Fan Fiction / Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows at Daybreak ❯ The Life of a Convicted Killer ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Life, and living are, for the most part considered the same thing. If you were alive, then you must be living, right? For Hermione, even though she was breathing, and her heart was beating, she had already died inside. She just wished that her heart could know what her brain did, that she just didn't have the will to go on.

A young woman with curly, brown, matted hair sat motionless on the floor of a cold, dark prison cell. Her breathing was shallow, and her eyes were closed, but if she had opened them she wouldn't have been able see anything. The silence was unnerving. All she could hear was the ringing in her ears, and the occasional scream from on of the few prisoners.

Hermione Granger, prefect, and supposed best friend of the savior of the wizarding world, Harry Potter, had been sent to Azkaban Prison for murdering him. Gods, tears came to her eyes every time she thought of it. They actually thought she had killed Harry. Which she had in a way. While she had been trying to protect him from others, including the Dark Lord Voldemort, she had been unable to protect him from himself.

Harry hadn't truly killed himself, just who he had been. As Voldemort had grown stronger, his dark side had started to take over. Harry himself had a load of supporters, and those who wouldn't follow him; he tried to bend them to his will. But he had never had to bend her. She snorted. No, she had always followed him around like a lovesick puppy. "Or a bitch," she said aloud, and flinched when her voice echoed through the darkness.

Hermione had always loved him. With just one look from his green eyes, she would be helpless. She had been such a fool not to see that he had been using her from the very beginning. Playing with her just so he could have her do his dirty work for him, and shoulder all of the blame.

She had done endless research, and had made potion after potion in his defense. She hadn't even blinked when he asked her to make an immortality drink. God's, she hadn't even asked what he wanted it for. She had begged Fawkes to cry for her, and then had gone into the forbidden forest to slay a unicorn. She hadn't made it there though, thank Merlin, no she had stumbled into one of Harry's New Age meetings, and learned the truth for herself.

That she was nothing more to him than a pawn. And by then, it had already been too late for her. His plan had already been set into motion, and the ministry was already after her for being a murderess. She had never imagined had never wanted to imagine how Sirius had felt when he was accused of murder, and treason. But, she supposed that he felt somewhat like she did.

Betrayed. Vengeful.

She had run that night, but Harry had caught her, and locked her in the Hogwarts dungeon. She had survived on little food, and less water for two months. That's when the torture started. She had been beaten, raped, and misused for the next four months.

Until Gryfnix came.

Hermione, like everyone else in her family, had always loved to beyblade. She remembered learning with her cousin Tyson when they were both young. There was nothing better than the thrill of a battle to her. Nothing better than winning.

She hadn't been able to blade locked in the dungeons, but she always had her blade with her. She had just about given up hope when she felt her blade grow warm. When she reached into her pocket, there it was. The Black Half-Lyon emblem on her bit piece. It had given her hope. Something she hadn't had in such a long time.

With the help of Gryfnix, she had been able to escape from Hogwarts before Harry managed to kill her. But she hadn't been quick enough to avoid the ministry. Since it was his last year as minister, and he was up for re- election, Fudge had wanted to impress his peers with her capture, so he had the muggles look for her as well. It had been such a shock to her when her own parents turned her in.

Then she was sent before the ministry, and sentenced to life in Azkaban. And Gryfnix had been taken away from her. She knew though, that even though Fudge had managed to capture her, there was no way he would be minister again, and she couldn't wait until the day she would get to see him again.

She turned as she heard a rattling on the cell doors, and frowned. She knew that it couldn't be time for the Gytrashes to come already. Since the dementors had all gone to serve Harry, Gytrashes guarded the prisoners Gytrashes were vampiric spirit dogs that, instead of sucking souls, took the life away from you. Since they came once a day, Hermione was already missing around twenty years. She knew that she couldn't afford to lose much more, but there was nothing she could do to get out.

She blinked at the sudden light shining through the doorway. In front of her was a young man in deep blue dress robes, and the violet colored eyes. Next to him was the one man she never thought she'd see again. Albus Dumbledore. She blinked again, this time in surprise.

"Pro." the word wouldn't come out, so she cleared her throat. "Professor?" Her voice was dry, and scratchy from lack of water, and speech. But the two men seemed to know what she was saying.

She watched as the man smiled at her, and she fainted at the sight of his twinkling blue eyes.

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Kai Hiwatari stood arms crossed against the wall of Mr. Dickenson's, the president of the BBA's, private office. His face was grim, his blue eyes were narrowed, and brow was furrowed with thought. If what Mr. Dickenson said was true, then he would have a new beyblader, a new "teammate" to baby-sit. Apparently, the others were all for it.

Max had one of the biggest smiles Kai had ever seen plastered to his face. His green eyes had started to twinkle, and he wiped the blonde hair away from his face. "That's great Mr. Dickenson. When is he coming?"

Rei was more restrained. He smiled just enough to show his neko-jin fangs. "Yeah, what's his name?"

Kenny had a more technical question. "Does he have a bit-beast?" For once, his laptop was closed.

Tyson, in Kai's opinion, was by far, the worst. His mouth was stuffed, as usual, and Kai could only hear fragments of his speech.

" 'O 'atter wha' 'ind a bi-east 'e 'as," he started, and stopped to swallow and thump his chest. "I can beat him easy!"

Kai just snorted in reply, "Hn," He wasn't about to say anything else.

Mr. Dickenson just smiled at them all like he normally does. "Her name is Hermione Granger. She's Tyson's cousin."

Kai stood in shock, completely ignoring Tyson as he started to choke on his burgers.

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Kai stared at the beydish in front of him, expecting to see the "girl's" blade spinning inside. Instead, he found nothing. He knew that the perfect launch should have sent the beyblade flying into the dish and the blade itself should have been spinning faster than his own Dranzer. But instead, the blade was still inside the launcher.

It had been six days since the announcement about Tyson's cousin joining the group, and Kai was still in shock. He couldn't believe that Mr. Dickenson would have him take care of a girl, and that's what he believed would happen. He just knew that he would end up getting her out of trouble.

The 'girls' things had been sent over to his manor just today, and he had felt drawn to the black leather case with the silver monogram of a lion on its side. He had opened it to find the most magnificent beyblade he had ever seen. It was the color of blood, and had a black attack ring with four, sharp, flexible blades attached. He had seen the bit before, and took seeing again as a sign. That he, Kai, had been chosen to wield the ultimate power.

But as he stood in front of the beydish, with his arms still outstretched, he couldn't be sure. The dark red beyblade seemed to be permanently, even magically attached to its black launcher. Kai was furious. The greatest blade he had ever seen, and he wasn't able to use it. He just couldn't believe that a girl could wield the Mystical beast, and he couldn't even get its blade into the dish. To him, it was the ultimate insult.

He stalked away from the practice area, and threw the blade down in disgust.

"It's not that I'm weak; it's just that this isn't a real blade," he said to himself. "There's no way that the Ultimate Beast could have chosen a girl to stay with. To be controlled by. No female could have enough discipline to power that blade."

He stopped, and stared at the blade again. There was an unmistakable glow coming from the bit, and suddenly, Kai could feel the anger radiating from inside. It was as if the blade itself was angry at being insulted by him. Even saying, Kai felt positive that it was his own anger, and not the "fake blade's".

Kai had been raised to believe that females were weaker than males, in strength and wisdom. Even if his grandfather hadn't pounded it into him at such an early age, he would have known it. That's why men went to war, and women stayed home, and beyblading itself was a war. An ever-constant battle, that lets only the strong survive.

And Kai Hiwatari was strong. There was no doubt about that.

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How was it for my first try? I read somewhere that Tyson's last name in the American version was Granger, and I just couldn't miss a chance to put my two favorite worlds together.

I know I left you in the dark about what happened after 'Mione fainted, but that's what the next chapter will be about, and this story wont be updated until the day after tomorrow because tomorrow I'm posting my other story. (Yu-Yu Hakusho fan-fiction staring Kurama, and my original character, Shane-female.)

Anyways please read, and review them both.

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