She had to hide. Death Eaters were hot on their tails and she knew that the magic she had used to seal the door behind them would only hold for so long. Diving underneath a nearby table, she listened to the incessant ticking from the countless clocks in the room before the door slammed open and the enemy entered.

Oh, God, she thought. How in the world did I end up here? She knew of course, and truth be told, she wouldn't have had it any other way. When her best friend, Harry Potter, had first mentioned that he'd seen his Godfather being tortured at the hands of Lord Voldemort, she had known that it was almost certainly a trap. After all, it had been near five in the afternoon! How were those two particular wizards able to get into the Ministry of Magic when they were the most wanted men in all of Britain? She had even said as much to Harry, but the boy was nothing if not insistent. Had she been in his shoes, she may have reacted as he had. As it was, she was able to be reasonable and attempt to make sense of the situation.

Fat lot of good it did her.

Harry had basically ignored her, telling her that this vision was just like the one where Mr. Weasley had been attacked, and that one had turned out to be true. No matter how hard she tried to convince him, he would not be deterred. So like any good friend would, she went with him. Now they were scattered, she and the five other students who had left Hogwarts for the Ministry of Magic, and being hunted by Death Eaters.

It had been quiet when they'd arrived; with the exception of the disembodied elevator voice, they'd not heard even a peep from another living soul. While she knew that it was because no one else was there, her friend was not to be deterred. She'd followed him into a room where the doors spun around them like a carousel as soon as they were all closed. They'd entered a room that housed a tank full of brains before returning to the main door area which spun again when the door was closed. At least I'd had the forethought to mark the door, she thought. There were a number of other rooms they'd passed through before finally getting to the Hall of Prophecies. Sirius Black wasn't there, but her instinct to say I told you so was short-lived as they were quickly surrounded by the enemy.

It wasn't quiet anymore. From the shadows emerged two of the last people she wanted to see up close and personal: Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix was insane, that much was certain. All of those years spent in Azkaban prison had done her no good, and the madness could be clearly seen in her eyes. Lucius Malfoy, though… He was a force to be reckoned with, exuding confidence and raw power, using logic to try and get his way rather than the naked violence Bellatrix was anxious for. His cold and calculating demeanor sent chills down her spine and she was thankful that his focus wasn't on her. The problem, though, was that he seemed to think that Harry knew something more than her friend was letting on. The elder Malfoy was convinced that Harry was hiding some bit of knowledge, perhaps giving him more credit for intelligence than he deserved, and even going so far as to say, "Do not play games with us, Potter."

The real battle started shortly thereafter, with Harry giving the signal for them all to cast Reducto and make a run for it. Her group had split up and tried to escape the Death Eaters, who seemed to be right on their heels. She sealed a door behind her, finding herself with Harry and Neville Longbottom in what could only be described as the Time Room. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before the bad guys were able to break through her spell, Harry suggested that they run and perhaps even hide. She dove under a desk just as the Death Eaters easily countered her charm on the door, but she wasn't there for long. She knew her aim would be better out in the open and she moved to take out some of the enemy.

Hermione Granger crawled out from her hiding place, all the while surveying the scene around her. Somewhere in the room she heard a deep baritone shouting the beginning of the killing curse, but she couldn't see the man who was casting, nor did she hear the end of the curse. Her entire being was caught in the penetrating gaze of Lucius Malfoy. There was a surprising play of emotions on the face of a man she was convinced had none; shock, comprehension, and anger passed his features in rapid succession. Her brows furrowed in confusion while watching the blond wage a silent war with himself. She saw his eyes widen in fear when Neville sent a surprisingly strong Stupify at a Death Eater, knocking the masked man back with great force.

Everything moved in slow motion. The large Death Eater flew through the air straight at her and she knew that she didn't have time to move from his path. When his limp body struck hers, they were forced backward into the glass front of the cabinet behind them. There was enough time for her to feel the shards of glass tearing at her clothes and ripping her skin before a spinning sensation overtook her. As the world she knew twisted before her, her eyes once again met with blue ones that were now only a few feet away. His resigned frown was the last thing she saw before everything went black.