Hi guys, Welcome to the 16th Chapter of Dark is all that's left!

The Battle of Hogwarts is over, yet it's not over for Hermione. Her vengeance is still unfulfilled.

Please read the AN at the end.

All the usual disclaimers and warnings still stand. HP universe belongs to the almighty JK Rowling. Puny beasts like me indulge in writing non profit fanfic for entertainment from time to time.

Acid Factory

The trio of Bellatrix, Narcissa and a polyjuiced Hermione landed in her dilapidated safe house. The wards were already active and hence the moment Bellatrix pulled her wand to fire a curse at the imposter was disarmed and shackled in magic resistant cuffs. Narcissa stood stunned at the turn of events. Her heart racing with apprehension, worried for her only son.

She didn't raise her wand at the smirking imposter, though her voice held the threatening tone clear for all, "Who. Are. You?"

"I'm glad you asked, in fact the effects should reverse any time now, Mrs. Malfoy. I suggest you avoid using magic if you don't want to be shackled." the imposter replied.

"Release me this instant! Who are you and where is Draco!" Bellatrix said, struggling against the shackles.

"Shush! Lady Lestrange! It's so unbecoming of a pureblood witch of your standing to screech so loudly." Hermione chided Bellatrix mockingly.

Within a few minutes the polyjuice wore off and both women were equally stunned to see the gaunt and scarred face of the Mudblood witch.

"You're Granger?" Narcissa whispered in disbelief. The horror on her face evident, her son was one of the tormentors back in the earlier years before the imprisonment of this witch.

"Yes! I'm the one and only!" Hermione replied with smug satisfaction, "Well, I thought you'll be happy and thank me. I did save your sister after all."

"Where's my Son! Please, where's Draco! Miss Granger" Narcissa begged in desperation looking around for any sign of her beloved son.

"Surprisingly!" Hermione flicked her wrists to lift a body covered in shackles from one of the empty vats, "He's alright! See, not a scratch. Well, that one's a bruise, so technically not a scratch. To be honest, he did try to resist, but one punch was enough. Just like third year... Ah! Those were the days!" she finished with a contented sigh.

Narcissa ran towards the unconscious body that hung from the shackles "Draco! Draco, my baby! Wake up!" She tried to wake him to no avail, turning towards the witch who tortured her son. "What have you done! What has happened to him? Please, let me help him."

Hermione replied with a dramatic sigh, "Ugh! Fine, you're no fun, Mrs. Malfoy. Such a drama queen. He's just unconscious, I just crucio'd him for like 10 seconds tops. Just stunned is all." And ennervated him with another flick of the wrist.

The wizard in question, opened his eyes groggily as he became aware of his surroundings.

"Mother!" Draco gasped, "What... What are you doing here? Go! Go now. It's not safe, Grang-"

"Wakey-wakey Drakey! Had a nice sleep in? Well, now that you're up, let's end this drama now. I'm sick and tired of this overly sweet reunion." crooned Hermione looking from a silenced Bellatrix glaring daggers at her to the mother-son reunion on the other side.

Hermione picked up Bellatrix's fallen wand and pointed it towards Draco. A spell shot towards Draco, while Narcissa looked in horror at the incoming spell colliding with her son.

Nothing happened, except for a clacking of metal as the shackles fell off Draco's hand. With another flick Bellatrix was free as well. She threw the wand at the dark haired witch's feet.

"Get. Lost!" snarled Hermione, a sudden change in her demeanor pointing towards the exit to the safe house.

"What?" replied a clearly puzzled Bellatrix. "You're letting us go? Just like that" and picked up her wand dangling it lightly from her right hand.

"Yes! Clearly I'm insane, now leave before I changed my mind" Hermione replied looking away.

"Come Draco! Bella, help me get him up!" Narcissa called for her sister. She wasn't sure what was happening but her first focus was to get her son out safe, she could worry about the why's later.

"Hold on, mother." Draco said, "Grange… Hermione! I don't know why you're letting me go, I know I did torment you all those years, but I just want you to know, even though I hated you... I never really believed you killed Lovegood. Also, I'm sorry for my behaviour over the years… I truly am."

Bellatrix and Narcissa held on to him as they steadily started walking towards the exit. Bellatrix was cautious and held her wand ready to hex if Granger attacked them again.

"I know! I did see inside your head after all." said Hermione turning towards the trio who stopped and turned towards her looking expectantly. "Yes, Bellatrix. I know your little secret too. You were just going to sacrifice yourself? Didn't expect such cowardice from you."

"Now, listen you little witch! How dare you call-" snarled Bellatrix.

"Or what! What did you think, leaving a little baby alone in this world?" Hermione replied fiercely, "I am no saint and I have killed a fair share of innocents post leaving that shit hole. I don't regret where my life is and would be. Do you really think she would have grown happy in absence of any family? She would have grown listening to death eater stories and would have likely ended up in Azkaban like I did! Just like you were! Likely trying to bring back her father. The same father who cursed you while pregnant in front of your sister and nephew. The same father who threatened to feed her to that snake. Go Lestrange, raise her. Raise her well. Maybe, just maybe this one act of penance would lessen the burden of my sins. Not for you, you are a killer, a tainted soul, as tainted as mine if not more. That child though, she's pure, give her love. Go on now, the aurors might come looking at the Manor for you. And me if Harry's smart enough. Tell little Delphi, 'Mudblood Granger' aunty said `Hi!'"

With a final look towards the trio, Hermione disapparated away in a wisp of black smoke.

Somewhere near the cliffs off Dover

Hermione sat quietly looking intently at the headstone of her parents' burial site. The sun had set and it was a chilly night, yet the cold was nothing compared to those at Azkaban. Thinking about Delphini brought back pain and heartache.

She wasn't Her daughter. For Merlin's sake it was the child of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. The child would probably grow up to be bigoted like her parents, yet she couldn't understand why she cared so much.

Did she see her as a kindred spirit? No, that couldn't be it. Did she really think saving a vile person like Lestrange would give her penance for the countless people she had killed in her path for revenge and vengeance. No, never. Nothing would really save her from a one way ticket to Hell, especially when she wanted to punish every witch and wizard who were responsible for her parents' death.

However, this was not a time for inflection. She was so close now, she will have her vengeance, few more Weasleys and the bitch to go now.

"Mom! Dad! The final phase of my vengeance begins soon. GINNY Weasley! Start praying to whatever Gods that bless you, because I'm coming for you now." hissed Hermione.

Next day,

The destruction and carnage at Hogwarts had left an unforgettable mark on the wizarding world. The old fortress had been razed to the ground leaving behind nothing but rubble and unrecognizable corpses. The magic wasn't enough to hold off the blast, which the aurors ascertained as muggle explosives. Most students were in the courtyard when it happened, though the loss was more to the heritage of wizarding Britain than the actual people caught in the blast.

The Ministry was in an uproar and Harry Potter had allegedly named his ex-girlfriend and Azkaban escapee Hermione Granger as the culprit. Rufus Scrimgeour faced a lot of flak from the press for hiding her escape and failure in her capture.

Pushed into action he ordered a kiss-on-sight against her and ordered the new DMLE head to capture her and other Death Eaters for prosecution.

The first of these raids led them to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. What the aurors saw left them horrified to say the least. There were signs of a fight and mangled corpses of death eaters everywhere. The only one of significance they found belonged to Euphemia Rowle, the wife to Lord Rowle, who was the deceased inner circle member of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters.

The news reached back to the Ministry that the remaining Death Eaters were either dead or had been captured by the clean-up auror teams.

However, there was no sign of Draco or Narcissa Malfoy. All the important artifacts had been removed from the Manor and their Gringotts vaults had been drained empty.

The Lestrange vaults were empty as well, however, everyone had seen Bellatrix Lestrange enter Hogwarts castle and no one saw her leaving. Hence, it was assumed that she was killed in the blasts, body likely obliterated beyond any recognition buried beneath the rubble.

Hermione Granger was marked as a highly dangerous terrorist and assumed to have fled Britain along with the Malfoys.

Meanwhile at the Burrow,

Ginny, Ron and Molly sat in the dining room alongside McGonagall and a mourning Fleur Weasley. The aurors confirmed the deaths of Arthur as his decapitated head was found, and they had known of Bill and Charlie's demise.

Fleur had already decided to move back to France, there was nothing left for her in Britain. She never got along with the others, especially Ginny who called her names more often than not.

Molly had become a shell of her former self after watching the aurors bring in what was left of her husband's body. She couldn't give Charlie or Bill a proper burial as their remains couldn't be found beneath the rubble.

Ron was uncharacteristically quiet, he was still not over the loss of his father and brothers. He couldn't fathom not watching them everyday for the rest of his life. He hated himself that he once liked Hermione, who was responsible for what happened to his family.

"It was Hermione! It was her all along. She told me I had a saving people complex. It was not Malfoy, it was Hermione disguised as him!" said Harry shaking his head looking down at his mug of tea.

Minerva McGonagall shot him a sympathetic look. Hermione had been one of her best and favourite students. She had been bright and like a breath of fresh air amongst the usual batch of students she taught every year. It was heartbreaking to see her become a monster like that. First Lovegood and now this.

"That's enough, Harry. You can't blame yourself for her crimes. She was a monster all along, we just never saw through her charade." said Ginny putting a comforting arm over his back.

"I… I'm sorry, Gin! I couldn't save your Dad. The blast… It was so sudden. I couldn't do anything." Harry replied, rubbing his tears off with his palm.

"It's okay, Harry. You did your best. I couldn't ask any more of you. I know it's sudden and not the right moment. But… I would like to spend the rest of my life with you." Ginny replied bringing a hint of choke in her voice, turning his shoulders to face him, "Harry James Potter! Will you marry me and make me the happiest witch in this world? I know dad would have wanted us together. Say yes, for me, for dad." she looked into his eyes with fierce determination.

Harry was stunned at the sudden proposal, yet the words moved him. To an extent, the guilt of not being able to do something for the Weasleys, it weighed on him and he felt it was the right thing to do, so he replied, "Yes! Yes, Ginevra Weasley, I will marry you." He ended up having tears in his eyes again, this time of joy. He would finally have a family and someone who loved him unconditionally.

Meanwhile, everyone was happy at the turn of events and missed the smirk on Ginny's face that crossed while hugging Harry. It was of pure malice and unadulterated pleasure at getting one-up on the Granger bint.

She played right into Ginny's hands, who used Harry's guilt and gullibility to pave her path towards becoming the most influential witch in Britain. Lady Potter, indeed. Now, if only the bint would die somewhere in a pit, that would be such a perfect end to the story.

AN: This could be a very controversial chapter, and I would like to say that it's my story and I have always hinted how Bella's character was slightly off color in this fic. She was vulnerable and had the right motivations to do what she did. The way Hermione handles her, you may or may not like. I would just like to reiterate, that it's my story and it is how I felt Hermione felt connected to her that shaped her decision. That decision is not always the most logical and most sensible, but the way a person feels is just that... unpredictable.

Thanks for reading, if you liked/disliked the fic please do leave a comment. I love to read what you've got to say.

Cheers!