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Chapter 50

The ringing in Hermione's ears gave way to muffled cries. Her head turned slowly, and her eyes blinked open to just make out blurred figures trying to come to their feet. The potions in her system kept her from feeling any pain but the clumsiness of her hands coming under her chest was a small sign that she might possibly be injured. Another's deep anguished cry filled her chest and her head slowly turned to discover its source.

"No—No—Percy? Percy!"

Hermione pushed herself up onto her hands and knees before her eyes turned to the large hole that had to have gone all the way up to the floor above. The night sky beyond glowed red with heavily tainted smoke. Her mind tried to catch up with her eyes as something black and very, very large started to come through the hole.

"Sp...Sp...Spider...!" Hermione's sputtered exclamation was drowned out by the small circle of people crying out around Percy's still form. Hermione turned her head down looking for her wand that was suddenly no longer in her hand. Her eyes searched the floor before she noticed the wood jammed in a crack near the wall. "Accio!" Her wand sprung free in an instant slapping into her palm and she pushed herself to her feet as best as she could. The stone she'd put around her neck slipping free of the torn neck of her hoodie. Her eyes registered a small gleam of light inside the stone, but her mind didn't register its importance.

"Spiders!" Hermione's wand twitched as she let loose a most impressive, if slightly out of control, stunner. The spider who had been making its way through the hole reared back for only a moment when the spell crashed into two of its front legs. Snarling when she realized that the magical creature wouldn't be stopped so easily; she did the only logical thing she could think of. She turned her wand to the others, who were still trying to understand their new guest and formed a large blue dome of protection encapsulating them all.

"Hermione!" Harry had had Ginny under his arm when the dome fell, the large spider wasn't alone, it had brought friends. The eight-legged beasts completely ignored the huddled group and went straight after Hermione.

"No—Run! Hermione!" Harry had never felt so helpless as he did at that moment. Percy's still body at his knees, Fred cradled in Ron's lap his entire face coated red. This was the end, it had to be. How could anymore possibly happen?

Hermione paused, torn. She didn't want to leave them, but there was no choice. She could lure the spiders away, possibly just before her protection barrier gave out. Her heart was thumping too slowly to provide enough blood to her brain. She stumbled back a few steps as the black mass continued to advance. She needed to think, and quickly. She needed to choose.

"I'll meet you there! Harry!" Hermione turned away then, nearly tripping over the fallen column that had stopped her slide, the ache in her heart was strong but she had to go. She had to leave their side. Tears of anguish blurred her vision and the strong feeling of needing to get to Snape came again. She tried to push it away as she forced herself to move. It felt as though the air had become thick, like water—she wasn't moving fast enough. Her head turned back to see the that only a few of the spiders that had come through the hole had chosen to follow her, while the others had taken to going down the other side.

She cast another spell behind her trying to keep them on her. It was hard to run, something was wrong with her hip but there was no pain to tell her what it was. The hissing and snarling of the creatures taking chase filled her pounding ears.

Her head turned back again watching her protection bubble break. Those within who were capable, came to their feet taking a defensive stance over Percy's prone body. It was the last she saw of them as she turned the corner. She felt rather than saw the hallway from where she'd come collapse in on itself. The screeching sound of spiders being crushed beneath the heavy stones rattling her teeth. There was no way back now. She had to keep moving.

She passed so many, too many to count. Broken bodies, countless faces of classmates, of masked evil. She cast a disillusionment spell over herself as she grew closer to raised voices. She wanted to help, she desperately wanted to, but she had to keep her goal in mind. She had to meet Harry and Ron at the shrieking shack. She somehow had to meet Snape somewhere along the way. She ducked into an alcove as two death eaters thundered down the hall, by some grace of fate they were too busy running from the spiders that had given chase after them to notice her.

She'd just made it down one of the side stairs when panicked screams to her left caught her attention. She ducked into an alcove to keep her shimmering form hidden as three masked death eaters ran past, none of whom had any interest in her as they fled from the spiders that chased them. A deep roar from somewhere further off to the right made her lean out and she felt her entire stomach lurch when a large troll took off the heads of one of the fleeing death eaters with its spiked club. The mask that had obscured their face pinged loudly as it bounced off the wall, their head landing with a wet smack before rolling out of sight.

Hermione forced her head away, the reality of her choice was starting to work its way into her adrenaline clouded thoughts. Her only true chance to survive was to find Snape. She couldn't make it alone. Swallowing down the bile that had stuck in her throat she raised her wand with trembling fingers.

She turned her eyes towards the main staircase at the far end of the hall. It would lead her down, she knew, to the Great Hall, where she'd most likely find the thick of it all. Was he there? Was he fighting?

The momentary pause in her run had made the stitch in her side grow tighter. She tried to push away the feeling as she peeked out again. The large troll had taken down another hallway having left the spiders to feast on the bodies it had left behind. Now was her chance.

Keeping her hand tight on the pulsing power of her wand, Hermione sprinted down the hall. The main staircase was just a mess as the moving ones had been. More shouts filled her ears with familiar voices. She took hold of the railing to steady her step as her right leg mysteriously buckled. With a snarl and a hiss, she pushed herself down the stairs.

When she made it to the landing her heart jumped into her throat as she witnessed Neville, Luna the Patil twins and Mr. Weaslely all in fierce battle. The forces to which they held off were impressive. Large giants reached in from the entrance way that they could not pass through. Snatchers and Death Eaters alike who were able to pass through holes made by the beasts found themselves thwarted by the sharp spells flying through the air.

Hermione turned her head down, she could do this, she had a mission. Everyone had their part to play. Just as she was about to step off the staircase a deep rumble ran through the floor. The Giants had broken through the main entrance. Sending the valiant fighters running back for a more defensive position.

Hermione made to join the fight when a blindingly bright blue light soared forth sending a massive wave of destruction towards the advancing beasts sending them all flying back from whence they came. McGonagall had come. Hermione had never been so terrified and awestruck. Believing that the battle truly had turned she pushed herself down onto the floor. Unaware that her disillusionment spell had worn off, she made straight for the now clear entrance way.

Neville started as Hermione ran straight past him. The strong smell of fire in the air as she passed. His heart jumped into his throat as he noticed the deep red that had stained the jeans at her hip.

"Hermione!" She didn't pause to his call. His eyes frantically searched for Harry or Ron but found no one. A jet of green light passed right over his head in that second heartbeat and he heard the delirious cackle of a woman whom he would never forgive.

Hermione darted through the chaos that was the courtyard. Bodies and blood filled the air with an acidic taste. Her entire body shuddered, the power given to her by the potions was steadily running out. Unable to cope with the amount of stress her body was under. Spells darted in nearly every direction possible. She blocked and dodged what she could, her focus solely on getting to the stairs that would lead down to the grounds. Not the main walkway that was surely impassible but rather towards the boathouse just outside of the anti-aparation wards.

As soon as her head dipped below the main courtyard, a thick black smoke completely enveloped her. A large hand had covered her mouth before she could even think to scream. Another arm wrapped tightly around her stomach and she felt her feet suddenly leaving the earth.

oOo

"Harry!"

"Hermione, did she come this way?!" Harry had suddenly revealed himself to Luna who had hidden in a small alcove for cover.

"I think so. I don't know." The blond looked like she had been to hell and back. Her normally fairy like hair was matted and stained with stone dust and blood. Her face nearly the color of the moon. Before she could elaborate Harry was back under the cloak. She made to follow after him before the large archway she had taken cover behind gave a mighty groan.

"Luna!"

By the time Harry had the courage to look back, he saw only dust and stone. A small hand, still and frail against the floor peeking out from beneath the rubble. His heart lurched nearly out of his chest with pain. A sob threatening to take his feet from beneath him.

oOo

Hermione felt the cold air of the night whipping around her face in undecipherable directions. She felt as though she was spinning but the darkness all around made it impossible to tell. She'd taken to clutching tight to the hands that held her, she could feel the tip of her own wand pressed harshly into her cheek in her bid not to let go of it.

The air turned from smoke and ash to clear spring night and she felt that they were coming down. When the ground crunched beneath her trainers there was no strength left in her legs to keep her up. The smoke started to recede then and she felt the arms around her begin to release. Her chest was heaving and her head was still running in spirals. There was a shift and cold planked wood replaced the warmth of the body that had been behind her.

Her head lowered to the dark man who had now taken a knee before her. Her eyes blinked furiously to try and bring him into focus; when she felt insanely hot fingers dipping into the front of her jeans. Her wand rose to curse him when she let out a sharp cry that was cut off with a sharp flick of his own. Her eyes widened when he leaned back to his task none too gently pulling the stud through the catch.

"How can you not feel this?" Snape snarled keeping his voice low. He'd flown them to the dark alleyway behind the Three Broomsticks where he was supposed to be awaiting Voldemort's final orders. It had only been when the band on his wrist threatened to remove his hand did he think to act. She had said she was coming. He had reached out through their connection when he had felt her pain. It had been brief, leading him to suspect that she had taken one of the potions he'd left her. He didn't really understand why the girl had been searching for him in the first place. Didn't Potter have a mission he was assigned? Why was she searching for him instead of helping Potter?

"What did you take?" His voice was short and sharp. Absently he removed the silencing charm over her throat without even bothering to look up into her face; his eyes narrowing at the deep ooze coming from her hip.

Hermione shook her head, slowly catching her breath for the first time since she'd started running for the Shrieking Shack. His intentions now clear, she let her wand go lax by her side, "Energy and...and Pain..."

He made a most unpleasant face when he pulled the right side of jeans away from her hip. Thick blood mixed with dirt stuck to the wound making it look a gooey mess. No wonder she couldn't feel it. The potions were definitely not designed to be taken together. He had thought he didn't have to restate what he'd already warned but one look up into dark haunted eyes told him that it was a moot point now.

"Do you...have the stone?" Hermione blinked slowly making a face as he pressed his wand into the deep gash.

"You can give it to Potter when I'm finished."

Her body jerked slightly raising his dark head. One look into his eyes and she knew he understood that he was a condemned man. Dark, emotionless pools without a shimmer of hope. It was painful.

His face twisted into confusion, then anger before he turned his eyes back down to task. Hermione did her best to try and formulate an argument that would make him see reason. He didn't have to die. He didn't deserve to die. Not after all he had done—was doing. If he hadn't found her, she would have, without a doubt, bled out long before she would have ever made it to the Whomping Willow. The very idea of Harry and Ron coming across her foolish-self lying dead would have broken her heart even in the afterlife. As her mind rounded them, a question she had been turning in her mind for some time came to the forefront of her chaotic thoughts. It had been the whole reason she had even tried to complete the stones in the first place.

"Harry... Harry's a Horcrux... isn't he?"

"Yes." Snape had no more secrets to hide, the game was over now. If he could somehow get her back to the castle before Malfoy figured out where he'd gone they might still have a chance.

"Only one can live..." Hermione recalled the prophecy her eyes filling with tears. She shifted her legs causing her jeans to slide down further. Whatever magic Snape was working, it looked extremely complicated. "Does he really have to die?"

"That is Dumbledore's plan." Snape's words were barely a whisper but she felt the regret in his heart and the bitter betrayal he'd felt when he'd learned the truth.

Hermione frowned deeper, it was his plan?  She wanted to try and believe that Snape was lying to her, trying to trick her into seeing something she couldn't see but the tone of his voice was stark and clear. Her heart clenched tight and her eyes turned up towards the bright full moon that glowed innocently overhead. It was all for nothing. A deep anger welled in her chest and she reached into the torn neck of her sweatshirt. She pulled the stone roughly from her around head and tossed it forcibly to the ground. Snape glanced down to where it rested against his boot before raising his head slightly.

"All of this...was for nothing..." Her body gave a mighty tremble as the stone's power left her body. Like a dam breaking, she felt taken under by the insurmountable hopeless of war. Her body sagged against the wall as molten tears rolled down her cheeks. "He played us all..."

Hermione shook her head sniffling weakly. Snape had finished with her hip, but she couldn't find any relief in the deed. His dark eyes stared down at her as he rose to his feet, filled with so much more knowledge than she could ever even begin to fathom. Her hand rose again and she pulled the battlefield kit from around her shoulder. She tucked her wand into her sleeve more out of habit than an actual desire to use it any longer.

"He's killed, everyone..." Hermione pressed the kit into Snape's chest. His hand came up over hers that had lingered. Her eyes turned back to his normally unreadable face. How could she have been so blind to it all? Brightest witch of her age? Hardly. Biggest fool maybe. Her eyes lowered down to the hand that had come over hers. The unseen hand. Ever present, ever suffering. What did she had left to fight for? The injustice that had befallen the man before her had started well before she was even a twinkle in her mother's eye. How did she ever believe that she could ever right the wrongs he had suffered?

Snape had heard it all, his own heart growing heavier for her loss of innocence. It wasn't anything he himself hadn't thought before but hearing it from another's mind seemed to bring a new power to the words. He slowly shrunk and pushed the kit into his front pocket before taking a firm hold of her arms. He gave her a moment before dragging her fully back onto her feet. When she raised her head again his eyes pierced straight into her soul.

This is the famous Gryffindor bravery?

Hermione felt every memory from the moment she had seen him go in the cellar of Malfoy Manor until now coming to the front of her inner eye. It was a rather headache-inducing experience that left her in a sort of floating haze. It lasted only seconds but years felt like they had passed between them. A strong will pressed into her chest, all her own. Her drive to succeed, her desire to be the best at everything she did, not for others but for herself. Everything that made her who she was.

Her feet felt surer than before and the light that had threatened to go out inside her reignited with unimaginable force. She could see her strength, her courage, her will to see things to the very end shining back at her in the eyes of the man who beared her soul.

What's the plan?

A look of approval she had never seen before on his strict features flashed by for a split heartbeat.

I'll deal with Potter, you must kill the snake.

Snape released her arms sure that she could now stand on her own and leaned down to retrieve the stone from beside his foot. As soon as he'd taken it into his hand a sharp crunch of gravel whipped his head to the side; Hhs eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Bit of an interesting time for a little slap and tickle."

"Lucius."

Hermione's heart jumped into her throat when her eyes fell on the haggard blond. Her head turned down sharply and her hands scrambled to refasten her pants that had fallen nearly mid-thigh.

"Trust me Mudblood, you've got nothing that I want." Lucius' cold eyes turned from the girl to Snape who had come to his full height, "You were supposed to be upstairs."

"I had other matters to attend to."

"Well, lucky for you, I know a few location charms. The Dark Lord requests your presence."

"Understood." Snape glanced down at Hermione who'd just refastened her jeans. She was sure to be a bit unsteady on her feet and he didn't dare to leave her behind, "You've fulfilled your purpose Lucius, don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Lucius' snarl made Hermione's hair stand on end, she didn't know what had happened between the two of them but she could tell it was escalating to dangerous levels. Her body instinctually pressed closer into Snape's side before she gently tugged on his coat trying to look as pathetic as she could manage. When he looked down at her she tried to speak to him through his Legilimens.

Draco's alive. On the fifth floor, in a closet.

Snape's brow twitched before he realized her intentions. He smirked slightly and wrapped his arm awkwardly around her shoulder, "Draco is alive, on the fifth floor."

Lucius' eyes widened considerably and he no longer had any more interest in either of them. Deeming his task complete he apparated on the spot leaving the two of them hiding smirks. Snape let his arm drop down and he pulled out the field kit, she'd lost a substantial amount of blood from her inability to feel pain and he had to address that first. He pulled the vial from it's prescribed holder and pushed it into her hand. "One swallow."

Hermione took the potion without question and did as she was obviously instructed. She made a small face before offering it back. He replaced the vial and pushed the bag into the front pocket of her hoodie. His hand uncurled next and he slipped the stone into the front pocket of her jeans. It would be her choice on whether she would wear it, he couldn't force her to tie her life to his. It wasn't right. If he were to die, she could still take the stone from him and give it to Potter. It would only be tied to him if she were wearing hers.

"One more time into the Serpents den."

Hermione took a shuddering breath before reaching out to take his hand. His brow furrowed deeply when she twined her fingers into his; a look of complete confusion on his face from such a simple gesture.

"One more time." Hermione nodded her head, her chin tight. She gave his hand a firm squeeze, turning her eyes up to his as though this was the last time she would ever see him. She gave him a ghost of a smile before letting their hands fall apart.

"Stay just outside, once he has told me what he needs to tell me. We shall move on to Potter."

"Harry's already on his way..."

"How?"

"He saw it...I told him to look inside him..."

"That'll save us some time then."

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