o }

The memories of the past year came back all at once, were the last thing Hermione Granger remembered before the world blacked out.


“Ron, don’t.”

Ronald Weasley grinned and tickled her again. Hermione sprang out of her seat with a yelp of half laughter, half feeble protest, her not-so-tamed locks scrunched up in butterfly clips at the sides of her head. She glared at him, from the other end of her cubicle and over the water-dispenser, but she was not angry, and he knew it.

“You know that look doesn’t work on me, ‘Mione.”

“Unfortunately.” She came up to him, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the chin. Ron grinned, and placed his arms around her. Their lips met, and the touch was warm and cool and just right. Her hands found his hair, finger knotting into his lush red semi-locks, and the whole scene might have escalated into another of their usual, not-too-brief kisses, but there was a knock at the door at that precise moment and Hermione jumped apart, looking horribly guilty.

Sheesh, I should be doing office-work, not snogging my boyfriend.

“Come in,” she said, a little flustered, as she patted down her hair - it had assumed the shape of what Ron called 'pillow hair,' meaning the kind of hair she woke up with on an average basis - and resumed her position in the tall chair behind her desk. The corner of Ron’s mouths twitched, and she knew at once that he'd tease her to the end of the world for her jumpiness, but for now he forced himself to straighten up just a bit, and occupy the seat that faced her. His manner was still casual and lenient, almost a lounging kind, as if telling the entire universe that he had a right to be there.

The door swung open before she could tell him to straighten up, though; and, to her pleasant surprise, the person to enter was, not some annoying employee under her, but her best friend of nine, amazing years.

“Harry!” She and Ron exclaimed together.

“I should have expected to find Ron here,” Harry said with a smile, as he took off his coat. His smile was just a little too knowing, and Hermione couldn't help but blush. “Mighty cold out there. It’s surprising how warm it is inside.”

“Warming Charm,” Hermione said, voice matter-of-fact. “Do sit down.”

“Where? In Ron’s lappy?”

She blushed again, about to tell him off because she did have the common sense to go about conjuring another chair if she'd told him to sit down, but Ron grinned. “Good to see you working on your sense of humour, mate,” he said, lips still turned up at the corners. “But I have to get going. There’s a meeting taking place in twenty minutes, and my boss expects me there.”

“Your new job alright?” Harry's voice held genuine concern.

Ron shrugged, a it's-so-so kind of shrug. He hadn't managed to pin down just what he wanted to do in life, not yet, but being a part of Magical Law Enforcement had seemed like an attractive prospect. Something worth doing. “Not my dream job, but it has its perks. Besides, I’ve only been at it forty-eight hours.” He vacated his seat, kissed Hermione on the cheek and, clapping Harry’s back on the way out, left the office.

Hermione smiled after him as Harry sat down in the space that had been occupied, mere moments ago, by the one person she had loved with a fire - true and passionate, and scorching and dazzling, and as friend and so much more - for as long as she could remember, and still did.

“So, Harry,” she asked, elbows on the table as she leaned forward cheerfully. “How’re things with you and Parvati?”

*

Up next: How are things with Harry and Parvati? Keyword: Thingsgowrong.

{ Jump to
next chapter }

Ooooh Parvati? What about Ginny?
Awww Ron and Hermione, my second favourite couple behind the famous Harry Potter and Ginny XD
I want to read more and more and more haha.

PAMS!

Eviee <33

Totally in love with this FanFic already! Please PAMS, I can't wait to see what happens next!

Ooooo, Parvati and Harry? Interesting... Awesome chapter!

Parvati, yuuus.
There's going to be a bit of H/G. Maybe. xD

Aww. YAY! <33

Will do.

*waves* Hello and welcome! I glad you likey. <33

*noooods* Thank youu. <33

Well.
I'm hooked.
Your writing is brilliant.

Awww Ron & Hermione are adorablee! <3

And I would have never expected a Parvati/Harry relationship, but I never really have seen them together before in a story, so I can't wait to see how you play it out! (:

By the way, I love the little Up next: thingy, hahhah, it makes me anticipate the next chapter!

Keep up the amazing work!

Chapter 3:
{ t h e b e g i n n i n g o f a n e n d }

“That you, Harry?”

It was Harry alright. She could pick out that shade of hair and those startling green eyes in a crowd of a hundred. She almost breathed a sigh of relief: if truth be told, she hadn't expected him to come home, straight from work. Their fight at breakfast that morning had been terrible and, such fights beginning to become a norm, she knew that it wasn't often he was eager to come home in the aftermath of one. Usually, he would return late in the evening, by which time she was madder than ever.

“It's me,” he said, and Parvati knew from his tones that he was still in a rotten mood. He'd been in one since the day Gregory Mancentt, a convicted death eater, had escaped prison. Even after the defeat of Voldemort, the aurors remained dedicated to bringing to justice all who had used the Dark Arts to injure or maim or kill, during the Second War. She knew the news of Mancentt’s escape weighed on Harry - being Head of the Auror Office, he took it as a personal failure - and his severe mood swings were, in part, a result of it.

But it wasn't just that. If it had been, she could have blamed him for all that had been going wrong in their relationship, in the past few months. But how could she? Her secret, safe and hence all the more nerve-wrecking, had never let things be alright.

You can do this, Parvati, she told herself. You can calm him down, you know he loves you, you know you love him. You can make things right.

The thoughts sounded hollow.

“How was work?” she asked as she descended the staircase. He looked thoroughly unshaven and it hardly suited him, but there was no time for trivialities like that, now. She stood there, waiting for a response, but when he did not reply, Parvati sighed – clearly, she had asked the wrong question. She tried again.

“What are you thinking?”

He looked up, and gave a shrug of sorts. "Not much."

Parvati bit her lip. “Harry,” she said softly.

He didn't respond, and her patience disappeared.

“Cut it out!”

He looked up. “What is your problem?” His voice was uncharacteristically angry. Parvati knew the signs: it did not happen often, but here came, she was sure, the kind of anger he bottled up and then let out in one, mad rage. He just needed an excuse. Her temper, for one reason or the other, almost always provided it.

“It’s not your fault, Mancentt escaped." Parvati's voice was furious. It was as if they had both decided there was no need to make any sort of peace. "Stop trying to make your life miserable!"

“Stop trying to sound as if you understand!” Harry retorted. “You don’t even realize how serious this is, how a madman’s on the lose, you have no idea, you’ve never lost anything to death-eaters, you –”

“That doesn’t mean –” Parvati cut across, stung, but there was a yell from upstairs before she could do complete her sentence, and it was followed by an onset of bitter crying.

Harry groaned. “Do something about her!” he said, irritated.

“Don't you dare act like our daughter is my responsibility alone,” Parvati's tones were far, far from pleasant. If she noticed that some - perhaps most - of the anger had gone out of his voice, she gave no sign of it.

"It wasn't my intention to imply that." For once, his tones softened. It wasn't enough to calm Parvati down, however. She was bright, she was fun, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it was simple-to-calm-down. "Then don't imply it," she said, arms crossed against her chest. "Okay?"

Harry rubbed a spot on his forehead. "Ever heard of a thing called patience? You seem to have lost whatever of it that you did have."

He hadn't meant to sound as if he was finding fault with her. For better or worse, though, that was what the statement came out sounding like. “Don't take out your disappointment on me, Harry James Potter!" Hands on hips, Parvati glared daggers at him. “It's not my fault that that bloody death-eater broke out of prison, it's yours.”

A stunned silence followed [and Harry wasn't the only person stunned in the room.] Parvati stood there, a little shocked at what she had said, wanting to take her words back, wanting to apologize, wanting to reach out... and knowing that, perhaps, this was how it was supposed to be, and this was how it would have been if she hadn't -

He stood up, and left the room.

She bit her lip.

*

Up next: Anyone seen Ginny?

This is simply fantastic! I'm anxiously patiently awaiting the next update. Keep up the fantastic writing.

-Grapeh

*waves* Thank youu. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the FF. =)

Ooooo, great chapter They have a kid? Wow, more serious than what I thought! I'm uber excited for more chapters.

Maxie, you know that I luffles you, right? I can't wait to read more!

Oooh loved this chapter! Can't wait for more

Woah that was unexpected, but Parvati a little harsh there?
Loved it like usual, PAMS!
Wheres Ginny though?

Eviee <33

I definitely agree with Eviee there, Parvati was so harshh. Hahaha, I love it! xD

Great chapter, Maxiee! <3

PAMS.

i love this so frickin' much.

Maxi you are so amazing. I've never read a Pavarti/Harry story. Are they married or just very serious? What about Ginny? Oh my gosh. So many questions.

Great work Maxi. Super. PAMS.

<3

I like very much!!!

heya Maxie! your old new reader is back...if you know what i mean... nice posts...Harry/Parvati...cool...would want to read more....