Broken Angel

Chapter Two

Five Years Ago

Hermione whirled, her brunette tresses whipping around her as she deflected the killing curse, her jet of searing red light meeting the green and sending them rebounding across the room. She slashed her wand through the air, ignoring the burning pain in her hip where she had been hit by a diffindo charm as she slammed her opponent with a knockback jinx. The Death Eater flew backwards before crashing through the window in a rain of broken glass and metal, falling to what was no doubt his death several feet below.

Her hands were stained red, red with blood she had not shed but had instead seeped into her skin whilst she cradled her dying mentor. Minerva had gone down in treachery and deceit, stabbed through the throat by The Betrayer. Hermione had held her teacher as she died, choking on her own blood whilst Ron and Harry tore after the murderous bastard. In truth, perhaps they should have seen it coming, for no man would dare take on Minerva Mcgonagall head on in a duel.

It was a lesson to never again trust a Slytherin . . . except perhaps for her Slytherin Prince, who she would trust with her life.

"Bombarda Maxima," she yelled, leaning over the balustrade as she let fly her blasting curse. It was with a sick delight that she saw one of the stairways explode in a shower of stone and wood, sending a squadron of death eaters plummeting to the ground with a series of thick cracks. She did not delight in their murder; she revelled in that by killing them she had saved the lives of those they had been going after. In this case it was a duo of Ravenclaw fifth years, underage but still brave – or stupid – enough to stand and fight what Hermione had known from the start was a losing battle.

She had lost Ron and Harry early on when the fighting became thick, when both boys had gone after the death eater who had killed Fred Weasley. She warned them to remain, tried to convince them that the only chance of success they had was to find and destroy the horcrux but the bloodlust was upon them. Little had they known that the curse that had killed one half of the Weasley twins had been cast by Bellatrix Lestrange – thankfully they had not been fool enough to go after her.

"Hermione! Get down!" she heeded the shout and ducked, a slew of killing curses flying so close to her head that her hair was thrown back, as if by a harsh wind. Then Bill and George where at her side, both their faces etched with the grief of losing a brother and the desire to avenge him, their wands spitting lethal curses onto the encroaching attackers. She joined them, shrieking a sectumsempra and sending a sleazy looking walrus of a man to the ground, his body sliced open by an invisible sword.

"Nice one 'Mione," said George and she nodded, pulling her blood matted hair out of her eyes as the three took speed, taking the stairs two at a time as they moved for the Entrance Hall where the fighting was the thickest.

She lost them there, Bill tearing off into the Great Hall when they heard Fleur's piercing shriek, George catching sight of Charlie duelling two on one as he went off to aid him. Hermione on the other hand, caught side of that flash of platinum hair as he darted out the doors. She went after him, her eyes flaring as she heard Kingsley's magically amplified voice:

"RETREAT! GET OUT OF HERE AND LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!"

"Draco," she screamed his name as she saw Katie Bell engage him in a duel, her eyes tight with malice as she contemplated the man who had given her a cursed necklace. A cruciatus cursed missed Draco by an inch as Katie let fly a slew of hexes, Draco shielding himself as best he could.

"Stupefy," she yelled and Katie crumpled, a look of betrayal carved onto her face as Hermione stunned her.

"What the hell was that?" he barked, looking at her through his storm-grey eyes.

"It was me saving your arse," bit back Hermione, a relieved smile threatening to break over her face as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.

"The Order won't take kindly to that 'Mione," he said softly, savouring the scent of her hair, laced through with blood and filth but still carrying a trace of her coconut favoured shampoo.

"I don't care," she said bravely, "You need to go . . . The Order will be coming this way any second now."

"I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to either . . . but I need to know you're safe and The Order will kill you on sight," she sighed, not wanting to let go of him but breaking away from his embrace all the same. She whirled when she heard a cry of "Traitor," and turning she saw Cormac Mclaggen glaring at the pair of them, shooting a killing curse their way.

"Then run away with me," Draco said, grabbing her hand as he deflected a killing curse with a slash of his wand. Hermione's eyes narrowed at the arrogant bastard as he sent another Avada, this time aimed at Draco. Without a second thought she deflected it and instinctively hit Cormac with an Avada Kedavra of her own.

All around them The Battle of Hogwarts raged, the air thick with screams and curses as people fought and fled and died. She looked at him, and took in the losing battle she was fighting, remembering all those around her who had already died, before looking into his eyes – those eyes that held love and security, that she always felt safe around – and making her decision.

"Let's go," she said, taking off in a sprint with her hand in his.