The smell of rotting decay, the smell of death. The dark shapes she could see through her closed eyes. The hard, damp stone beneath her. The taste of blood on her tongue. The sounds of... emptyness.
Hermione Granger opened her eyes and looked up at the roof of the cave. She took a deep, steadying breath, trying to gather her thoughts, trying to remember what happened.
"They're preparing a war down here," Remus called over his shoulder to the five hundred people following him through the wide, wet tunnels which wound down to the caves.
"This is it- the final resistance?" Hermione asked, close behind him, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.
"We have to act now," Remus replied calmly.
"It's no good, you know we can't end it without Harry, and he hasn't been seen for three months!" Hermione snapped. "He has to kill Voldemort, he has to, we can't Remus, don't you see? We're all going to die down here, it's no good- Harry's probably already dead!"
She was in tears by now, and Ron, who was walking silently beside her, slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
Hermione swallowed. Her throat felt dry, her mouth parched. Dreading what she was going to see, she sat up slowly. It was a horrific sight. Bodies lay everywhere, littering the floor of the vast cave. Blood seemed to be everywhere, and Hermione seemed to be the only one moving.
The resistance was silent as they reached the mouth of the tunnel. They were staring into the biggest cave any of them had ever seen, the length of a football field, equally wide and high. The Death Eaters were gathered at the opposite side, too far away to make out clearly, but Hermione quickly scanned and guessed that there was maybe one and a half thousand.
"Remus," she whimpered. "We're outnumbered three to one."
The group had stopped. The Death Eaters were staring, preparing to fight.
Remus turned to Hermione, and pressed his palm to her cheek. "We have to do this, Hermione. It's a choice we make, but at the end of the day, we have to do it."
Hermione opened her mouth to shout, but began to cough violently, her lungs sore, her throat raw.
"Hello?" she shouted as soon as she had gained control of her throat. "Hello?"
Nobody replied.
"Hermione."
Hermione turned to see who had spoken. It was Ginny Weasley.
"It's going to be alright, Mione, honestly," Ginny said.
Hermione smiled. "You're a child no more, Ginny."
"I am sixteen," she smiled back, pulling her friend close for a hug.
Hermione climbed onto her knees and scrabbled across the floor to the nearest person, who was lying face down, their face hidden behind a long shiny veil of dark hair. Hermione grabbed the person's shoulders and rolled her over, gasping as she realised it was Cho Chang.
"Cho?" Hermione whispered, reaching out gingerly to take her pulse. There was none. Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "It isn't fair. But at least you're with Cedric now."
"Hermione?" Ron asked, stepping up beside her.
Hermione turned to him. He hugged her tightly, resting his face in her hair, as she clinged tightly to him.
"Good luck, Mione," Ron whispered.
She sniffed.
"They're advancing!" Remus shouted.
"Hello?" Hermione called again.
"Hermione..." a hoarse voice whispered her name, and she moved across the rows of bodies towards the speaker.
It was Draco Malfoy, his long blonde hair dirty and dark, his pale face pinched in agony, his white shirt red with blood. He was lying still on his back, and he looked at Hermione with hope in his eyes.
"What happened?" Hermione asked slowly, taking in his bloodied shirt.
Draco
smiled grimly. "Father. He wanted to make me.... make me pay for
deserting them, betraying them."
Hermione frowned and
ripped open Draco's shirt, revealing his pale stomach, and the large,
dark gash in his stomach.
Hermione and Ron moved forward with the rest of the crowd. Hermione looked around. Old schoolmates, parents and people of the last war made up the resistance.
A hand grabbed her arm, and she stopped and turned to see George Weasley holding it.
"What?" she asked.
"Hermione...
I... I..."
"No, you're not," Hermione said briskly, pulling out her wand and muttering something. Draco gasped and smiled as the wound closed.
"Thank you," Draco whispered, touching her hand briefly.
"I
love you."
Hermione
swallowed, lowered her eyes. "George, that isn't funny..."
"I'm
not joking."
She gasped as he pressed his lips gently to her own and kissed her softly. She kissed him back tenderly, warm and safe in his arms.
She raised her eyes to his as they drew apart. "I guess I love you too."
"Help me find survivors!" Hermione told Draco.
That last word seemed to bring home to them both the sheer horror of the situation, and Hermione stiffled a sob. Draco sat up, and placed a gentle finger over her lips.
"Don't cry, Mione," he murmured.
Hermione forced back her tears and flashed him a quick, reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Come on, let's look for survivors."
Hermione walked to the very front of the resistance. Everyone had drawn their wands, and they were all facing the mass of Death Eaters who were slowly walking forward. At the very front of the group was Voldemort, grinning evilly.
Hermione saw Cho Chang staring at her. She smiled to her. Cho smiled back, pale and nervous.
"Tell me," Voldemort said, his voice echoing around the cave, "where is Harry Potter?"
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
Draco and Hermione walked in opposite directions, shouting, checking every body for life. It was a harrowing task, one which brough Hermione closer to tears with every body she walked past, recognising faces.
She heard Draco give a sorrowful moan from the opposite side of the cave, and turned sharply to see him collapsing beside a body, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Nobody replied. Voldemort's grin widened.
"You're
fools!" he laughed. "Suicidal fools! Don't you see I've
already won?"
Hermione tightened her grip on her wand.
Voldemort chuckled. He pointed his wand at Arthur Weasley, who was at one side of the group. "Avada Kedava!"
"Draco?" Hermione called, running over.
He was sitting at Ginny's side. She was unmarked, her expression one of shock. She had undoubtably been killed by the Avada Kedava curse.
"Draco, I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, feeling the tears she had struggled so hard to hide roll down her cheeks as Draco reached across and gently closed Ginny's eyes.
There was a green flash. Ginny was screaming. There was a heavy thud as Arthur Weasley dropped to the floor, dead.
Then, the two sides ran forward, as beams of light flashed everywhere.
"I'm fine," Draco sighed. He stood up. "Gather the living at the mouth of the cave. We can get out of here."
Hermione nodded. She walked back over to her side of the cave, and heard a groan. She ran over to the person who had made the noise and saw that it was Remus. His face was bloody and raw up one side, but other than that he seemed fine, sitting up slowly.
"Hermione," he said slowly, looking at her. "I am so, so sorry."
She wondered what exactly he was sorry for. It didn't matter now.
Hermione was engaged in a duel with a tall, bulky Death Eater.
"Avada Kedava!" he roared.
Time seemed to slow down as Hermione bent backwards, very, very low, and the curse streaked over her, missing her by less than a centimetre. She rose again quickly, raising her own wand. "Reducio!" she screamed, the first incantation to enter her mind.
She watched in horror as the man in front of her shrank to a tiny size, no bigger than a pin.
"We won," she whispered.
"But we also lost; there are no winners in war, Hermione," he said heavily, climbing to his feet.
"Where's Harry?" she asked suddenly.
BANG.
As the loud sound swept through the cave, everyone stopped duelling and turned to face one of the walls. A small crack had appeared in the rock in the middle of the wall.
BANG.
More cracks, spreading out. Hermione turned and stared at Voldemort, who was standing at the side of the fight. His sneer had faded slightly as he gaped at the wall.
BANG.
Bits of rock showered the floor as a large hole appeared in the wall.
Her eyes answered her question as they fell upon a long metal staff sticking up out of the floor beside the hole in the wall. She gasped, and ran over, her breath catching in her throat as she realised the staff was sticking into one of the bodies; more accurately, it was in Harry Potter's stomach.
"Harry!" she shouted, collapsing on her knees beside him.
"Hey, Herm," he muttered, turning his green eyes on her. They were filled with pain.
"Oh my God, oh my God," Hermione whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What happened?"
"When I put the curse on him... when he was dying... he conjured this up..." Harry said hoarsely. "It's... agony."
"You'll be fine," she whispered.
He shook his head. "It's cursed... Hermione, cursed... as long as it is in me, the pain is so great I wish I... would die... but I won't... and as soon as it is removed... I die..."
A dark figure stepped out of the hole, and everyone gasped as they took in Harry Potter's long, lank black hair, pale, blotchy skin, curly black beard, and torn black trenchcoat. He seemed larger than Hermione remembered, and his face was radiating hatred and anger towards Voldemort.
"Harry," Hermione breathed.
Voldemort's sneer had faded completely now, and he and Harry walked towards each other as the fighting continued.
"No!" Hermione mouthed, realising what needed to be done.
"Please, Herm, I know you can do it," Harry whispered, his eyes pleading her.
She sighed, stood up, and wrapped her hands around the staff. "See you soon, Harry," she whispered, pulling it out.
Hermione ran forward so that she was standing a few metres from Harry and Voldemort, watching them intently as they glared at each other.
Hermione couldn't stay and watch Harry die. She closed her eyes, and walked away, heading towards the entrance, where Draco had gathered the survivors. She quickly counted them- a battered, pale Remus Lupin, an unconscious Padma Patil, a bruised Fred Weasley and an equally bruised George, and a bloody Ron.
Harry's eyes fell on Hermione. "Hermione, move!" he shouted.
"You're alive, you're alive!" Hermione gasped, running to George and throwing her arms around his neck.
"I am," he said softly. "Let's get out of here."
The group began to walk silently through the tunnel, Remus carrying Padma, George and Hermione holding hands.
Voldemort's eyes fell on Hermione too, and he grinned at her, raising his wand.
They stepped out into the sunlight. It was pale and bright, and it made the wide, empty beach beside them look inviting and beautiful. Ron laughed. Hermione took a deep mouthful of the cool air.
She didn't swallow it. Something was blocking her throat, and she began to choke.
"No!" Hermione whispered.
The world was blurring, her legs growing weak, and she fell to her knees.
"Hermione!" George shouted.
"There are worse things than death, Hermione," Voldemort laughed softly.
Hermione gave a weak scream as the pain began in her chest. It was blinding, and she fell onto her side, coughing, choking... dying...
"Avada Kedava!" Harry shouted.
Remus rolled her over onto her back, and began giving her mouth-to-mouth.... It was making it worse, all of the extra air unable to pass the blockage in her throat, and it was making her throat feel like it was swelling up. The pain in her chest was getting worse, and everything was becoming more blurred.
Voldemort laughed as there was a green flash. Defeat danced in his eyes as he gasped. He raised his wand suddenly, muttered something, and shot a jet of black light at Hermione.
Remus had gone, and it was George's face above her's. He was crying. Hermione had stopped shaking, coughing, choking... everything seemed still.
She was flung back. Time seemed slow as she flew through the air. She knew she was cursed. She knew her days were numbered.
Hermione smiled grimly, and closed her eyes.